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Notebook with Huge 20 Inch Screen Reviewed

An anonymous reader writes "Trusted reviews has a look at the Acer Aspire 9800. This massive machine has a 20.1" screen, two 120GB hard drives in a RAID 0 array, super-multi DVD burner, analogue and digital TV tuners and an Intel Core Duo dual core CPU. And at over 17lb you can even use it for weight training!"

56 of 307 comments (clear)

  1. Not only that, by fredistheking · · Score: 5, Funny

    It almost gets to the windows loading screen before the battery dies.

    1. Re:Not only that, by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It almost gets to the windows loading screen before the battery dies.
      hehehhe - so true, but everyone I know who has one of the Acer (or Asus) monster laptops falls into that (quite large) 'other' category of laptop users - those who occasionally lug a laptop between work & home & rarely (if ever) have a need to use a laptop away from AC (that outweighs the need for a cheap laptop with big hdd & screen).

      For those users, I guess this laptop will be good, but I bet it will still suffer from the 'goddamn thats one noisy ~0@#\/|3r' problem of having waaaaaaaaay to many fans....

      --
      There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    2. Re:Not only that, by stunt_penguin · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'd say a large, large chunk of the weight is batteries alone, balancing things out a bit

      That said, at 17lbs, it's much less the Acer Aspire as the Acer Perspire.

      Maybe they can get Sure to sponsor them.

      --
      When the posters fear their moderators, there is tyranny; when the moderators fears the posters, there is liberty.
    3. Re:Not only that, by hey! · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hardly ever a problem. Turns out you can swap the battery in from your Prius.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  2. Only 1680 x 1050 resolution by peterdaly · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It may have a 20.1" screen, but it's a little light on the pixel density side of things.

    "So let's start with that huge screen. With a widescreen aspect ratio, you're getting a native resolution of 1,680 x 1,050, which to be honest is pretty low considering the physical size. Considering that many 17in notebook screens have a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, I can't help but find the resolution on this 20.1in display somewhat disappointing. Closer inspection gives some clue as to why the resolution is limited - quite simply, Acer has bolted one of its desktop monitors onto a notebook. Whereas most notebook screens and consequently lids are getting slimmer and slimmer, the lid on the Aspire 9800 is 30mm thick - it's therefore a safe bet that it's exactly the same panel that Acer sells in it's 20.1in desktop monitors."

    Personally I have an older Dell C800 (I or something like that) with a 15" 1600x1200 screen. I value pixels more than size, so for me it's great.

    1680x1050 is horrible resolution for 20" of screen space, but I guess if you value size more than pixels, then this is the laptop for you. I would guess that for some users, particularly gamers, raw pixel resolution may not be your highest priority. There's also the "mine's bigger than yours" aspect.

    Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for a company to bolt a 20" desktop screen onto a laptop base.

    Oh yeah...don't forget the Holy 17 Pounds Batman! I'd be willing to bet that doesn't count the power brick. Does it come with wheels and a pull handle?

    Anyway, if I had the cash burning a hole in my pocket, I'd pass this one by.

    1. Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      > Anyway, if I had the cash burning a hole in my pocket, I'd pass this one by.

      And soon after the cash did, the laptop would as well.

    2. Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution by VorpalRodent · · Score: 5, Funny
      Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for a company to bolt a 20" desktop screen onto a laptop base.

      I did that long ago. The problem was that the CRT made the laptop a bit top heavy.

      --
      Take it to the limit, everybody to the limit, come on, everybody fhqwhgads.
    3. Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution by Jherek+Carnelian · · Score: 2, Funny

      1680x1050 is horrible resolution for 20" of screen space, but I guess if you value size more than pixels, then this is the laptop for you. I would guess that for some users, particularly gamers, raw pixel resolution may not be your highest priority.

      Indeed. It isn't size that matters - its what you do with it that counts.

    4. Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution by mlinksva · · Score: 2, Informative

      15.4" laptop screens that support 1920x1200 have been around for awhile too. I'm satisfied with mine.

    5. Re:Only 1680 x 1050 resolution by drew · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Oh yeah...don't forget the Holy 17 Pounds Batman! I'd be willing to bet that doesn't count the power brick. Does it come with wheels and a pull handle?


