Gateway's LT1004U netbook lands domestically, at Office Depot of all places

We can't get up for a nice cuppa these days without tripping over some new netbook, but still every now and again one offers styling that catches our eye. Such was the case with Packard Bell's "dot," an Aspire One rebadge with a striking red metallic hinge but otherwise familiar internals. It later appeared as a Gateway in Singapore, and reader APowe emailed to say he'd seen one prowling the aisles at a local Office Depot. We were incredulous, but he drove back to get proof and was kind enough to pass the resulting pics along. Gateway is calling this the LT1004U domestically; it has the standard netbook specs you've come to love (9-inch screen, Atom 270, 160GB drive, 1GB RAM, Win XP) and is selling for a quite competitive $379. This particular one was spotted in Redmond, WA, but maybe you'll be lucky enough to find one near you.

[Thanks, APowe]

[Craig @ Jan 13th 2009 9:57AM]

Engadget, if you have any influence whatsoever on the tech industry, please make your first impact on cameraphones' ability to macro-focus.

[000000 @ Jan 13th 2009 2:30PM]

My Touch Diamond macro's pretty darn good.

[slarity @ Jan 13th 2009 9:58AM]

Im still glad I decided not to get a netbook.

I bought the $399 Acer notebook from bestbuy with a T3200 (2.0ghz), 2gb, 14.1"

[pr_master @ Jan 13th 2009 10:19AM]

A laptop may still be better for the average consumer but you dont know how
valuable a netbook size is for a college student. I would love to carry a 9 inch
netbook than my 14' laptop. But still for me they still have not reach the battery life/price
sweet spot yet.

[ichheissesuperfantastisch @ Jan 13th 2009 11:12AM]

^^ QFT.

I have a 2.5yr old 14.1" laptop that weighs 5.3 lbs. Carrying that around all day to classes, alongside textbooks and file folders can get old really quick. I'm graduating in about 6 months though, probably just when netbooks start hitting $200-$250. Just my luck.I'll probably still buy one and ponder what could have been.

[Ryan @ Jan 13th 2009 11:27AM]

But will it fit in your pocket?

[MrH @ Jan 13th 2009 10:08AM]

Menards will have this in their stores by the end of the week. And like everything at their store, it will break in 2 weeks.

[scootinger @ Jan 13th 2009 6:22PM]

Why is Menards selling netbooks? I thought they were a "home improvement" store like Home Depot or Lowe's. Although I moved away from Nebraska a looooong time ago.....so that could have changed though.

[NetbookNubi @ Jan 13th 2009 10:34AM]

Hi all,
Looking for some help here. I occasionally travel out of country and need to be able to do some work in a bind. I know these things are good for entertainment..ie..downloaded movies and mp3's for the trip over. Internet access etc.. BUT

Could I run dreamweaver and photoshop and actually get any graphics and web design work done with such low spec'd machines if I were in a jam?

Problem is, I don't want to carry a heavy laptop around for entertainment and the occasional bit of work that needs to be done...but I am not sure if a netbook can handle the work I do need to get done in a bind.

Can anyone help me out here?
Thanks in advance!

[NebookNubi @ Jan 13th 2009 10:35AM]

Also, how do I load software onto these if there is no CD drive?

[bioadam @ Jan 13th 2009 10:38AM]

You can has use the internetz.

[Chin-Poh @ Jan 13th 2009 10:41AM]

You can use an external USB DVD drive.

[NebookNubi @ Jan 13th 2009 10:43AM]

True bioadam, but the software I already own is on CD. Can I copy the CD to a thumb drive or my computer and then transfer to the netbook and install?

[NightMajik @ Jan 14th 2009 2:36AM]

I used the somewhat ghetto approach of installing the programs on my regular laptop, copying the program folders onto a thumb drive, and dropping them onto my netbook. I call this ghetto because this method doesn't enter the program in the Windows registry (if you're using Windows), the program doesn't automatically make it on the start menu, and doesn't actually work for all programs... I wouldn't recommend trying that for, say, Adobe PhotoShop, because it probably won't work. But for the little programs you build up over the years, like a song format converter or some games, it's an easy enough way to transfer a few things.

[Chin-Poh @ Jan 13th 2009 10:43AM]

Can someone tell me why Acer/Gateway would release this when it is basically an Acer Aspire One, simply rebadged? Acer has acquired Gateway and Packard Bell. Did they perhaps release this to cater to those not familiar or comfortable with the Acer brand name but are with Gateway's brand name, as much as its worth?

Just like I don't understand why Averatec released a rebadged MSI Wind, the Averatec name certainly doesn't hold any value in comparison with Gateway.

[scootinger @ Jan 13th 2009 12:37PM]

Because companies like to sell the same crap under several different names for no good reason. It's something that has been done for years and years and years, and not just limited to computers. This is one of many reasons we need to bail out the incompetent management of companies like GM; can you believe that they're keeping the GMC brand name when almost EVERY SINGLE one of its vehicles is sold under the Chevrolet brand?

[Xoyuji @ Jan 13th 2009 12:48PM]

Lots of companies do that, for example take food most store brand foods are made at the exact same place the other brands are they are the same just with different labels.

Another example look at all the ODM notebooks most companies buy there stuff from about 5 companies and just slap there logo on it.

[NetbookNubi @ Jan 13th 2009 10:45AM]

Thanks Chin-Poh,
But I don't want to have to buy that just to get the netbook customized with the software I need. Kinda defeats the purpose doesn't it? Guess I'll have to pony up for a thin notebook at some point. These netbooks seem mostly useless to me. At this point aren't they just complicated typewriters and internet access devices? I do more than just surf the net, apparently there are others who need a machine to do that and only that.

