Acer AS1681WLMI question

I'm this close to purchasing an AS1681WLMI but its the battery life that scares me.
I noticed this in a previous discussion also
The USA version has a 2.5 hour battery, I'm assuming 4 cell. The Europe and Oceana releases have a 5 hour (assuming 8 cell) battery. Chances are I could source a europe battery, it would be compatable in the US version right? Unless its a firmware issue? In that case is there an update or something
Why would Acer do this?

 

Excellent question, no good answer. When I had a 1681Wlmi, very briefly, I called Acer and their answer was that their would be a 5 hour battery available for US distribution in 2-3 months. They also gave me the part number. At the time the "product link" on the Newegg web site (where I purchased it from) was linked to the Taiwan version information for that model. The specs on the Taiwanese site said it had a 5 hour battery and the integrated bluetooth. I looked on that site at accessories and I am reasonably certain that it listed a spare battery with the same part number but no specs for the battery. So, from that I would think that if you can find a source it is the same battery regardless of the intended region. On the other hand that seems rather odd in that if it is the same why would they even muck with marketing it with the stupid 4 cell. Maybe they are having trouble with getting a steady supply of the larger capacity battery or they have some wierd marketing strategy we can not comprehend. I assume that any voltage conversion to account for differnces in power supplies would only need to take place in the AC adapter.

Anyway, if you are wiling to take a chance on finding a better battery I would say go for it. The screen and keyboard were very nice. It did feel a little plasticky, but not bad for the size and weight. I also did not care for the way the drive was configured (2 partitions Fat32). Of course there are several ways to remedy this so it is no big deal, more of just a nuisance.

Good luck on your quest.

Laptop Nut Case

 

Hey Billy
thanks for your reply!
If acer are intending to make available a 5 hr battery to the USA, it would be economically stupid on their part to make it different to the ones currently shipping in Europe so I guess they will be compatable.
Did you have any other issues with the laptop?

 

Oh, and just an FYI. I am not especially happy with Newegg. This was th first time I had a negative experience with them. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get them to take back the laptop. Clearly there were major mistatements of important material facts regarding the laptop on their site. So that ticked me off to begin with. Then, they did not refund my shipping which I guess I kind of expected. But I had paid for expedited shipping plus their extra fast handling charge which they kept. Anyway, the thing that really got me was they did not publish my somewhat negative review on their site AND it took them many days to revise the specs and the product link to be correct. By the way, my review mentioned the good and bad and did not disparage their service really, except to mention the incorrect aspects of their listed specs. Pretty crappy I thought.

Laptop Nut Case

 

Not really, just personal preference stuff. Like the rigidity of the chasis could have been better for my taste. The Acer specific utilities seemed to me to be very poorly designed (just a general impression). I prefer laptops with the battery toward the front of the chasis, I just think it gives a better weight and heat distribution. I also really prefer having more ports to work with, especially an old style 9 pin serial. Apparently, there are some USB to serial converters out there but reviews make it sound like they are a pain. I like having a serial port onboard just because I have the need to jack into various routers, switches and firewalls to reset or make configuration changes. A lot of times there are other ways to perform these functions but having a laptop to easily accomplish this is nice. Again, just nit-picky stuff, but those things combined with the battery incident was enough to make me not very happy.

Laptop Nut Case

 

The acer USA site shows that the 1681 has a mono microphone/line-in and mono headphone/line-out. I usually connect my laptop to an external speaker system to get good sound. Does this mean that I may not be able to hear stereo sound on my external system?

I think the acer site had initillay put some incorrect information such as battery life, bluetooth etc. Is this a mistake too?

 

the battery life scares me too.

so billy, acer US themselves said that a new battery would be out in 2-3 months, for sure? if thats the case, then i wouldn't mind buying this thing.

does anyone know good site to order the europe 8-cell batteries from?

 

I am THIS close to buying the Acer 1681WLMi.
However, the battery issue does concern me.. and since I will be buying from the US vendor, would you ease my concerns by by telling me if I can PURCHASE an 8-cell battery later, and will there be any issues concerning it's installation?

Also, I've read from the Acer US website, that the machine has a MONO sound output? That is a real problem.. Is it possible to make such a feature rich notebook..and leave out the Stereo Sound??

Oh, and by the way, how do the latest games stock up on this lappie?

