Asus F3Jc Review

by Silver Hannolainen

Overview and Introduction

The Asus F3Jc is a lower-budget brother of the F3Ja. It is also branded as a "portability" notebook, but lacks the higher-end graphics cards of its more powerful and higher priced brethren. It is still equipped very respectably with a Geforce Go 7300 graphics card and an Intel Core Duo T2250 processor.

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Specifications:

• Intel Core Duo T2250 1,73GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB
• Intel 945PM chipset
• 1GB DDR2 RAM (1x512MB stock Nanya DDR2-667 and 1x512MB added Hynix DDR2-533)
• 15.4" WXGA "glossy" screen at 1280x800 resolution.
• nVidia Geforce Go 7300 128MB (up to 512MB with TurboCache) at 350/600MHz core/memory speeds
• 80GB Seagate Momentus 5400.2 HDD (5400rpm, 8MB cache, SATA)
• 8x Super Multi DVD±RW optical drive (Matshita DVD-RAM UJ-850S)
• 3-in-1 SD/MMC/Memory Stick reader
• Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCIe wireless card
• 6Cell 4800mAh battery
• Ports: 1 x Headphone jack, 1 x Microphone-in jack, 1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line, 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack, 4 x USB 2.0 ports, 1x IEEE1394 port, 1 x TV Out (S-Video), 1 x ExpressCard54 slot, 1 x DVI Port, 1 x VGA Port
• Dimensions: 365 x 269.5 x 28-40.5 mm
• Weight: 2.95kg / 6.5lbs (with 6Cell battery)

This particular model lacks Bluetooth and an integrated webcam.

Reasons for Buying

The main reason for buying this notebook was to aid me in my studies at Tallinn Technical University. I also wanted to play games such as Counter-Strike Source and Wolfenstein Enemy Territory while on campus. The main principle was that the notebook had dedicated graphics, so my choices were quite limited price-wise. Before I came across a local Asus-certified reseller, I was bent on buying a used but well-kept Dell D600. Luckily, an unexpected budget boost enabled me to look for other non-used choices. With the boost, I was strictly limited to a $1,250/€990 budget and that enabled me to go ahead and buy the F3Jc reviewed here. (All $ prices in USD)

Where and How Purchased

I bought the machine through another firm, which enabled me to skip the 18% VAT (that's actually not a tax fraud here where I live, in case you were wondering), resulting in a final price of €980. The notebook came with 512MB of RAM, so I later bought an extra 512MB stick for $49/€38.

I think it was a pretty good bargain because other brand notebooks (Dell Inspiron 6400 etc.) with similar specs start around the $1,500/€1200 price point and the Compal HGL30/HEL80-based gaming machines at $1,350/€1050.

Build & Design

The lid after a months use. AC adapter and mouse shown for size comparison. ( view large image)

I have to agree with the F3Ja review here - the build quality is very nice. When twisting or applying pressure to the back of the LCD, no ripples appear on the screen. The screen hinges are quite solid so its neccessary to hold the notebook down when opening the screen. The button and latch mechanism which holds the screen shut seems a little fragile, so I wouldn't abuse that part too much. There is very little or no flex when picking the notebook up from both front corners, although I wouldn't attempt it with only one corner. The right palmrest flexes a little when pushed down but the left one is solid because of the HDD situated underneath. The weight, close to 4kg including the AC adapter, mouse and carry bag is reasonably luggable between home and university, but I wouldn't take in for longer walks. One thing I do not understand is why on earth put 2 extra feet on the battery?

Screen

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The screen is a glossy widescreen 15,4" WXGA 1280x800 resolution unit. I can't say that there is anything awfully wrong with the screen - both the brightness and contrast are plentiful, black is black, white is white and it's somewhat viewable in indirect sunlight, at least in my opinion. One slight annoyance is that the screen collects dust pretty fast but Asus includes a special microfiber cloth to wipe it off. Also, the viewing angles could be better in my opinion and the following pictures should illustrate my point. Luckily there aren't any dead nor bright pixels to be found on my screen.

Asus includes a piece of pre-installed software called "ASUS Splendid Technology Utility", which can be used to adjust the settings for the screen. It has several preset modes and you can customize one on your own. Personally I tried this feature but found no real practical use for it, so uninstalled it. Also, there is a hotkey to swap between different screen presets. Below is a picture to illustrate the light leakage found when viewing a black screen. In everyday usage, one would definetly not notice it that much.

