Acer TravelMate 3000

Hello there,

anyone has any news about the new sonoma TM3000? Anyone already using it? Any known or unknown problems?

I really want this notebook or something similar to this one but i cant seem to find something similar to these models, anyone?

Im currently using Toshiba Satellite 5200-801, its very nice and was also very expensive notebook but i want something more portable so i want to sell this one (anyone? [ ]) and buy the new TM3000 as well as new desktop computer to play the games on probably.

I appreciate any help with this.

Thanks!

 

News as in links?..
It's fairly new, so this is all I could come up with.

http://news.designtechnica.com/article7484.html

http://us.acer.com/acerpanam/page4.do?dau22.oid=8961&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0&dctx1=25&ctx1=US&crc=2566910462

 

Rather news like experiences. Did anyone see this one already? Did anyone tried this one already? Does anyone think of some bad things comming with this model?

 

We just got a TM3002 here where I work. I was impressed with it. Good deal with an extra (large) and standard Lith-Ion battery. KB seems OK, a bit lighter response than that on the larger TM4504. Fast response with the P M 1.73GHZ cpu. With the standard Lith-Ion this unit weighs in at 3.2 lb., with larger extra capacity Lith-Ion it weighs in at 3.6 lb.
The only down side to this system is that the external CD drive is DVD/CD-RW and not multi-format DVD +/- writing drive![ ]

 

That's a downside, kiwi?

I am about to pull the trigger on an ultraport. Was deciding between Asus s5 and Dell x1, but this Acer looks like an unbelievable deal. I can get it for significantly cheaper than either of the other two, and with at least as many goodies.

 

Well considering that there are other units out there in a similar form factor that have the CD-RW drive (DVD+/- also) that are integrated I see it as a negative. The Panasonic line (W4, Y2, newer models too) come to mind. But, and this is the big one, no one has the great price point like Acer does. Think of this too, if they built the 3000 series as a two spindle unit, dropped a DVD-/+ multi-drive in the unit it would really be a show stopper and a price war winner!
IMHO.

 

I know many people might see it as a negative that the acer misses integrated DVD-RW but thanks for the models which are missing it. You can at least choose whether you want it in or not. I did not open the DVD on my recent notebook for months so for me it seems to be the best choice Of course, i need it sometimes, but i can use the external for 1 day of other 30 days. It dcreases the weight of this notebook heavily - 1,5kg for a cheap Acer? What a choice

But thanks for the opinions mentioned. I would like to see more. Here we can only choose one single model of TM3000 which is 3001 with 1.6GHz, 512MB, 80GB, DVD-RW. Do you think i should wait for the better models to come to get at least 1.86GHz? Or is the 1.6 enough?

Again for those who own this model, any bad sides of that one?

 

here's one review...
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/hardware/notebooks/0,39001748,39089180p,00.htm?
i like this one too (comparing it to msi 260 and asus w5), but somehow it was wayyy overpriced, and the optical drive is external. However i saw a review/benchmarks in a taiwan pc mag that this unit blows away the w5 (limited to 768MB memory)and benq s52(slightly larger screen).

 

I finally managed to find place where to check the TM 3001 today! Most markets just take orders and do not have one single notebook in the stock, bigger computer shops covers only the cheaper models so i guess im just lucky. Im going to check it right today. If im gonna like it, im ordering it, because it seems there are absolutelly no negatives on the net around.

1) I do take external DVD-RW as positive as i do not use it very much.
2) The keyboard - I have to try for myself, many people say its bad but i think i should not have problem with that.
3) Service - yeah, service, i have to risk it. Its bad situation on any branch market and i hope i will not have to call the service once

Cross fingers for me. Im gonna keep you updated if you are interested.

 

ok, saw it, found it fantastic, ordered it, taking it tomorrow

 

I saw it when I was in Hong Kong last week, looks nice and I was considering it, however as you guys know already it doesn't come with a built in optical drive just an external one. That was a problem with me since I was looking for a smaller laptop and it has to have the drive built in.

