ACER TRAVELMATE 8172 11.6" Thread

[Death666Angel]

The only thing I could think of before proclaiming that it is broken, is trying another SIM card if you haven't already. :/ Very bad for you mate.

[frank.beetz]

yeap, got a new sim card as well -- still didn't work.

And if I connect an external modem it works fine with both cards.

So my analysis: 3G module is kaputt :-)

Send the damn thing off for repair this morning !

[Death666Angel]

Hope you get it fixed mate!

I have just used the VGA port of this unit with my 24" HP w2408h. It works well as the only output and also as an extended desktop with the laptop being in it's native resolution and the 24" monitor as well. Looks as sharp as any of my HDMI graphicscards . Pretty surprising, but it means if you only want a bigger resolution, the missing HDMI is no broken leg. But you still can't use HTCP (?) encryption.

Also, has anyone with an 8172 figured out how to configure the finger print sensor as a scrolling device?

[Sprengepiel]

Hi frank.beetz,
do you have new updates for your umts problem?
best regards from Germany
Frank

[blupp]

Hi,

in the last issue of the german c't computer magazine they mentioned an issue with the CPU's power consumption in the 8172 as well as the 1830T (11.5 W in idle) leading to a battery life of 5 hours

did any of you observe this problem?

5 hours seems a little short compared to similar CPU / battery combinations

where's the best startingpoint to search for fixes?

maybe a BIOS update can help?

bye

blupp

[frank.beetz]

Unfortunately no news on my 3G problem yet.

The notebook arrived at Acer on 29.07.10 (according to the e-mail they sent).

Since than (2 weeks) absolutely nothing was done to the machine.

Just called and talked to the most arrogant Service Support Person on this planet. He finally admitted that the required spare part was not in stock and it wouldn't arrive until the 17.08.10

When I asked if I could give the computer back and buy myself a machine that works, he was very well trained and pointed out that Acer is not obliged to do that and that they had the right to repair it.
The repair could take a while and there would be no hard limit as to how long such a repair must take before they would consider a refund.

Lessons learned:

1. Never buy from a website again in Switzerland (in this case architronic.ch) because they will not help you to get a functioning product allthough it was them who collected the money (I guess you guys in Germany have a better law in place for these cases?)

2. In future I will spend the extra buck and buy a Sony notebook again -- they just work!

[lemontea]

Hi,

in the last issue of the german c't computer magazine they mentioned an issue with the CPU's power consumption in the 8172 as well as the 1830T (11.5 W in idle) leading to a battery life of 5 hours

did any of you observe this problem?

5 hours seems a little short compared to similar CPU / battery combinations

where's the best startingpoint to search for fixes?

maybe a BIOS update can help?

bye

blupp

Hi blupp
I read about that on notebookcheck.com
they say it is due to the intel graphics settings

if they are right, it is just a software issue
no need for a BIOS update

[blupp]

Hi lemontea,

thanks for your help

that was the last issue standing between me and the 8172

edit:

now i found an additional one:

the i5-540UM version is going to be available in october (according to notebooksbilliger.de)

i think i'll wait...

[nirslsk]

So I'm finally getting my 8172 on tuesday (can't wait!) and I was wondering, since the units in the US seem to only come with 2GB and I really need more for my development environment, has anyone here had experience upgrading from 2GB to 4GB? If so, what brand/model did you use and did you have to get two new sticks or just one?

Thanks, Nir

[nirslsk]

Ah, never mind The 8172 arrived with two small but visible scratches on its cover so I'm sending that one back as well. I'm giving up on small&powerful laptops for now and getting a cheap, powerful, big, ugly 15 inch Lenovo to do my coding on, and I'll stick with my Samsung N110 netbook for everything else for now. Quality control for 11.6-12 inch laptops just doesn't seem to be there right now. I've gone through an 1810T, UL20A, T115D, 1830T i3, 1830T i5, UL20FT, and now the 8172, and every one of these had some kind of glaring manufacturing problem (respectively, non-functioning arrow keys, loose keyboard panel, paper tab stuck to the screen, bad touchpad buttons, bad touchpad buttons, loose keyboard panel again and finally the scratches on the back). Maybe I'll have better luck with the next generation of more powerful netbooks.