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Speakers

The speakers are located above the keyboard, just below the screen. I've found the speakers to be sufficient for makeshift listening at university when I have no headphones at hand. The volume is loud enough but definetly lacking bass, which is usual on notebook speakers. At home I usally plug in a 4.1 speaker system, which offers a much more satisfactory listening experience, although recently a problem concerning internal/external speakers has sprung up, but more on that later.

Processor and Performance

Although the Intel Core Duo T2250 1,73GHz is one of the lower-end models of Intel's Core Duo lineup, its performance is still pretty impressive in comparison to my desktop AMD Athlon64 3000+ overclocked to 2.25GHz. The T2250 managed to complete SuperPi 1M a whole 2 seconds faster than the aforementioned AMD-equipped Desktop PC despite its lower 533Mhz Front Side Bus (FSB), although it is left slightly behind by its 667MHz FSB Core 2 Duo bretheren.

The overall feel is snappy thanks to the 1 GB of RAM, only the 5400RPM Seagate SATA HDD was feeling a little left in the dust compared to my desktop's 250GB 7200rpm Seagate 7200.8 HDD. For some strange reason, Firefox 2.0 temporarily hangs once in while, but maybe thats the fault of the OS. After pressing the power button, startup takes 38 seconds to get to the login screen and another 30 seconds for the notebook to become fully usable.

Graphics are handled by the Geforce Go 7300, a low-end card suitable for light gaming. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will run relatively well at 20-40 frames per second (fps) depending on draw distance. Counter-Strike 1.6 will run 100fps+ unless in a smoke cloud. With some tweaking, CS: Source and Flatout 2 will run at over 40fps. All games were run at 1280x800 native resolution, so if you choose to run your games at lower-res, you will get better performance at the cost of image sharpness, as always with TFT LCD-s.

Benchmarks

SuperPi

SuperPimeasures CPU performance by calculating Pi to a specific number of digits.

Notebook	Time to Calculate Pi to 2 Million Digits
Asus F3Jc (1.73GHz Intel T2250)	1m 28s
Asus A6Jc (1.66GHz Intel T2300)	1m 21s
Asus W7J (1.66Ghz Core 2 Duo)	1m 19s
Asus A8Js (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 04s
HP dv6000z (1.8GHz Turion64 X2 TL-56)	1m 54s
Compaq V3000T(1.6GHz Core Duo)	1m 26s
Dell Inspiron e1505 (2.00 GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 02s
Toshiba A100 (2.0GHz Core Duo)	1m 18s
Acer Aspire 5102WLMi(1.6GHz Turion64 X2 TL-50	2m 22s
Gateway E-100M (1.2GHz Core Solo ULV)	2m 02s
Dell Inspiron 600m (1.6 GHz Dothan Pentium M)	2m 10s
HP dv5000z (2.0GHz Sempron 3300+)	2m 02s

3DMark05

3DMark05 tests the graphics processing capabilities of a system:

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3DMark05 Results and Comparison:

Notebook	3DMark 05 Results
Asus F3Jc (1,66 GHz Core Duo, Nvidia GeForce Go7300 128MB)	1,710
Asus F3Ja (1.83 GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 256MB)	3,696
Asus W7J (Core 2 Duo, 1.66Ghz, NVIDIA 7400)	1,980
Apple MacBook Pro (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)	2866
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60 Nvidia GeForce Go7800 GTX)	7,078
ThinkPad T43 (1.86GHz, ATI X300 64MB graphics)	727
Asus V6Va (2.13 GHz Pentium M, ATI Radeon Mobility x700 128 MB)	2,530
Fujitsu n6410 (1.66 GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB)	2,273
HP dv4000 (1.86GHz Pentium M, ATI X700 128MB)	2,536
Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 256MB)	4,157

3DMark06

3DMark06 is a very similiar graphics processing test to 3DMark05, but with more visual detail.

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3DMark06 Results and Comparison:

Notebook	3D Mark 06 Results
Asus F3Jc (1,73 GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go7300 128MB)	693
Asus A8Js (2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, Nvidia Go 7700 256MB)	2,665
Apple MacBook Pro (2.00GHz Core Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 128MB)	1,528
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB)	2,183
ASUS A8Ja (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 512MB)	1,973
Dell XPS M1710 (2.16GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB)	4,744
HP Pavilion dv6000z (1.8GHz Turion X2 TL-56, nVidia GeForce Go 7200 256MB)	674
Sony SZ-110B in Speed Mode (1.83GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7400 256MB)	794
Toshiba Satellite P100-222 (2.16GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GS 512MB)	3,534

HD Tune

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Heat and Noise

The F3Jc has cooling vents galore, sadly the smaller vents on the right are for the cooling fan. Shown without the battery.(view large image)

First off, I have to say that the notebook isn't as silent as cracked up to be. After turning the thing on, it is silent until the CPU temperature hits 38°C, after that point, the fan stays on quite audibly in a quiet room. When put under heavier load, the fan incrementally speeds up (in relation to the CPU temp.) to a rather high level of noise, although still being quieter than my Desktop PC. The highest CPU temperature I have seen is 61°C under heavy load.