Early in the week when I was there at Cyberland checking it out AWA the Samsung Q30 they had the 3000 selling for around $2200Can, then later in the week when I was ready to buy something there they dropped the price by $200Can bucks, the only catch was that the unit they were selling only came with XP Chinese edition no english. That pretty well made my choice pretty easy. I brought home to Canada the Fujitsu listed in my sig. [ ]

Tony

T. Chan

Self built PC, P4 3.2Ghz HT

Acer 1681WLMi

Fujitsu P7010

 

To Acer Travelmate 3000 series owners:

What is the LCD resolution for its widescreen? Is it 1280x800 or 1280x768?
Most Asian sites show 1280x768 (same as most 12" or 10" widescreen LCD laptops), but US sites show 1280x800!!!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

ttuurrbboo I have just re-read the 3000 User Guide which shows there are in fact 2 different displays, which explains the different resolutions.

According to the Guide these are:

12.1 WXGA color TFT LCD (1280x800); or

12.1 WGGA Acer CrystalBrite color TFT LCD (1280x768).

 

[/quote]

Sorry to disagree ttuurrbboo but while it is 12.1", the highest resolution my W3002WTCi offers me is 1280x768 - NOT 1280x800.

The specs in the Acer brochure confirm the resolution of 1280x768.
[/quote]

And sorry again, i disagree with you. My 3001WTMi offers 1280x800 for sure. I know it. Maybe the little difference in those 2 models? I dont think they would use different display but maybe yes. Check the Acer brochure for my model 3001WTMi if you got that one on your market. If yes and if you still see 1280x768 then the brochure is for sure wrong.
[/quote]

ttuurrbboo it seems that we are both right! and that the model available as the 3001 in Europe is slightly different from the 3002 available in Asia.

If the specs published on the net are correct it seems that the "European" 3001 comes with 1280 x 800 resolution
and "up to 64MB of video memory", while the "Asian" 3002 comes with 1280 x 768 resolution and "up to 128 MB of VRAM".

Seems strange to me!!

As a matter of interest where was your model manufactured?

 

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

 

So, there are two distinctive specs for the LCD of the Acer TM3000!!!

It definitely costs more to do this, and why!?

I personally prefer the higher resolution at 1280x800, which is better at 16x10 aspect ratio than the 1280x769 at 15x9.

Could you guys list your Product numbers 3002xxxx/3001xxxx and the facotry locations of the products? So that I could get the right one if I want to order from the online vendors. Thanks alot.

 

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

 

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

 

It seems that the European 3001WTMi (1280x800) costs much more at EuroD 1500, whereas the US 3002WTCi (1280x768, although it is listed as 1280x800) costs as low as US$1250)

According to current US:Euro exchange rate, it's 1 US$ = 0.818 Euro. The 3001WTMi will cost me about US$1835. Is it worthy to get those extra 1280x32 pixels at ~ $600?

 

Hello to all, first post here [ ]

Someone can please explain me if in the european model 3001WTMi are there 2 batteries included?
And what about the USA version?

Thank you
[ ]

 

There is also a European 3002-model, still with 1280x768 resolution (as far as i know the asian version has a glare type display, the european does not). Anyway in Germany at is available for 1575 Euros with DVD-RW and two battaries (one high-capacity one). Unfortunately there was now chance for weeks now to get hands on a unit. So my main interest is: Whats about fan noise and actual battery life???!

 

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

 

To owners of the Acer Travelmate 3000 Series Notebook:

Please post pictures. The Acer site as well as the internet in general is lacking in images in gross detail like us gearheads like to see. Host images and please provide a link. You know like 25 pictures in Macro mode [ ]

Thanks.

 

[/quote]

By the way, how do you compare the Acer TM3002 with the Panasonic W2/W4 ? It seems that you have both laptops.

