Acer Aspire Timeline Owner's Lounge

I've been looking at reviews online, and it looks like people are saying that the screen won't bend back too far, and you can't use it comfortably lying flat. Is that true? Can you used the Timeline, say leaning back on your couch, or cuddled in bed? I do this w/ my current laptop all the time, so it would be a real dealbreaker for me if the Timeline's screen couldn't do this.

 

Hahaha. Cuddle up guys and let us know if it works.

 

Also, if you go over to acer.com/timeline, and click "Credits" at the bottom right, Acer cites that "Blu-ray Disc is a trademark of Blu-ray Disc Association." This might seem a little naive, but does that mean that there's a 14"/15" Timeline configuration that comes with a Blu-ray disc drive? The model that comes with the ATI video card maybe?

 

I haven't heard anyone doing this, but I'm running Presto on the 4810T-8480.

I loaded the Instant On OS from Presto, similar to Splashtop and Hyperspace, a watered down Linux OS.

Only issue I ran into was freezing of the mouse and keyboard as soon as I loaded it. Support gave me instructions on how to fix this by running it in safemode. That worked, although graphics aren't the greatest in safe mode, but I can IM, websurf, check email, skype, plus it has alot of aps that you can load. But the real plus is under 10 sec boot time and shutdown. Great when you just want to boot up to check emails. Plus I'm guessing it does better with battery life since it doesn't use as much resources. We'll see. So far I've been working all day unplugged. Yeah! For more info, check out my blog at http://technurse.net for links and additional information. Of course, you could just shut the lid and never turn off the computer with the way it handles battery life. It's just another option.

 

For all those that are installing an RC version of Windows 7, I'm sure you know, but keep in mind according to MS, you will have to do a complete clean install of the final released version when it comes out in October. This may impact whether you will be able to re-install certain software that has caps on the number of times you register. Not to mention all the re-work on all your settings. Of course, by then MS or someone may change their minds and have a simplier way of reloading the final version. Just some bytes to think about.

Don't forget to register your purchase and order the free upgrade on Acer's site. Assuming you made the purchase after June 26.

 

Where did you find the 3810T-6415 in the US? That's the SU9400 version right? Everywhere I look don't have them in stock.

 

The orange color indicates the battery is charging, when it changes to blue the battery should be fully charged. At least that's how the 14" model of mine appears to work. When it's unplugged, the light is off.

 

i just placed an order on jr.com for one today. they're still out of stock but i figure it would be best to get in line. i spoke to a csr and they said that they did have a few in stock earlier this month, but they're waiting on the next shipment. unfortunately, no ETA yet.

 

Yeah, I was the person who bought one of the few they had in stock. J&R was the only place I could find the 6415.

 

So does anyone here actually own (or know for a fact that there physically exists) a 3810 with both the SU9400 (or some other dual core CPU, the key word here being dual) and ATI 4330 switchable graphics? That's the one I want, but they just won't materialize in any shops!

 

I doubt those exist. On Acer's site they don't list anything about that and it doesn't seem like what this line is going for.

 

I just reread everything in this forum and I'm confused. Can anyone say for sure whether the AS3810TZ that's available in the US on Amazon (SU2700 processor & 4500MHD graphics) when hooked up to my TV through HDMI can play streaming videos from the likes of Hulu and Netflix Watch Instantly? Thanks in advance.

 

One person on NBR has it. It is out only in certain parts of the world so far.

 

Hi guys, I bought a 3810T with the 1.4 Ghz SU3500 Core 2 Solo processor, and it's the first laptop I have ever owned (purely desktop user before now).

I was wondering are there any specific tips on preserving the battery, since I've never owned a laptop before?

Should I allow for near-full discharge before recharging, or should I recharge frequently whenever I am able to? Also, should I remove the battery from the laptop whenever I'm at home and I don't need to recharge and operating off mains power?

Thanks for any help.

 

And it is not that bad like 1 frame per sec

For the second part HD as in Movies not flash

It is actually flash fault for this occurrence not all Processor can do HD flash without frameskip

 

As far as I know and according to this famous thread, you don't have to take care of the current generation Li-ion battery. Just use it as you like and get a replacement when it dies.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91846#post1696311

 

Yes, when plugged into the wall take out the battery. By doing this, my EEE has only 15% wear on the battery. I usually discharge the battery until it is near dead. Many say you should not do that, but I do anyway.

 

Here's the maximum angle:



Decide for yourself if you can cuddle up with that.

 

Thanks Jessica, I'm running Windows 7 RC on my desktop.

Just so you know, many people have reported shorter battery life with Windows 7 on their Timeline.

 

I find Apple's guide a good place to start:
http://www.apple.com/batteries/notebooks.html

When not using your battery charge it at 40%, store it in a plastic bag in the fridge.

