Deal Seeking Mom

Back-to-School Giveaway: Acer Aspire Timeline Laptop (Valued at $899!)

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Acer Aspire Timeline Laptop Notebook

This fantastic giveaway is the last of my Back-to-School giveaways, but be sure to check out all of the current giveaways for other great prizes that are still available!

I think Moms and kids alike (or anyone else for that matter) will love this Acer Aspire Timeline Laptop. It’s part of a new category of laptops called “thin and light,” and this particular model boasts 8+ hours of battery life. I can attest to the battery life personally, as I left the house with mine on at 8:45 this morning and it’s still going strong at 3:45 in the afternoon.

After using this laptop for a week, I’m very impressed with it. Priced as low as $769.99, it rivals my far more expensive Sony Vaio in speed and definitely is far more convenient to tote around.

I just want to take a moment to share some of my favorite features from a mom’s perspective:

  • The first thing I noticed is that the power cord is formed at a right angle. I was ecstatic about this because we have an older Toshiba laptop that the kids use. Its cord just comes straight out of the back, and we’ve had to replace it 7+ times because the wires break at the base of the plug and the computer won’t charge. So yay for user-friendly power cords!
  • Keys that are easy to replace are big in my book. Yes, I purposefully popped one off just to see how easy it was to replace, and I’m happy to report that it snapped back on super easy, unlike my old Dell laptop that used to have me in tears trying to replace a key. Plus, the former transcriptionist in me loves the feel of the keys when typing. They are very smooth and give just enough resistance.
  • The long battery life is another feature I love. I mean, who wouldn’t? I can follow my kids around the house with my laptop, take it in the car, and look up a recipe while I’m cooking dinner all in one charge.
  • I can multitask with ease thanks to the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. I’m not quite techie enough to explain just how this wonderful piece of technology works, but I know that it allows me to run multiple programs at the same time without bogging down the system as a whole. This means that I can run Firefox, Tweetdeck, Paint Shop, Skype, and more without lags while working. What mom couldn’t use a little boost while multitasking? Do note that running several processing intensive programs in tandem can decrease the length of time before you need to recharge the battery.
  • This particular model has a HUGE hard drive. At 500GB, I won’t be running out of space any time soon, even with a large iTunes collection and several hundred digital photos stored on it currently. I’m not an expert, but I’ve noticed software getting larger over the years, so a large hard drive will be important for longevity.

A few things on it that I’m not crazy about:

  • No CD drive – this makes it a little difficult to install some software, but I understand the need to forgo one to keep the thin and light feel. And of course, USB CD drives are fairly inexpensive if that’s a necessity for you.
  • Touch-sensitive buttons – I wish they would have put a sticker on the computer to point out the row of touch-sensitive buttons above the keyboard. My curious toddler swiped his hand across them turning off the WiFi, and I spent a good 30 minutes trying to figure out how to turn it back on. Cool technology, but dangerous with kids around.
  • Mouse button is stiff – the mouse button is a little awkwardly placed and is slightly stiff. Maybe this is something that I just need a little time to get used too, but it’s definitely not my optimal setup.
  • Glossy screen – I’ve found that most systems come with glossy screens, but the anti-glare screen that my old Dell had was one of the only features that I loved. It makes working outside so much easier, and I enjoy taking the kids outside and letting them play while answering a few emails.

Overall none of the things that I was less than pleased with would be deal breakers when looking for a computer in this category. It may not be ideal as a complete desktop replacement laptop, but it’s perfect for a mom, dad, student, etc. who needs access to the Internet, email, word processing software and the like on the go and at home.

One very lucky Deal Seeking Mom reader will win an Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-6775 Laptop:

  • 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 Processor
  • 4096MB Dual-Channel DDR3 1066MHz Memory
  • 80 GB Solid State Drive
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit (SP1)
  • Over 8 Hours of Battery Life (6-Cell 5600 mAh)
  • 13.3-inch HD CineCrystal LED-backlit Display

To enter, leave a comment and tell me what features you look for in a laptop. Is portability and weight most important, or are you looking for something with high performance to replace your home desktop?

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Every reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for up to a total of 4 entries!!!

Methods of entry:

1. Leave a comment. Tell me what features are most important to you when shopping for a new laptop!

2. Add Deal Seeking Mom to your blogroll or add my badge to your sidebar. Make sure to come back and leave the link to your site in a separate comment!

3. Join the new Deal Seeking Mom Forums to chat about your great finds, special coupon codes, and chances to win exclusive giveaways. Leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve joined or that you’re already a registered user!