Thanks
[/quote]

W2 (or Y2 for that matter) have a much lighter feel. The TM feels quite robust but weighs in real close at 3.2lb. (small battery) & 3.6lb. (w/ extended battery). CD-RW is integrated in the W2/Y2 unlike the TM3002 unit. Video is better on the TM, the W2/Y2 units have a "blueish" tint that takes some fooling around with in Ctrl Panel to change. TM unit has Firewire, Pana's do not.
KB are both good with firm feedback, no flex. Full size Shift keys on the TM, while the W2 has the smaller right hand Shift key which can drive you crazy as you miss it and hit the Ctrl key next door!
TM a bit louder than the W2/Y2 as it does have an internal CPU fan and the Pana units use passive cooling, no fans.
Internally the TM unit does not have the gelatin mounted HD as the Pana units do. For the price the TM is a great buy. If you are hard on your gear and need the extended warranty that is 3 years for the Pana units you can go that way.

 

Hey all,

Just wondering. I just got my TM 3000 from www.zipzoomfly.com and was wondering what the exact model # for this one is.

The website does not provide this information.

Other questions are -

1. Does this come with 2 batteries?? 1 std and 1 ext?? Realisticallyh speaking, how long does the battery last with 6 cell extended?? The tasks are just normal things like surfing web and word processing with WIFI on.

2. what kind of hard drive does this use?? Is it regular 2.5" or 1.8"?? Judging by the thickness of the machine, I assume it is 2.5 but just wanted to make sure.

Is the hard drive easy to access like the most other notebooks are these days?? Or do I need to take the whole bottom cover out to access it. I have 2.5 7200RPM HDD and would like to replace it if it's the correct size.

3. Does this have S-video port

4. Does this have the Acer Crystalclear screen or just the regular LCD??

I already called zipzoomfly and asked them the same questions, but they would not know. The only know it as 3000 series. WTH...

I just bought an Asus W5A and returning this for TM3000. W5A is nice but not my type I finally realized. I can't stand the whiteness of the machine. I should have been more careful..

Anyway if anyone could answer these questions, I would greatly appreciated.

 

I got my TM 3002 WTMi yesterday and first impression is very positive. It's sturdy, light, with a good, sharp screen 12" (1200*800)and easy configuration of all the ports and stuff. Two batteries are included, and apart from lacking S-video out, all communication possibilities needed are available (W-LAN, LAN, Bluetooth, IR, USB, Firewire..

A few negatives are that the external DVD-RW drive (dual!) comes without a case and with a very short firewire cable, which connects on the right side of the computer. Due to the short cable, you can only have the drive very close to the computer and the DVD-tray gets tangled up with the mouse cable if you're right handed. Also the computer gets quite hot on the right side, which can be felt when typing.

Otherwise it suits my needs perfectly (small with good performance)and I'm not regretting the purchase at all. The quality impression is good, not as sturdy as my IBM T42, but with the lighter weight, that isn't expected either.

 

magste:

Where did you buy your machine from? By your model number I guess you are in the UK or something...

In the US we only have the 3002 WTCi... 60GB HD and CDRW/DVDROM... I was wondering if you could host a good set of high resolution images of your machine. That would be awesome.

lover of none, informed of all. that i care to be informed of. that is.

 

Hi,

I got it in Sweden. Don't have any pictures yet, but I doubt it looks different from the other machines in the series.

Specs are available at:
http://www.acer.co.uk/acereuro/page4.do?dau22.oid=8960&UserCtxParam=0&GroupCtxParam=0&dctx1=17&ctx1=UK&crc=4262377040

 

magste:

The reason I requested pictures is because there are just about none on the internet. I'm talking about those high detailed shots. Acer does a craptastic job of showing good pictures for a machine that is heavily sold online. I was just hoping you could get in there close and shoot the interesting angles. It's up to you man. Hope you enjoy your machine.

lover of none, informed of all. that i care to be informed of. that is.

 

All,

Is the TM3002WTCi the only available model in the US? Does it have regular a Matt finished LCD screen or a Glossy (AcerBrite) LCD screen?

It was confirmed that it has a slightly lower resolution at 1280x768 instead of the 1280x800 of model TM3001WTMi sold in Europe. Where in the US could I find the European model plus a external Double Layer DVD SuperDrive? Thanks alot!

 

Here are some pictures of Acer TravelMate 3002.
Sorry about the poor lighting.

External CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive and the six-cell battery.

TM3002 with the six-cell battery.

 

Hello Jim,

Thank you very much for those nicely taken pictures!

The background and lighting are very comfortable to watch, IMHO.

