![]() ![]() The touchpad, on the other hand, is absolutely nothing special. ![]() While it’s a notch below the best keyboards we’ve tested, this is a great keyboard overall about the only thing completely missing is backlighting, which is hardly a surprise given the price point. The matte key surfaces are smooth but slightly textured, and unlike the plastic filling the spaces between them, they don’t retain fingerprints. Travel is more than sufficient as well, making each keystroke easy to identify and providing great overall feedback. The stroke is also comfortable, with fairly low actuation force and a mostly quiet but still quite palpable stop. The keys aren’t afflicted by the same sort of rattling effect one finds with most inexpensive notebook keyboards. All of the keys are easy to operate, including the half-height arrow keys, which only take a bit of getting used to. It’s a Chiclet-style model, featuring comfortable key spacing and logical organization and styling. Granted, it can’t quite compare to the luxury of a top-end Lenovo ThinkPad, HP Spectre, or Dell Latitude keyboard, but the sheer fact that it’s even mentionable in the same breath is rather shocking. One of the most unexpected strengths of the E1-470P is its keyboard, which-rare as it is within the budget notebook market-is surprisingly solid and comfortable to use. What you buy is what you get with the E1-470P. Instead, Acer’s support team has stated on their forums that the unit is not meant to be consumer upgradeable or serviceable, and that even such normally trivial operations as RAM replacements and upgrades are not supported. You might have caught mention earlier of the lack of maintenance hatches, and unfortunately, unlike some models which provide access to internal components via an easy-to-remove bottom panel, the E1-470P has no interest in making maintenance or upgrades easy. The hinges, meanwhile, communicate a fair degree of stiffness, but they manage to allow a bit of wobble while typing or tapping-something which is frequently annoying when a glossy screen finish is involved. Distortions are clearly visible on the LCD panel when pressure from behind is applied, but the lid closes tightly against the base unit and features a series of eight rubber pads that help to improve its stability in the closed position, rendering panel damage less likely while the unit is in storage. The display lid also has some rigidity to it, though torsion resistance is only average as it can be fairly easily twisted from side to side. The upside of this thoroughly plastic construction is weight: at just 1.916 kg, this is a fairly portable 14-inch machine. There’s no metal to be found in the design, but the plastic casing at least feels relatively rigid thanks to the lack of maintenance hatches on the bottom and the single piece of glossy plastic that embodies the palm rest and keyboard surround (essentially, the entire top of the base unit), the E1-470P doesn’t exhibit a lot of give except in the very center of the base unit and under relatively heavy pressure. The shiny black plastic continues to flow across the top of the base unit, exuding a thoroughly budget-grade appearance. Clad with a shiny black plastic lid meeting a matte plastic edge wrap and underside, the Aspire E1-470P isn’t looking to impress here. Naturally, those in the market for a budget notebook are not likely to expect a premium case design. But specs are only part of the equation can the E1-470P emerge from our rigorous testing routine unscathed? You’ll find an Intel Core i3-3217U CPU with 4 GB DDR3L RAM alongside a rather generous 500 GB HDD-which is difficult to criticize given the price. While the E1-470P-6659 is certainly not a high-end machine, its specs still manage to trump that of most other similarly-priced budget models, however, especially when you consider the inclusion of a touchscreen with full-blown Windows 8. Those consumers looking for just that will be pleased to know, however, that the options are becoming ever more numerous, starting with Acer’s latest.Īcer’s E-series of notebooks represents their most affordable offerings, starting at just below $400 street price ( $450 MSRP-but as of this writing, our Aspire E1-470P-6659 is available at Best Buy for just $380). For a short while, at the front end of the technology curve, locating an inexpensive touchscreen notebook running Windows 8 and a decent set of specs was a difficult task. ![]()
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