The trade-off is that the notebook is relatively cool throughout. The area under the keyboard and palmrest stays pleasantly warm, but not excessively hot. The only area that significantly warms up is the upper-right corner on the underside. It is not a problem to play games with the notebook on your lap for shorter periods of time (let's say 15 minutes), whether plugged in or not. Just be sure not to cover up the little cooling fan vents under the right side.

Keyboard and Touchpad

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The keyboard is something on this notebook I'm fully satisfied with. There is no perceptable flex, keys are full-sized and feel good. Also, the Fn and Ctrl keys are where they should be on a notebook - Ctrl in the lower-left corner and Fn right next to it. This makes the keyboard much more usable in First Person Shooter (FPS) games and of course when you're a frequent keyboard shortcut user. However I've found myself pressing D instead of S and F instead of R, because I usually check my finger placement with the groove in the desktop keyboard's Caps Lock key, which is absent in this notebook, and in every notebook for that matter. This should be a non-issue once one gets used to it. As you may have noticed, those green letters are Cyrillic (Russian letters). Since my particular notebook was originally meant for the Russian market, it carries these letters. I don't make use of them but they don't get in the way either.
The touchpad is also quite satisfactory, although when scrolling with the appropriate area, when you let go of the touchpad, it still keeps scrolling and the only way to stop it is to touch the scroll area again. Again, a non-issue. It is nice that one is able to disable the touchpad either with the appropriate hotkey or Fn+F9 key combination. Otherwise works fine with the pre-installed Synaptics drivers.

Correct Ctrl / Fn placement as seen on the F3 series (view large image)

Hotkeys, from left to right: ASUSDVD hotkey, Power4Gear preset key, touchpad toggler, Splendid preset key, default web browser key, power button ( view large image)

Input and Output Ports

Right side, from front to back: ExpressCard/54 slot, 2x USB 2.0 ports, Mini IEEE1394 port, S-Video out port, DVI-I and VGA ports, RJ11 telephone modem and RJ45 LAN ports( view large image)

Front: Wireless LAN card on/off switch, lid open button, microphone-in jack, headphones-out jack. ( view large image)

Left side: Kensington lock port, DVD burner. ( view large image)

Back: AC adapter plug with adapter cord attached, exhaust vent, 2x USB 2.0 ports and the battery itself. ( view large image)

Wireless

The included wireless card is an Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG, which supports all known 802.11 WiFi standards (a/b/g), although not the latest Draft-N. Signal strength is "Excellent" when a ZyXEL P320W WiFi router is behind a reinforced concrete wall about ~8cm thick. I really can't comment on how several of such walls affect signal strength but the net is still barely surfable on "Very Low" or "No Signal", surprisingly. Since this is a budget notebook, there is no Bluetooth or Infrared, but I can live without these. By default, the wireless management software is Intel's PROSet Wireless, which I have found to be a resource hog (runs 4 processes) and with no real tangible benefit over Windows XP's own similar utility.

Operating System and Software

The icons adorning the taskbar after the first startup.

The notebook comes pre-installed with Windows XP Home Service Pack 2. There isn't much bloatware (such as Skype), though the taskbar is filled with icons of doubtful usefulness, such as a telephone modem "helper" and touchpad indicator . For power management, Asus includes its own "Power4Gear" utility, through which preset modes can be cycled using Fn+Space key combination or a dedicated hotkey (see above). The change of screen brightness and sound volume using appropriate Fn+F1-12 combinations is illustrated by an OSD (On-Screen-Display) in the upper-left corner of the screen. After using Power4Gear for some time, I found that it didn't give me enough control over my notebook, so I unistalled it and installed Notebook Hardware Control (henceforth NHC), a universal and powerful program for hardware monitoring and power management.

Recently, I installed Windows Vista RC2, which ran fine but the Geforce Go's driver support was seriously lacking so I promptly recovered back to Windows XP using the bundled recovery disks. Complete recovery time was close to an hour, if not more.