One question, the silver surfaces of TM3002 are painted or tehy are really metallic (aluminum or magnesium alloy)? To me, they are metallic and look great.

 

hey jimchou,

thanks for contributing the pics. can you comment on your purchase: how is the screen? what is the resolution? is it the glossy type or the matte type? overall build quality?

thanks in advance

--dan

 

jimchou:

Thanks for the pictures. Best set on the net (only set) that I've found. Anyone feel free to prove me wrong [ ]

I am definitely in the 12.1" or 13.3" category. The only 13.3" players are the $ony $-$erie$... and that is impractical... for obvious reasons. The other is the Averatec 4200... bargain but not the most solid piece of equipment from initial comments from owners.

I am mostly debating between Asus W5a and the Travelmate 3000 series. I too would love a DVD combo (it's external so there isn't any integration barriers, I wish Acer would put a couple of more models out there). The 3002 is $400 cheaper than the Asus W5a, and although the Asus is a sleek looking machine with integrated optical drive... I don't know if I can justify the $400 difference.

I would love to hear more about the build quality and screen as well jimchou. Thanks for your posts.

 

Artwjp/cuoog/wellVersed:

You are welcome.

Artwjp:

The surfaces do look great, very smooth and shiny, especially the bottom surface, but I am pretty sure the silver surfaces are painted.

cuoog/wellVersed:

I have only been using it for a few days, but overall I really like my TM3002, small and light, comes with 2 batteries, features like bluetooth which I use it a lot as I like to upload MP3 ring tones and pictures to my cell phone, and Acer's ePowerManagement is pretty nice too. The screen is pretty good, it's matte @ 1280x800, but it would be really nice if it has a screen like Sony's XBRITE display. Overall build quality is very good. And an integrated DVD+/-RW double layer drive would be nice too.

 

Hey all,

I just got my TM3002 WTCI today from Zipzoomfly and overall, I must say that I am happy with it.

I had a Samsung X10 prior to this and briefly had an Asus W5A. X10, I especially loved until some one stole it and the replacement was W5A and had to let it go too since it was little heavier that I would like. Also I could not stand (or to handle) the whiteness of the machine and failed to get the black model.

So the final replacement for Samsung X10 was to be TM3000.

The screen is not what Acer is calling Crystalclear (or view) but it is pretty good in my opinion although I would prefer the crystalclear display. Mine came with no dead pixel.

The keyboard is also good enough and has a good feedback when you type. It's pretty quiet when you type and the keys are some what similar to IBM's in ways.

But I still have to get used to these small keys. X10 and W5A had full size keys but TM3000 has slightly smaller keys. As for lay-out of the keys, I think Acer did a good job on this. The keys and especially, enter, shift keys are near full size.

This TM3000 is designed to be more like a business purposes in mind rather than being entertainment system like W5A. I also find the external ODD to be little bulky and I think it will be staying home most of the time. The firewire cable is little too short and it can only be placed on the right side of the machine. There is a ventilation holes on the right side and I think it is a minus since I will be using wireless mouse as well on the right side of the machine.

The battery life is more like 3:30 hours or so with BT, LAN, PC Card, Firewire off. I only have WLAN on at this time and the power meter indicated as about 4:20 hours when it was 100% charged but it now is showing as 3:20 hours after about 15 min of usage.

I have not tried the slim battery with 3 cells but I am thinking that the battery life will be about 2 hours with it.

I also installed 7200 rpm hitachi and add another stick of 512mb Ram. As for performance wise, I think it is more than I asked for.

The Samsung X10 had P M 1.4 with 1GB ram and 7200rpm and the performace was just good enough. If you mostly do office work, surfing web and normal daily tasks, the performance would be good enough.

As for heat, it get warm around the palm rests but much cooler than X10 for sure. Also the fan runs quietly but W5A was much quieter when the fan was running.

I will try the bluetooth tomorrow for dialup connection when on the road. I don't know if it will work but I heard some people getting it to work for their cellphones as modem. Otherwise it is crucial for me to use it with my Treo650 for file transferring.

