Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
 Very good netbook, at a very good price December 1, 2009
K. Michalec
39 out of 39 found this review helpful
I bought this notebook (Black LT2032u) at Best Buy a few days before Black Friday, and so far, I'm rather impressed. Bought this more my wife, since she can never seem to get on my computer (I'm always on it). Plus, it's so small and light, we can leave it downstairs on the entertainment center, instead of her having to go upstairs to the computer room to use a computer.
It's form factor is just about the perfect size. My only complaints are:
1. The keyboard is a bit cramped for my bigger hands (but it's a netbook, so I can't really fault it for that, as I knew what we were buying)
2. The fact that the edges of the lid don't have any lips or hold points, so opening the cover when it's closed can be a bit tricky. A lot of times, I have to use my fingernail to start prying the lid from the base. Overall, not a deal breaker by any means, but can be annoying sometimes.
3. It comes with a Gateway Backup Utility for backing up your PC, but since the Netbooks don't come with a writable DVD drive (or any for that matter), the utility says no drive is available, and won't do a backup. Personally, I think this a flaw that Gateway should have considered, and modified the program to let you write to a DVD drive if you have one, or write an image to the Hard Drive, so you can move it to another PC on the network, and burn it to a DVD there.
The pc itself runs good. It came with the standard Atom 270, 1 GB RAM, built in Video Card, built in webcam, etc, except, this had a 250 GB HDD instead of a 160 GB HDD, and it came with Windows 7 Starter. While I don't care for how scaled down Win 7 starter is, again, I can't fault Gateway for that (blame Microsoft). I immediately upgraded the RAM to a 2 GB chip (replacing the 1 GB), and it is rather quick with this addition. Plus, I installed Google Chrome (which is much quicker than IE, and even Firefox by a bit), and it cruises the web with ease. I also uninstalled all the Norton bloat ware, and installed Windows Security Essentials Antivirus, which, believe it or not, is really very good and light (great for a Netbook). Oh, and it's free! Also pulled of the Microsoft Office Trial, and installed OpenOffice (also good and light, and great for a Netbook).
After two weeks of playing with it (yeah, I know, I supposedly bought it for my wife!!), I find myself not going upstairs to the computer room to use my main PC (a 6 month old new Toshiba Laptop) as much, and instead, I can do most of what I need on this one.
Really haven't run into to any other issues (other than those mentioned above), and I have to say, we're very glad we got it. Plus, when it was on sale at Best Buy for $279, it was a great price, considering all the other netbooks with Win 7 and a 250GB HDD were at least $350. I was originally considering the Toshiba NB205-N330, but that was $399+. Yeah, it may have had a N280 instead of the Gateway's N270, and a little bit fast BUS speed, and Bluetooth (I can buy a USB Bluetooth adapter for $4 if I need one), but, to save over $120, it was worth it. I don't think I would have really noticed the difference too much (at least not when I was playing with both at Best Buy side by side).
I'm very glad I purchased it, and I highly recommend it. Even a few of my friends who've come over, and I showed it to them, were very impressed. Save yourself a few bucks, and go with this over the higher priced Toshiba, Asus, etc. You won't be disappointed!
Great unit with a few small modifications. . . November 26, 2009
Samantha S. Dennett (CT, USA.)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I bought the LT2030 about 1-2 months ago. While shopping in Best Buy, I was looking for a small unit with good battery life, a little more ram/hard drive space, and the capability to do low level gaming if it interested me. I had several choices which had decent prices, including an ASUS, Dell, Toshiba, and Gateway. In the end, the Gateway won me over. Firstly, it looks GREAT! It's a really awesome Candy Apple red. Secondly, the battery power can run as much as 7 hours long. The Asus ran a little bit longer, but the Hard Drive space was the major factor. The LT2030u was the only model with 250GB HD space. The other 3 models had about 100GB. For the same price as the other three ($349), the Gateway was obviously the best value.
Now, I've read some complaint over the internet about the system running "hot" but I have yet to encounter that problem. I upgraded from Starter 7 to a fully working version of the OS and I added 1GB Ram to the system. I carry my Netbook EVERYWHERE with me and have even been playing World of Warcraft on the system. Now obviously the graphics aren't meant for highly intensive graphics with games, but I find that it works just fine for me.
I'd definitely recommend the system. Granted, there aren't any back up disks, but there is a hidden folder on the system for taking your system back to it's factory settings, which is a great feature if you think you screwed up the system. I read some complaints about the lack of disks, but these people obviously never took the time to really read the information on the computer or look deeper into what they were buying.
By the way, Logitech has a Wireless Laser Mouse which is the same Candy Apple Red and looks great with the netbook. The USB part is super tiny and easy to forget about and pack up in whatever case you end up using. It's definitely a great edition to have!
I'm impressed! November 29, 2009
D. Calhoun (Chicago, IL)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
This Gateway LT2032u Black Netbook has turned out to be a great deal. I've had it for less than a week now and so far I'm loving it.
