Customer Ratings & Reviews

I purchased this for Christmas for my 10 year old daughter because I did not want to spend the money on a full size laptop, which I really did not think a 10 yr old needs! I found this to be the best deal at the time. The touch pad is the nicest one I tried in the store, it even has the circular finger motion scroll , double tap to open things, etc. Really easy to work. Keyboard has a nice feel. I have to explore a digital memory stick or something, so I will have to research this as I am not a computer geek. I think there are plenty of connection ports and the tutorials included with it should be able to talk you through anything you need to do or any accessories you need to add. Downside is the Windows 7 only being the starter version, but you can pay to upgrade it if you need to and probably need to add more memory. I keep wanting to take this to work to use, but I can't get my daughter to let me borrow it! I want one for myself now! It is a nice gadget, and it almost runs faster than my home computer which is 5 yrs old! Great deal for the Price!!!

As an exclusive Thinkpad user for several years, I'm used to small screens and keyboards but was very concerned that this machine might be too small. It is very small and while I don't use it as a stand alone machine, it is the only thing I carry on day and short business trips. It is way lighter than my thinkpad and really delivers 8+hours of battery life. My backpack feels empty now and my shoulders are happy! Connectivity is solid, fast etc and it is a pleasure to work this thing on an airplane even if you are stuck in coach on a full row and the guy in front of you insists on reclining his seat (you all know the type). The keyboard has great feel, isn't 'clicky' and is laid out so you don't miss keys or hit the wrong keys...very well thought out. The mouse is the weak link on this machine and needs some attention to move this unit into first class position. I've tried everything to adjust sensitivity etc, it is inconsistent in operation and very frustrating to use. I tried most of the netbooks on the market and this one had the best feel & screen display. Other than the mouse it is great!Get the machine but plan on having to use a remote mouse for any tasks that require heavy use of a mouse.

I have had my netbook for a month now and I absolutely love it. I needed something small to carry with me, something that logs on quickly to any network, has a basic word program and a decent battery life. For the serious stuff I have full size laptop. This little netbook powers up in seconds and delivers good quality sound and graphics. I can even play facebook games without freezing up. Pretty neat for such a simple machine. What's really cool is: just that! This netbook does not ever get hot, no need for a cool pad! The battery recharges in 2 1/2 hours from 0 to 100. Awesome! I threw out McAfee and all the other trial annoyances and installed Avast! for Antivirus software. Uses less resources and is more efficient. I did buy an external mouse because the touch pad has a tendency to be runny. I am also considering to upgrade the RAM to 2 GB, just for turbo.

I have recently been looking for a second system to allow me to be more portable. I equally Apple/Windows in my ecosystem, and this was a replacement for a 7 year old Windows system, but the iPad was at the head of my list due to my current equipment (iPhone, MacbookPro). An iPad would slot perfectly into this area. I looked at the iPad, and the sexiness of the device is evident immediately. So to is the biggest missing portion: no keyboard. I own two iPhones, so I am well versed in a soft key system. However, as a portable work "terminal," the device leaves much lacking. To use an iPad, I would still need another small system for work concerns. I looked at this netbook and saw everything that I wanted. It has some gaming capability that exceeds what is available in the iPad/iPhone system (the Total War series up to Rome plays well). It has full office capability, and it plays video as well if not better than what is available on the iPad. Both Netflix and Hulu play with little issue on the beautiful screen, which is larger than an iPad screen. The keys have a good feel, and overall build is sturdy and good-looking. The lights around the wifi and power buttons are nice additions to the basic pro-looking frame. The bottom of the frame allows for easy doubling of RAM, and the easy access to the wifi card AND the hard drive even allow for upgrades that shouldn't be necessary with the huge included 250 GB drive. You usually have to pay about $500 to go bigger. The battery life is amazing, with my system acting as a large cell phone. I charge it overnight, take it off the charger, leave said charger at home, work (with Office, Skype, and WiFi humming the entire time), come home, watch videos, and put the device back on the charger. It works very well as an all day, all around system for light work and light play, and the battery will be with you all day. The N450/GMA 3150 combo is excellent for this battery life, and both give a slight bump in graphics and speed. You will notice a difference between the older N270 and the newer N450, but it is subtle, allowing for a little more multitasking. The 3150 is a very slight bump in performance, allowing for no-chop video from both Netflix and Hulu, but the battery savings and options are the real winner for the combo. When combined with Windows 7 Starter, this is a decent option for on-plane viewing and quick video clips. Starter is STRIPPED TO THE BONE. If you want a full Windows implementation, this is not your choice. The choice does allow for quick transitions and quick power up from both stand by and hibernation (close you're lid when not in use). It will run Office well for you in every way, but be careful with large and processor intensive Excel sheets (Atom is not A1 for mass calculations). The touch pad is very touchy. Many times I will type in another area because the touch pad will register a stroke when there was none. in addition, not having bluetooth connectivity for a system that is so portable is unacceptable. A wireless headset connection would make this machine even more portable, especially to compete with the weak speakers included as a media consumption device. The "HD" sound is very good with a headset. If you are looking for a second system to fit between your smartphone and your full sized laptop or desktop, this is an excellent choice. If you are looking for a reasonably priced netbook with good light capabilities, this is your choice.