List of included CDs:

• Asus DVD
• PowerDirector Pro
• Medi@ Show
• Norton Internet Security 2005
• Asus F3 Driver & Utility CD
• Nero OEM Suite
• Windows XP Home Edition Recovery Disk

List of pre-installed software:

• ASUSDVD
• ASUS Live Update
• ASUS Splendid Video Enhancement Technology
• Power4Gear
• nVidia ForceWare display drivers version 84.85
• Nero OEM Suite
• Intel PROSet Wireless Software
• Synaptics Touchpad Software
• ATK media (for hotkey functionality)
• Symantec Norton Internet Security 2005
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0

Note one thing, install Laptopvideo2Go's modified 92.91 drivers at your own risk, you might get a Blue Screen of Death at the end of the installation. I did, but after the restart suprisingly LV2Go's drivers were installed, games ran fine and benchmark scores were the ones achieved above.

Battery

An Asus-branded 6-cell 4800mAh battery is used, which is by now a month old and achieves the following results (in practical situations):

• 50 minutes of light usage (movies, typing this review) and according to NHC 66% / 2:15hrs remaining at 6/16 screen brightness (without WiFi).
• 30 minutes of playing Age of Empires 3 with nVidia PowerMizer set to "Max Performance" drains close to 40% from the battery (without WiFi).
• Watching a 1:20 movie with maximum screen brightness and in NHC processor speed set to "Max Battery" drains 45% from the battery (with WiFi).

With full charge, the notebook ran for two 1:30hr lectures with NHC set to "Max Battery" and in the end 15% battery remained. I never had the chance to fully drain the battery, but a guesstimate would be up to 3:30 with low load.

Customer Support

Where Asus doesn't have its service centers, such as here in Estonia, local resellers handle warranty issues, or at least they try to. Since I bought my notebook at a reseller, I can expect them to send it to a service center if it decides to malfunction in such a way that I can't fix it myself. Unfortunately, the nearest official one is in Moscow, Russia and the process of shipping and other related things could take as much as a month. As far as I know, all Asus Ensemble (non-barebone) notebooks sold in the EMEA region come with a standard 2-year international warranty and so does the notebook reviewed here.

In the speakers section of this review, I mentioned that I ran into a rather small but usage-limiting problem. Whenever one plugs in headphones, the notebook's own built-in speakers mute automatically. When I first got the machine, everything worked fine in this respect, but all of a sudden after turning on the machine, the built-in speakers no longer mute. It seems that a lot of F3J series users have had the same problem. The particular reseller's technician was unable to fix it in 15 minutes, can't really blame them for not trying.

Conclusion

If you're on a low budget and don't want to compromise on build quality or weaker components, then you may just find a sweet spot for an Asus F3 series notebook. The F3Jc has everything I want and has awesome value for the money paid, you'll even get a free carry bag and optical Asus-branded Logitech notebook mouse. It does have some weaker points, such as noise and infrequent minor technical glitches, but otherwise well worth the buy.

Pros

• Value for money
• Good build quality and input devices
• Overall nice screen
• Conveniently placed ports (at least for me)
• Very stylish

Cons

• Noisy
• Some may dislike that most the ports are on the right side
• Less-than-ideal techsupport in my area
• Infrequent driver glitches (probably my fault, may not happend to you)

Extra pictures

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Source: notebookreview

Asus G1 Review

by Mark Mierzwa

This is a review of the G1 Gaming Laptop by ASUS. This laptop defies traditional categorization since it provides gaming performance while maintaining a mobile capability. Normally gaming notebooks are isolated to larger entertainment style laptops that have low battery life. However, the Asus G1 being reviewed here can provide excellent multimedia and gaming performance while remaining portable with good battery life.

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First impressions:

Packaging:

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The box was secure and did not seem like the contents were loose or shaking inside. After opening the first outer box, the backpack and G1 box were revealed. A piece of cardboard the height and length of the remaining space wedged the G1 box in snuggly. The backpack was folded and sealed in plastic. Inside the G1 box, the contents were divided into two sections, the laptop in an anti-static bag secured by fitted plastic foam and a brown box. Inside the brown box was contained all the various discs, parts, and promised corded gaming mouse. The top of the laptop was covered with a plastic protective film along with other various protective measures, such as a sheet between the monitor and keyboard, and a plastic sheet over the monitor. Several decorative and informative plastic inserts highlighting the features of the notebook were also present.

