Scott Showalter
2010-09-03
Absolutely Stunning, Yet Surprisingly Useful Beyond its LooksI got my first computer twelve years ago. It was a *Gateway* desktop running Windows 98, and it was plagued with audio and hard drive issues, not to mention terrible performance, and Gateway support would not cooperate in getting the unit fixed or replaced. From then on, I vowed never to get another Gateway computer again. Of course a lot has changed in that twelve years, and after coming across this little beauty, I decided to give them another shot.
Visually speaking, Gateway's LT23 series is truly a breath of fresh air in this increasingly congested genre of computers. While all three color options are decent, the Pearl Canvas really stands out as absolutely stunning, which is why I chose that specifically. In any case, Gateway seems to have known what they were doing when they decided to impart a brilliant sense of style into their offering to help compete in these shark-infested waters of netbook marketing. I feel proud to carry around a netbook that looks great when I'm using in public.
Fortunately, those less concerned about netbook-fashion vanity will be happy to know that its characteristics go beyond the visual appearance and its quality permeates even the physical aspects of the machine. While in some respects, it's similar to the typical slew of other netbooks out there, there are a few specific points where this netbook really shines.
For reference, there are two different models of this netbook floating around (each available in the same three colors). The first has a 160GB hard drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N1912G?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) while the second has a bigger 250GB hard drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N19EDM?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) for those that need more space. That is the only difference between the two. Beyond that, they are both identical in their specs.
===== It's Comfortable =====
The Gateway is an absolute dream to use. Most netbooks are unusable to me. What stings me most with your average netbook is the keyboard. They tend to have tiny keyboards, or their keyboards just aren't typing-friendly. On the other hand, Gateway's keyboard on this model is smooth, comfortable and effective. At only 7% smaller than your typical full-sized keyboard, you really can't tell the difference unless you're actively trying to. Granted, I'm used to the low-profile, chiclet-style "scissor-switch" keyboards that used to be commonplace in laptops, but lately manufacturers have been deviating from that comfortable standard and I don't care for a lot of the keyboards I see on laptops these days.
===== It's Useful =====
Some laptops and netbooks have started to feature multi-touch touchpads, but from what I've seen so far, the implementation and capabilities of these touchpads have generally left a lot to be desired. Usually the multi-touch is limited to scrolling, and sometimes even vertical-only scrolling. Gateway's touchpad, on the other hand, supports not just scrolling (in 4 directions, no less), but has additional multi-touch gestures as well, such as pinching to zoom in and out of photos and Websites or quickly change font sizes in Word, swiping/flicking through photos in the photo gallery, and rotating/swirling which so far seems to act similarly to scrolling for me. In any case, I've found the additional gestures to be quite helpful at times, especially when I need to see things closer-up on the netbook's small screen size.
On the flipside of the coin, I didn't really care for the dedicated vertical scrolling bar on the right side of the touchpad. After all, with multi-touch gesture support there really is no need to have that on there. I'm also not much of fan of the rocker style mouse button. You have to hit in just the right spot for it to actually work, so that takes a little getting used to. Being that the Pearl Canvas model is lighter in color, it does tend to hide any smudges on the glossy, textured palm-rest, though I cannot vouch for the darker-colored models. However, because this glossy texture is extended into the touchpad, it tends to make your skin shear and resist dragging of your finger during swiping gestures (moving the mouse, scrolling, drag+drop, etc). Honestly, this tends to be a flaw on a lot of notebooks and netbooks I've used. To me, that "sticky finger" feeling is just about as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard! Instead of replicating the same glossy texture of the palm-rest into the touchpad, Gateway should have given the touchpad a matte finish, making it more conducive to swiping.
===== It's Brilliant =====
The display is crisp and bright, and it isn't too shabby outside either, though I recommend using full brightness when being used outdoors. My only complaint about the screen is its native resolution is a bit low for my tastes, which I hope isn't just a personal preference. I'd rather see more on the screen than to see things big and close up. However, this is par for netbooks anyway. You should look into this Sony (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PII4HW?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) if you absolutely must have a higher definition display while maintaining the small form factor of a netbook.
===== It's More than Capable =====
This netbook does more than just writing and surfing the Web. (Sidenote: Do try to keep your browser tabs to a minimum and not install too many Firefox extensions.) Thanks to the Graphics Media Accelerator, media plays decently as well, including Web videos, Flash sites and Flash games. Just don't run several other programs at once, and you should be perfectly fine, as the processor is only a single-core, not so great for multi-tasking.