      How about (if my conversions are correct) holy 19"x15" (x2"). That's ridiculous- not only will this thing not fit in most any laptop bag or backpack, it will barely fit in airline standard carry on luggage.
      --
      If I don't put anything here, will anyone recognize me anymore?
  3. lb? by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 4, Informative

    And at over 17lb you can even use it for weight training

    Thats 7.7kgs for those of us not still using British imperial measurements ;-)

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    1. Re:lb? by BrianTung · · Score: 2, Informative

      I think the units used in the U.S. are actually an amalgam of various pre-Imperial systems. The U.S. gallon, for instance, is not equal to the Imperial gallon; it's a pre-Imperial gallon (back before the Sith took over).

    2. Re:lb? by nizo · · Score: 5, Informative
      I just wondered, why are pounds written as "lbs"? I found the answer here



      [Q] From Andrea: "Why are pounds, when used as a weight, abbreviated lbs?"

      [A] The origin is in the Latin word libra, which could mean both balance scales (hence the symbol for the astrological sign Libra, which was named after a constellation that was thought to resemble scales) and also a pound weight, for which the full expression was libra pondo, the second word being the origin of our pound.


      Who says Slashdot isn't educational???

    3. Re:lb? by Coryoth · · Score: 5, Funny

      Given that, as pointed out, the units used in the US are not actually Imperial units, the question must be asked as to what exactly to call that particular unit system. Some suggestions: "Archaic", "Irregular" "Primitive", "Obsolete", or "Wrong".

      Jedidiah.

    4. Re:lb? by BrianTung · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm sure you're not entirely serious, but "archaic" and "obsolete" are obviously incorrect, since they are in current usage in the U.S. The U.S. system cannot be wrong (except from a technical elegance point of view), and it's not primitive in any meaningful sense. That leaves "irregular," which it certainly is.

      Sorry. If it were up to me, we'd have standardized on metric a long time ago, but we're too busy legislating morality. So we'll have to get back to you on that.

    5. Re:lb? by protohiro1 · · Score: 3, Funny
      I have a great idea. American's love feet and inches. But they are a pain to work with. So my proposal: the decimal foot.

      That's right, ten inches in a foot. 100 inches in a yard and 1000 yards in a mile. What could possibly go wrong?

      --
      Sig removed because it was obnoxious
    6. Re:lb? by vwjeff · · Score: 2, Funny

      Thats 7.7kgs for those of us not still using British imperial measurements ;-) Or approx. $23,000,000 worth of pure Columbian cocaine.

    7. Re:lb? by Kenshin · · Score: 4, Funny

      What could possibly go wrong?

      The next Mars Rover exploring your backyard?

      --

      Does it make you happy you're so strange?

    8. Re:lb? by Coryoth · · Score: 2, Funny

      I was, of course, not being serious. However, it's worth noting that several of those descriptors are in fact applicable given the right definition:

      obsolete: 2. Outmoded in design, style, or construction;
      primitive: 2b. Being little evolved from an early ancestral type.

      Oddly the US is, technically, a metric country. Some selected quotes from this page on the history of metric measurements in the US:

      "As a result, the U. S. has been "metric" since 1866, but only in the sense that Americans have been free since that time to use the metric system as much as they like."

      "In 1875, the U.S. was one of the original signers of the Treaty of the Meter, which established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)."

      "In 1893, Congress adopted the metric standards, the official meter and kilogram bars supplied by BIPM, as the standards for all measurement in the U.S. This didn't mean that metric units had to be used, but since that time the customary units have been defined officially in terms of metric standards."

      "In the 1970's there was a major effort to increase the use of the metric system, and Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 to speed this process along."

      "In 1988, Congress passed the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act, which designates "the metric system of measurement as the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce." Among many other things, the act requires federal agencies to use metric measurements in nearly all of their activities, although there are still exceptions allowing traditional units to be used in documents intended for consumers."

      So it seems the US has a long history on slowly plodding toward metric - indeed, it is defined as the standard system for the US. You just seem to have done an appallingly bad job of it.