If you're getting a case for it, be aware that the 6-cell battery makes it too big for most slim cases (the battery ads about an inch to the size when closed). I have mine in a slim case, but the battery sticks out the zipper (and thus can't be fully closed. I just wanted something so that it would be protected in whatever bag I put it in and it serves that purpose ok for now.
Speaking of batteries - the life on the six cell is amazing. In power-saving mode and with the screen brightness dimmed to 10%, Windows has estimated 9 hours of battery life. Even in normal mode you'll get at least 6 hours of of it. It's great to be able to leave the house without a power adapter and not worry about running out of juice! I do occasionally use a Clear WiMax broadband USB adapter and that sucks a LOT of power (the machine estimates 3 hours of battery life with it running). I've tethered with my iPhone and that set up doesn't eat the battery nearly as fast (I think I can get 4-5 hours with that set up).
One challenge on netbook screens in general is software that assumes your monitor is taller than 600 pixels - so every now and then you'll find a fixed size window with an "ok" button that is below the edge of the screen. You might have to hit Tab and Enter until you "select" the right button to continue. This is only an occasional issue when installing software or on setup / preferences screens (like the one on Adobe Reader 9 which comes pre-installed)
Windows Starter 7 won't let you customize the desktop or colors, but you can legally install the free "Window Blinds" application from Stardock to let you do some customizations including colors and background images.
I'm hunting around for a good price on the 2GB ram upgrade. I'm thinking about getting 800Mhz gaming memory - but I don't yet know if this machine will support the higher speed. I notice that web based flash games (like Farm Ville and Cafe World on Facebook) can be quite unresponsive, so I'm hoping the added RAM will solve that.
Netflix runs just fine at full-screen. NBC online videos are choppy at full screen but run just fine in the regular size view (which still fills up a good portion of the screen. I haven't tested out HD YouTube videos on it yet.
The speakers don't get very loud, but I wouldn't want a bigger machine just for louder speakers. The headphone and microphone jacks are conveniently located on the side so they are out of the way.
The brightness of the LED display is REALLY BRIGHT. I find that most of the time, I run it at a reduced brightness (70%) and don't loose any detail in the images.
The track-pad is tiny, but very functional. Lots of great customizing options for it as well. The Multi-touch gestures are handy too, I'm glad they are included on the gateway machines.
The video on the webcam is nice - not stellar, but very nice - better than the cam built into my larger laptop. The built in microphone was decent as well. This is great for Skype calls while sitting at my desktop or full-size laptop working. I can run Skype full screen and still be productive on my other computer!
The keyboard buttons are sized nicely. I don't have too much trouble with typing -- the exception being the undersized backspace key. I would have liked that to be larger and sacrificed the size of the - and = keys instead. I occasionally find myself hitting = instead of backspace. Also, the keys don't have any traction / friction so you never quite feel like your fingers are in the right spots. Also, the "fn" Functions are in a deep red - which can be a little difficult to read on the black keys.
I've read elsewhere about the fan being loud - haven't experienced that (and don't expect to). The machine doesn't run hot either.
The hinges open and close smoothly through the full range of motion. The machine feels solid yet not too heavy.
Overall this computer is one of the best values out there for this kind of product and I'm happy with my purchase.
Terrific Netbook November 27, 2009
G. Backof (Maryland USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I've had the Gateway LT2030u for three weeks and am thoroughly enjoying it. I have a full sized computer with all its bells and whistles in a home office and now use it only to update several web sites I maintain and to type and/or print lengthy documents. The Gateway LT2030u had allowed me to go "green" in that it consumes very little energy as compared to my full sized computer and peripherals, plus office heating and lighting. I can use the Gateway anywhere in the house, or for that matter, anywhere on my property.
The Gateway LT2030u is very easy to set up. From opening the box to going online took me about 15 minutes, taking my time. It quickly identified my wireless network and locked on quickly. It is a sharp looking computer with a logically organized keyboard that is easy to use. The battery life is impressive. It kind of reminds me of the Energizer bunny in that it just keeps going!
I added a wireless mouse that required no installation at all. The Gateway recognizes it immediately each time on booting and it certainly simplifies my web browsing. I use Mozilla Firefox as my browser and it was exceptionally easy to download, install, and use. Same with OpenOffice for creating and reading documents and spreadsheets.
I highly recommend the Gateway LT2030u!
Exactly what i expected November 20, 2009
S. Lewis (Fresno, CA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Exactly what i expected. small, lightweight, and cheap enough that i will take it with me. i intend to use it for travel and internet access. the keyboard is small, but easy to get used to. still need to reset my hotmail accounts, etc so that the small screen doesn't bug me - but again, exactly what i expected. i might end up wishing it had a cd drive, but external hard drive and flash drives should take care of that. for the price, you can't go wrong.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
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