Who owns Darter Ultra, Daru3 laptop?

[mnd99]

Hi there,

I hope this is the right section I'm very interested in this laptop. I cant seem to find any reviews about this laptop. If its possible, could any of the owners comment about the screen quality of this laptop? Any pictures of the screen? Does the colors look washed out? Low contrast? Why do I hear that the battery life is really horrible? How much battery life are you guys getting? Also, how is the fan noise and heat level on this laptop? It would be really great if anyone can take a few pictures. I'm basically looking for a powerful 12" laptop with a built in drive and atleast 3 hours of battery life.

Thank you

[Kendall_Tristan]

I've had one for about 3 months or so. The screen is fantastic and you shouldn't worry about that. If you're going to worry, then fan noise, heat, and battery life are definitely what you should worry about:

This thing is viciously powerful and in a very tiny package so heat is going to be an issue just on general principle. I'm guessing 9.10 had some power management voodoo going on, because it's not as bad as it was on 9.04. Also, the battery life on 9.10 is better than it was on 9.04 (not much, but by a few minutes). I can squeaze 3 hours out of it if I'm not doing anything too serious, but I usually have running applications on 3 desktops and need to bust out the A/C adapter after about 2.5 hours. Regarding fan noise, it's tiny and generates a lot of heat so there's going to be some fan noise.

Enough with the gripes. The heat thing is really not an issue for me. I hardly ever keep it on my lap and when I do, I use a "Where's Waldo" book as a makeshift desk. The fan noise thing is really not very annoying in the grand scheme of things and most certainly isn't a dealbreaker. The battery life thing is another issue though. I'm using it with the 4 cell battery and a 25 watt processor. I believe they have an 8 cell battery option for this thing if you don't mind the size and weight. Honestly it's not that bad for me as I'm rarely far from an outlet and can usually get all my stuff done in a couple of hours anyway. Regardless, if there's one legitimate issue with it, it's the batterly life.

I guess the best way to look at this particular computer is as a compromise where you're sacrificing some creature comfort for size and speed. I like it a lot better than most anything else I've messed with so far (I'm dying to try the Lemur though). Anyway, I've been thinking of organizing my rants (if you haven't noticed, I have a tendency to rant) and putting together a complete review in the near future. If I do I'll post a link.

[mnd99]

Thanks for the reply!! Its really good to know that the screen is fantastic. Its just like you said, the fact that this has such powerful components in such a tiny package is what attracted me! Which processor are you running?

I was hoping to use this laptop on my lap on bed and such. I can handle some heat but I have seen incredibly hot laptops that are unbearable on skin! Do you feel the heat is manageable with this laptop? Does the keyboard and top of the laptop gets hot?

Its good to know that the fan noise is really not that annoying. Can I like take it to the library and have people not stare at me!! The battery life you mentioned should be fine. Some compromise have to be made with so much power. I hope your complete review is coming soon! I know a lot of people who are interested in this laptop, a review would be really great! If it's possible, would you mind take a few pictures of your laptop?

Thank you

[jml]

I have had a DARU3 shortly after it started shipping. I have not written a formal review, but I will be happy to share some thoughts.

Positives: Compact, light weight, very well built. Everything I have tried has worked out of the box. Wireless is very reliable. System speed is very good even with the least expensive processor. Screen resolution and image quality is very good. Sound quality is acceptable, about what you would expect from a compact 12 inch laptop. Sound through headphones is flawless. Have not tested the fingerprint reader, Express Card slot, or 802.11n functionality (I am still using 802.11g.)

Negatives: The glossy black plastic housing is a fingerprint magnet. In fact, my Darter was shipped with a hot pink, microfiber mit to clean away the smudges. It works well, however, I don't bring it out in public. ;-) The Glossy screen is a bit problematic. I prefer a mat screen, but one is not offered. It makes viewing the screen in very bright light challenging, but not impossible. The final quibble is battery life. With my Darter set at the default power settings as shipped from the factory I get a little over two hours of battery life with "average" use. I bought a second battery for it and opted for the larger 8 cell battery which does improve battery life as expected. The problem is the added weight and the fact that this battery raises the back of the laptop by nearly an inch. Not a deal killer for me, but it does detract from what I consider to be a very attractively designed laptop.

Final message: I would buy it again if I had to. I am very satisfied with it. When I need long battery life and light weight, I take my Starling along in place of my Darter.

Joe

[Kendall_Tristan]

If you use it on a bed, make sure and put something under it. If it sits on the "well-insulated" bed you run the risk of overheating virtually any laptop. The top does get warm, but not 'hot' per se. The heat has never been an issue from the top side. Regarding the fan noise, you'll be fine in a library.