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ECS i-Buddie A928
Don't do it! - ECS i-Buddie A928 Laptop

Product Type: Elitegroup laptops

Newest Review: ... or clunky adapters. Yes, it has a powerful external battery... but that's because there is NO, I repeat NO internal battery.... more

Don't do it!
ECS i-Buddie A928

shadenfroh

Member Name: shadenfroh

Product:

ECS i-Buddie A928

Date: 21/07/04, updated on 07/02/05 (1752 review reads)

Rating:

Advantages: Big Screen

Disadvantages: Lousy support, Overheating, Lack of internal battery, ports

Do yourself a favor, and buy from a brand you can trust, which ISN'T this one.

I bought this computer because I'm a power user, and the dealer gave me a pitch about how powerful this computer is, with it's fast processor, large hard drive and lots of RAM. It should be noted that some of the shortcomings belong to the dealer, who didn't stress that this is NOT intended for use as a laptop, but rather a "desktop replacement." Since it doesn't take up much less space than a desktop, I'm not sure why a desktop needs replacing, but at least the manufacturer has the good grace not to try to pass this monstrosity off as a laptop.

Yes, there are 4 USB ports... but there are no ports for a printer, common peripherals like a Palm cradle, or even an external mouse. This means newer peripherals, or clunky adapters.

Yes, it has a powerful external battery... but that's because there is NO, I repeat NO internal battery.

I had this computer for about six months when the hard drive failed. The damage was apparently caused by the normal bumping of being carried in a laptop bag, brought on a plane as carry-on and so forth. The unit was never dropped, and was handled more carefully than I've handled other laptops, but this one isn't intended to be toted around in the real world. Read: fragile - handle with care, if you must touch it at all.

To make matters worse, when I turned it in under warranty (through the dealer, since the company refused to even speak to me directly), I got it back about six weeks later, with a 20GB hard drive in place of the 30 that had been in before. No effort was made by the dealer or the mfg to correct the discrepancy. When I pushed it, they offered to LET me ship it back to California and wait another month for it. I ate the 10 gigs.

The second time I turned it in, it was because the power cord had MELTED inside the machine's port. That's right; that
's how hot this baby gets. Another month later, I got back what was supposed to be a new machine. I don't know whether the manufacturer lied to the dealer, or the dealer lied to me, but unless someone took the time to reposition the stickers and such in EXACTLY the same, unusual way I did, this was the same machine.

Six month later, here I am ordering new cables again, because the machine's melted two battery cables and a power supply cable in the past three weeks. When I complained to the manufacturer, they directed me to a web page where I can pay them to diagnose the problem.

I'm an independent software developer and technology consultant, and I've made my living on computers for about a decade. If you want to actually be productive with a computer, instead of just showing off the big screen, leave the DeskNote alone. If you expect to be even nominally mobile, don't even think about the DeskNote. Get a computer from a reputable company like Toshiba, Dell, IBM or a host of others that have proven themselves with reliable hardware and dependable support.

Incidentally, I've replaced my $1,800 DeskNote with a $350 used Thinkpad that starts faster, runs better, works with nearly all peripherals and which I can actually take on the road with me. It may have lower specs, but I consider it an upgrade. I'm looking to sell the DeskNote at a significant loss.

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