Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Last Updated December 09, 2013 [Windows 8.1 review] ============================== Reason for purchase: ============================== Been waiting almost a year now for Haswell to come out after leaks were given online, and it meets and exceeds my expectation through and through. I was looking for a replacement for my 3-year old Acer TimelineX laptop and decided I'm not going to go cheap when it came to buying a laptop since I was tired of flimsy screen that feel like they'll break if pressed in the middle. It was either the Acer S7, the Asus Zenbook Infinity, or Samsung Ativ Book Plus HD for my replacement laptop. Chose the S7 over the Zenbook Infinity and Ativ Book for 3 reasons: 1) This is Acer's third iteration of the S7 compared to Asus Zenbook Infinity which will be it's first. First generations for new designs usually have more kinks/issues that I'm trying to avoid when I'm paying over $1000+ for a laptop, you'd expect it to be flawless to an extent. 2) Owned an Acer and Asus laptop before, and Acer always knew what they were doing when it came to power efficiency versus Asus which for some reason or another has issues with power consumption levels. (this is from my experience) 3) Samsung decided not to increase the max ram amount to 8GB, which is shame since ram is crucial in multitasking especially for apps on windows 8 ====== Pros: ====== --Battery Life!: just doing regular task like checking emails and browsing online at 70% brightness I was able to get 8-9 hours! which is amazing, this is why I waited for Haswell =) (assuming if you have 99% battery at start) --Boot Time: Switching from an HDD on windows 7 to an SSD on windows 8 was mind blowing, from 2-4 minutes to only 2-4 seconds just made me love this laptop more than I already do. Albeit windows 8 is cheating a bit with their hybrid shutdown design, overall this is what I was expecting. --Design: thin and light, ergonomic to feel albeit I was expecting a smoother finish on the edges but overall I don't know if there is another laptop that looks this good. --Case: I was surprised that Acer included a leather case that really makes this laptop look like a fashion statement a plus for me, one less thing to buy =) ====== Cons: ====== --No adapters: I was surprised that Acer didn't include an ethernet dongle like they did with previous versions of this laptop which was disappointing since I need it for when I use the laptop at work --Bloatware: this is typical but Acer like any other company included sponsored apps and their own homebrew apps of their own. --Speakers: speakers are located on sides of the laptop near the bottom so the sound comes out muffled but I'm a headphone type person so this doesn't bother me much. ==================================== Answers to questions asked/ Updates ==================================== --Fan: the fan doesn't make a peep even on huge overload of online gaming which was surprising but the laptop does heat up at the rear end of laptop (hinge area) if you block the vents on the bottom. =====================Update: July 18, 2013 (Day 3 with Laptop)===================== --Cooling: when the manufacturer said to avoid blocking the vents they meant it, the laptop started to get moderately hot. Although granted I was running a lot of adobe software (photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, fireworks, etc...) the laptop fan didn't make any noise which was good. Just needed to remember that this isn't a desktop. --Vent location: air enters and exits on the back bottom vents that stretches across the entire back (below the hinge side). --SSD Space: 195GB are available after you remove most of the bloatware. --Battery During Heavy Use: When I was running the laptop with Adobe Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and fireworks I was able to get to 6hours and 13 minutes of constant runtime which was awesome to me as a website developer on the go. --Battery life (100% brightness): around 7 hours if at 99% full battery (please note the S7 comes with an automatic sensor like your smartphone to adjust brightness so the battery will last longer, automatically on by default) =====================Updated: July 19, 2013 (Day 4 with Laptop)===================== --Changed from 4 to 5 stars, decided 1 star off for speakers didn't make sense when it's an ultrabook and I use my headphones most of the time. --Updated some of my statements on battery life, this was after bloatware was removed and I had Kaspersky 2013 and skydrive desktop app always running in the background, automatic updates and scans does drain the battery faster (no breaks) --Automatic Brightness: to turn off automatic brightness control panel->Edit Plan Setting-> Change Advance Power Setting (clickable text)->Display(header)-> Enable Adaptive Brightness-> choose off or on --Battery Life (w/ automatic