Acer TravelMate 8481T-6873: Remarkable Road Warrior
by Dustin Sklavos on December 11, 2011 2:22 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- Intel
- Toshiba
- TravelMate
Battery Life
Where Acer's TravelMate 8481T really excels is in its running time off the mains. Acer gets good mileage out of that substantial 8-cell battery and makes the extra bump pay off.
While the relative battery life isn't the greatest, it's certainly more than enough. Remember that the TravelMate is boasting a larger screen and faster processor than the Toshiba Z830. There's probably still work that could be done here to improve battery life (and Sony makes a convincing argument for the Vaio SB in places), but it won't disappoint.
Heat
Acer's TravelMate 8481T also runs reasonably cool and quiet to boot; even under load the fan's inobtrusive, and at idle the notebook is almost totally silent. The only problem with the fan is the same problem notebooks this small and thin often have: whine. Under load I can see the pitch bothering somebody, but it's no worse than Toshiba's Portege Z830 was and I'm not sure what kind of magic anyone buying a notebook this small is really expecting.
Thankfully it runs pretty frosty, as we've come to expect from Intel's low voltage Sandy Bridge chips. The left palm rest warms up a bit, but that's honestly the worst I've seen from the TravelMate and it's very mild compared to some of the other notebooks we've tested.
Display
Unfortunately Acer cheaped out in one other place. While I'm not apt to be quite as critical of poor displays on notebooks that are clearly designed to be portable word processors (the screen on my Lenovo ThinkPad X100e is absolutely horrible), I still really wish manufacturers would at least try to produce a notebook screen in quantity that doesn't completely suck.
Truthfully I'm not sure what's going on with the Delta-E of the TravelMate 8481T's panel, but whatever it is, it isn't good, and when the screen loads the calibration there's a very noticeable color shift. White and black levels are also some of the worst we've seen, and contrast is absolutely terrible.
Viewing angles really aren't big winners either, and for this one there's not much in the way of a sweet spot. Like I said before, it's fine for word processing and some internet browsing, but lousy for anything color sensitive. You may be better off buying a ThinkPad X220 with the IPS panel before going with the TravelMate 8481T if color is important to you.
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ilyon - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
I don't agree.I HATE, really, these new appe-like chiclet keyboards. With my 3820 TimelineX, I prefer largely this chocolate type. Hopefully, Alienware still gives us some true keyboards, but with a price.
Chapbass - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
I totally agree with you. It looks like this laptop has a similar keyboard to the Sony SZ650? If so, then I love that style of keyboard. The Chiclet style I really can't stand, I cant exactly put my finger on it, but typing on them just feels....forced... to me I guess.I guess its all opinion, but option is a good thing to have.
KingstonU - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
I also love the keyboard on my 5820 TimelineX. I did not like the keyboard on the Apple notebooks that I tried.RussianSensation - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
I am gonna jump on your guys bandwagon. I hate chiclet keyboards myself. I find that often the backspace key is too far out (esp. on the Mac laptops), which makes it less comfortable to use. Also, the keys just aren't as springy and don't deliver that nice feedback that conventional/traditional laptop keyboard has.While I much prefer the construction quality and form factor and 2.8-2.9 lbs of Ultrabooks over this laptop in the review, and I'd much rather have a glossy screen over matter for better color/contrast ratio, I'd take this old school style keyboard.
RussianSensation - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
But ya, to add, thsi laptop should be $799-899, tops. For $1,300, Acer is otu to lunch on this one. You can get the Asus X31 or the MBA which weigh more than 1lbs less, have superior screens, and construction/design too, plus faster SSDs to boot.snuuggles - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
Just to reiterate: the Asus UX31's keyboard is an utter failure. I've tried both the UX31 and the MBA 13. The MBA was fine overall--no significant issues besides the price. The UX31 had *horrible* trackpad issues and an utterly useless keyboard (see my other comments).Most reviewers of the UX31 mention how horrible the keyboard is, but they still tend to give the machine high marks. I'm utterly baffled by this: if the keyboard was not a vital part of the machine, I'd get a tablet. To "put aside" the horrible keyboard is insane.
The UX31 is not a MBA competitor. It's not worth buying due to it's malfunctioning keyboard.
DanNeely - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
I mostly agree; however the acer spanks the MBA/X31 on battery life. The bigger battery shoudn't cost anywhere near as much more as it does though.ph0masta - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
I am currently using an Acer Keyboard myself, and I don't see what is wrong with it. The keys are very sturdy and also very springy, which allows for fast typing. At least on this model there isn't any flex. The key themselves are made with glossy plastic though which appears a bit cheap.Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - link
I feel like I need to jump in here in defense of Acer. While this keyboard may be too cheap for a premium laptop, (and for the price this computer really needs a higher-resolution screen), it is not anywhere near as bad as this review makes it out to be, and that's coming from someone who works as a typist. I've been using the original ULV Core 2 Solo for school for well over two years, and I've typed a LOT on it. Is it a Lenovo keyboard? No. Have I lost any of the keys? Also no. Have I taken notes in dozens of classes, written programs and lab reports, and generally been fine with it? Yup.dcollins - Monday, December 12, 2011 - link
I have a Lenovo E420, which combines the tried and true action of the Thinkpad keyboards with "chiclet" style keys. I bought the laptop mostly for the keyboard, which is my favorite keyboard I have ever used, laptop or desktop.