 

The 8 cell battery is supposed to be on the way, remember, "supposed to be". If it doesn't you're stuck with a 2.5hrs maximum runtime. You're better off with the 4501WLMi. Even though it has a 40GB HDD, it does match the 1681WLMI in every other way, even in outer case design (4501 has an extra port for an optional port replicator). This unit is only going for approx $1400US and you also get XP Pro rather than XP Home. The main thing is, it has an 8 cell bettery to start, so approx 5hrs of runtime. Since the optical drive is modular (removable) on the 4501, there's also supposed to be an extra battery option that will push runtimes to approx 7+ hrs.

I believe the listing for the audio port is incorrect. They did that on a different unit and it turned out to be stereo. You may want to check with the users that have already bought one of the 4501's. Shr30 & Prozzerg already received theirs.

Games should run pretty good to great on the systems. The ATI 9700 GPU will really make a difference in graphics performance. With the 8 cell battery, you should be able to game for approx 2hrs on the 4501.

-Vb-

 

Thanks all!!

I'm scheduled to visit USA next month, so guess who'll be tagging along for the trip back.. a brand new 1681WLMi!!

Also, bigbillyt, if you happen to be reading this post, Why'd you return your 1681? Seems like a nice Notebook.. I'm also taking the 8 cell battery with the machine... if battery power is your concern!

For me, the main buying factor is the looks... the folio notebooks really are attractive... and coupled with the 8 cell battery, I don't think the deal get's any sweeter..

So, could you please suggest some good sleeves / carry cases / bags for the notebook... I'd be sure to get them along!!

Watch this space for the review (I hope) !!

 

i have just bought a unit of 1681wlci in malaysia.
however, i found that the battery life is slightly above 2 hours only on full charge. i flip over n checked the battery n it has only written 4400mAH. I begin to wonder if I have been given a US battery. If it is, I think I will need to talk to Acer coz I am supposed to get a 8 cell rite?

pls advice...

 

I don't know if the Malaysian models only have the 8 cell battery. Like in the UK for the 4501, you can get a model with a 60GB HDD, while the US/Canada is stuck with only a 40GB model. It's possible they have an 8 cell battery model as well.

Oh, I just noticed your model is a WLCi and not the WLMi, that could also make a difference.

-Vb-

 

The only differences between the 1681 WLMi and the 1681 WLCi seem to be

1. WLCi has internal Bluetooth,
2. WLCi has only 256 MB RAM,
3. WLCi features a DVD/CDRW combo Drive, while the WLMi version has a DVD Burner...

other than that, their configuration is almost identical.

For the battery, the specifications list it as a 64 Watt Hour Lithium Ion Pack, so it should give you around 3.5-4 hours of backup, on an average..if it isn't, you should see your vendor...

Also, xenothrix, how about a first take on the machine? How'd you like the quality of the system, the monitor, and the overall feature set... barring the battery concern [ ]

Tell us all about that!

 

overall the machine is fairly nice. for the price i paid, i feel very satisfied with the first few moments being with it. however, a bit concerned regarding the lcd cover thing, i mean the case for the lcd panel. it feels plasticky and i feel it's a bit not on the safe side. i hv a fren who owns a compaq x1000 wide screen series n his screen is still running like new even though by accident, he dropped his adapter onto his laptop when he placed his laptop on the floor n the adapter dropped from table top. it caused a mark that is about 2cm in diameter on his LCD panel.. but it's still working coz it's alloy...

other than that, the built is very nice.. only some quality issue when comes to moulding area at the battery compartment. i guess i m a bit picky, but i m paying malaysian dollar 4.9k for it n i dont expect to c badly finished plastic moulding joints. it seems like they applied too much of thinner on it n discoloured some area around it.

however, i hv my unit returned after discovering there's a dead pixel. i didn't realize it until i removed the default acer wallpaper n replaced with a plain Windows' traditional blue background.

performance is satisfying coz i slapped in another 512mb ddr as far as boot up time is concerned. the default malaysian spec 256mb proved to be not enough on the first boot. the thing that i dont like about acer sold in my region is that they applied a warranty sticker to protect both the harddisk compartment n ram compartment. called acer n they said it's ok to cut through the sticker to let me upgrade ram.. however, i m skeptical that they might deny any future warranty services.

so far only been with it for the period it served me through the battery testing period... left it on n only returned when it started to make noise for a recharge.