Brightness off): at 100% brightness the battery lasted at ~6-7 hours just browsing the web, watching videos ~5/6 depending if your running videos on 1080p or 720p. --Touchpad: very responsive and customizable, recommend you adjust everything on the touchpad so you get the most out of the multi-gestures --Screen Resolution: spending a couple hours watching videos on this laptop was superb and I can't imagine switching. Colors were crisp and clear, a huge gap in clarity from my old laptop's resolution (720p) --Keyboard Layout: a bit weird at first but the organization is pretty convenient where all the hotkeys are easier to reach and alot faster than a tradition keyboard. --Backlit Keyboard: awesome feature that only enhanced the laptop, the brightness is adjustable/turns on automatically when it gets dark which was convenient --Webcam: resolution is at .9megapixel which is pretty low but the sensors on the webcam are top notch especially at night, I thought SONY were the only ones with night sensors for their webcams but Acer actually implemented their own variation or they outsourced w/ sony which is awesome. I was able to see my face clearly in a pitch black room no lighting except the laptop screen. =====================Updated: July 21, 2013 (Day 6 with Laptop)===================== --Wireless Signal: the Intel Dual-band 7260 + Bluetooth 4.0 for some reason started to act up by dropping signals in 5 bar areas, fixed issue by uninstalling the driver, and reinstalling the driver available from Acer's Support page. --To download driver: go to Acer US -> click on "Support" tab -> click "Driver & Manuals" icon w/ wrench & hammer -> type "Aspire S7-392" in search by model text box & search (looks like nothing loaded but bottom of the page changed with list of drivers) -> look for "Wireless LAN Driver" -> click "Download" -> extract file using Winrar or Z-zip -> click "Drivers" folder -> click "win8" folder -> double click "DPInst64.exe" to install the driver (do this after driver is uninstalled and make sure Intel PROSet/Wireless software is NOT installed on the computer) --To uninstall the driver: go to control panel -> Network and Sharing Center -> Change Adaptor Settings (left menu) -> right-click network card icon -> properties -> click "Configure" -> click "Driver" tab -> click "uninstall" driver =====================Updated: July 22, 2013 (Day 7 with Laptop)===================== --Updated Wireless Card issue from previous update. --SSD Drive Info: 2X 128GB SSD (Formatted in Raid 0) from Kingston using Intel Trimming Technology =====================Updated: July 31, 2013 (Day 16 with Laptop)===================== --Updated Reason for Purchase, Touchpad comment, Wireless Card Comment & Cooling Comment --Screen Protector: unnecessary since touch-screen is scratch resistant --Maintenance: used Philips SVC1116F/27 LCD, LED and Plasma Screen Cleaner to clean both sides of the laptop once or twice a weeks to make the glass clean and clear =) --Touchpad Software: Synaptic v8.1 Clickpad multi-gesture touchpad, similar to the apple touchpad. --Warranty: Amazon sells the version with a 2-year limited Warranty --Screen Resolution: Amazon sells the 1920X1080 version, the 2560x1440 isn't sold in the United States --Dolby Home Theatre v4: at first I thought this was just the speaker version but it's actually an audio software built into the laptop that allows you to easily change the amplitude and clarity of sound for both the speakers and headphones, you can also save customized settings in the extra slots a plus for me since I'm an audiophile =) --Ram: 8GB of ram is a necessity for any ultrabook and Acer finally understood that, no more memory dump issues since there's enough ram for running all my programs at once =) =====================Updated: August 5, 2013 (Day 21 with Laptop)===================== --After 3 weeks with the laptop, I'm glad I purchased this machine, never have to wait for the laptop to start-up since it's instant, working with adobe software (illustrator, photoshop, dreamweaver, etc...) hasn't been more seamless, and the build of the laptop couldn't be better, solid aluminum at its finest =) --Only complaint now is the power button which should have been placed on the keyboard side of the laptop. Having the button on the side is really not smart since grabbing the laptop on its side can result in accidental pressing (happened to me a couple times), easy fix though is to change the properties of the button to do nothing, it'll still turn on the laptop when it's shutdown :) --To change button properties: go to "Control Panel" -> click "Power Options" (icon with battery & plug) -> on left side menu click "Choose what the power buttons do" -> change the setting for "When I press the power button" to desired setting for both columns (Battery and when plugged) -> click "Save Changes" =====================Updated: August 