    9. Re:lb? by zenhkim · · Score: 3, Informative

      True -- unless you're measuring weight for certain kinds of materials. This can be illustrated by a riddle that sounds an awful lot like a trick question:

      "Which weighs more -- a pound of feathers or a pound of gold?"

      The obvious answer would be "Neither!" since logically a pound of x should be exactly as heavy as a pound of y. Unfortunately, there are two different (and maddeningly incompatible) standards for measuring a pound: troy and avoirdupois.

      A troy pound is defined as weighing twelve ounces and (historically) is used almost exclusively for precious metals, whereas an avoirdupois pound has sixteen ounces and is used for nearly everything else. Based on this, the pound of feathers weighs *more* than the pound of gold!

      As if that weren't bad enough, the troy ounce is *slightly heavier* than the avoirdupois ounce -- therefore an ounce of feathers weighs less than an ounce of gold! Are we sufficiently confused yet??

      http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/custom.html

      No wonder people dumped that Old English system for metric....

      --
      "All hands, BRACE FOR IMPACT!"
  4. For a limited time with our 17lb units by nizo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Included with the purchase of a new unit: one year of free adustments by the chiropractor of your choice.

  5. Amazing by Nutmegan · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...but can I use it as cell phone?

  6. Battery capac... by network23 · · Score: 5, Funny
    This massive machine has a 20.1" screen, two 120GB hard drives in a RA...

    And a battery capacity to power the unit for 4.5 seco...

    - - -

    Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Color MacBook?

  7. Battery power by dotpavan · · Score: 5, Funny
    FTA:

    "but still has enough battery life to give you a full days work on the move."

    What does it come with? a power plant attached?

  8. Half-assed effort by word+munger · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is such a slapdash attempt at a laptop it's pointless. There's a one-inch margin around the edge of the keyboard, yet the keyboard itself doesn't even have full-sized cursor keys. You've got a full-sized monitor, why not a full-sized keyboard? Obviously it's meant to be lugged around as a gaming machine for LAN parties and the like, but if you're going all-out, why not actually make the thing useable?

    1. Re:Half-assed effort by el_gordo101 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I think you want something like this monster...

      --
      TODO: Insert witty sig
  9. slugs by everphilski · · Score: 3, Interesting

    0.53 slugs for the engineers in the house

    1. Re:slugs by tehshen · · Score: 4, Informative

      4.64371564×10^27 atomic mass units, for the physicists

      --
      Guy asked me for a quarter for a cup of coffee. So I bit him.
  10. Similar in weight to my x286 laptop by gasmonso · · Score: 3, Funny

    I got a beautiful x286 laptop with a couple megs ram and a 10MB drive that weighs that much :) Anyone interested?

    http://psychicfreaks.com/
  11. noteBOOK? by heson · · Score: 3, Funny

    more like an encyclopedia to me.

  12. This is an Eierlegende Wollmilchsau by Zweideutig · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is what is referred to in German as Eierlegende Wollmilchsau. This essentially means "egg laying sow." The reason I say this is because it is a laptop trying to be a workstation. This would be better in Apple II C form. I personally don't like anything larger than my 12" iBook (which runs Linux well). I wouldn't want anything larger than my 14" Compaq Evo laptop. There are two types of people that will buy this from Acer: (1) those that like high tech lifting weights (2) those who won't remove their laptop from their desk.

    --
    Powered by caffeine and sugar; BSD
  13. Having taken up all that desk space by ettlz · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd at the very least expect some recesses on the top of the lid for a plate, cup and come cutlery. Disconnect the fans, it could even keep my dinner warm!

  14. Re:The SUV of notebooks... by heson · · Score: 5, Funny

    Acer Canyonero!

  15. Just because... by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 5, Funny

    The average American lap is increasing is no reason for laptops to follow suit.

    --
    If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
    1. Re:Just because... by SaDan · · Score: 2, Funny

      If you had to lug this 17 pound SOB around, I'll be that lap starts to shrink pretty quickly!

      Maybe this is part of a hidden agenda to get tech people in better shape? I hear they sell a 4 pound USB mouse to go with this thing...

