Posts filed under 'Asus'
The first laptop to take advantage of Windows Vista’s much-hyped SideShow feature, the Asus W5fe lets you read e-mail, play music, and access photos and other content via a secondary 2.8-inch, full-color display integrated into the outer lid of the laptop. The idea is a good one: SideShow offers a quick window to your data, without requiring you to boot up your laptop-or even open it. Between the module’s less-than-elegant navigational interface and relative dearth of functionality, however, the W5fe suggests that SideShow is not yet ready for prime time. More importantly, the W5fe falls short of delivering a compelling ultraportable experience.
At 12 x 8.6 x 1.3 inches, the W5fe’s case is average sized for a laptop with a 12.1-inch display; at four pounds, it’s portable enough for regular travel, though there are plenty of lighter models in its price range. The keyboard is a bit spongy and cramped, but the keys are roomy enough for reasonably comfortable typing. The W5fe’s small, textured touchpad is serviceable, but the little mouse buttons are overly sensitive, and we experienced a number of clicking misfires.
The W5fe’s primary 12.1-inch widescreen display, featuring a standard 1280 x 800 native resolution, delivers bright, crisp images and passable DVD video quality. There’s enough screen real estate for most productivity tasks, including editing documents side by side and working in multiple windows.
The SideShow concept shows promise. The secondary display, with a 320 x 240 resolution, is more than adequate for checking your calendar, reading e-mail (Windows Mail only, a new feature that comes with Vista), checking stock prices, and playing music files from Windows Media Player 11. Unfortunately, we found the interface somewhat clumsy: The enter, back, and menu buttons, the On/Off switch, and the four-way rocker switch are all intuitive enough, but navigating through the menus is confusing and inefficient. The selection of downloadable gadgets for SideShow is pretty slim at the moment, but we hope that improves soon.
The two stereo speakers, placed directly below the display, deliver the thin, weak audio typical of most ultraportables, and when playing audio files via SideShow (with the lid closed), the sound quality is nominally worse. That said, we appreciate the external volume-control wheel on the W5fe’s right edge, though the laptop lacks a full set of dedicated multimedia controls.
For an ultraportable, the W5fe comes equipped with a solid assortment of multimedia features as well as a standard batch of ports and connections. On top of a dual-layer DVD burner, which can read and burn all of the major DVD and CD formats, the W5fe has three well-distributed USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, S-Video and VGA outputs for connecting to an external display, one ExpressCard slot, and a 4-in-1 media card reader (as well as an expansion module that supports another four media card types).
In addition to Windows Vista Home Premium (our test unit came preloaded with Vista Ultimate), Asus throws in some nifty software and utilities including MultiFrame, which shuttles windows to whichever quadrant of the display you choose, and LifeFrame, a useful application that lets you easily record still photos, video, and audio clips with the built-in, pivoting 1.3-megapixel webcam. Better yet, the webcam has a row of dedicated buttons that let you instantly zoom in, take photos or video, or record audio.
The W5fe’s built-in networking features include Ethernet and modem jacks, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. Also on board is a wireless on/off switch, handy for preserving battery power when out of range of an Internet signal. The W5fe’s throughput of 6.2 Mbps at 15 feet and 5.6 Mbps at 50 feet was far below average, however, so you’ll want to travel with an Ethernet cable as much as possible.
Our $2,199 test unit included a robust array of hardware components, especially impressive for an ultraportable: In addition to a high-end 2.16-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor, which provides two processing cores for improved multitasking performance, the W5fe comes equipped with 1.5GB of DDR2 RAM (the maximum for this system) and a gigantic 160GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive. The W5fe turned in a 3,589 on our PCMark05 benchmark, which isn’t bad for an ultraportable, and a 1,047 on 3DMark03-proof that it can handle most standard productivity tasks. Its integrated GPU handled Vista’s Aero interface, but this system doesn’t have the muscle for gaming and demanding graphics work.
Unfortunately, the W5fe’s competent processing was overshadowed by mediocre endurance: The W5fe’s six-cell battery (it comes with an additional three-cell battery) lasted 2 hours and 35 minutes while playing a DVD. You should expect close to four hours of runtime when performing regular productivity chores, but that’s still an hour less than the average ultraportable.
We’re pleased with the idea of SideShow and that Asus has managed to be the first on the market with a reasonable platform for it, but at this stage the W5fe doesn’t live up to its potential. This notebook is certainly innovative, but it’s not the best ultraportable you can buy for the money.
March 25th, 2007
The Asus R1F has been referred to as the Lamborghini of Tablet PCs and I can see why. This is my first Tablet review and working with the R1F has made it easy. The R1F has a sleek design and is very user friendly. The design is much like a standard notebook until you notice the center hinge, which converts it into a Tablet.
Design and Build
The R1F isn’t as small as some other Tablets on the market such as Fujitsu’s T4215, but it still is portable. Weighing in at 4.3 lbs, the R1F can go where ever you need to go. The 13.3″ screen makes reading documents and viewing photographs pleasurable, you can fit a decent amount on the screen and the XGA resolution makes for easy reading.