I have an Asus battery that's at 91% health after 5 years. Most of the time it's in the fridge.

 

Has anyone encountered issues not being able to create recovery and driver backup DVD's using Acer's eRecovery Manager?

I can burn other DVDs and CDs so I know hardware is working.

Everytime I try, it runs for about 5 minutes then a window appears:

Error Code: 0x205
Burning failed, please insert a blank CD/DVD into the optical drive and press OK to continue.

Disc Type VD
ODD Drive Letter
ODD Name:HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GU10N
ODD Type:MA_DVD_WRITE
Description:
General Exception:Value was either too large or too small for an Int32.Error Code 517 isc Type VD
ODD Drive Letter
ODD Name:HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GU10N
ODD Type:MA_DVD_WRITE
Description:
514:Successfully,4. After add boot ability-----Firmware Version:AP03

I have the 4810T and noticed it would jump to 100% CPU usage for no apparent reason and freeze up. I would have to power down to recover. It's sporatic, only happened 3 times today, but more than enough for me to be worried since I can't have this happening at business meetings. I've noticed chatter on the forum about this issue.

I did go to Acer's site and install all the latested Drivers, Bios from 1.0 to 1.2 and the latest software aps updates for the power management, audio and video chip drivers, touch pad, etc.

Hopefully this fixes the issue. If anyone else has found a fix other than shipping it back to Acer, please let me know.

Thanks.

More info at http://Technurse.net.

 

Are you in the states? If so, you're SOL, at least for now. It appears those models are only available overseas.

 

Thanks Jayayess, do you know who?

No, I'm in Norway, which is barely a part of Europe anyway...

 

In the Netherlands we have a model with SU9400, ATI 4330, 4GB, 500GB. Starting at € 818. Afaik many dutch retailers will accept international orders.

http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/242302/acer-aspire-timeline-3810tg-944g50n.html#tab:prices

 

the Timeline series isnt overclockable atm
but it is possible to change the ram timings with memset
stock 800mhz 6-6-6-15
to 800mhz 6-5-5-14 (trying higher now)

my passmark score went 17points higher with the 6-4-4-12 timing(which wasnt fully stable).
(-->458.1)

isnt a huge boost ,
but every bit is welcome since the Gma x4500 uses the system-ram

2d graphic score
before 216.2
after 220.1

3d simple
before 139.5
after 144.3

3d complex
before 5.8
after 6.0

this should help in a few games which needed a few fps to be fully playable

 

Haha, it looks like I can, thanks

 

If anyone has a SU9400 and HD4330, can you please tell us about your battery life? I want to know how much having a weak Intel GPU boosts my mobility.

Also, does anyone know if there's a differnce between SU9400 and U9400? BIOS and Windows tells me I have a U9400, but I think it's just a different name for the same CPU. The only "real" processor with "U" are 65nm Merom, as far as I know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...2Merom-2M.22_.28ultra-low-voltage.2C_65_nm.29

 

As far as I know U9400 is the old name. SU9400 is technically the same as U9400. All specs are the same. I don't know why Intel changed the name.

Maybe it was a marketing move, just like suddenly calling it CULV CPUs.

 

Does anyone know what the Acer PowerSmart button actually does?

I use it most of the time, but I don't know what difference it really makes? What does it actually do?

 

It activates the epower management utility, if you have it installed. If not, it's just a shiny green LED that wastes LOTS of eletricity.

EDIT: Concerning the touch buttons... I don't really need the backup and epower buttons, might there be any way to customize them? Would be really cool to launch Firefox or Thunderbird without the sound of a button press...

 

Yes Go Run regedit
Find HKLM/Software/Inventec/Setting/Button (Something like this)
You should see the backup or something similar registry entry(for that unused button)
Change the command, command type and configurable.
I did something similar on my other acer laptop and did the same for my friends acer timeline.
Works

 

I don't have it. But I imagine that there will be a small difference in battery life.
4810TG have HD4330 dedicated graphics, but you can switch to intergrated graphics when you want to save some battery life
as for SU3500 (5W) vs SU9400 (10W), 10W is required only at max (full speed) setting. so if you are in battery saving mode, it will lower it (I believe)

 

Switchable graphics? Really? That would be pretty cool.

@Buttons: It at HKLM/Software/Wow6432Node/Inventec/LManager/Settings/Buttons

But there are lots of entries for buttons I don't even have, and I canÄt seem to find my touch sensitive ones. Could you be more specific?

 

Just to provide a data point. I went back to Staples to look at the Core 2 Solo 1.4GHz model. It was actually suffering from the lockup/100% CPU problem that some have reported. I rebooted in safe mode and disabled all 3rd party services and startup programs. Upon reboot everything was nice and responsive again.