    2. Re:Just because... by r00t · · Score: 2, Funny

      We need a 3:1 widescreen form factor for modern laps.

  16. Quality by phorm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What I've found with Acer in general is that they throw a lot of quantity (in terms fancy features) with not a lot of quality. Fragile frames, dying screens, and various other problems have been a plague to Acer machines for years. Moreover, I've seen the same type of power issues occur in their notebooks from my old 233MMX (T310 I think) notebook all the way to the last Acer machines we bought (about a year ago).

    Having a notebook with features is great, but not when you can't use the thing or have to keep sending it in for repair due to poor design. I'm not sure that this laptop would be any more or less reliable than previous models, but I'd be careful that all those great "features" don't cause one to overlook the issues of reliability.

    1. Re:Quality by Kenshin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have to agree. A while ago I got a computer with components from Acer's A-Open brand. The motherboard was nothing but trouble, and the monitor went into spasms after about 18 months. I know someone who curently has an Acer laptop, and she says that's a piece of crap, too.

      Beware of BenQ. It's just Acer's new name for consumer electronics.

      --

      Does it make you happy you're so strange?

  17. Yes, but..... by HillBilly · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... can it run windows vista?

    --
    "Go into the hall of mirrors and have a bloody hard look at yourself" - HG Nelson
  18. Big Muscles! by parasonic · · Score: 5, Funny

    And at over 17lb you can even use it for weight training!**

    ** Applies only to those reading this Slashdot article

  19. Add one more type of user to your list... by raygundan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    3. Those who work at a desk at client sites, but are required by company policy to take their machines home at night.

    I'd LOVE a monitor that size-- but I'm stuck with a puny laptop screen as long as I'm working outside our main office.

  20. stop dissing it. by nblender · · Score: 4, Insightful
    You're all dissing this thing because it won't fit in your front pocket or run for a week without going to a power outlet. It is what it is. It's a desktop computer that can easily be pitched in your vehicle, driven to a destination, unpacked and used within seconds. Sometimes when you're working, and need to concentrate on a particularly nasty problem or are architecting a really nasty piece of code, you just want to take your computer and go _somewhere_else_. I don't want to pack up all my monitors, keyboard, mouse, cpu, cables, etc. I want to flip the lid down and go to the library or the cabin or wherever.

    My employer bought a Dell D810 for me to use. This thing is so far from being portable it's not even funny. It's huge, heavy, a little flimsy, etc. But it's fast, has a big screen, lots of pixels, and does everything I need (except run OS X). However, when I travel, I still bring my 12" PBG4.

    1. Re:stop dissing it. by joe+155 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      well you just kind of disproved your own point there because, as you say, you always take the smaller one with you. If people want to have a powerful computer and a portable one; get two seperate computers - a desktop and a 12" laptop. If you want to connect them then use a cross over cable.

      The only way this could be useful if for LAN parties (as you mentioned) - which are pretty rare anyway - and not enough of a reason not to buy a desktop which you can upgrade

      --
      *''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
  21. The weight is impressive but not a record by Beryllium+Sphere(tm) · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The once-popular Osborne I was 23 pounds (over 10 kg to most of the world)

  22. Mobility by Umbral+Blot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Most people own laptops because they can go places with them, which for the most part means fitting them in a backpack or other bag. (weight is less of an issue, students carry loads of textbooks arround all the time on their backs, so what is a few more pounds?) However with a 20 inch screen I have problems imagining the kind of bag it would fit.

  23. 17 lbs is heavy? by milgr · · Score: 2, Funny

    My first computer was one of the original Compaq "portable computers". If I remember correctly, it weighed about 34 lbs. That was before the day of laptops. I probably moved it more than my current laptops. I lugged it between college and home - a trip that included commuter rail, subway, shuttle bus, airplane, express bus, another commuter train, and several long walks -- along with a clothing bag and numerous books.

    Hmm.... Maybe I was nuts.

    --
    Where law ends, tyranny begins -- William Pitt
  24. "super-multi DVD burner" by Frightening · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is that like better than the uber-max DVD burner? Now I know why the post was anonymous.