One major annoying thing is when I close the lid. It makes a click sound and it bothers me and somewhat makes the machine feel cheap. It sounds too plastic and Acer could have done better on this.

Also the material for this machine is not Alloy, Magnesium nor any type of metal. It's hard plastic painted in silver. Well it's little on the cheap side to be metal housing anyway. Although it could have been nicer if metal housing.

Averatec 1000 series are megnesium on the lid and bottom. Wish Acer did the same.

 

cksuh76,

Thanks for posting your comments. I'm trying to decide between the w5a and the TM3002 right now myself. The whiteness aside, you mentioned construction and keyboard were better on the w5a, and I assume the w5a screen was better as it had the glossy kind. So overall, which was nicer? was the asus worth the extra money? I dont think the extra weight would bother me, but the asus is also a bit bigger in each dimension which I think might. I know its a bad reason, but I also thought the asus looked really stupid with that built-in camera, does it look any less dumb in person?

Thanks,

--Dan

 

cuoog,

Both are nice in their own ways but I will choose TM3000 over W5A again as portability is the most important thing to me at this moment.

Don't get me wrong. W5A is still light enough to travel with but slightly heavier and bigger than TM3000.

As for the screen, W5A is better. It has good viewing angle, richier color and glossy hard coating. There is no doubt that W5A has superior screen.

As for the keyboard, TM3000 is better. W5A has 95% full size keyboard but the keys feel little cheap in my opinion.

The camera on W5A looks ok. Honestly, I didn't even care to try it. But the bezel around the screen looks unnecessarily wider b/c of the camera.

I compared W5A with my friend's HP 1400 and there was not much of size difference.

Most importantly, W5A looks more expensive. The bulid quality, material and the details, W5A is better.

If I do not have to care about the slightly bigger size and weight, I will go for W5A.

 

"""""""ttuurrbboo it seems that we are both right! and that the model available as the 3001 in Europe is slightly different from the 3002 available in Asia.

If the specs published on the net are correct it seems that the "European" 3001 comes with 1280 x 800 resolution
and "up to 64MB of video memory", while the "Asian" 3002 comes with 1280 x 768 resolution and "up to 128 MB of VRAM".""""""

That's all pretty confusing I'm guessing that you are in Australia drummo. On the Australian Acer site there is no tm3000. If you are looking at your user guide are they just rounding up the numbers for the resolution? If so in the States its 1280 x 800 with no indication of integrated video memory but Im guessing its 64mb.
Another question for anyone in France or knowledge of the country. I will be travelling to France to find a job there in a couple of weeks. If I decide to purchase the 3001 or 3004 does Acer sell through resellers in France? In other words will I have to have it mailed to me while I am there?

 

well, i just got my acer tm3002wtci. thanks to everyone who helped with the info. if anyone else has questions, post and ill try and answer them...

--dan

 

To cuoog and other owners, the consensus is the keyboard is pretty good. But, with the exception of some keys on the right-hand side, is it a full-sized keyboard?
Thanks.

 

mavrick,

the keyboard isnt quite full sized, maybe 95%. if you've ever seen a dell 700m, fujitsu p7010 or averatec 1000 (all of which use a very similar keyboard from a size and layout perspective), the acer by comparison has larger keys with a better layout (no cramped comma and period). i have very large hands and thick fingers, and so far i have had no problems with the keyboard on the acer.

--dan

 

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

 

Dan, that's good news, as I also have large hands. Thanks.

 

Hi again, still very very satisfied with my acer 3001WTMi, i just upgraded the DDR2 into 2GB! Its very good improvement! It was kinda scared of getting those memories in because of very nice price but these were fully working so all i can say, if anyone interested, go and visit
http://www.memory-configurator.com/ACER/TravelMAte/TravelMate-3000-series--3001WTCi--3002WTMi-WTCi-.html
to get your upgrades. Btw. if anyone would be interested, i got 14 days old 2x256 DDR2 533 original acer, no use for me so i can send to anyone if interested.

Also you wanted pictures?
Here are some more from czech review. Please do not ask me to translate it
http://notebook.cz/__/,clanky,recenze-notebook,2005,ACER-TravelMate-3000-3001WTMi,index.html