When looking for a desktop replacement notebook, consumers want extra screen real estate in addition to a machine that's portable enough to move from room to room. The Acer Aspire 7735Z (4357) fills the bill by offering a 17.3-inch display in an elegantly crafted 7-pound design. Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery Pentium processor isn't the fastest on the block, but consumers seeking a budget machine will find the $599 price tag appealing.
Design
The Aspire 7735Z's design is reminiscent of Acer Aspire One Battery larger cousin, the Aspire 8920. Though the 16.1 x 11.3 x 1.6-inch laptop has a large footprint, its rounded edges and tapered front keep it from looking boxy. Attractive Gemstone Blue holographic paint graces the lid of the 7735Z, but it's prone to smudges, just like its predecessor.
Inside, a blue, glowing power button dominates the top left, and are embedded in the Dolby speakers that stretch all the way across the deck. On the right is the Acer Aspire 9800 Battery PowerSmart Manager button, which automatically adjusts settings for energy saving, including reducing screen brightness and changing the color theme to Windows Vista Basic. Another click brings the laptop back to Performance mode. The button glows green when PowerSmart mode is active.
Below the display rests the full-size keyboard and number pad. The unobtrusive, dimpled texture on the silver palm rest area also extends across the entire lower deck, and even to the trackpad.
At 7.0 pounds, Acer Aspire 5100 Battery system is on the lighter side for a desktop replacement, and only 0.4 pounds heavier than the 17-inch MacBook Pro. We hardly noticed the weight when carrying the 7735Z from room to room. We even had little trouble transporting it between the office and home on public transport with a good large-screen laptop bag.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Acer Aspire 5101 Battery outfitted the 7735Z with its Finetip keyboard, also found on the 13.3-inch Aspire 3935. This style combines the size of traditional beveled keys with the look of chiclet/island keys. We liked the slightly textured feel of the keyboard, and the large key caps kept our fingers from accidentally hitting the gaps. We noticed no flex, and the overall layout felt sturdy and durable. To the left of the keys sit three buttons: one to turn Wi-Fi on/off, one for Bluetooth (not included in our configuration), and a launch button for the Acer Backup Manager.
The dimpled touchpad provides just the right amount of friction. While we were disappointed with the Aspire 8920's small touchpad area, we have no such complaints about the 7735Z. Its 3.8 x 2.5-inch footprint gave us plenty of space to work with, and is ideal for multitouch gestures (pinch and scroll). We appreciated that the scroll area was marked by a thin, raised line, and that the touchpad itself is recessed, making Acer Aspire 3610 Battery easy to find without looking.
The single touch button was very responsive, though we would have preferred two distinct ones. Acer's also louder than we like, but doesn't feel flimsy. Users who often accidentally brush the touchpad with their thumbs while typing will appreciate the on/off button just to the right. However, we didn't experience any jumping cursors while using the 7735Z to write this review.
Display & Audio
At first, the 17.3-inch (1600 x 900-pixel resolution) LED-backlit display's colors seemed washed out, Acer Travelmate 8204WLMI Battery with little depth. Changing the screen brightness via keyboard shortcuts didn't help; only after adjusting the brightness and contrast through Intel's GMA driver (located under Display Settings > Advanced Settings) did we achieve satisfying results. The screen was a bit too glossy and reflective, but the LCD still offered good vertical and horizontal viewing angles.
After the adjustments, the 16:9 display offered vibrant colors and great contrast for darker video scenes. Watching our Torchwood DVD under flourescent lights threw back our reflection most of the time, but we didn't encounter this problem in dim light. Streaming episodes of Legend of the Seeker on Hulu was smooth, and the images looked crisp.
The Aspire 7735Z's True 5.1 surround-sound Dolby speakers delivered enough volume to fill a small room, but Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery were ultimately a disappointment. Sarah Solovay's rock-flavored "Gone" sounded decent, but when we played a song with a distinctive bass line, such as "One Girl Revolution" by Superchick, it seemed like half the sound was missing. No amount of adjustment resulted in decent bass, and the best we could do was set the Realtek HD Audio Manager equalizer to the Bass setting, which made music sound muffled. Sound delivered to our headphones and external speakers was much better.
Ports and Webcam
The Aspire 7735Z has a standard spread of ports. On the left you'll find Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, and two USB ports, plus microphone, headphone, and line-in jacks. On the right are two more USB ports, a modem jack, a DVD player. and a Kensington lock slot. The 5-in-1 memory card reader sits on the front.
The 1.3-megapixel webcam above the display initially produced images with a slightly yellow cast. Adjusting the saturation level within the Acer Travelmate 8200 Battery Crystal Eye software's settings fixed this problem, though the picture could have been sharper. During a chat on Skype, our caller noted little blurriness, even when we waved a hand vigorously in front of the lens. The integrated mic transmitted clear audio.