[Chin-Poh @ Jan 13th 2009 10:49AM]

What else would you use your netbook for? As the name implies, they are primarily designed for web access, running some productivity software like Microsoft Office suite, etc. And most are happy buying these netbooks just for those purposes. To you they may be useless but they are useful to many more. They make a great compliment to a desktop, I wouldn't want one as my only computer of course.

External DVD drives are inexpensive now by the way. What software would you want to install on your netbook that requires a DVD drive? There is plenty of software to download from the internet.

[scootinger @ Jan 13th 2009 12:44PM]

There's no reason that you can't use apps other than Internet and "office" apps. You might have to use older versions of apps like Photoshop/Dreamweaver, and the small screen will probably be a little restrictive, but yes you can do it. Netbooks today are probably about equivalent to a Pentium 4 machine circa 2002 or so...computers back then could do stuff like that and there's no reason they can't today.

[NetbookNubi @ Jan 13th 2009 10:53AM]

Hi Chin-Poh,
I need to run dreamweaver and photoshop at a minimum. Nothing too crazy but I am an e-commerce professional who needs to do occasional work on the go. All the software I own is on CD's. Not buying thousands more in software just to download via internet. Not looking for more peripherals to complicate the process. I guess I could get an external, but it just seems so cumbersome to me.

[Chin-Poh @ Jan 13th 2009 11:10AM]

Asus has recently announced a netbook at the now finished CES 2009 that featured a built-in DVD drive. Perhaps you can wait for that? It will be called the 1000HDN.


http://www.small-laptops.com/2009/01/08/asus-eee-pc-1000hdn-announced/

Since you legally own the software in physical copies, maybe you could redownload the software via a torrent?

If you have a USB flash drive with enough capacity, you can also convert the DVDs/CDs into ISO files, transfer them to your netbook and use a "virtual" DVD drive on then netbook to mount the ISO and install your programs.

[Electromodo @ Jan 13th 2009 11:28AM]

@NetbookNubi

If you are a professional, you wouldn't mind spend another $50 for an external DVD drive, would you?

Just buy it, install/copy the software you might need on a netbook hard drive and leave external DVD drive at home. You need to do it only once, then you can return the external DVD drive to the store and get your money back. Problem solved.



AFAIK, you mainly need just 3 pieces of software: Office, Photoshop and Dreamwaver. The hard drive of any netbook (80GB-160GB) will easily hold them and tons of other software too.

[p @ Jan 13th 2009 2:52PM]

you ever consider connecting your computer over a network and sharing a cd drive. or ripping the cd and sending it over the internet. or downloading the NEWER versions on torrents. stop bitching it isn't that hard to get data from a cd to a computer without a drive. think outside the box.

[Jash Sayani @ Jan 13th 2009 12:07PM]

Just got an Aspire one (N270 1.60 Ghz, 1GB RAM, 160 GB HD) for the same price... However, Acer has better customer support, so its preferable.

[stevenfbchi @ Jan 13th 2009 12:49PM]

@NetbookNubi

I have the Asus 1000h and it definately runs dreamweaver and photoshop fine. The resolution is fine as well. CS4 is more crampy for the netbook though. Try to stick with CS3 because netbooks dont have graphics chips anyway (for the rotate feature), as well CS4 has bloated interface that takes up screen real estate. Also to avoid using a CD drive to install CS3 just google "portable dreamweaver" or "portable photoshop" If you have the legal version you can use these special portable versions.

[Tired_ @ Jan 13th 2009 1:38PM]

I saw this at an Office Depot here, too. It really has nothing to distinguish it from anybody else's netbook offering. Cmon, guys, innovate!

[640x800 @ Jan 13th 2009 1:52PM]

yeah, I'm an office depot employee (haha...) and we definitely carry it now. It looks exactly like the Acer but with a black casing and some other really minor changes. Eh, not that impressed.

[W Park @ Jan 13th 2009 2:26PM]

The OEM for this looks like Acer. It resembles the Aspire One.

For me, the netbook works okay as a second laptop. What I really want is a modern Psion netbook with instant on and rock solid stability with multimedia playback features, 802.11n, 3G connectivity piggybacked on current account.

[Regular Salad @ Jan 13th 2009 6:47PM]

I see different mdoel numbers for the same clock speed Atom CPU... how about an explanation as to the difference? SH!TDAWG!

[Beeswax @ Jan 13th 2009 6:55PM]

Hey retailers! Those gigantor-bars over the display hinge to keep the computer secure suck. God forbid a person wants to LOOK at a laptop they may want to purchase.

[uhduh @ Jan 14th 2009 11:23AM]

Retailers have to have those there, unless you don't want the laptop displayed at all. Thieves have figured out how to get almost anything these days, and can even get around these if they had enough time. Yeah, its annoying, but wouldn't be more annoying to have to buy EVERYTHING sight-unseen?

[AndrewP @ Jan 14th 2009 12:40PM]

Based on looks alone, I think this would be a good match for the Blackberry Bold.

[dodellgd @ Jan 14th 2009 11:45PM]

I bought an LT1004U on Sunday, cleaned the crap off the hard drive, installed MS Office 2007 and its running like a charm. I LOVE IT. Yes, it is a rebadged acer aspire one. Just like the one next to it in the store, except its black and not blue, and it doesn't have that strange opening at the base of the screen that accomodates the aspire one's battery. Something I always thought looked strange. I much prefer this hinge and think the look was worth the extra thirty bucks.

Was about to order a Dell mini 9, but didn't want to wait for a bigger hard drive. Only 32 GB available from Dell, for $399 with Unix. I'd have had to upgrade memory, reformat the system for XP and it would have easily cost over $500 and I still would have only had 32GB.

This machine is great, and with 160GB it has PLENTY of wiggle room for everything I need. THIS is my "new best friend". . . sorry Dell - you lose - BIG time. . .