After shopping and reading reviews for the past few months on various netbooks, I decided to take a plunge on this one and couldn't have been any happier! For an Atom processor and 1gb ram, it's a pretty efficient machines. It streams YouTube videos seamlessly as well as when I stream live TV programming from my Slingbox at home. It also makes surfing the net a breeze. Funny though, it can get a little choppy when playing some apps on Facebook but, no complaints really. This netbook is light, portable, convenient and the battery life is no joke! I've ran a good 7-hours on a full charge watching streaming video. My only complaint really...it catches my fingerprints when I close the lid but it's no biggie and not as bad as other netbooks/laptops I've tried.

I wanted a netbook to use while I am at school but I wasn't sure what kind to get. All I ever heard about was Asus and at first that was what I was going to get since the price seemed right. It wasn't until I looked online and saw this netbook so I read the specs. I loved the 8 hour battery life and the wireless feature. I immediately went after work to Best Buy and looked at this netbook first hand. It was next to a Dell which was 20 dollars more. I compared the specs and hte only difference was the Dell offered 45 minutes more battery life but that's about it. Everythign was the same. In the end I purchased this netbook and I am LOVING it. The keyboard is a dream to type on and I am loving this bright LCD screen. A must have for the price.

I had been looking for a net book to compliment my clunky laptop and I really found it in this product! It so small yet so powerful. The built in webcam works like a charm. The extended battery really is good for 5 plus hours. I have never tried to go beyond that... Only complaints is the MS Office trial software is a joke because you can't do ANYTHING unless you buy it out right. Oh yeah, I am not a big fan of the touch pad but I have gotten use to it. Bottom line, if you are looking for a power packed net book with lots of battery power, you will love this product.

I got this notebook for my daughter to replace the asus that gave her nothing but trouble. For about the same price- the differences are astounding! The asus had errors constantly, couldn't load web pages, couldnt do anything without crashing and shutting itself down. It held 15 pictures, and no more. This Gateway is AWESOME. It is so fast, and it has plenty of memory for pictures and files for homework. It zips through the internet with no issues, never has a problem loading a page, and even came with an awesome parental control feature. Its perfect size to be convenient but still large enough to clearly see the screen. I would absolutely recommend this notebook to anyone, especially if you are shopping for your teen

I had been looking for a long time and had some specific requirements - memory, speed, price - well 2 out of 3 isn't bad. This is a great machine and the Geek Squad set it up so it's working great.

Have had this netbook for over a month now and have had very little problems with it to date. It is a very good system for the price paid and having the convenience of it's smalelr size made it more appealing to me than a laptop. Don't buy this thiking it can be used for gaming or complex software programs, but you can expect that it will be perfect for surfing the web and running basic word processing programs without difficulty. Defintiely would recommend upgrading the memory from 1GB to 2GB, I did so and the performance is noticeably better for not much money. Easy to use for someone who is not a tech wizard and packs quite a bit of performance for someone on the go.

Great netbook for surfing the web and checking e-mail. Works well with adobe and microsoft works. Compact design, very portable. Very easy to put on home network and hookup to wireless printer. Nice clear screen, easy keyboard to use. Would recommend buying a microsoft mouse for ease of operation. Sound is not bad for the computer on media manager will be fun to take to WI-FI spots with out lugging around a large laptop. So far love it!!!!

Spent several weeks researching netbooks, wanted 250GB harddrive, found the 2104u on Bestbuy website for $269.00, in store was $299., so salesmen led me to PC kiosk where he helped me order online for immediate store pickup. So far works fine for my use: upgraded to 2GB RAM with no problems. "Automatic" Windows update caused some internet problems so I had to do system restore. Will be used to access internet when travelling.

Works extremely well for the purpose. The key board is convenient and optimally sized and configured. The battery lasts as long as or close to as they claimed. The display is good. The support from Best buy at the time of initial purchase on line and store pick up was great.

I have had this netbook for about 2 months and I love it! I sold my laptop I barely used on eBay and downsized to this Gateway. Its small enough to take with you but big enough to use as a regular computer. I have put some music on it and written a few papers as well. I also use it to watch netflix on my home TV. One disadvantage is not having an HDMI port, but I used a VGA and RCA to hook it up to the TV instead. I love my netbook! No problems with speed, storage, or anything else. Works just as good as y home computer, just has less options. No CD slot, but thats seriously it!

