Tuesday, October 7, 2014

2012 Chevy Volt Review

This last week I've had the opportunity to drive and get fairly comfortable with a 2012 Chevy Volt and all I can say is this is a sweet car. My normal commute is around 100 miles round trip. This car can almost make the trip to work completely on a charge and when its plugged in all day at work will be pretty much completely charged for the ride home. It's very rare for this car to burn more than a half gallon round trip. One thing I've noticed is that traffic becomes your friend. Normally I would avoid any and all traffic no matter what but now it's saving me money. Getting past the obvious electric advantages, the interior of this vehicle is beautiful. Very stylish and comfortable. Technology wise it's making an attempt to be state of the art but isn't anything amazing. My father has had some difficulty getting used to the controls but that's a generational difference. Aside from the technology, interior and fuel economy, this car handles like a professional go cart, very tight suspension and entertaining drive style. In the end this car can be purchased used for around $20,000 if you wait for a good opportunity, patience is key. Overall, fantastic cheap electric vehicle. Go check one out for yourself.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Acer Aspire R7: An affordable Starter in the Convertible World

Just recently I took a chance on a refurbished Acer Aspire R7 convertible laptop found in a newegg deal and I have to say this laptop is extremely underrated. The biggest complaint from most people is the location of the trackpad but all I have to say is WIRELESS MOUSE. I bought this computer with the intention of never using the trackpad which completely eliminated the issue from the beginning anyway. This computer has pretty good specs for a computer that cost $560... Besides having the specs, the design quality is the most impressive aspect. It's beautiful. It's durable. It feels great. I really considered getting a surface 2 but when I came upon this deal I figured why not have a keyboard, adequate memory, and a big screen for $300 less. Check this beast out if you're looking for something new.
Operating System
Windows 8.1
Processor Manufacturer
Intel
Processor Type
Core i5
Processor Model
i5-4200U
Processor Speed
1.60 GHz
Processor Core
Dual-core (2 Core)
Standard Memory
8 GB
Maximum Memory
16 GB
Memory Technology
DDR3L SDRAM
Memory Card Reader
Yes
Memory Card Supported
Secure Digital (SD) Card
Hard Drive Capacity
1 TB
Hard Drive Interface
Serial ATA
Screen Size
15.6"
Display Screen Type
Active Matrix TFT Color LCD
Screen Mode
Full HD
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Backlight Technology
LED
Touchscreen
Yes
Multi-touch Screen
Yes
Graphics Controller Manufacturer
Intel
Graphics Controller Model
HD 4400
Graphics Memory Technology
DDR3 SDRAM
Wireless LAN Standard
IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth Standard
Bluetooth 4.0 + HS
Webcam
Yes
Microphone
Yes
HDMI
Yes
Number of USB 2.0 Ports
1
Number of USB 3.0 Ports
2
Operating System Architecture
64-bit
Battery Capacity
3560 mAh
Maximum Battery Run Time
6.50 Hour
Weight (Approximate)
5.29 lb