Just three USB ports, no Bluetooth or ExpressCard-only an HDMI port distinguishes this machine. The volume's softer than we'd prefer and has tinny treble, but isn't bad for basic movie watching and TV viewing.Ī rather ordinary array of ports are available on the EC5809u, befitting a thin ultraportable more than a serious mainstream machine. Included Dolby Sound Room settings control bass boost and add a "sound space expander" option for a simulated surround feel. Blacks came across slightly washed out to our eyes.īuilt-in stereo speakers are embedded above the keyboard, with tiny vented grilles on both sides. While the screen was clear from a variety of horizontal angles, the image quality dropped off more quickly at vertical angles. However, at a size approaching 16 inches, we'd expect a higher resolution-text and icons sometimes appeared a little soft. The Gateway EC5809u's 15.6-inch LED-backlit 16x9 screen has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, which is common in screens below 16 inches. The wider-than-normal multitouch touchpad is comfortable, easy to locate, and responded decently to multitouch scrolling, although the mirrored single-bar rocker button beneath, lying nearly flush with the track pad, was awkward to use. A single power button on the top right is the only non-keyboard button on the laptop: narrow function keys across the top offer the rest of the controls, with additional volume and brightness attached to the arrow keys. An adjoining number pad along the right side is convenient to have, and thankfully the direction-arrow keys are positioned to neither intrude on the number keys or the right-side Return and Shift keys.
Gateway's keyboards are all wide and flat across its product line, and despite not always being a fan of flat keyboard designs, we found the matte, slightly textured keys easy to press and comfortable to use. On a slightly annoying note, though, the L-shaped AC adapter tip plugs right next to the drive door, and can block the door from opening depending on the angle that it's facing. The EC5809u manages to include an optical drive in its narrow chassis, much like the Asus UL50VT. The battery is well-integrated underneath, so the EC5809u rests flat and packs cleanly in a backpack with no bulge. A denim blue brushed-metal lid (red and silver are also available) with its signature off-center chrome Gateway logo opens neatly to reveal a clean interior: matte black around the flat keyboard and large inset off-center trackpad, glossy black plastic around the inset glossy screen.
While wide and flat, this notebook's most definitely thin. The first impression this thin 15-incher gives is of being a near lookalike to the Acer Timeline series, and that's not a bad thing.
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