I played some Hulu video and it worked well. Around 50% CPU utilization when windowed and 80-95% utilization when full-screen. I think any dropped frames I may have noticed would have happened on any computer.

Then I played some YouTube HD video. Parts were very smooth but other parts stuttered pretty badly. Rewinding and playing again reduced (but not eliminated) the stutter. Oddly enough the CPU utilization never got above 90% so maybe there's a bottleneck displaying full-screen frames which is not counted as CPU utilization...?

In any case, I expect the 1.3GHz Pentium to perform just as well. It's only a few percent slower (clock speed) and I don't think the extra cache would make any difference.

 

Thanks for checking.

I never used Hulu (we can't in the Netherlands). What resolution was it? SD or 720p?

 

afaik it lowers the cpu internal clock speed like my other nb
passmark
cpu score 509
smartpower on 410

 

I have no idea. Personally I think HD is BS... it doesn't specify a bitrate or compression algorithm or anything. Just number of vertical scanlines. You could have 1080p HD video that looks like complete crap if it's at a low bitrate.

Anyway, I don't think Hulu broadcasts at a very high resolution or bitrate.

 

Tocharius,



How many Whr is the battery and how much time it takes to load from 1-2 % to 100 % ?

 

I can't say how many whr the battery is but it takes pretty long to charge. I didn't time it though.

 

These are on display at Staples? Nice... gotta go check 'em out.

 

It took 3.5 hrs from the battery forcing the shut down of the computer (~1-2%) back to the full 100% charge. This was while I was still working on the computer constantly, so with the computer off, I'm guessing it will be quicker to charge.

Yes and staples doesn't charge you a restocking fee so you have 14 days to try it out.

Found a bag for the 4810T at staples.

It's more of an organizer with space for a laptop.

Wenger WA-5534-02 for about $63.00

There's a three ring binder clip that can be removed to make additional room if you don't need the binder.

I'm using this to protect my computer going from meeting to meeting and still have access to my organizer which would of been another thing to lug around. This combines both, plus it still has an attachment to slip it over your luggage handle if traveling. Comes with a shoulder strap also, but not much padding, I just took one off my old DELL case. It also has 2 external pockets to slip items such as plane tickets, keys, network cable, phone, etc. You can't load alot of accessories though, but, I usually don't want to tote around all my accessories to a meeting, just my laptop and something to keep notes in. This does the job

Depending on the store, it may be with the computer bags or with the daily planners.

Pictures here:
http://www.wengerna.com/guide-wa-5534-02

Not sure if the 13" model would fit into this other one, but may be worth a try. I don't think it's padded for a computer though. But may be an option.
http://www.wengerna.com/alpiner-wa-5544-12

BTW, Staples also had a targus micro usb bluetooth adapter for 29.99 and a targus bluetooth mouse for $19.99. I wanted the bluetooth so I could use my Samsung Instinct cell phone as my broadband 3G modem via Bluetooth vs. plugging it into the USB port. It's a great setup. Internet anywhere where there's 3G cell coverage.

 

Yes, Best Buy also has these in Brown. For the extra $200, it's tempting, it's a bit bigger, they say 5.5 hrs, but may mean 3hrs real world. I like the feel, it is heavier though. Staples doesn't have a blue ray DVD reader though, I don't think BB has either, but I thought I saw or heard that it did come with the Blue Ray at BB. Could be wrong though, specs say no. Also I think Staples uses the intel integrated graphics, not sure about the BB models.

 

I uploaded the modified Registry entry for the backup button
In the file I changed it to Windows Media Player Shortcut
So just change wmplayer.exe to something else you want by editing with notepad then rename to backup.reg and double click to insert into registry.

 

WD now ships the new SSD for 2.5" SATA and 1.8" micro-SATA.
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/index.asp?cat=21

 

Does anyone know what keyboard combination works to rotate the screen sideways? I tried CTRL-ALT arrow keys, but it didn't work.

 

CTRL+ALT and arrow keys work for me. Do you have the right drivers installed?

 

Does staples carry the 13.3 Core 2 Solo SU3500 model or just the 14inch?

 

I just noticed the original poster's first post that stated that they had a 3810T with 4 GB of RAM and Windows Vista 32 bit. I also have a 3810T with 4 GB of RAM and Vista 32 bit. It sort of seems weird, because I heard that this OS can't use more the 3 GB. However, in the system properties, the OS does recognise that I have 4 GB in total.

 

If your system has 4gb installed vista will say that it has 4gb installed but if you go to task manager and see your actual memory usage you will see that the max memory the system can actually use is 3.25gb. Windows XP has a similar patch that allows it to see the 4gb but not actually use it. Makes no sense why MS would do that really.

 

Is newegg the only online shop that sells the 13.3 inch timeline with the SU3500 cpu? Every other merchant I have checked only sells the SU2700 model.