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The laptop:

Asus G1 gaming laptop, fresh out of the box (view large image)

I observed the overall design and proportions of the unit and found them satisfactory. The laptop was not small but certainly not huge. The finish and textured look was impressive and gave a sophisticated look to it. It was scratch free and did not have any obvious blemishes. Finger prints were not immediately noticeable, though at close inspection you could observe them. All the expected ports and devices were present. The optical drive had several labels but nothing in regards to LightScribe (More on this later). The laptop being billed as a Gaming Laptop was certainly true from the exterior. The strobes, colored squares around the "W", "A", "S" and "D" keys, a sleek dark design, OLED, and all seeing evil eye gave it that serious gaming experience on the exterior. A true Gaming Laptop is impressive inside and out.

Top view of Asus G1 (view large image)

Under side view of the Asus G1 (view large image)

On the outside it had 'the look,' but would it cook?

During the time I first started charging the laptop I decided to call ASUS support for more information. I spoke with an Albert there and he seemed friendly enough,after a moment of relating my information to him he asked how he could be of assistance. I inquired about his knowledge of the unit, which he was aware of and semi-knowledgeable about. I asked as to whether or not the indicator would show when the battery was full, and if he knew if there was LightScribe or not (more on this later). He advised me that the battery indicator would turn off, and that he had seen LightScribe as an option on the model they had trained on, but had not tested it and would need to inquire further. I asked about hours of operation and so forth and he seemed to know what he was talking about. Satisfied, I returned to waiting and after about one hour the light turned off as promised.

In action:

I plugged the laptop in, per the instructions, and waited for an indication of a full charge. After about one hour the charging indicator extinguished. I turned the laptop on and was able to boot up without incident. The POST (Power-On Self Test) had a cool little ASUS Gaming Laptop logo that made a neat sound effect and, after making a mental note to disable it, I proceeded to wait for the rest of the startup. Windows proceeded through the setup normally and I was on the desktop in no time. I was then advised to reboot. After the reboot I proceeded my testing with single-minded precision.

Specs for ASUS G1 AK008M:

• Processor: ASUS G1 Intel® Core™2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz)
• Screen: 15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) ColorShine
• RAM: 2048M DDR2 667
• Hard Disk: 160GB HD 5400 RPM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForceGo 7700 GPU 512 MB
• Optical Drive: M-a-t-s-h-i-t-a DVD-RAM UJ-850S DVD RW DL (No LightScribe)
• Wireless: A/B/G + Bluetooth
• Card Reader: MMC, SD, MS, MS-Pro
• Operating System: Windows Media Center Edition
• Kensington Lock hole
• 1.3 Mega Pixel camera with microphone
• Included Accessories: ASUS Optical Mouse (Logitech MX518), backpack

Reasons for Buying:

I've been considering my laptop purchase since last year, and have pondered many models by all manufacturers, but in particular models by Acer, MSI, and ASUS. I had previously considered the ATI x700 and x1600 graphic chipsets, so it is odd that I decided on an Nvidia 7700 GPU based model, but in my opinion it was the best current GPU for the 15.4" laptop.

My main requirements were gaming performance, battery life, manageable body size, a good warranty and a cost below $2,000. My wish list included LightScribe, Windows XP Professional, ExpressCard slot, DVI-D, and Bluetooth. The G1 satisfied a number of my wants and all of my needs. I did consider waiting for a DX10 certified mobile GPU chipset, but then I decided that limited immediate adoption and the DX legacy compatibility of DX9 made it worth picking this one up now.

Where and How Purchased:

I purchased the laptop from MilestonePC.com. I placed my order as a pre-order and was very fortunate to receive the laptop from the initial shipment. Danny was very helpful and the service was good. As an early adopter, I did pay the original MSRP of $1,799. I purchased it as an individual outside of any group plan and there were no other incentives.

Build & Design:

The laptop is solid with little flex. The build is of good quality. The hinge is sturdy and the screen easily adjusts position. It does wobble slightly when shaken and may prove disturbing on trains, planes, and automobiles. I pushed on the lid and received no observable ripple. I twisted the LCD but it did not have any give. When closed, you can pull up on the top and observe the latch does not hold the unit together firmly. Some may consider it slightly annoying that the laptop does not snap shut tightly. The textured look is very subtle but noticeable and does not show finger prints too obviously. At roughly 7 lbs (6.8lbs by some accounts, though I have yet to weigh it myself) it is light enough to be considered portable and the backpack is ideal for transferring the weight into an easily carried form.