The Tablet has a solid build and keyboard. It feels sturdy in your hands, with minimal flex. The screen swivels with ease for a 180 degree view, which comes in handy when you don’t want the keyboard or want to show someone across a table what’s on your screen. Being able to write directly on the screen and convert your writing to text brings back that personal aspect.
From first glance it is hard to tell that the R1F is a Tablet until you notice its center hinge. It has a professional appearance, great for the office or school. The graphite colored lid extends to the inside surrounding the black keyboard keeping the R1F classy, but not to flashy. On the downside the the R1F’s casing is made of plastic instead of metal, which kind of gives it a cheap feel.
A look around the R1F
These are the accessories the R1F came with including a wireless mouse. The R1F was packed so plush you would have thought is was fine china. The portfolio fits the Tablet like a glove for quick traveling and the bag is durable and roomy enough to hold your cell phone, wallet and files.
Display
The screen itself is nice and scratch resistant, as much as it can be. It is slightly grainy, but that is due to the extra layer on the screen and you’ll get that with any other tablet. Don’t expect the R1F to produce crisp flawless images, but like I said earlier, it is not made to be an entertainment center. However, the Asus Splendid technology that allows you to adjust screen colorization is great and really brings out the color, especially when watching movies. I set the brightness and color saturation as high and balanced as possible to offset the graininess and it works well. The graininess is more noticeable against white backgrounds compared to colored ones. Though a white screen does not appear as pure white (there’s a slight greyishness), other colors do shine and the screen is backlit very well. Black colors on the screen appear sharp and if you stand away from the screen a little bit you won’t even notice the graininess. My eyes are used to the screens display and I don’t notice the graininess anymore, just the bright colors.
The R1F is easy to carry in Tablet mode, though a bit heavier than others at about 4.5 lbs, it is still portable. The screen still looks great and you can change the orientation for better viewing. The center hinge also helps for better viewing because it of course allows 360 degrees of twist to align for the best viewing angle to onlookers, perfect for presentations. The 13.3″ screen is a good size for traveling because it is small enough to take on the go, but big enough to read those important documents or watch a movie on without straining your eyes. Asus includes a nice cloth in with the accessories for safe and easy cleaning of the screen and keyboard.
Speakers
The speakers are average, but I’m comparing them to my Compaq laptop fitted with JBL speakers, which are loud and clear. The R1F is loud when you have all the right software settings in place, but not something I would listen to my music on. It’s not made to be an entertainment system though, so it meets normal expectations. One good thing about the notebook design is that in slate mode the speakers are not completely covered, so a decent amount of sound still comes out.
Keyboard/Touchpad/Pen
The keyboard’s keys are solid and it has no flex. It is easy to type on because it is of standard size. There are only a few keys that are shortened including the right side Shift key and the Backspace key, but this doesn’t create any problems. I did notice if you are a fast typer then you have to make sure to completely press down on each key because just tapping them will not work. The built-in microphone worked well for the most part. It was clear and fun to use, once you teach the software to recognize your voice. It can be used to record things too like memos or a teacher’s lecture.
I like the touch pad on the R1F because it’s not anything fancy. Just your standard touchpad, which works great. It’s simple to use, fast and smooth, no sticking. The touchpad works as well as the mouse in my opinion, but I am used to working on it. For all you mouse fans though the Bluetooth mouse works fine after you do the easy, step-by-step install.
Working with a pen is the whole point of a Tablet and I don’t think I will ever buy anything besides a Tablet again. This feature alone makes it stand out from your typical notebook. The pen is lightweight, easy to write with and works flawlessly on the screen. It comes in handy when taking notes or adjusting your calendar. It even has an eraser in case you make a mistake. The only bad thing is the pen is made of plastic and it feels cheap and flimsy. It also gets scratched pretty bad in the silo. I would much rather have a metal pen, I mean you are taking the pen in and out all the time, so something a little more durable would be better.
Tablet PC Buttons
A series of hot keys are available for instant launch of entertainment, connection, power management and color adjustment applications. These buttons are located at the top of the keyboard. There is even a button to change the screen??™s orientation for use when in Tablet mode. The keys are easy to access while keeping the keyboard area distraction free.
Processor and System Performance Benchmarks
The R1F model I reviewed had the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz) processor. The R1F provides enhanced responsiveness to enjoy audio and video playback and recording, instant messaging and web-browsing simultaneously on your Tablet. In other words, the dual-core performance helps in general types of multi-tasking you’ll do on a PC.
February 22nd, 2007
The Asus G1 is marketed as the 15??? mobile answer for the hardcore gamer enthusiast. The G1 is a sharp looking package that meets the requirements of most of today??™s best games and entertainment applications. The configuration for the machine reviewed follows below.
My main reason for buying a new laptop is an upcoming master??™s program in Italy. I will be away for 16 months, and am concerned about taking my 30 lb home-built desktop with me. My favorite computer activities include 3D CAD and photo editing. I also enjoy a game sometimes. My favorites are MS Flight Simulator 2004 and Sim City.
Based on my needs above, I decided to pursue a game machine ??“ something fast, with lots of memory, a cool video card with its own memory, a large yet fast hard drive, and a nice glossy screen.
