[other] Who owns Darter Ultra, Daru3 laptop?

[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