Overall, this is a nice little computer. Great keyboard, responsive processing power (Windows Experience Rating 2.4) and crisp display. On the minus side, Although the display is clean and crisp, the 1024 x 600 resolution is cramped when working with spreadsheets. Additionally, this resolution does not meet the minimum system requirements for some programs such as Roxio Creator Suite 10. Roxio gave me a 'sorry, resolution not good enough' message then quit. Windows 7 Starter is restrictive to say the least. You must upgrade Windows if you want to play DVD's using Media Center, run more than 3 apps at once (some apps don't count such as windows explorer, control panel applets; etc) or even change your wallpaper. Upgrading Windows 7 Starter MUST be done using Microsofts 'Upgrade Anytime' portal which is an online update and costs $79 for Home Premium. You will not be able to get off Windows 7 Starter using Upgrade or Full version copies of Windows 7. The good news is that the 'Upgrade Anytime' portal is less expensive but why would Microsoft impose this restriction on it's customers? If you want to do more than simply surf the web and check email, you WILL be upgrading the operating system. When you consider that additional expense of the windows upgrade, your price point is 409. For 10 dollars more you can get the Gateway EC1440u which comes with 2GB, Home Premium 64Bit, 11.6" HD 1366x768 widescreen and a faster Celeron 743 processor (Windows Experience Rating 3.1) I sold mine less than a week after purchasing. Luckily, a friend wanted it for his 12 year old daughter so I avoided the 15% restocking fee. Look at the Gateway EC1440u first, you'll be glad you did! I bought one and am completely satisfied.

I am loving this little netbook and so far customer support has been great. Had it not been for something I did, it came out of the box ready to use. I chose the 2104U ofver the new APPLE IPAD. More so becasue I can see the whole screen. It is light, compact, and seems to be a power house for such a small computer. And that is exactly what it is. It does everthing my laptop does. Haven't played any games online so that I dont know, but as a small portable computer to travel with. THIS IS MY CHOICE.

This is a great machine for general, anywhere web-surfing, email and stuff like that. Screen resolution not compatible w/ some photo editing software. This size laptop (kneetop?) isn't designed for serious editing anyway but now I must buy another machine. Another problem w/ screen res is some websites/applications act like its a 1024x768 and buttons/fields are not accessible except by tab-guessing (use TAB key and hope you have the right button when you hit ENTER). *HATE* the touchpad. It's level with the case so it's very easy to slide off the mousing area. Within a week, i bought a wireless mouse and disabled the touchpad. Noticeable performance difference if ya upgrade the memory to 2GB (max). Final rant: What the devil is the love affair with giving laptops a sports car finish? I quickly gave up on keeping the case clean and smudge-free. My kneetop is a tool, not a piece of artwork. Still beats waiting to use computer at local library.

Before buying this Gateway netbook I read a lot of reviews and went into the store to buy a different netbook but then I came across this one! I loved the sleek look and price! The guy in the store was nice enough to let me look at the reviews online using one of the stores computers. The sleek look and great price drew me in but the reviews sealed the deal. I left there feeling like I had made a great purchase and I did. When I got home and started using it I fell in love. I bought it mainly to take with me when I travel. It went with me a few days later to a new city, I used it daily at my hotel to look up nearby places to eat an visit and used it to map out my walk so I wouldn't get lost going to an from the hotel. Being a little slower than what I am use to, with my powerhouse desktop, took some time to get use to but I’ve adjusted. The only negative I can say about this little sleek netbook is that the touch pad is veryyy touchy and causes me issues. Other than that I love it and I would recommend it to anyone. I use it more than I thought I ever would and I am very impressed with it!

I wanted to buy a netbook in town for the option of a local RMA. I did a fair amount of research online and was planning on purchasing either the Asus Eee or one of the Dell netbooks. The Asus looked and felt cheap and flimsy and I decided against the Asus because of the problems reported with their AC adapters. I decided to purchase the Gateway because it had a 250gb hdd, the construction seemed more solid than the Dell options, and the battery life was comparable to the Dell & Asus netbooks. I had some trouble installing Windows XP on this system, most notably with the SATA driver I downloaded from Intel. There are 3 options (google them), 1 is to use a USB floppy for the SATA driver during XP install, 2 is to slipstream the drivers onto a custom XP install CD, 3 install after XP installed. I went with option 3 and was not successful after 3 hours of monkeying around with this, so I switched back to Windows 7 Starter. Judging from the forum posts it *is* possible to get XP SP3 up and running on this system with full SATA support. If you are hell-bent on using XP, you will need to spend some time hunting down drivers from the various mfg websites.

My laptop died on Friday and I needed to replace it quickly with something affordable and compact that would allow me to stay connected to my online classes while traveling. I researched netbooks offered by several retailers and decided this was a good fit. It's lightweight, attractive and the price can't be beat.