My first stop in my research led me to reliability ratings on all the major manufacturers. According to Consumer Reports, the most reliable name brands are Sony, Compaq/HP and Lenovo (IBM). I??™ve owned computers from the first two and was very disappointed. Lenovo doesn??™t sell laptops with NVIDIA video cards ??“ which are my favorite ??“ so it was out of contention as well.
Duly disappointed, I decided to look at other lesser-known brands. At first, the Sager 5760 seemed liked a cool bet. It had the very latest video card, the NVIDIA 7950 with 512 MB of video memory, and the keyboard was large enough that it packed its own numeric key pad. I started having second thoughts, however, when I priced the laptop at $2,400, well equipped with 2 GB RAM and a 100 GB 7200 HDD. The idea of carrying a 10 lb behemoth around also didn??™t seem worthwhile.
After asking for help online, someone at NotebookReview.com suggested I look at Asus??™ A8 models. The A8Js has nice features, but I was turned off by reports of light leakage from the monitor.
Then I found out about the G1: it has all the cool specs, a glossy screen just like my previous Sony laptop, and a 2-year global warranty ??“ perfect for my time abroad. The reviews didn??™t mention light leakage and I heard lots of good things about the brand, so I decided to buy it.
This is my first Asus product, and I am very impressed. As I opened the package, everything was stored neatly and in order. I even found some items I didn??™t expect, like a cloth to clean the LCD screen, and an awesome backpack made by Targus. I had seen it in pictures online, and expected a throw-away sample bag. I was pleasantly surprised to find it??™s made of strong materials, with lots of pockets, showing off a tasteful green and gray design. It also has thick support straps, perfect for carrying books around Milan. Hopefully, the 7 lb G1 will barely be noticed.
Along with those items, Asus also included a fine gaming mouse from Logitech (too bad it??™s not wireless) and recovery disks. Most brands charge extra for those.
The G1 itself is a pleasant sight. The case is shiny and beautiful, showing off a carbon fiber construction look. In reality it??™s all plastic, but it feels solid. The lower portion of the palm rest area is made of anodized brushed aluminum, and feels very smooth. I found no crooked corners or blemishes. I expect this laptop to last a long time.
Screen
When opened, the 15.4??? WSXGA+ (1680×1050) screen reflects all light around it, as expected from a glossy screen. The gorgeous images are worth it! The text is just large enough for reading, but some people might want to adjust the text size or resolution.
The screen did ripple slightly when twisted by the sides, but I don??™t see this happening on day to day activities. I??™m always careful on opening the laptop to avoid lifting it from the table. The lid opens with a positive feeling of resistance, but wobbles slightly once I let it go.
The monitor has 16 levels of brightness adjustment. I picked level 12 for writing this review ??“ as I??™m seating by an open window and the sun is out. However, one could use any of the levels and still be able to see the screen.
Asus has a zero bright pixel warranty on the first 30 days of ownership. I didn??™t find a single dead pixel.
Regarding light leakage, this screen has none! The screen is sharp and the lighting is of uniform coverage. I took a picture in the dark with a dark photo in the background (San Diego Bay) for you to see.
Speakers
As I installed 3DMark05, I ventured downstairs to eat lunch. Minutes later, I heard a loud commotion upstairs… I returned to find the Asus G1/G2 screen saver playing music. Unlike other computers, the G1 has speakers on the bottom of the case. They play loud music, but sport a strange echo-like sound. I tried playing with the environments and equalizer in the Realtek HD Audio Manager, but it??™s hopeless. If you are an audiophile, you will want better speakers.
Processor & Performance
The Asus G1 laptop is as fast as my 2-year old desktop computer*. This is a great feeling, because I hate going from a fast computer to a slow computer. I ran SolidWorks with some CAD assemblies I created in the past, and the computer ran them without a hitch. I??™m very satisfied.
Besides the speakers, another G1 shortcoming is the slow hard drive. There are four speeds commonly available in the market: 4200, 5400, 7200, and 10000 rpm. Of those four, laptops usually carry a hard drive with either of the first two speeds. I burned a DVD with 4.5 GB of mp3 files in less than six minutes (16X drive) on my desktop. When I put the same DVD on the G1, it took 25 minutes to copy those files to the 5400 rpm hard drive. I did four DVDs in a row with similar results. While 160GB is nice for storage, one might consider installing a faster model. A 100GB 7200 rpm drive usually costs $110.
Another factor in performance is all the extra software Asus included with the G1. I immediately deleted the sample Norton anti-virus software (90 days of functionality) and some other resource-consuming applications. The difference in the benchmark application Super Pi was incredible: 25 seconds for 1 million iterations vs. 59 seconds with all the Asus software running.
The only apps I have running now are AVG free edition, NVIDIA Control Panel, and the Asus Direct Console which manages the speed of the fan and processor (power consumption).
I have not experienced any issues with heat on the G1. The palm area turns slightly warm over time, but it??™s not enough to annoy me. The heat sink and fan exhaust on this model are located on the rear left side, away from the mouse. I placed the computer on my lap, and it didn??™t bother me, however I find it too big to use it there.
In regards to noise, I can hear a faint hard drive swoosh sound when the laptop is idle or doing light tasks. When playing games, the fan picks up speed and becomes more noticeable. The exhaust was hot during benchmarking tests.
