Gateway E-155-C: A Lightweight Convertible
by Jarred Walton on July 4, 2007 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Closing Thoughts
From top to bottom, the E-155-C is geared towards power savings, though it still manages to pack a reasonable amount of performance into the diminutive chassis. What's somewhat surprising, however, is that despite many of the lower power choices - like the ULV Core 2 Duo U7500 instead of something faster like a T7100 - you still don't end up with a lot of battery life. One of the concessions towards the thin-and-light market is that the batteries are also smaller than many of the larger DTR notebook batteries. Power requirements are certainly lower, but when you reduce power draw and battery size by the same factor you end up with similar battery life at the end of the day. What you do get is less strain on your shoulders, since at 4.85-5.07 pounds this laptop will certainly be lighter than DTR models.
After playing with the Gateway E-155-C for the past few weeks, we're left with somewhat mixed impressions. This is definitely not a notebook that can do everything your desktop can do. It is intended for portability and mobility first and foremost, and performance is a distant secondary concern. Your slowest Athlon X2/Pentium D desktop systems are already significantly faster than this laptop, but by the same token there are plenty of people that are running single core processors and they don't really need an ultra powerful computer. If you're interested in an ultraportable laptop, read on; if performance still plays a primary role in what you want from a computer, we would recommend looking at other notebook offerings.
After developing carpal tunnel syndrome a few years ago, speech recognition became an important facet of my daily computing experience. These days, most of my articles are dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which saves my keyboard and mouse use for doing image editing, tables, and other work. The reason I bring this up is because I can clearly see a use for speech recognition. Handwriting recognition on the other hand... not so much. So basically, that aspect of the tablet interface really didn't seem that useful to me (although my daughter thought it was really cool to scribble on the computer).
The interface works well enough, but even when using a stylus cursor accuracy isn't perfect. Sometimes attempting to double-click on an icon in order to launch an application results in a different, nearby application loading, and for finesse work we consistently returned to a mouse or trackpad. For those that want to be able to carry around a laptop and still have the ability to accomplish certain tasks without the need to set the system down, however, the tablet interface could prove useful. Rather than carrying around a 4.5 pound laptop, a simple clipboard can probably provide you with most of what you need outside of network access. On the other hand, if you really need real-time access to information stored on the corporate network and/or the ability to use a laptop one-handed, definitely take a look at the E-155-C.
As a lightweight notebook, the Gateway E-155-C also does very well. Having recently done some traveling, the difference between lugging around a 17" desktop replacement notebook and the E-155-C was very noticeable. The Core 2 Duo U7500 wasn't an issue either for most of the work that I do (though I was definitely glad the system had 2GB of RAM). It was only when I had to do image editing that I really began to miss the larger 17" display and its higher resolution. You can always hook up with an external LCD for those times when you need a larger display, although here the lack of a DVI port is definitely a fly in the ointment.
The bottom line is that personally, the E-155-C doesn't fit my needs, but other users would be more than happy with what it offers. Anyone who travels a lot and doesn't like to carry around extra weight will definitely appreciate the size factor, and the "slow" processor does provide a nice counterpoint to the "bigger, faster, better" marketing that we see all the time. Some people really need a lot of performance - certainly we appreciate such things here at AnandTech - but not everyone is a hardware enthusiast and plenty of people still run systems that are five years old (or older) without complaint. Even an Athlon XP system with 2GB of RAM would likely suffice for running Windows Vista.
We're still a bit surprised at the relative short battery life, and with a weight of almost five pounds the E-155-C really isn't as thin or light as other competing notebooks. Some people like hearty foods, while others prefer a delicious, low-cal snack. The E-155-C tends to fall somewhere in between those two extremes, but it does feel pretty durable and the tablet interface also adds to the weight. If you want raw performance, it won't satisfy, and if you're looking for a true ultraportable there are laptops out there that weigh in at 3 lbs. or less. The E-155-C is a laptop to look at if you don't like all the fatty residue of larger notebooks, but you still want a few extras that you won't find on the featherweights of the notebook world.
