Gateway unveils 14-inch TC7306u and TC7307u laptops
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 19th 2009 12:01AM
posted Feb 19th 2009 12:01AM
GATEWAY'S NEW TC SERIES NOTEBOOK LINE DELIVERS STYLISH MOBILITY, ECONOMY
New Line Serves Range of Mobile Customers Looking for Portability, Style and Latest Technology at Incredible Value
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 19, 2009 - Gateway today extends the
popular design and features of its MC Series(r) and MD Series(r)
notebook lines to its new compact and lightweight TC Series(r) notebook
line, which sports a 14-inch High Definition display, starting at a
value-minded $649.99.
The ultimate affordable pairing of mobility, style and
multimedia technology, the Gateway TC Series notebook line was designed
with the performance and cinematic mobile entertainment features that
make it ideal for use as a mainstream notebook. The 14-inch
Ultrabright(tm) HD widescreen display boasts an entertainment-ready 16:9
aspect ratio.
"We've taken the best of our incredibly popular MC and MD lines
and made it even more compact and lightweight in the TC Series," said
Ray Sawall, senior product marketing manager for Acer America. "The
result is the perfect marriage of useful features and compact design
punctuated with an eye-catching style. Plus, we've maintained the
budget-minded price tag, giving customers an incredible bang for their
buck."
With sculptured edges and a unique blend of materials, the TC
Series' distinctive look and feel is marked by the cover's unique
branding stripe flanked by silver accents. The TC Series is available in
two colors, burgundy and black, and features a textured palm rest and
polished keyboard surround.
Easy-to-transport, the 5.3-pound notebook fits neatly in a backpack or a
briefcase, so students, small business professionals and consumers will
be able to stay connected and productive while on the go. The integrated
1.3 megapixel webcam is incredibly simple to use, allowing consumers to
have fun with live video conferencing and stay in touch with video
emails, voice over IP and still photos. The many hot spots and wireless
networks available today give consumers access to the Internet using the
TC Series' 802.11b/g Draft-N wireless. Plus, the notebook line features
Gigabit Ethernet for a fast wired connection.
Even at its bargain price, the TC Series is ready for handling digital
media and entertainment applications. The Ultrabright 14-inch backlit HD
LED display vibrantly delivers a first-rate viewing experience with a
1366x768 resolution and 8ms response time, which make movies and digital
content appear crisp and clear. Plus, its 16:9 aspect ratio allows
customers to view multiple windows and applications.
In addition, audio sounds great with full HD audio support and a
built-in microphone. Transferring digital media to the notebook from
popular flash media card used in consumer electronics like digital
cameras and camcorders is easy; the notebook line has a 5-in-1 media
card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro and xD) as well as three USB 2.0 ports.
Customers have one-touch access to their digital media and
frequently-used entertainment programs with the notebook's Illuminated
Multimedia Touch Controls.
Configurations, Price and Availability
The Gateway TC Series is available now at select U.S. retailers,
starting at a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $649.99.
The first models available are the TC7306u(r) in black and the
TC7307u(r) in burgundy. Both notebooks have the same value-focused
configuration; they are equipped with an Intel Pentium Dual-Core Mobile
T4200 processor (2.00 GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB), 4GB of Dual
Channel DDR2 667MHz Memory and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M.
Transferring and storing large files is easy with the 8X Multi-Format
Dual Layer DVDRW w/ DVD-RAM drive and high-capacity 320(1) hard drive.
They both come with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 64-bit
as well as Microsoft Works 9.0 and a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office
Home & Student 2007. They each have a 6-cell Lithium Ion battery and an
MSRP of $649.99.
The TC Series was designed to scale to fulfill many consumers'
daily entertainment and productivity requirements. Future configurations
can include Intel processor technology including Intel Core 2 Duo as
well as an HDMI port for connecting digitally to external displays and
HDTV's. In addition, the line can support up to 500GB(1) of storage
space and 4GB of DDR2 memory. Plus, the TC Series can support new
technologies as demand for them increases, such as Blu-ray optical
drives for enjoying the latest high definition movies as well as
dedicated NVIDIA GeForce(r) 9300M graphics supporting Microsoft(r)
DirectX(r) 10 for excellent graphics and video playback on the go.