Note also that the optical 8X DVD-RW drive is fairly loud when reading data.
he keypad can be turned off by a simple click of a button, located next to the power button. It has a smooth surface and the sliding bar feature functions well. A green LED located inside the ???eye??? of the game series logo shines brightly when the keypad is on.
The G1 has five multimedia keys in front of the case: power, reverse, forward, stop, and play. They are intended to control the optical drive when the laptop is turned off, allowing you to listen music much like a portable player. In reality, the player functions by turning motherboard, keyboard and optical drive on, while the hard drive and monitor remain off. The keyboard still works to allow volume adjustment.
The keys above, minus power, also work along with Windows Media Player when the laptop is fully turned on. The buttons are tiny enough that I cannot press them by mistake.
Aside from the player, there are four additional hot keys besides the power button. They are for adjusting the speed of the fan/processor, calling out your e-mail software, Internet browser, and turning the keypad on/off. The fan setting has five options: quiet office, presentation (which sends video to video out and turns the monitor off), super performance, high performance, and game.
February 22nd, 2007
The Asus R1F is a convertible notebook to Tablet PC machine that’s powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It has a 13.3″ widescreen display and comes it at a reasonably priced $1,500. The portability and Tablet PC functionality makes it an interesting option for students.
The R1F isn’t as small as some other Tablets on the market such as Fujitsu’s T4215, but it still is certainly still portable. Weighing in at 4.3 lbs, the R1F can go where ever you need to go. The 13.3″ screen makes reading documents and viewing photographs pleasurable, you can fit a decent amount on the screen and the XGA resolution makes for easy reading.
The Asus R1 has a solid build and keyboard. It feels sturdy in your hands, with minimal flex. The screen swivels with ease for a 180 degree view, which comes in handy when you don’t want the keyboard or want to show someone across a table what’s on your screen. Being able to write directly on the screen and convert your writing to text brings back that personal aspect — maybe even gives you a bit of practice with handwriting (in case you’d forgotten how to do that now that we type so much these days).
From first glance it is hard to tell that the R1F functions as a Tablet as well as a notebook until you notice its center hinge. It has a professional appearance, great for the office or school. The graphite colored lid extends to the inside surrounding the black keyboard keeping the R1F classy, but not to flashy. On the downside, the the R1F’s casing is made of plastic instead of metal, which kind of gives it a cheap feel.
Display
The screen itself is nice and scratch resistant, as much as it can be. It is slightly grainy, but that is due to the extra layer on the screen and you’ll get that with any other tablet. Don’t expect the R1F to produce crisp flawless images, but like I said earlier, it is not made to be an entertainment center. However, the Asus Splendid technology that allows you to adjust screen colorization is great and really brings out the color, especially when watching movies. I set the brightness and color saturation as high and balanced as possible to offset the graininess and it works well. The graininess is more noticeable against white backgrounds compared to colored ones. Though a white screen does not appear as pure white (there’s a slight greyishness), other colors do shine and the screen is backlit very well. Black colors on the screen appear sharp and if you stand away from the screen a little bit you won’t even notice the graininess. My eyes are used to the screens display and I don’t notice the graininess anymore, just the bright colors.
The R1F is easy to carry in Tablet mode, though a bit heavier than others at about 4.5 lbs, it is still portable. The screen still looks great and you can change the orientation for better viewing. The center hinge also helps for better viewing because it of course allows for twisting to align for the best viewing angle to onlookers, perfect for presentations. The 13.3″ screen is a good size for traveling because it is small enough to take on the go, but big enough to read those important documents or watch a movie on without straining your eyes. Asus includes a nice cloth in with the accessories for safe and easy cleaning of the screen and keyboard.
Speakers
The speakers are average, but I’m comparing them to my Compaq laptop fitted with JBL speakers, which are loud and clear. The R1F is loud when you have all the right software settings in place, but not something I would listen to my music on. It’s not made to be an entertainment system though, so it meets normal expectations. One good thing about the notebook design is that in slate mode the speakers are not completely covered, so a decent amount of sound still comes out.
Keyboard/Touchpad/Pen
The keyboard’s keys are solid and it has no flex. It is easy to type on because it is of standard size. There are only a few keys that are shortened including the right side Shift key and the Backspace key, but this doesn’t create any problems. I did notice if you are a fast typer then you have to make sure to completely press down on each key because just tapping them will not work. The built-in microphone worked well for the most part. It was clear and fun to use, once you teach the software to recognize your voice. It can be used to record things too like memos or a teacher’s lecture.
I like the touch pad on the R1F because it’s not anything fancy. Just your standard touchpad, which works great. It’s simple to use, fast and smooth, no sticking. The touchpad works as well as the mouse in my opinion, but I am used to working on it. For all you mouse fans though, the Bluetooth mouse works fine after you do the easy, step-by-step install.
Working with a pen is the whole point of a Tablet and I don’t think I will ever buy anything besides a Tablet again. This feature alone makes it stand out from your typical notebook. The pen is lightweight, easy to write with and works flawlessly on the screen. It comes in handy when taking notes or adjusting your calendar. It even has an eraser in case you make a mistake. The only bad thing is the pen is made of plastic and it feels cheap and flimsy. It also gets scratched pretty bad in the silo. I would much rather have a metal pen, I mean you are taking the pen in and out all the time, so something a little more durable would be better.
