Editor’s Note: Portions of this review were taken from our earlier coverage of the Acer Aspire 5738PG.
It seems that Acer is using its Aspire 5738 as something of a testbed for new technology. First came the touch-enabled 5738PG, and now the 5738DG features 3D technology. Used in conjunction with a pair of polarized glasses, the company is aiming to bring the 3D movie theater experience down to a personal level. What’s better, even for a first attempt, is that it largely succeeds. While there are kinks to be worked out—it would help if there was a 3D app or content portal of some sort—Acer has put together a robust system for $779.
Design
Measuring 15.1 x 9.9 x 1.5 inches and weighing 6.1 pounds, the 5738DG is a tad bulkier and heavier than the 5.6-pound, 14.6 x 9.8 x 1.5-inch Gateway NV, as well as the 5.6-pound, 14.6 x 9.8 x 1.2-inch Sony VAIO NW. The system sports Acer’s classy Gemstone design, which incorporates a dark blue lid (attracting a light amount of fingerprints and smudges), a charcoal gray base (featuring a granulated dot pattern), and black accents throughout.
To the upper-left of the keyboard are easily accessible on/off buttons for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, an illuminated power button, and the Acer Backup Manager button (which lets users create automatic backup profiles). Adjacent to those are status indicator lights, and to the far right you’ll find dedicated volume keys, along with a user-definable shortcut button. A microphone is positioned dead in the middle.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The wide base of the 5738DG affords a roomy and comfortable keyboard with firm, chiclet-style keys that made it easy to tap out documents, e-mails, and URLs. We appreciated the large Shift keys and full number pad. Using the touchpad, we could two-finger swipe through photos, and use pinch gestures to zoom in and out of images. The mouse buttons were quite mushy, and didn’t offer much in the way of feedback. A button to the right of the touchpad allows you to disable it when pressed, and a biometric fingerprint reader is nestled between the mouse buttons to keep data away from prying eyes.
Display and Audio
The high-definition 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768-pixel display provided sharp visuals when we loaded up a DVD of Aeon Flux. Dark scenes and clothing had plenty of richness without being overbearing, but the screen’s glossy coating kicks back a fair amount of reflections.
The Dolby Home Theater speakers (positioned north of the keyboard) served up very clean and loud sound. While listening to Curtis Mayfield’s “Wild and Free,” we marveled at the crispness of the horns and the separation from the high and low-end sounds that were delivered by the Virtual SurroundSound technology. The bass wasn’t as robust as Acer’s own machines that feature CineBass (such as the Acer Aspire 8920G), but the 5738DG certainly sounds better than other notebooks in this price range.
