Gadget Source

I am in love with this. Ubuntu is better than xp big time, the keyboard is small but workable, stutters a little while watching video, overall really awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Delivery was fast and the Netbook arrived in excellent condition. The computer performed flawlessly. The interface is great for this type of machine. It is easy for a novice to learn and anyone with computer experience will enjoy the layout. The internet connection was easy to make and with a little practice, the small keyboard proved to be less of a problem than some writers indicated. The Ubuntu OS is transparent and easy to use. The full office suite and all the extra utilities are a plus for this size computer.
Overall, I rate this as a great buy and give it 5 stars.

This is a great computer for the money, but you will have to use Ubuntu because it doesn’t also come with Windows XP as it is supposed to. Ubuntu is fine and easy to use, so that doesn’t really bother me, but it is a little different finding your way around.

Loved the small form factor and was even willing to adapt to the poorly laid out keyboard but was never able to connect it via wi fi and when I could it was slow or intermittent. I called the manufacturer and they did not even know what wpa supplicant driver they where using. I also found that it was impossible to edit configuration files in an attempt to make it work. The net book remix is an easy peasy cut back version that lacks the power needed for power users. I se3nt mine back too bad so sad. It says Sylvania on the box but is made in china and supported by a group called digital gadgets not a good buy save the headache get a Dell.

I really like this box except for the WiFi connectivity, and that is a deal breaker. I am sitting 12 feet from my wireless router, and I vary from two to three bars. More importantly, the connection speed is 1 meg, and it’s a G router. This means internet usage just plain sucks.

I have contacted Digital Gadgets’ customer service. They say they are working on the problem. Unfortunately, I have work to do myself, and it involves being able to connect to the internet.

I have the feeling that I will be returning this machine to Amazon within the week. The only reason will be the WiFi connectivity, as I’m satisfied with all the rest, even the small keyboard, which took about five minutes to learn.

Ubuntu rocks, except for the WiFi thing. Make WiFi connectivity work, and I rate this little box at five stars.

Two weeks now, and still no resolution on the connectivity problem. You will not use this box as a netbook as it is currently configured. YouTube does not run without stopping to catch up. Not even audio from NPR will run without stopping to catch up.

For as much as I like the rest of the features, this one problem with connectivity renders the box useless.

Three weeks now, more or less. Over the past weekend, the reported connection speed jumped to 2 Mb/s. Last night and this morning, the reported speed is 5 Mb/s. Although page loads from sites such as Facebook appear faster, YouTube vids still pause repeatedly. I see no reason to believe that the reported speed is real.

As a point of reference, the Dell Inspirion 600m functions as expected while sitting on the same couch connected to the same wireless router running the same vid.

I have not attempted to use Skype with the g meso. Until last night, I saw little reason to expect satisfactory performance. With the increase in reported connection speed, I will attempt to use Skype this week, most likely while in Montreal. My expectation is that the performance will be unsatisfactory, but perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

To this end, the g meso is quite sufficient for text, and that’s about all. I still cannot recommend the machine because of the pitiful WiFi connection speed.

The saga is over. On my trip, I was unable to connect to WiFi in RDU. It found the signal, but would not connect. I do not know why. In JFK, it connected, but would not load a page. In Montreal,it connected and occasionally loaded a page. However, the page timeout error was my most common view. In all three instances, people were sitting around me connected and working.

When I left Montreal, the machine stayed…in the garbage stream. Enough was enough.

In all fairness, I am rating this very poorly out of the frustration of having received a faulty product that had been returned to Amazon from a previous buyer.
I received mine yesterday and was very elated, after having waited for awhile to receive it and it was not only non-functioning, but it was an item that had been returned by some else, because it was faulty: everything is written in Chinese and when I attempted to change the language setting, nothing worked, I checked the existing folders on the computer and they were all filled w/malware… And here’s the kicker: I found the receipt from the previous customer when I went to retrieve my own receipt to explain my situation to Customer Service.
Customer service was super-helpful and Amazon should be thanking them for the efforts that they make, yet there’s no substitution for the inconvenience that has resulted, due to this error. I really wanted to use and enjoy this product in a timely manner. There are no guarantees that I will be able to do so and my mid-terms are approaching.

At arrived the minibook did not worked. So I sent it back to Amazon Return Department by mail. Until today I don’t have news if it arrives or not.I asked a refund by an asus minibook paying the price difference.
In my experience with Amazon ( a lot of years) it is the first time that I get an electronic object that is non functional.

Well I just got my little Sylvania Meso and I like it very much even though there are some issues that can’t make it possible for me to give it the 5 stars.

When I received the computer as soon as I turned it on I liked the looks and the feels imediately. The computer doesn’t feel cheap, it feels solid and the keyboard, even if it is small it is not “too” small. You just need some time to get used to it. I didn’t find it to be a problem not having the right shift since I can work without it with no problems.