Tablet PC Buttons
A series of hot keys are available for instant launch of entertainment, connection, power management and color adjustment applications. These buttons are located at the top of the keyboard. There is even a button to change the screen??™s orientation for use when in Tablet mode. The keys are easy to access while keeping the keyboard area distraction free.
Processor and System Performance Benchmarks
The R1F model I reviewed had the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz) processor. The R1F provides enhanced responsiveness to enjoy audio and video playback and recording, instant messaging and web-browsing simultaneously on your Tablet. In other words, the dual-core performance helps in general types of multi-tasking you’ll do on a PC.
February 22nd, 2007
The target buyer of the Asus Lamborghini VX1 isn’t exactly looking to go incognito: The laptop’s bright yellow lid, with a shape evocative of a sports car’s spoiler, prominently features the Automobili Lamborghini logo. And the sports-car resemblance doesn’t end with appearance–the Lamborghini VX1 raced through our performance benchmarks, keeping up with laptops that incorporated higher-end components. Unfortunately, like an actual Lamborghini, the $2,799 VX1 costs quite a bit more than its competitors, including the similarly car-themed Acer Ferrari 5000 ($2,399). Laptops with no special cosmetic treatment, such as the Dell Inspiron E1505, cost even less. But if you’re dead set on paying the premium for a laptop with sports-car styling, you won’t get burned by the VX1.
The remarkably slender Asus Lamborghini VX1 measures just 1.1 inches thick, 13 inches wide, and 10.8 inches deep, making it smaller than another recently reviewed 15-inch laptop, the Lenovo 3000 C200. Like the Lenovo, though, the Lamborghini is quite a bit boxier than thin-and-lights with wide screens, such as the Acer Ferrari 5000 and the Dell Inspiron E1505. At 5.8 pounds, the Lamborghini VX1 undercuts all three competitive models when it comes to weight, though its chunky AC adapter adds nearly a pound to the package.
Though the Lamborghini VX1 features a sturdy brushed-aluminum keyboard deck, its plastic case is so thin that it seems just a bit fragile. The optical drive, for example, feels like it could be crushed with a strong squeeze. Fortunately the lid, often a point of weakness on thin laptops, flexes very little and does a good job of protecting the screen.
Despite slightly shallow key travel, typing on the Asus Lamborghini VX1’s keyboard is comfortable even for extended periods, though the nonstandard layout of secondary keys–for example, Delete, Home, Page Up, and Page Down–requires some adjustment. The average-size touch pad provides a nice amount of drag, and a scroll zone helps you quickly browse Web pages and documents. The metallic mouse buttons are flush with the keyboard deck, and a blue light glows in the space between them. Initially we thought this was just decoration, but we discovered that the light turns off when the touch pad is disabled (via a touch pad on/off button above the keyboard)–a nice touch. Next to the touch pad’s on/off button are two programmable application-launch buttons and individual on/off controls for the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios. Unfortunately, the labels on these controls are black, which maintains the laptop’s minimal aesthetic but makes it difficult to see which button to press. We were also surprised by the lack of dedicated media controls, given that Asus pitches the Lamborghini VX1 as an entertainment laptop.
In this age of wide screens, the Asus Lamborghini VX1 features a 15-inch standard-aspect display with a crisp 1,400×1,050 native resolution. A glossy screen finish makes colors pop, though it was annoyingly reflective in a bright room. We enjoyed watching movies with such a sharp resolution and saturated color, but it was unfortunate that the image had to be drastically letterboxed because of the screen’s aspect ratio. Frequent movie-watchers would be better served by a wide-screen laptop, such as the Acer Ferrari 5000 or the Dell Inspiron E1505. Media enjoyment is also hindered by the Lamborghini’s speakers, which produce weak, flat sound.
The Lamborghini VX1’s case includes an average assortment of ports and connections for a thin-and-light, though we wish they were spread out more. The laptop’s right edge is loaded with four USB 2.0 ports, microphone and headphone (with S/PDIF) jacks, a four-in-one flash card reader, and jacks for modem and 10/100 Ethernet connections. On the left side of the case is the laptop’s double-layer DVD burner, VGA and mini-FireWire connectors, and a slot for the latest ExpressCards. There are no ports or slots on the front or the back of the machine, which makes for a clean look but can get crowded if you need to plug in lots of accessories. Built-in Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g radios round out the feature set. Asus also throws in a cheap plastic Lamborghini Bluetooth travel mouse, a leather Lamborghini-branded mouse pad, and a groovy laptop bag with Lamborghini-yellow accents.
The Asus Lamborghini VX1 is available in a single fixed configuration that costs $2,799, though a quick Web search uncovers prices as low as $2,600. As you might expect with such a high price, the laptop includes a strong set of components: a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor, 2GB of swift 667MHz RAM, an Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics card with 512MB dedicated VRAM, and a massive 160GB hard drive spinning at a middling 5,400rpm. The Lamborghini VX1 lived up to its sports-car namesake on CNET Labs’ performance benchmarks, performing as well as or better than two systems with faster processors and higher-end graphics cards: the WidowPC Sting 517D and the Dell XPS M1710. The Lamborghini’s largest leads came on the multitasking and office productivity tests, marking it as a well-rounded machine that can tackle almost any task a home user might throw at it. It also had enough gas in its tank to run 3 hours, 19 minutes per charge on our battery test–about average for a thin-and-light.
