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- 1.3GHz Intel Pentium SU4100 Processor
- 4GB DDR2 667MHz Memory
- 500GB SATA Hard Drive; Intel WiFi Link 1000 802.11b/g/Draft-N
- 11.6″ HD Widescreen LED-backlit Display; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
- Windows 7 Home Premium
Product Description
GatewayEC1456u Notebook comes with these specs, IntelPentiumProcessor SU4100, Windows7 Home Premium, 11.6- Inch HD Widescreen LED-backlit Display, Mobile IntelGS45 Express Chipset, 4096MB DDR2 667MHz Memory, IntelGraphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, 500GB SATA Hard Drive, Built-In Webcam, Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, Dolby Sound RoomAudio Enhancement, IntelWiFi Link 1000 802.11b/g/Draft-N, 3 – USB 2.0 Ports, 1 – HDMI Port, Multi-gesture Touchpad, 6-cell Li-i… More >>
Gateway EC1456u 11.6-Inch HD Display Black Laptop – Up to 7 Hours of Battery Life
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This took some hunting down on Amazon as it doesn’t show up when you do any of the filters, ultra-portable: thin and light, that kind of thing.
The base spec I wanted was 11-12 inch screen, dual core processor, and under 3.5 pounds. It came down to this, the Dell and the Toshiba. The Dell seemed to have a problem with the 6 cell battery where it sticks out at the base. The Tosh only came with 2gB memory.
This has a 500gb HD and 4gb memory, basically a full spec compared to whatever else is around. The 6 cell battery fits the profile of the computer perfectly. The keyboard is nice. The screen is nice. The mousepad is good once you get the hang of it, it’s the same as every other laptop this size. Best of all it weighs in at just over three pounds. I just spent the last week lugging it around London and hardly knew it was in my bag. Delighted with my purchase. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5
I did a lot of research, from price to cpu to features. First off, if you’re getting this laptop, at least part of your reason has to be for size/portability. With that said, your choices are netbooks or laptops up to 13 inches.
I ruled out netbooks because the screens where just a little too small and mostly because the CPU and graphics were just not worth it. When I looked at the netbooks on display at the stores, they were horrible. From the outside the netbooks look cool and sleek, but the second you actually test drive one, you will realize they are really not for anything but getting your emails…and maybe a little Internet surfing.
It was hard for me to rule out the 13″ laptops. They were obviously more powerful and had good graphics. In the end I had to weigh whether I wanted a more powerful laptop or a more portable one, with much, much better battery life. I made this decision because I don’t play any real graphically intensive games….which is really the only thing you can’t do with this laptop.
Most of the computers in this category are using the low voltage (Intel SU series) cpu, GMA 4500 graphics chip and 2-4 GB memory, so really your deciding based on look and feel. Here are some things to consider when thinking about upgrading and whether it’s worth it.
cpu – su4100 versus su7100 : the only difference is really something called virtualization, which allows you to dual boot with Vista and such. probably something you’re not doing. $50 – $100 price difference.
2GB versus 4GB – this model comes with 4, so no upgrading here. You need 3 or more to take advantage of Windows 7 64 bit.
Gateway has a new model with a disk drive – adds about a 1/2 lb and cost ~$60 more. This would be a major consideration…but to be honest, I haven’t touched my disk drive on my old laptop for months. I think this is less and less needed, especially with streaming video.
Gateway versus Acer (same company). No difference except style. One thing I notice that was a deal breaker for me was that the Acer version doesn’t close completely shut…there’s a small gap and you can see the keys inside. Dumb design in my opinion.
No bluetooth on this model or the equivalent Acer (UPDATE: Acer came out with a bluetooth model for $90 more)
Now my first impressions. I love the look and feel of this laptop. It looks sleek and the keyboard has a nice feel (full size is nice). In a perfect world, the hinges and mouse buttons would be brushed chrome/titanium rather than a shinier chrome…and a more matted case rather than the shiny black. one other thing I need to note that made me choose this item…the mouse buttons on this laptop are flush to the edge, which makes it easier for someone with bigger hands to click.
As for performance, there’s really nothing to say…it does everything I need it to do. I’ve surfed the web, played some online poker, watched some HD youtube, synced up by iTunes and just about everything else. Unless you’re playing graphic intense games, this laptop will do just fine (can’t say that about netbooks). P.S. – changed the default test size from 100% to 125% and this made the screen size an absolute non-issue.
I can’t really think of any cons, so pros and cons won’t really help. I’m giving it 5 stars, though not perfect, it’s close.
Bottom line: I think this is the perfect laptop for anyone that likes to take their laptop with them when they travel. Whether the travel is back and forth from school or work, vacation, or long weekends away.
UPDATE: Still lovin the laptop. Just wanted to add that the multi-gesture trackpad works really well. You’ll have to adjust it to your preference, but once you have it locked in to your likes, it’s nice. Especially with the “pinch” in and out to zoom in and out, like the iPhone/iTouch. It’s handy when you need to increase the size of something because of the smaller screen. Also tried the HDMI on my 42″ plasma and played HD youtube, looked great…started surfing the web via the 42″ TV, it was quite a treat
Rating: 5 / 5
This computer cannot see my wireless network unless it is within 20 feet of the router. My older laptop and two desktops see it fine. I am not satisfied that I will be able to get within 20 feet of a network setup in France. Going to France was the reason I purchased this smaller notebook, but I’ll go with my old laptop or purchase a netbook.
Rating: 1 / 5