    ALso, what is it with R&D these days? It's like they make em work straight for a month or so, then they have an office party where they get the managers drunk:

    Employee A: Lets make a 20 inch Laptop with RAID 0. And lasers.

    Manager: Yeah dude that would be amaaaazing. Can I lick your balls?

  25. Re:The SUV of notebooks... by ettlz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can you name the 'top with two hard-drives
    A built in webcam and a screen that's wide?
    Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
    9800.

    Well it goes real fast with dual-core brain,
    It's the super-size 'book too big for a plane,
    Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
    9800.

    380 mills deep, 490 mills wide,
    7.8 kilos of Taiwanese pride,
    Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
    9800.

    Top of the line in weightlifting sports,
    Knackered elbows are a matter for the courts,
    Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
    9800.

    She stuns everybody with a CrystalBrite screen,
    She's a 20-inch dual-core computing machine,
    Ninety-eight double-zero-oooooh,
    9800.

  26. That's it? by brian0918 · · Score: 2, Funny

    With something that big, you'd think it would come with a handle, and maybe some headlights and deer whistles. The sidewalks and campuses of the world are no longer safe.

  27. Re:For Extreme Power Users Only?? by ettlz · · Score: 4, Funny

    "The Nadburner(TM): 'Ave You Got The Balls?"

  28. Slashdotted by Enrique1218 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Here is the review of Dell's 20" laptop if you hungering for a review from a site that won't be easily slashdotted. With that out of the way, I notice a lot of 20" inch springing up all over the place. Is there really a demand for these behemoths? I know some people might enjoy the screen real estate for some graphical as well spreadsheet applications but 17 to 20 lb notebook? It gets any bigger and they won't let you take it on the plane. Is there someone who will shell out 2000 extra for this just for the ability to clear their desk once in a while? Buying a bigger desk is expensive these days. Also, are lan parties that popular? Oh Lord, I must be so geeky that geeks don't want to invite me to their parties! Though I have been to few parties, we generally bring beers not computers. Where is the market?

    --
    You don't have to be smart to use a Mac, you just have to be smart enough to buy one
  29. 17 lbs... by m0nstr42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... with the hard drive empty. Fill all of those 120 gigabytes and it weighs a full 20 lbs.

  30. Re:Digital Tuner... by pe1chl · · Score: 2, Informative

    By clicking on the link in the summary and seeing the "UK", "Ltd." and UK Pound signs all over the place.

  31. Re:For Extreme Power Users Only?? by grammar+fascist · · Score: 2, Funny

    "The Nadburner(TM): 'Ave You Got The Balls?"

    Not anymore.

    --
    I got my Linux laptop at System76.
  32. Re:Excellent Large-Screen Portable Television by G-funk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Look, when will you pansies learn? Just admit to the damned porn! If you like it, you won't be able to live a porn-free life for very long, nor should you. And if you're watching it on the down-low, she will find it. I assure you, she will find it eventually. And then not only are you a porn-guy(tm), but you're a lying bastard as well. Just man up and tell her "I like porn. I don't care if you agree with it." if she's a normal (anti porn) woman, she'll say, "Aren't I enough for you?", to which you respond "Yes you are, which is why I'm not sleeping with anybody else. But I like to watch people fuck". If she's a manipulative bitch she'll say, "If you loved me you'd quit". The answer to that is of course, "If you loved me you're accept my porn habits".

    The short of it is this: you can't hide the porn, and you can't give it up for long. Seriously. She will find it. Be honest. Perhaps your girl needs to look within herself to see why she's threatened by a Jenna Jameson DVD.

    --
    Send lawyers, guns, and money!
  33. ergonomic by r00t · · Score: 2, Interesting

    With that much room, they could split the keyboard down the middle and angle the halves a bit.

    Why does nobody do this? Regular keyboards make me hurt.

    It's making more and more sense now, with bigger screens and with the old 4:3 screen shape being abandoned.

    I'll take a 21.5 inch (19x10) screen please, 1920x1024 (100 dpi, .254mm pitch) or better, with a full split keyboard that has 100% of the standard keys and nothing else.