The Lamborghini VX1’s support package is a bit disappointing. The standard one-year warranty covers parts and labor, but you’ll have to pay to ship the laptop back to a repair depot for service. Also, phone-support hours are limited, and the call is not toll-free. The company’s support Web site includes the expected driver downloads and a brief FAQ but lacks useful features such as user forums or the chance to chat in real time with a technician.
February 22nd, 2007
If you’re one of the many mobile gamers who balks at paying an exorbitant price for a backbreaking rig destined for obsolescence, Asus has a proposition. The G1-AK008, part of the company’s new gaming line, is a solidly built machine tuned for gaming, with parts slightly below top-of-the-line, and attractively priced at well under $2,000. This isn’t a machine for the hardcore, but most gamers will find that price and portability can be as appealing as frame rates.
The 13.9 x 11.1 x 1.3-inch case features military styling appropriate for a gaming laptop. The lid and keyboard area are skinned with a mesh decal; hinge accents and a handful of green lights add to the serious appearance. An unnecessary button featuring the Asus gaming logo distracts from the comfort of the mouse pad, but we don’t mind the clearly labeled WASD keys. Despite the handful of stylistic touches, the G1-AK008’s restrained appearance doesn’t immediately mark it as a gaming machine. Neither does the weight, which comes in at 6.8 pounds without the power adapter.
Without a massive chassis to play with, Asus had to squeeze the Home, End, and Page Up/Down keys along the keyboard’s right side, where you can accidentally press them. Although there isn’t a number pad, the keys are otherwise very well spaced with considerable depth, which makes them well suited for typing and gaming.
The 15-inch case is relatively small for a gaming system, which can become cluttered with ports. Asus made the unfortunate decision to mount all four USB 2.0 ports on the rear side of the system, with the VGA and DVI connections. The right edge features sound ports (headphone, mic, and output) as well as Ethernet, FireWire, TV-out, PC Card slot, and a 4-in-1 card reader. The left is dedicated to the optical drive, while the front bezel is decorated with media-player controls. Quick-launch buttons live above the keyboard, as does a small OLED display for system messages.
The 15.4-inch display features a native resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels; it looks great while working with media or documents, browsing the Web, and watching movies. For gaming, we found that Nvidia’s Go 7700 graphics-a few steps behind the top-of-the-line GPUs-limited the playable resolutions to 1024 x 768 pixels. On autodetect, F.E.A.R. displayed a respectable if not impressive 55-fps average. With settings maxed, our tests suffered a significant frame rate reduction to 30 fps.
Outside of a professionally competitive multiplayer environment, the G1-AK008’s performance is ample for most players. The 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 7200 CPU and 2GB of DDR2 RAM provide a solid performance base. We’d like a faster drive than the 160GB 5,400-rpm SATA, however, as that speed could become a data bottleneck.
Relying on lower-spec components has two benefits. One is price: Just try to find a similarly capable machine for $1,800. The other is battery life: The G1-AK008 lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes with Wi-Fi on, making this system a truly mobile gaming platform.
Unfortunately, while gaming notebooks have been carrying more speakers, subwoofers, and audio options, the G1-AK008’s sound system is meager. The speakers put out far too little volume, and even at the loudest setting, we found a tinny, unappealing soundstage for both games and movies. Adding headphones alleviated the problems, demonstrating that perhaps a few extra dollars for better onboard speakers might be worth the expense.
Asus’ support options aren’t as varied as those of major American manufacturers: You’ll pay for shipping a notebook back and for help-center calls, which you can place only between 5:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. PST during the week and between 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. PST on the weekends.
If you’re considering buying the G1-AK008, you’ll have to ask yourself the following question: How hardcore are you? If frame rates are the bottom line, pass up this option and go straight to machines by Alienware, Dell, or Voodoo. Gamers willing to settle for a very playable 30 fps on the most demanding games, however, will find that the G1-AK008 has plenty to offer and that the light weight and long battery life mean more gaming in the long run.
February 22nd, 2007
With its 13.3-inch wide-screen display, Core 2 Duo processor, built-in Web cam, and matte-black finish, the Asus W7J is surprisingly reminiscent of Apple’s popular MacBook. Unlike the MacBook, the W7J features discrete graphics, which is a nice plus, but it’s hurt by poor battery life. At $1,499, the fixed-configuration Asus W7J isn’t any cheaper than the MacBook or the similarly configured yet slightly larger HP Compaq Presario V6000T. While its size, weight, and specs are appealing, the Asus W7J’s battery life will be a deal breaker for most.
Despite some of their physical similarities, you’re not likely to confuse this thin-and-light laptop with the MacBook upon closer inspection. The system’s silhouette would be much improved if the built-in Web cam didn’t extend slightly from the top edge of the lid, marring the back of the lid with what could be best described as an inelegant silver bump. Measuring 12.5 inches wide, 9.1 inches deep, and 1.3 inches high, the system is small enough to carry around every day, but big enough to work on comfortably for long stretches. The W7J weighs 4.4 pounds (5.6 pounds with the AC adapter), which is light enough for a daily commute or extensive airport traveling. Compared to the MacBook, the Asus is slightly thicker, but a little lighter. While not flimsy, it doesn’t feel as solid as the Apple laptop.