14, 2013 (Day 30 with Laptop)===================== --A month has past since I got the laptop and I have to say I don't regret being one of the first few people who bought this laptop when it came out at retail price $1649. At first I had wireless issues but found out last week it was my router that kept dropping the signal on me, fixed it with the ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router. Now I'm developing programs and websites faster than ever. My old laptop would crash on me every other day so having a laptop that probably won't ever crash on me is huge relief also. --One thing I do recommend that everyone get with this laptop is a cooling stand such as the Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand II - Adjustable Laptop Cooling Stand with LED Light Strip for three reasons. ----1) Although the twin fan 2nd generation is whisper quiet that does come with a cost as the hinge area does get somewhat hot. ----2) Laptops are faster when they are cooled so your benefiting by making the computer consistently fast =) ----3) Having a laptop stand helps with posture and fatigue so you aren't constantly bending your neck and back :) =====================Updated: September 15, 2013 (Day 61 with Laptop)===================== --2 whole months have passed and I'm still loving the laptop as I did the first time I received it. You really can't beat instant startup after shutting down, I've come to rely on this feature too much lol. I haven't had any recent issues, everything has been running so smoothly. The wireless issue hasn't occurred at all after switching routers which I'm thankful for. --Availability: Based on the trend for the past 2 months, Amazon usually receives a new shipment every week (on a Sunday normally). When they do run out they post an estimated "3 to 4 weeks" shipping but this is a worst case scenario if there were too many orders placed (probably the holidays is when this is true). =====================Updated: October 17, 2013 (Day 93 with Laptop)===================== --Windows 8.1 update was simple, updated through the Microsoft App Store Icon. Should be the first icon you see when you open the app, if you don't see it please update your computer to the latest windows 8 update then go back to the Store App Icon. --Update is ~3.6GB and took ~10-15mins to install, make sure power adaptor is plugged in and don't have any external usb or dongles hooked up otherwise the update will not install, learned the hard way =( --One thing I noticed, got ~5-10GB in space back from the OS since Windows 8.1 is way smaller than Windows 8 --Defragmenting actually started to trim the SSD compared on Windows 8 --Customizing startup to launch with Desktop Mode was easy, just need to adjust a setting on the Taskbar properties under "Navigation" --Hibernate mode issue of sometimes turning back on by itself got fixed --Drivers seem to work a lot better mainly wifi, got better signal than usual in most areas --Battery life increased a tad ~10-20min since apps are more efficient/ updated =====================Updated: November 17, 2013 (Day 123 with Laptop Windows 8.1)======== --If brightness setting doesn't work, it's an indication that there is an update and you will have to restart the computer to get brightness setting back. It's annoying sometimes but it does make sure your system is always up to date. --Acer also released an updated version of the wireless card driver for Win 8.1, so now all wifi issues are non-existent. If you experience any wifi issues, manually download and update the driver from Acers support page. --I've been quiet vocal on how the speakers for the S7 has been the downside to the machine but after updating to Win 8.1 and reinstalling the realtek audio driver from Acer's support page. The speakers now sound a lot clearer and crisper, but maybe this is because of my cooling stand also but the sound is literally surround sound when I change the sound mode on the Dolby Home Theatre to Movie mode. (You can change the sound profile by going the Dolby Home Theater program in the minimized icons on the taskbar) =====================Updated: December 09, 2013 (Day 145 with Laptop Windows 8.1)======== --After a couple weeks with the improved speaker software, I've figured that in order to get the surround sound feel you have to put the volume at minimum %80 or higher otherwise the sound will sound muffled like it did before but otherwise, you feel immersed in the movie or videos you watch with this laptop. One reason I figured was that ~80% the audio software starts to mega amplifies the sound in a good way making the speakers sound clearer than they were before. I don't exactly how but they did the amplifying but it made me love this laptop even more :D ================================================ Will update regularly or as questions are asked ================================================