All the lights and buttons have worked thus far. The strobes, illuminated eye above the DJ, and OLED display add to the overall presentation rather than giving a gimmicky feel as they could have. I am not sure what the cause of the strobes to illuminate is, it's seemingly random and they activate at unusual points, but when they do light they are bright but not blinding. I examined the features for Direct Flash and only observed an On/Off option.

Screen:

The screen is beautiful with a slight hint of imperfection. There is a touch of light leakage on the bottom portion of the screen. I am not overly sensitive to this and it's only really noticeable on a black screen and if you're looking for it. It is not as bad as some Asus A8Js models I have seen images of in the NBR Forums, but still there is some. If it becomes an issue I will more clearly document it.

The laptop has a native resolution of WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) displayed on a 15.4-inch TFT screen.

I have not observed any ghosting on the screen and the desktop and applications display well. There were no dead pixels and the screen is free of scratches or any type of damage.

A web camera is located at the top of the screen (view large image)

Speakers:

The speakers are on the front right and left corners of the laptop and point seemingly outward left and right. I have listened to a few Windows sounds and watched a DVD and can say everything is clear. The audio seems louder when you are on either side of the laptop, but the blend in the middle will provide the best of both channels. Like many laptop speakers, they are good enough but do not match the quality and fidelity of external speakers. They are above average for laptop speakers but for ‘gaming’ you would like the precision and depth that advanced speakers and headphones may provide.

Processor and Performance:

The processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0GHz). Boot up sequences are quick and the POST is probably on a quick check by default.

The hard drive is a SATA 160GB 5400 RPM drive. A fairly large sized amount of space though at only 5400 RPM this may lead to longer delays in read times.

The laptop contains 2GB of DDR2 667MHz memory. The two slots are filled with 1GB sticks, maxing out the upgrade potential. 2GB seems like a lot for Windows XP Media Center though in Vista with additional addressing space and memory intensive applications, 2GB this may seem less hefty.

The Nvidia Go 7700 is not as capable as the 7600 GT or 7800 and higher chipsets, but still very capable. With more power behind it than most multimedia laptops it competes almost directly with the Acer Ferrari 5000 series

Heat and Noise:

The heat thus far from the unit has been manageable. It starts to become uncomfortable in my lap after about an hour and a half. After three hours my legs were tired, but the laptop was not any hotter than it was at the 1.5 hour mark and the touchpad was barely more than normal warmth. Given the time of year, my hands are actually somewhat cold while typing this and might enjoy a toasty touchpad!

A heat vent is present on the back of the unit, there are no side vents. There are several vents on the bottom and the center, the largest vent produces the most heat.

The fan uses a variable speed and I rarely hear it enter cooling overdrive. There have been moments on startup when loading the entire OS that it starts up at full speed but then slows down.

Keyboard and Touchpad:

The keyboard and touchpad are well designed with a few noteworthy features.

Keyboard and touchpad view, the (view large image)

The keyboard is an 88-key keyboard that is situated in a normal manner (centered). It does not have an ergonomic curve and is rather straight across. The keys press softly with little noise. You would probably not be scolded for typing away in a quiet room. There is a small amount of flex in the center of the keyboard but it is not obvious without applying above average force and looking carefully. The W, A, S, D keys are highlighted in green to make them more apparent, their significance is well known to the gamer demographic they are targeting. Of note, the Ctrl and FN keys are positioned so that the Ctrl is the outer key and FN is wedged between it and the Windows key.

"DJ" media buttons located at the front of the G1, above them is the glowing gaming eye (view large image)

The touchpad features the same textured look as the rest of the body with the glowing gaming eye below the touchpad, acting as a type of divider between the left and right click buttons. The eye is lit constantly and serves as no type of indicator and is not a button. There is a scroll bar on the right of the touchpad and it is easily activated.

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The DJ is not technically part of the touchpad, but it is located directly below the touchpad. Pressing the PWR button loads Windows Media Player though pressing it again does not turn it off. While in Media Player you can use Next/Fast Forward, Previous/Rewind, Stop, and Play/Pause buttons to control the playing media. The Fast Forward and Rewind functions do not work while playing a song as they merely skip to the next or previous song. While Media Player is not on, pressing the Play/Pause button turns on the ASUSTek ASUS DVD application. There is no worry about pressing these buttons accidentally with your arm or finger as they are flush with the lip of the case. This does make them difficult to press as you need to apply pressure on the button surface with a finger nail and depress a small amount.