The 13.3-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,280×800 native resolution, which is the same as the MacBook. The screen includes an antiglare coating, which made for easy viewing under different lighting situations. We had to turn the default brightness up a few notches to get the best image quality.
The Asus W7J features a standard set of connections, including three USB 2.0 jacks, a mini FireWire jack, an Express Card slot (but no PC Card), a media card reader, and VGA and S-Video outputs for hooking up an external monitor. Networking connections include modem and 10/100/1000 Ethernet jacks, Bluetooth, and integrated 802.11a/b/g wireless. For a laptop in the thin-and-light category, that’s a pretty complete set of connections. The Express Card slot is useful for adding mobile broadband down the road.
The full-size keyboard feels good, but the touchpad doesn’t include a scroll bar, a feature that’s always sorely missed. A Wi-Fi on/off switch sits above the keyboard, and Asus includes some proprietary software apps that work with the Webcam to ape the functions of Apple’s Photo Booth and iSight software, although they’re not nearly as user friendly. There were no multimedia control buttons, an increasingly common extra on laptops of all sizes.
The Asus W7J includes a decent assortment of midrange components, including a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a DVD burner, a GeForce Go 7400 GPU with 512MB of dedicated memory, and a 100GB 5,400rpm hard drive. You’d better like everything on the list, because the W7J is a fixed-configuration system, meaning no customization prior to purchase. Even the limited configuration options Apple provides for the MacBook let you tailor the system to your specific needs.
Compared to other similarly configured systems, the Asus W7J did well on CNET Labs’ multitasking test, matching the performance of the HP Compaq Presario V6000T and beating out the Lenovo 3000 C200. The HP takes the CPU up one notch to a 1.8GHz T5600, while the Lenovo shares the W7J’s T5500. The Apple MacBook beat the W7J in both the Apple iTunes encoding and Photoshop CS2 tests–surprising, as the W7J technically has a better graphics subsystem. In addition to bumps in CPU power (2GHz vs. 1.6GHz) and memory speed (667MHz vs. 533MHz), the MacBook’s dominance in iTunes is in good part attributable to the home-court advantage Apple has always had with that program.
Unlike the MacBook, the Asus W7J includes a discrete graphics chip–always a plus a laptop this size or larger. Unfortunately, the Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 is at the lower end of laptop GPUs and pumped out a measly 13.5 frames per second in Quake 4 at 1,024×768. Turning off anti-aliasing and high-end graphics options will help get the frame rates closer to a playable 30fps.
The Asus W7J’s biggest downfall was battery life. The system ran for 2 hours and 29 minutes on our MobileMark battery life test, using the included six-cell battery. The Lenovo 3000 C200 ran for 4 hours and 29 minutes, while the Apple MacBook (using our DVD battery-drain test) ran for 3 hours and 30 minutes. Anything under 3 hours is too short for a highly portable system like the Asus W7J. You can buy a nine-cell battery aftermarket, for about $200, which should improve battery life. Just be aware that larger batteries often stick out from the back of a laptop.
Asus offers a one-year limited global warranty with all its notebooks; unfortunately, you’ll have to pay to ship the laptop back to a repair depot for service. Also, phone-support hours are limited, and the call is not toll-free. The company’s support Web site includes the expected driver downloads and a handful of FAQs, and you can always post questions to the company’s active user forum.
February 22nd, 2007
The ASUS A8JP is a small 14??? laptop with enough power and performance to put most larger laptops to shame. Especially considering the price, nothing can touch this. I know, because I have looked. While not an ???ultra-portable??? (13??? and smaller), it is definitely not a burden to carry around and has pretty good battery life, taking in to account what this bad boy can do.
It was very secure and well cushioned from impact. Inside the Asus outer box were the carry bag and A8JP box. Inside the A8JP box was the laptop and the box off accessories. The laptop was in a plastic bag with a screen shield taped to protect the screen. It also had a thin piece of foam sandwiched between the lid and the keyboard. All neatly done and with purpose.
I’ve been considering my laptop purchase for the last 4 months and have researched all kinds of laptops from many different manufacturers. I wanted to be able to game when I travel. While I didn??™t need cutting edge, I for sure didn??™t want integrated graphics and nothing below a Core 2 Duo T7200 2.00GHz processor. It seems ASUS somehow got a list of exactly what I wanted and built the A8JP to my specifications. I looked at so many laptops that I thought I would never get anything close to what I wanted. The reasonably priced ASUS S96J was my primary candidate due to the x1600 256MB video card, but it was a little bigger than I wanted. I was hours from settling on the ASUS S96J when this beast popped up on Newegg.com. I searched by video card looked what was available. No joy. For fun I typed in ???x1700??? and boom the A8JP popped right up for $1298 + shipping. I thought I was hallucinating and double checked, and then triple checked the specs and price. It couldn??™t be. It was, and I??™m very happy with my purchase.