Gateway Limited Warranty, Service and Support
The Gateway TC Series notebooks are backed by a one year limited
warranty.(2) Gateway's commitment to quality and reliability is evident
in its award-winning line of PCs as well as in its exceptional service
and support programs. In addition to the company's standard limited
warranty options, its extensive online support center helps customers
maximize their PC investment; it gives them easy access to customer
support representatives and information on important issues such as
warranties, technical issues and upgrading.(3)
About Gateway
Since its founding in 1985, Irvine, Calif.-based Gateway has been a
technology pioneer, offering award-winning products and world-class
service to customers worldwide. Gateway is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Acer Inc., the world's third-largest PC company. See www.gateway.com for
more information.
9300 graphics? over 1.5 inches thick? I'll pass
Agreed
I got the same specs from GW t-series 14 incher in august (c2d t5750 2ghz, 4gb ram, integrated graphics etc.) but for $599. I don't really get it.
If we're going to see movement towards 16:9 from 16:10, I don't want to lose any resolution/screen real estate. I don't want to lose 1920x1200 to 1920x1080. Most movies are not 16:9 and still have bars on a 16:9 display and when you are not watching movies, your losing space for icons and bars in programs. Though I hear manufacturers are also moving towards it because its cheaper, you can cut more 16:9 screens from a panel of glass than 16:10. : (
Gateway:
One of the most underapreciated Computer Makers ever.
I wouldn't buy anything from Gateway even if I was using someone else money.
I like how, next to the modular (ethernet, modem?) port, there's an icon... a drawing of a modular port. :facepalm:
Looks like a set of network activity lights, or a K-Lock slot.
Gateway=Shittt
go ahead i know theres some gateway lovers in here about to fade me out, and tell me how im shit
Maybe they wouldn't "fade you out" if you actually had something intelligent to bring to the table. Simply calling them S*** and then waiting to get negative voted is childish and just plain stupid.
You're shit.
My year old Gateway laptop can handle Crysis Warhead and Far Cry 2 on high settings just fine, thank you. And it hasn't had nearly as many problems as my friend's more expensive HP Pavilion.
Contrary to the Gateway haters, I've had a Gateway laptop that's almost three years old now, I upgraded the ram but aside from that everything still works great (battery life is crap of course, but that's to be expected). I'm not sure if I just got lucky, but nothing has failed (yet), *knock on wood*.
Looks flimsy. Why do companies still use tray drives? Get with the times.
Two reasons:
1. Tray drives are cheaper, and
2. I don't care how my disc gets inside a cheap computer.
yea, I mean there already gonna jack up the price for a laptop anyways why not go with the slot
because they could (with all that vertical space they decided we want)
i thought 13.3/13.1 is the sweetspot
The word brick springs to mind.
its so fat, its almost retro.
You know it's an Acer right ?
http://www.acer-group.com/public/The_Brands/index.htm
I'm tired of thee PC makers building laptops with fancy colored tops and totally generic ugly bottoms.
As somebody who was laid off from Gateway after the Acer takeover, i'd highly suggest avoiding both Acer and Gateway/eMachines products; other than the desktop products (still engineered by Gateway), all other Gateway/eMachines products are now rebadged Acers... there isn't a single original Gateway engineer on their notebook/monitor product lines. Acer does not test or verify their products- they trust the vendor to have done it right. (never the case, btw).
I purchase all of the laptops for my company and do all of the configuration work on them. I've tried every major brand (except Sony) and found Acer/Gateway to be as reliable as any other brand....more-so than many! In fact the Acer Aspire's that I've recently purchased (within the last year) have been very well received by our employees. I've had two motherboard problems with two identical Gateway laptops (AMD Turion...my bad!) and that is it!
I've found the recent Acer Aspire Core-2 Duo's to be excellent business laptops.....fast enough for anything except gaming! As far as size and weight is concerned.....big deal! If you plan on doing a lot of traveling, get a netbook as a road machine (I carry an Eee PC 100H with me on business trips). I have no qualms about lugging a 6 or 7 lb bag to and from the office. Of course, I'm in a car and not walking or riding a bike as some users may be.
Finally, I look for the best bang for the buck. I never pay retail and always use my Amex card so I get a two year warranty. I'm getting well equipped laptops usually for less than $700.00 (before tax)