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Typically I can navigate the controls without issue and for a laptop touchpad and keyboard they are very functional with a little extra touch of special features that adds to the gaming design. In its shortcomings thoug, it can be noted that the laptop does not take advantage of Windows Media Center’s additional input functions such as a dedicated volume slider, turn knob, or touch activated slide sensor. Without using the software the only way to mute, unmute, raise, and lower the volume are with FN combinations. These functions depend on Windows to operate and therefore cannot be used before it loads.

Input and Output Ports:

The Asus G1 has the following ports:

• 1 x TypeII PCMCIA slot
• 1 x Microphone-in jack
• 1 x Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF)
• 1 x Line-in jack
• 1 x VGA port
• 1 x DVI-D port
• 4 x USB 2.0 ports
• 1 x IEEE 1394 port (4 pin)
• 1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line
• 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
• 1 x TV-out(S-Video)

Asus G1 Left side view (view large image)

Asus G1 Right side view (view large image)

Asus G1 Front side view (view large image)

Asus G1 Back view (view large image)

I would have preferred an ExpressCard slot, but instead the unit included a Type II PCMCIA slot. I at least have a developed line of existing PC Cards to choose from.

Included with the accessories was an S-Video to RCA output adapter cable.

The necessary ports are seemingly all present though. I used the card reader and was able to open my 1GB SD card but it required a reboot. The power input is on the back of the laptop, which is a plus.

Wireless:

The built-in wireless A/B/G + Bluetooth is an excellent feature. Thus far, I have tested the G wireless and was easily able to connect to my Belkin router and remain connected. I could turn the WiFi on and off and each time it would reconnect quickly. The Bluetooth and WiFi controls are paired so you can pick one of four options with the FN+F2 combination to select between WiFi and Bluetooth, WiFi Only, Bluetooth Only, and both off. I have always been a fan of Bluetooth and probably liked it more than it deserved. I have a Treo 700W with Bluetooth and I am already trying to think of the possibilities and hopefully there are more than just synching. There is supposedly a modem in there, which I might have never noticed if not for the notification area icon for it. The laptop does lack infrared, but I had no plans of utilizing it.

Accessories:

The laptop comes with two specific accessories that are designed to complement the overall gaming package. These include the backpack and the ASUS optical mouse (Logitech MX518 rebranded).

Included Asus mouse (view large image)

The backpack is roomy with two main pouches, a front pouch that contains a large section and holders for pens with two smaller pockets and a main inside pouch that holds the laptop. The main inside pouch is the one located nearest to the the back when worn. The main inside pouch holds the laptop in an upright position between two stiff, soft cloth supporters with a velcro, elastic strip that secures over the top once inserted. In this pouch space exists on either side of the supporters though items probably should not be placed here. Above the supporters is a decently sized net pouch with a zipper. The best place to carry the power brick would most likely be the front pouch along with any other loose accessories. Externally there are four pockets, two that are netted and two that are placed along the zipper on the front pouch. The material is of good quality and it seems durable. The ASUS logos are not obvious though there is one indented on the front pouch so the casual observer would not be inclined to know there is a laptop contained inside. The straps are thick, re-sizeable and generally comfortable. I have worn the backpack only short distances but I have never been uncomfortable when wearing it. There is also an attaching clasp to secure both straps together for extra support.

Asus G1 with included backpack (view large image)

The mouse is a rebranded Logitech MX518 mouse, as it clearly states on a label on the bottom of the unit. The mouse works well and thus far I have been using it on fairly poor surfaces with good results. It is optical and not laser. The corded mouse is somewhat irregular in the concept of the laptop, especially one with Bluetooth included but it does ensure the best response time and performance in games. Regardless, I will replace it with a good RF mouse in the near future as the cord is too cumbersome.

Battery:

After a quick charge of about one hour the laptop charged from an unspecified level of power to full. I attempted a few tests and having never used BatteryEater my results have not been definitive. I will give more details on the battery later after more tests and anecdotal experience. Right now the laptop has been on with Wi-Fi on but with no connection, screen brightness 86%, Bluetooth disabled, in Quiet Office mode for 2 hours, 37 minutes with a remaining estimate of 10%. I have been doing little activity, checking features and verifying items for the review.

I am happy with the battery life and with the power saving Power4 Gear+ running it should allow me to watch a DVD before the battery runs down while on the road. To be on the safe side I do have a power inverter for the car as I do suspect I will need it on long trips.

Operating System and Software:

The included operating system is Windows XP Media Center. It runs well with the specs and in the future it will run Windows Vista (drivers and ASUS willing). I wish it included Windows XP Professional and I am not sure if Media Center was required to make the DJ buttons or any other feature operate, or if it was just a move to diminish cost.