This is my first laptop, but I am pretty impressed with the build quality. Though I won??™t be using it to pound nails, use it as a Frisbee or wedge it under the tires on my car, it is pretty solid. The hinges provide plenty of resistance and the screen easily adjusts position and stays put. I pushed down on the top with the screen closed and it bowed in. The top is plastic, so of course it was going to give some. When closed, you can pull up on the top and observe a minimal amount of play, but nothing to worry about. The keys won??™t fall out and the mouse won??™t get away. The latches are actually 2 rectangular tabs that are attached to the top of the screen frame and lock into place at the bottom of the palm rests. There is only one exhaust vent and it??™s on the right side toward the back. I prefer it to be there and have all the video jacks in the back. That??™s just me. The placement of all of the USB ports and accessory jacks are very functional and spread out. Overall it??™s a pretty well put together laptop.
ASUS provides a ???zero bright dot??? warranty on all laptops bought after October 2006. My screen had zero bright dots and is beautiful and colorful without any noticeable leakage, when viewed dead on. I put the blank screensaver on and looked at the screen and it was evenly lit up. I could only see what seemed to be leakage when looking through my digital camera, but it was not noticeable to the naked eye. The screen is too bright at 100% for indoors. I usually keep it around 40% indoors. The screen was very clear and was easily viewed from approximately 45 degrees on either side of center. The screen has ???flex??? when I twisted it, but this goes back to it having a plastic screen lid, and I don??™t plan on twisting it again. The laptop has a native resolution of WXGA+ (1440 x 900) displayed on a 14-inch glossy TFT screen. In the screen setting the screen refresh is locked at 60 Hz, with all other modes not selectable. I did not observe any ghosting on the screen. The screen was also free of scratches or any type of damage.
The speakers are under the lip on the front side right and left corners of the laptop. I watched a DVD and was impressed at how loud and clear the sounds were. For even more volume I turned up the audio booster in the DVD program. Wow. Gaming on them was fine and I actually had to turn the volume down. No need to max out the speakers to hear them. They lack bass obviously, but are more than sufficient for gaming/media on the go. I??™d still recommend a good set of headphones for gaming, ???natch.
Processor and Performance:
The processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz). I downloaded and installed all of the Windows Updates, including Internet Explorer 7 (seems like a Firefox copy) and Windows Media Player 11, uninstalled Symantec Internet Security, flashed the newest bios from ASUS (went from version 205 to version 208), updated some ASUS hardware drivers and performed minor tweaks here and there. Boot up sequences are just under 90 seconds from push of the power button to no hour glass on the mouse and all icons loaded. It takes the Windows Splash screen progress bar exactly 8 swipes to load. The hard drive is a SATA 120GB 5400 RPM drive with 8 MB cache. A fairly large sized amount of space at only 5400 RPM may lead to longer delays when compared to 7200 rpm ones. This allows for better battery life though also. The drive is actually three partitions: Recovery (hidden), C: 64.7 GB, D: 43.1 GB. The drive came formatted as FAT32, but this is easily converted with a batch file on the desktop ???NTFS converter???. It only took a couple of minutes and it was done. I highly recommend defragmenting the drive after the conversion, because it really scattered the data. The laptop contains 1GB of DDR2 667MHz memory. The two slots are filled with 512MB sticks, making upgrading to anything higher more expensive because you have to remove at least 512MB to add another stick. The ATI Mobility Radeon x1700 is basically an x1600 tweaked a little and made with newer ???stretched silicon??? technology to become more energy efficient.
Benchmarks:
The driver used during benchmarking is the ASUS x1700 driver 8.311.0.0 (dated 10/06). At this time ATI??™s own Catalyst drivers do not recognize this card and even though I updated from the ASUS website, it is still kind of old. I did try to over clock to get more performance, but the current tools (ATITool and RivaTuner) don??™t recognize the chipset yet. ATITool actually had my clock speed at like 1500MHZ ??“ yeah right. I think that once I can upgrade to the newest official driver, I will see a little boost in performance. Here??™s hoping. I also had it plugged in and the rear elevated on a book to get max air flow and performance.
NOTE: For some reason 3DMark06 lists the video card as ???generic VGA with 260 MB of memory???, and also says it is not Vista compatible. This is wrong and must be because it is new and not readily recognized yet.
As you can see, you can get pretty good performance out of this little guy. Even most of the newer games should be playable albeit with lower settings and/or resolutions. Most impressive, even with the low clock speeds that the video card is at.
The keyboard and touchpad are well designed. The keyboard has 88-keys and is straight and centered. The keys press softly with little noise. There is a small amount of flex in the top left of the keyboard but it is not obvious without applying above average force and looking carefully. The Ctrl and FN keys are positioned so that the FN is the outer key and Ctrl is wedged between it and the Windows key.
The touch pad looks to be a solid plate, but it functions like a normal ???divided??? touch pad. It is a wide touch pad to compensate for the wide screen and has the ???virtual mouse wheel??? section on the right side for easy scrolling on documents and the web. I found that I had to press a little harder to get the scroll to work, but it did work. I use the included optical scroll mouse (Logitech M-UAG120) when I can and it is pretty good.
February 22nd, 2007