From top to bottom, the E-155-C is geared towards power savings, though it still manages to pack a reasonable amount of performance into the diminutive chassis. What's somewhat surprising, however, is that despite many of the lower power choices - like the ULV Core 2 Duo U7500 instead of something faster like a T7100 - you still don't end up with a lot of battery life. One of the concessions towards the thin-and-light market is that the batteries are also smaller than many of the larger DTR notebook batteries. Power requirements are certainly lower, but when you reduce power draw and battery size by the same factor you end up with similar battery life at the end of the day. What you do get is less strain on your shoulders, since at 4.85-5.07 pounds this laptop will certainly be lighter than DTR models.
After playing with the Gateway E-155-C for the past few weeks, we're left with somewhat mixed impressions. This is definitely not a notebook that can do everything your desktop can do. It is intended for portability and mobility first and foremost, and performance is a distant secondary concern. Your slowest Athlon X2/Pentium D desktop systems are already significantly faster than this laptop, but by the same token there are plenty of people that are running single core processors and they don't really need an ultra powerful computer. If you're interested in an ultraportable laptop, read on; if performance still plays a primary role in what you want from a computer, we would recommend looking at other notebook offerings.
After developing carpal tunnel syndrome a few years ago, speech recognition became an important facet of my daily computing experience. These days, most of my articles are dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which saves my keyboard and mouse use for doing image editing, tables, and other work. The reason I bring this up is because I can clearly see a use for speech recognition. Handwriting recognition on the other hand... not so much. So basically, that aspect of the tablet interface really didn't seem that useful to me (although my daughter thought it was really cool to scribble on the computer).
The interface works well enough, but even when using a stylus cursor accuracy isn't perfect. Sometimes attempting to double-click on an icon in order to launch an application results in a different, nearby application loading, and for finesse work we consistently returned to a mouse or trackpad. For those that want to be able to carry around a laptop and still have the ability to accomplish certain tasks without the need to set the system down, however, the tablet interface could prove useful. Rather than carrying around a 4.5 pound laptop, a simple clipboard can probably provide you with most of what you need outside of network access. On the other hand, if you really need real-time access to information stored on the corporate network and/or the ability to use a laptop one-handed, definitely take a look at the E-155-C.
As a lightweight notebook, the Gateway E-155-C also does very well. Having recently done some traveling, the difference between lugging around a 17" desktop replacement notebook and the E-155-C was very noticeable. The Core 2 Duo U7500 wasn't an issue either for most of the work that I do (though I was definitely glad the system had 2GB of RAM). It was only when I had to do image editing that I really began to miss the larger 17" display and its higher resolution. You can always hook up with an external LCD for those times when you need a larger display, although here the lack of a DVI port is definitely a fly in the ointment.
The bottom line is that personally, the E-155-C doesn't fit my needs, but other users would be more than happy with what it offers. Anyone who travels a lot and doesn't like to carry around extra weight will definitely appreciate the size factor, and the "slow" processor does provide a nice counterpoint to the "bigger, faster, better" marketing that we see all the time. Some people really need a lot of performance - certainly we appreciate such things here at AnandTech - but not everyone is a hardware enthusiast and plenty of people still run systems that are five years old (or older) without complaint. Even an Athlon XP system with 2GB of RAM would likely suffice for running Windows Vista.
We're still a bit surprised at the relative short battery life, and with a weight of almost five pounds the E-155-C really isn't as thin or light as other competing notebooks. Some people like hearty foods, while others prefer a delicious, low-cal snack. The E-155-C tends to fall somewhere in between those two extremes, but it does feel pretty durable and the tablet interface also adds to the weight. If you want raw performance, it won't satisfy, and if you're looking for a true ultraportable there are laptops out there that weigh in at 3 lbs. or less. The E-155-C is a laptop to look at if you don't like all the fatty residue of larger notebooks, but you still want a few extras that you won't find on the featherweights of the notebook world.
