Looking at getting a laptop for my mother-in-law. She will be doing an Open University course, email, a bit of web browsing, internet grocery shopping, etc. Doesn't need to be lugged around, just portable for ease of putting away.

I know there are cheaper ones out there but most have smaller screen and less memory.

My wife has an Acer laptop which she has been very pleased with, but I was just wondering if anyone knows this particular one, or got any other views?
Cheers in advance.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aspire-AS7004-Acer-CrystalBrite-Super-Multi/dp/B000R8QL0I/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7/202-2514984-6462210?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qi d=1191151542&sr=8-7

From my experience of selling Acer laptops, sending them back for repair, dealing with their idiotic customer service and then recieving back a smashed latop. ( Fourth one this month ) I would go for an HP or Toshiba.

HTH.

I get on fine with mine, although the screens are poop in bright light. It's hasn't gone wrong so far so haven't had the pleasure of their CS (yet)

I've an Acer 5610z which is great and I had an Acer before. A common fault seemed to be the screens stopping working and the power jack coming loose from the board but this ones fine. I also have an Acer telly too which I bought from Dabs. I will never, never buy anything from this company again as the screen packed up and when I tried to speak to them (online chat only) it turned out they'd sold me a 2nd hand telly and so wouldn't cover the breakage. I rang direct to Acer though and they were absolutely fabulous. First sent out an engineer who diagnosed it then 24hr shipping with a box to protect it and took it away and returned within a week or so when it was convenient to me. I back them all the way.

Perhaps I'm just a miserable bugger then

thanks... so, it looks like it's luck of the draw, then

Echo Joneh's remarks. My son's dyslexic so relies on his lap-top more than most.
When his Acer kept crashing they accused him of perpetrating it by (heaven forbid) adding his own progammes!
Their customer service is p*ss poor to bl**dy awful - never again!
Maybe they should spend some of their F1 sponsorship on product development and/or customer service training.
Not impressed.
Cheers, Pewe

i've sold them for a few years now well build laptops and i've never had to send one back so cant comment an customer service, i have a few for sale on the web site... which is on trade untill midnight.

edit to say i'm out of stock untill later in the week.

[Edited on 30/9/07 by graememk]