this is my first lappy.. a bit disappointed with it since i dont expect dead pixel coz LCD technology nowadays could avoid dead pixel about 90% of the time. i worked in a computer shop before n the possibility of seeing dead pixel in new units is small, may b 1 in 100.. i guess i m just plain unlucky. n about the battery, i still not confirmed yet as the shop i bought is still waiting reply from acer.

regarding acer's multi policy for multi nations, i feel it could b the problem of their regional marketing departments as i feel, they just slap in stuff according to the current trend/standard in those countries. in malaysia, i hv seen 40gb is the current mainstream for most laptop brands n 60gb is a bit of a luxury, no matter it's a 4200rpm or 5400rpm. so as 256mb ram. most of the laptop on the budget side would require the buyer to upgrade to 512mb with a price.

about the battery, i m positive that u can just swap batteries as it should b on the same spec as we all get the same machine from anywhere around the world. my unit is made in china. so i guess the difference is only the choice of battery shipped with each packages. the difference i feel is the factor that comes to the pricing. may b they expect ppl who get an Aspire should stay somewhere near a power outlet most of the time n TravelMate users would need some longer battery life. in malaysian though, both 1681 n 4001 gets the same battery standards. oh.. 1 more thing, different batches get different batteries. the first unit i checked out in shop about a month ago was using panasonic battery wheareas, my unit came with a sanyo battery. i m not sure if it makes any difference..

 

This post is dedicated to Prozzerg. I emailed him personally and he is very kind to shoot some pictures of the battery he get with his machine and posted it on this gallery.
http://bilder.prozzerg.com/index.php?album=2004-09-24/

Thanks dude!

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by thethinkerisnow

 

i recently bought one of these notebooks. i would be interested in a possible 8 cell upgrade as well... the salesman didnt tell me about it :| how much heavier would it be? how much approximately?

for anyone possibly looking to buy one, i am really enjoying mine (other than the battery life). i was deciding between this and the asus m6n, but decided to go acer because its so purdy the build quality is not as good as the asus's, but its still above average... barely any keyboard flex, and overall seems well made. great screen. and its fast, with the dothan core. my only complaint is that the speaker jack is on the front. thats wonderful if you only use headphones, but when you have external speakers, its kind of annoying.

 

Xenothrix mentioned that in Asia, the 1681 & 4001 share the same battery specs, so that would mean they're probably swappable. If you get a 4501 battery (8 cell) in the US, it should be swappable and should give you the approx 5hrs of runtime.

-Vb-

 

how do i check my Acer Aspie 1681WMi is 4 or 8 cell battery ? any good way to identify it ?

 

a fren gave me a list...
14.8v 2400mAH - 4 cells
11.1v 4400mAH - 6 cells
14.8v 4300mAH - 8 cells
14.8v 4400mAH - 8 cells

this is wat he found after inspecting a number of laptop batteries..

 

i hv a question,
i m curious if there's any software that lets me check my laptop's fan speed and cpu temperature. it runs fairly hot.. n those desktop temperature monitoring utility couldn't work on my 1681...

 

The system is bound to get warm/very warm if you play games. The CPU & GPU will be pushed in this type of scenario. But is shouldn't get to the point where it's too hot & uncomfortable to touch.

You can try a program called Mobile Meter, this should give you the info you need.

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SiliconValley-Oakland/8259/

It's a Japanese site, but has link to translate to English.

-Vb-

 

Well, I just got my 1681 today. I've only turned it on once, seems great so far. I like how it looks, it's thin, light, stylish. I'm comparing it to a Sony Vaio PCG-F560, which is a 4 year old PIII...but still.

About the battery, a bunch of online stores such as PCnation, buy.com, and costcentral have the battery which i "assume" is an 8-cell as it's the battery advertised for the 4000 TM series...which are supposed to have 5 hrs of battery life. So I assume it's the 8-cell.

140 bucks seems a bit steep though...

and Venombite, thanx for the link! It's a very awesome program. I have it running in the background right now and it's tellming me the processor is at 59 degrees C. Also tells me at 85 the OS takes over and tries to reduce the clock speed and at 100 it shuts down.

The temp went up by 3 degrees in the past 5 mintues...hmm...

 

wow..thanks for the link to the utility...
i found out that, the processor n hdd area is not that hot after a run when compared to the RAM area... it's very hot... same goes to the WIFI module...

 

xenothrix,

I plan to buy the 1681wlci on my trip to Malaysia next month. How much did you buy it for? I looked at the Acer Malaysia website and it's selling for $4988 which is a very good price. Can you confirm that the unit does come with 8-cell battery and 5 hours of usage?