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elom - Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - link
This deal has been horrible for the companies that had existing warrenties with Gateway. MPC has still yet to get there act together and it is now April. My company has had 28 of these machines down since the begining of the year and only half have been fixed. I have NBD on-site service and I am not seeing anywhere close to that. I am moving to another PC manufacturer ASAP.tacoburrito - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
With the 6 cell battery, this thing will weight over 5 lbs. Not really an ultra-portable in the classical sense, is it? But it seems this is what we have to put up with if one wants the Tablet features. Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP already have sub-3lbs notebooks in their catalouge running similar specs to the Gateway. Can you review those instead, if you want to do an ultra-portable review?JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
As always, we review what we get sent. Needless to say, I'm not about to go out and spend $2000 on a notebook just to provide free press for a company. I've tried to get in touch with Lenovo, without much success. I'm working to get some stuff from Toshiba and HP that falls in the ultraportable range, so we'll see.Honestly, I'm not quite sure why the notebook is so heavy relative to others. The case does feel pretty durable, however, so that's probably a large part of the weight question. The display doesn't really feel much heavier than a normal laptop LCD - certainly not more than a few ounces. Anyway, lightweight and flimsy may not be the right way to go either - I'd probably take the extra pound if it means the display hinges and other parts don't break after a year or two.
bldckstark - Friday, July 6, 2007 - link
I'm disappointed to see that Lenovo hasn't responded to your requests. I would really like to see their V and X series ultraportables up against the competition.I bought my wife the Lenovo V series laptop that is almost an exact twin of the Gateway reviewed here, with the exception of the convertible screen. It is quicker than my desktop 3800+, weighs 4.4lbs with the 6 cell battery, and gets 255 mins runtime on, all for $1,250. It really puts the Gateway to shame. At least this time I didn't buy an expensive piece of electronics just to go online a month later to see a review of a cheaper, faster, better device that makes me want to throw up.
What I can't compare at home though is the LCD screen quality versus the Gateway. I would like to see if the Lenovo screens are better, worse, same. Especially on the V series versus the X/T series.
This makes me really want to see the Lenovo T60 reviewed to see how much dust the Gateway would be eating.
jonp - Friday, July 20, 2007 - link
I'd vote to add a Lenovo T61, p/n 7662 with the T7500 CPU, 2GB RAM, 7200rpm hard drive, XP Pro to a future review.Athlex - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
Any chance of getting a photo of the keyboard and touchpad/trackpoint?Baffling that laptop manufacturers are putting "docking" ports on the sides of notebooks instead of the bottom. HPQ seems to be doing the same thing on their consumer stuff.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
Sorry about that - I actually had the image on our server but forgot to update the first page before the article went live.I'm also a bit baffled about the docking port on the side... but then I don't see much reason for docking stations these days. All I really need is mouse, keyboard, and display - if I want more than that from a laptop, I'd probably get a nicer laptop rather than worrying about spending the money for a docking station.
strikeback03 - Thursday, July 5, 2007 - link
If you connect keyboard/mouse/monitor every day (or multiple times a day) it is probably convenient to only have to make one connection instead of 3. also, some docking stations offer ports the laptop does not - for example, most (if not all) thinkpad docking stations have DVI ports even though the laptop itself does not.One reason this might be heavier than other tablets is the included optical drive - lots of the ~3lb ones ditch that, and the whole case can shrink as a result.
JarredWalton - Thursday, July 5, 2007 - link
Gateway does list the laptop as weighing .3 lbs less with a "weight saver" - I'm guessing a plastic piece that fills the ODD slot. I do have to say that ditching the DVD - except you would have an external unit - isn't a good move IMO. That's just marketing trying to cut weight at all costs. I suppose I could live without a DVD in a pinch, but I really wouldn't want to.People that will spend $200+ to save themselves two connections are a bit out there, I'd say. The DVI port could be useful, but plenty of laptops have those anyway. Heck, ditch the docking port connector and give us DVI and we'd be set. Heh.
Verdant - Wednesday, July 4, 2007 - link
a lot of people seem to refer to the screens as "touch screens" i thought they used some sort of circuit that involved the stylus. Do tablets have a "touch" or "digitizer stylus" screen? Or do both exist?Personally i would prefer non-touch screen as writing on those can be difficult with my left-handedness.