Gateway LT2032u 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - Over 7 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter) Review
I searched for a netbook for about a week and found that I could get a Toshiba netbook at Best Buy for about the same price that had a slightly faster processor but a smaller hard drive. I decided to go with the Gateway because of the 250 GB hard drive instead of the 120 GB. The slight increase in processor speed on the Toshiba just could not offset the Gateways price of 0 out the door with the larger hard drive. I upgraded the memory to the 2 GB max( Crucial 2GB 256Mx64PC2-5300 CT25664AC667 DDR2 200-Pin SODIMM Laptop Memory )which really makes a difference only for downloading files or watching video. The battery life seems to be about what is advertised, or maybe slightly better. I removed Norton’s and installed freeware for anti-virus and spyware and will probably remove the Microsoft Office suite because I don’t want to pay 0 for it. For as little as I expect to use it I don’t think that it is worth it on this netbook. I really only expect to use it for traveling which will consist of web use and email, and maybe video chat occasionally. It is built very solidly, and has great styling. As another reviewer stated, the battery does add about an inch to the depth over other netbooks, but this is only an issue for finding a sleeve to carry it in to protect it. I found a sleeve at Wal-Mart (also here at amazon.com) by Targus( Targus 10.2-Inch Slipskin-Peel Netbook Case )that looks great and fits perfectly. It comes in burgundy colored trim that matches exactly. It is slightly more here at amazon.com unless you get the blue trimmed one, which is about half the price as Wal-Mart. If you are looking for a full time computer, a netbook is not for you, but if you want mobility at a great price then I highly recommend this Gateway.