Thanks

 

hi, you can get a 1681WLCi at slightly above RM4900 provided if you bargain. The best thing to do is to get a local people to negotiate for you. Ask around for a shopping mall called Low Yat Plaza in the famous shopping area, Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur. You can get quite good price at the IT Center over there.

Yes, the battery is 8 cell. However, the maximum time I get from it is around 3.51 hour, as indicated by the battery meter in Windows XP after a full charge.

By the way, just a note, I have read from a forumer that if you are not a resident of Malaysia and you buy the unit in Malaysia, chances are you are not eligible for the International Travallers Warranty. Please confirm before you buy as you wouldn't want to spend on repair in case anything happen when you return to Australia.

 

Well, that would be a big issue for me. Does that apply to any brands in Malaysia or just Acer? I still own a travelmate 550 which i bought from KL but I think the warranty was still valid when I brought it here. And one more thing, did you get Acer to upgrade the RAM or you bought it elsewhere, and how much was the upgrade?

Thanks again [ ]

 

i m not that sure about the warranty though. with 1 month for u to spare, i guess u can email acer australia/malaysia to verify it.

i got an extra stick of 512mb DDR else where.. getting acer to do it would be way too expensive. furthermore, i m not sure if they hv the service if u buy it from shops. acer only customize it for u in case u order online. most of the shops here will charge u for 3rd party ram n install it on the spot.

i get mine for an extra MYD$350.
the old price for 1681wlci that comes with 512MB ram is MYD400 more expensive. Now, I get a total of 768MB DDR at the same price range.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by xenothrix

 

I emailed Acer Malaysia and they confirmed that it's true. Eventually most countries in Acer Asia Pacific division encorporates this, so the warranty only covers international travellers [ !] they force us to buy the notebook in our country of origin, and they marked up the price up to 30% here in Australia! not so amused by this fact....might hv to rethink buying another brand. Any suggestions of notebooks that matches the Acer 1681 in price/specs?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by d_yuwono

 

Hi, thinking of getting my first notepad either a Acer 1681WLCi or a Compaq X1000. Anybody know how they compare? Appreciate some additional feedback from those who already have the 1681WLCi. Thanks.

denvic

 

I've used the HP NX7000, which is the exact same notebook as the X1000, but is the Business model (XP Pro). I've never used the Acer 1681 models before, and most users on this site probably bought the 1681WLMi, not the 1681WLCi. This model I believe is only available in Asia/Europe.

The X1000 should be a great system to use. It's firly durable, LCD cover flexes a bit when pressed (or when lifting the unit). The battery life of 3.5-4hrs is way better than the Acer's 2.5hrs (Asia may have the 8 cell battery for approx 5hrs of runtime). The DVD/CDRW drive doesn't burn at the rated 24X (or was that 16X). It utilizes Zoned-CLV technology, it burns faster after certain stages/points. It looks like stairs, starts at 8X and burns for a bit, just to 10X for a bit, etc... until it hits max speed for the last couple minutes of the burn. Should normally take approx 4mins to burn an 80min CD at 24X, but this takes approx 6-10mins depending on the media used. The HDD is a 4200rpm drive (in Canada), but you may be able to order a 5400rpm HDD. I'd definitely recommend at least the 5400rpm HDD, you'll notice the speed difference. The ATI 9200 GPU is good, but not great. You'll be able to play most games, but the lastest ones (Doom 3, FarCry) will push the GPU beyond its limits and make the games perform poorly. You will probably enjoy the HP LCD much more. HP has some of the best looking LCD's on the market (not talking about their BriteView LCD's). It's very bright and sharp/clear. Also, with the WSXGA+ LCD, it also give you more Windows Desktop real-estate. Overall, I enjoyed the NX7000 I had, but I returned it because of a buzzing/whining noise that HP engineers could not get rid of. The one good thing I liked about the HP that Acer really lacks in is their International warranties (warranty in countries other than country of purchase). I've read that it's limited to 1 year or you'd have to buy seperate International & Extended warranties for the unit. HP has a standard 1 year Worldwide Warranty and their extended warranties applies worldwide (upto 3 years), no need to buy seperate warranties.

-Vb-

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes I also am considerimg the NX7010 since I've heard some feedback that the Presario X1000 is not very durable. So I am now down to the Aspire 1681 vs NX7010. The price is not much differnt but people keep telling me that the Compaq Evo series is much reliable than Acer.

denvic