4. Subscribe to my feed via RSS or email. You must confirm your email subscription for it to be a valid entry! Leave a separate comment letting me know you have done so. If you’re already a subscriber, simply leave a separate comment letting me know you’re already subscribed. Lovin’ my subscribers! You guys make this all possible.

Prize:
(1) Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-6775 (ARV $899), as described above

This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, 9/2. I’ll use Random.org to select the winning comment. Winner will be notified by email on and listed on my Giveaway Winners page. Good luck!

While you’re in a contest entering mood, don’t forget to check out the Giveaway Gathering for a variety of contests being hosted on Deal Seeking Mom readers’ blogs!

Note: As the sponsor of this giveaway, Intel provided me with a laptop to review the latest features as well as a second laptop to give away to a Deal Seeking Mom reader.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robbyd

    I really look for screen size and hard drive space. My family has tons of pictures and videos saved to our computers and without enough space we’d be out of luck.

    I love sharing memories with the family!

  3. Elana Ausubel

    Most important features of laptop is durability so if kids get a hold of them unintentionally won’t break! -Elana

  4. Geoff K

    Ideally I look for high performance in a laptop — sufficient processor speed and RAM to let me run multiple applications simultaneously, a decent video card and widescreen monitor for watching films and videos, and long battery life to use on the go and when traveling. If the machine’s lightweight and portable at the same time, that’s even better, but I’ll sacrifice my shoulder and back instead of giving up the performance-related specs if I had to make the choice. :) Thanks for the giveaway!

    [email protected]

  10. Joseph

    When looking for a laptop the features I’m looking for are:

    Reliablity (my #1) – My current work laptop was of course given to me so I wasnt able to choose the brand. Without saying what it is I’ve had more problems than goodtimes with it. I’ve been researching netbooks and have hear nothing but great things about the ACER ASPIRE line of laptops computers.

    Battery Life – I am constantly on the go, whether its in the car traveling to my next meeting, taking my son to baseball practice or sitting in a restaurant going over a business plan with a client. My current work laptop I’ve have the battery is dead after 2-3 hrs of use. I like that the ACER ASPIRE Timeline has a long 8 hr battery life.

    Weight – The lighter the better. My current work laptop is weights in at around 10 lbs. When you combine that with my briefcase, papers, etc, it can get very heavy. I like that the ACER ASPIRE Timeline is only 3.5 lbs

    Processing Speed – I have to have open multiple windows with different applications (Outlook, Powerpoint, Excel, etc) when talking with clients so the faster the better the AMD I have seems to take forever. Again I like that the ACER ASPIRE Timeline is a Intel Core 2 Duo Processor.

  11. simone

    The main factor for me is reliability. I don’t want something that will break in a year. After that hard drive space for pictures and memory for speed. Portability would be nice, but not essential. Thanks! thebubbledies(at)gmail(dot)com

  14. Joseph

    I joined the NEW Deal Seeking Mom Forums

    And already found some great stuff [FREE – rebates] for this coming Labor Day weekend saving me some money, thanks!

  16. sarah d.

    I am currently shopping for a laptop. I look first for great performance/consumer report ratings and durability (I have to computer using children), then by size and portability.

  18. Jamie Payne

    Sufficient processor speed and RAM to let me run multiple applications simultaneously. Durability so if kids get a hold of it they will not destroy it.

  19. Veronica Garrett

    Performance is paramount. I know it can’t ne comparable to a laptop but it has to have fast speed and decent memory. Screen size is also important.

  20. Annmarie W.

    I would love to have a notebook computer! It certainly wouldn’t be to replace our desktop…but rather for something for me to take on the go or to do some work outside. So it needs to be lightweight. Other than that, as long as it works that’s what I’m looking for!

  23. Neisha

    Ease of Use is always very important! We’ve been in need of a new computer for months now but due to an unfortunate loss of employment in the family we will have to wait. Here’s hoping we win!

  25. Terri L

    You point out some of the features that I will most definitely be looking for in my next laptop….longer battery life, kid friendly cord, and easy to replace keys….all things that are lacking on my current laptop! I, of course, also want it to be fast and have lots of memory!

  30. Jeanine Gibbs

    My laptop was stolen and my business was literally on the laptop! I ended up buying a “cheapy”….would be nice to have a nice one I could carry my business in again. I also run a computer lab for a company and all of our computers are Acer–they have really stood up to a lot of use!