The 5-in-1 memory card reader is an added bonus, great for storing photos while on vacation--a life saver when traveling. The webcam quality is sub-par compared to most full-sized notebooks, but still a decent quality for netbook webcams I suppose. As far as Gateway's social networking key goes, I haven't used it since it doesn't support Twitter. That may be a shortcoming for you as well.
In the past, Gateway has been known for using Windows XP on their netbooks, but those days are over. The included Windows 7 Starter edition (not Home Premium) is a much more ideal operating system, as it is specially optimized for netbooks. It outperforms its XP-based predecessors in several areas, including usability, responsiveness, and of course look and feel. And to be quite honest, you won't even need to upgrade to anything beyond that. There's not much you're missing, since this netbook doesn't have a TV input card for the Media Center features included with Windows 7 Home Premium.
===== It's Media Friendly =====
The widescreen display has an odd resolution of 1024 x 600, making it nearly-but-not-quite 16:9 ratio, but it's still decent for watching widescreen movies on the go, with one very important exception: you must have an external DVD (or Blu-Ray) drive. I recommend this white Samsung drive (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HMCAR0?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) which sports a sexy look, on par with the Gateway's own appeal, without sacrificing functionality. Video playback is generally smooth and very few hiccups in playback have been experienced. Even over WiFi, via a connection to a Wireless N capable router, such as the one I've been using (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LIFB7S?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) streaming Netflix works like a charm.
===== Processor and Battery =====
This netbook features the Intel Atom N450, a 64-bit single-core processor supporting 2GB max of DDR2-667 RAM. It does support Hyper Threading though (2 simultaneous threads), meaning some minor multitasking is possible (you probably shouldn't do more than two things at once). Try not to run more than two apps simultaneously for best performance and battery life. Intel Speedstep Technology is also built in, helping you save battery life. I averaged about 7 hours (and some change) using the included 4400 mAh 6-cell battery. This is definitely a steady jump in battery life over most netbooks I've tested to date. Recharging took me to about 80% within about an hour, and from there just over an hour more for a full charge to register and switch from charge-mode to plugged-in-mode on the battery indicator.
===== Praise =====
* Keyboard design - 93% full-size!
* Wrist rest - comfortable, remains clean & streak-free
* 3 USB ports (2-left/1-right) - handy for using a USB mouse
* Nearly 16:9 ratio display - great for movies (see above for DVD solution)
* Wireless N support - for faster and farther-reaching WiFi reception
* Windows 7 Starter - optimized for netbook performance
===== Dissapointments =====
* 1024x600 resolution - would have preferred at least 1280x720
* 5400 RPM hard drive - would have liked a faster Solid State Disk (even if smaller)
* Touch pad design - sticky fingers and rocker style mouse buttons are a no-no
* Keyboard key spacing - don't eat and surf, else crumbs can fall between the keys
===== Bottom Line =====
All in all, my list of disappointments with netbooks has definitely decreased with this netbook model. Granted, I haven't had to deal with Gateway support for this model, but as far as hardward quality goes, they have certainly redeemed themselves from their lower-quality days of old. Gateway still has a few flaws to overcome with their aesthetically pleasing series of netbook models, and they should indeed continue to innovate beyond their savvy for trendy design, but if style is high on your list, I think you'll be more than pleased with what you'll get out of this netbook.
I certainly hope you've found this review to be helpful! :)
Anju Singh
2010-08-29
Stunning looks !I have this netbook in pearl canvas....its little darker than the picture but looks stunning nevertheless...has nice design, something different than most of the netbooks available out there.
It's true the description about operating system is confusing but it comes with windows 7 starter. I don't have the issue like other reviewer because I noticed it before placing the order and called amazon and they cleared the doubt and also if you check gateway website, the description mentions correct os.
Have this machine for over a week now so really can't talk about reliability but till now its doing what it suppose to do. I am getting at least 7 hour of battery life on fully charged...only needs 2 hours or so to charge fully drained battery.
I don't think windows 7 is slow with 1 gb ram....after reading other netbooks review I was actually going to order extra ram but I am glad I didn't because I really don't need it. For net surfing (the main thing I do) and accessing data from my desktop on the network....this machine works great. Not as fast as standard laptop or desktop like I have(6gb ram,quad-core processor with win 7 64 bit and 1TB hard-disk)......but I guess you trade speed for long battery life, portability and, lets not forget, price.
I don't have external cd drive but installing basic softwares such as security, printer etc. was not a problem as you can go to manufacturer's website and install the softwares/drivers....later on activate them using your product key.
All in all nice affordable netbook that gets the work done in style.
