GATEWAY 3610GZ
I've owned a GATEWAY 3610GZ for about five years now. When first researching notebooks I thought Gateway was the best way to go. I saw this laptop featured on QVC and just had to get it.
It worked well for a while but now I'm seriously considering a new one. For starters I was having trouble with the battery so I called Tech Support and I thought because of it being a Hazard to have a "broken" battery that they would supply me with a new one. It turns out that they didn't even carry that model anymore so it wasn't in stock. In return they referred me elsewhere and said it would cost slightly over one hundred dollars. I opted out of getting on and just use the plug in to keep it charged. While this is a downfall, I didn't agree with the battery prices.
Next problem was RAM. Of course when it was new the RAM was great but as soon as you add your programs there's basically nothing left. I thought I solved the battery issue but it was to only be facing another one. With this model it was one problem after another. I was talking to Tech support at least twice a week and they were little to no help. Their typical response was "Well, it could be this but it could also be that". I would have to say that
I like the USB ports the most even though there are only three of them, they are today's way of getting things plugged in. Since I use this for Graphic Design (Paint Shop Pro 10, Animation Shop 3 etc)
I did make a bad choice. But for someone who doesn't need all of these "major space taker" programs, I think it would be OK to purchase.
I would LOVE to see improvements in the keyboard especially. The keys are very flat and therefor hard to type with unless you're very used to it. Also since there are a variety of sizes in Memory Sticks today, it would be nice to have them available. Right now I only can use one size. While someone else in the household has three different options.
Lastly I'd have to mention the screen. It doesn't hold up well at all. If you accidentally bump something against it, you might as well forget it. There will be a mark left there. All in all, its a bad make in my opinion. I know my next purchase will NOT be a Gateway
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