The graphics are good as any other laptop I have had, and the Linux Ubuntu system requires some getting used to but it is very very easy, even if you have never used it.

The color finish on the computer is very good and the size is just right, not too small, not too big.

The WiFi is just superb, and the signal reception is very good.

Battery life is Very Good.

Now the down part……

The computer is a bit THICK I think that this is due to the internal hard drive that can be seen from the bottom. It is a regular small HD that does require space to be installed. It would have been better to use Flash memory drive, especially now days that memory is so cheap.

I had to do 166 file updates, since it is normal that they don’t come with all the updates from factory…. I think this is a shame.

I have some mayor problems with the LAN not the Wireless LAN but the normal connection on the back. It just seems not capable of working from my existing wired cable modem.

The mouse is very sensitive but have no problem with the mouse clicks, they aren’t so loud as they show they are.

Would I buy it again? Well yes for the price I think there is no other out there.

I purchased this at a very competitive price – it took very little time to get used to the Linux operating system…but it works very efficiently. Very fast – the Net book fits my needs perfectly and that is to be used as a second internet placement in my home for leisurely surfing.

It is hadr for me to evaluate the compute because the operating system Ubuntu was full of glitches. People often talked about it in other reviews saying it is a cheap way to get a mac. Well a Mac with many glitches maybe. Anyway if you want to live in Mac Donald’s world with all its hip limitations as you get whoppered over the head with glitches on top of new glitches it nice. Well what can you do Ubuntu is free so its no skin off sylvanias back. I would say they would have do you a favor if they would have just Fdisk the hard drive and have it ready to install on any computer you want.

The rocker button is way to stiff for as small at it is. The keyboard could be arranged a bit more creatively to allow crucial keys to be bigger and non crucial ones to be off to the side somewhere. I wouldn’t recommend it and I returned mine.

My Mac Died as a result of water damage. I am a student so I needed to get something for classes that would allow me to use office (that is the only windows program I use cause the rest of the world uses it) or an equivalent, browse the Internet fast, allow me to download and edit my pics and do mostly basic functions. I needed something that was fast and didn’t give me any headaches. I could not afford a mac so I decided to look for an alternative.

I came across this little computer that it is simply amazing. Every dollar spent in this computer was worth it. It connects to the wireless perfectly, the battery lasts over 4 hours, it comes loaded with everything a college student needs to work, the webcam is clear, the speakers are good quality considering the size of this computer, and the overall look is simply cool. I keep getting comments about how cool my little laptop looks. The weight and size are amazing it is great to carry it around in my purse or backpack, even at the airport it is a breeze to get it out and go through security.

I love Ubuntu, I recommend reading the guide online and that explains everything but it is pretty much straight forward. Ever since I stopped using windows and switched to mac I really didn’t want to go back to windows, I am glad I found ubuntu as an alternative cause it is as effective as Mac.

For this money you really couldn’t ask for more. It works, its simple, I can do everything I need to do including watch movies and download music, hook up my ipod and every other basic function that a computer provides you with. It has 80 gig hd, and 1 gig ram (I havent investigated on how to expand cause I do not need it) Multiple programs work great at the same time and you can watch you tube perfectly.

If you want a super computer then you should go and spend the money that a super computer requires. It is not fair to pay this amount of money and then complain cause it doesnt have the same capabilities than a 1000 dollar mac.Its a ridiculous comparison.

I do however have some comments that the next person to buy it should know:
It comes loaded with ubuntu 8.04, if you want to upload to 8.1 I recommend you get an external cd/dvd writer and install it via cd. I could not upgrade via internet. I am sure someone that is more computer savy might do it, I simply could not do it. The webcam needs an additional driver that can be found in the Sylvania page. Besides that I have nothing else to add as a negative. The keyboard you simply get used to it. It doesn’t have a shift on the right side, another thing you get used to it. The caps lock key does not have a light.
Overall it is a great buy. It was a very positive experience. My boyfriend is thinking of getting one for himself cause it simply works great and it is exactly what he needs for his job considering he mostly works with excel. He is also tired of carrying his laptop back an forth. If you want to install windows components in ubuntu there are programs that allow you to do that. I personally simply try to stay away from windows
I hope this is helpful!

I placed the order in mid March but wasn’t delivered for 2.5 months. Therefore had to cancel the order and bought a netbook from System 76 which was delivered within 10 days. If the manufacturer doesn’t deliver the product in time, I wonder about their support committments.

wonderful little machine that works great with gos3.1 gadgets. no problems running linux, installing openoffice 3, or anything else i’ve thrown at it yet. machine was actually new but had been returned by someone named “lettie” and there was no password in the packaging for the root account. or lettie’s account.

no big deal though as i reformatted with gos & it recognizes all of the hardware and runs all of the software i’ve tried. plays all of the videos and music i’ve tried on it though i really use it for reading books, editing documents, and pdfs, and as a small laptop when i don’t feel like dragging the big 13″ macbook around.