The storage drives include the hard drive, detected as ST9160821AS, and the optical drive, detected as a Matsushita DVD-RAM UJ-850S.

The hard drive was partitioned into three primary partitions. The first was a recovery partition of 3.9GB, a system, active partition of 87.1GB, and a partition labeled data of 58.0GB. The partitions are FAT32 with no preinstalled programs or information on the data drive. The recovery partition does not have an associated drive letter. (Drive sizes quoted per Windows)

The optical drive, located on the left side of the laptop, is responsive and spins up quickly. The eject/open button has worked with each depression. On a small label there are three stickers: DVD, MULTI-RECORDER, and RW DVD + R DL with their respective industry images. The laptop comes preinstalled with LightScribe software but after a check with ASUS through an email correspondence and a quick call it was revealed that the laptop is not LightScribe capable. Why the software was installed or presented clearly on the desktop is unknown to me. A week ago Albert, a rep I spoke with to test the responsiveness of the customer service, was uncertain about LightScribe being on the device and a week later another rep was certain it was not included per an email he had just received. My disappointment aside about LightScribe, the optical drive does work well. The noise it generates is audible, especially during burning, but overall not so much that it may disrupt a movie.

There is a comprehensive set of ASUS branded software included and thus far the largest complaint is the limited features of customization in the Direct Console for manipulating the Direct Flash and Direct Messenger. Direct Messenger allowed me to add a personal line of text, display the current time (uses system time), and choose from a series of icons of which I could add several. I am able to add a series of icons and text in one display, but that is of limited value. Some of the applications may prove useful later but I do not expect myself to use the RAM drive or Skype software.

Customer Support:

I spoke with an Albert and he seemed friendly enough and after a moment of relating my information to him he asked how he could be of assistance. I inquired about his knowledge of the unit, which he was aware of and semi-knowledgeable about. I asked as to whether or not the indicator would show when the battery was full, and if he knew if there was LightScribe or not (This laptop does not include LightScribe). He advised me that the battery indicator would turn off, and that he had seen LightScribe as an option on the model they had trained on, but had not tested it and would need to inquire further. I asked about hours of operation and so forth and he seemed to know what he was talking about.

Several days later after developing concerns about LightScribe I placed an afterhours email support request and was answered sometime the next day, though I never received an email notifying me my question was answered. Rather I noticed an update to my ticket/issue on the URL they provided when I placed the request. The question was answered in less than a day with a one line response stating 'The G1 model laptop ODD is only for Supermulti, not capable for LightScribe'. I called back and conferred with a rep that then took my phone number and about an hour later familiar Albert called. He stated there was no LightScribe and that it may have been due to a 'master image issue' which personally I do not believe. I went over a few more items with him such as how to acces the BIOS (F2 on POST), any other features/discrepencies missing or misreported (which he had none), what kind of screen the laptop has (I speculated IPS but he had no idea), and if Direct Messenger was to be improved (He stated there is a known issue with Outlook that was being resolved but no additional functions were being added to his knowledge).

The warranty is a global warranty for two years and Albert stated that I may have an option to get an extra year but it is generally through them (if purchased directly through ASUS) or with the reseller.

Source: Notebookreview

Asus R2H UMPC Review

by Andrew Baxter

The Asus R2H is a UMPC device powered by an Intel Celeron M processor. It’s fairly loaded with features, even including integrated GPS. Asus definitely aimed high by making this device more feature loaded than other UMPC devices. But cramming everything you can into a device with a small screen, underpowered processor and putting a bunch of startup software and processes on it can result in a not so stellar user experience.

Asus R2H UMPC (view large image)

Asus R2H Specs:

• Processor: Intel Celeron-M 900MHz
• Graphics: Intel GMA 900
• Operating System: Windows XP Tablet PC edition + Touch Pack
• Screen: 7-inches diagonally, 800 x 480 resolution
• Memory: 768 MB (1 slot accessible for user upgrade, can hold up to 1GB but sold with 512MB stick)
• Hard Drive: 60GB (4200 RPM, 1.8")
• Weight: 2.2lbs
• Dimensions: 9.21 in x 5.2 in x 1.3 in (width x height x depth)
• Battery: 4-cell battery
• Input / Output Ports:
  • 2 regular USB 2.0 ports and one mini type USB 2.0 with a standard USB adapter included for it
  • VGA/Expansion out port. This can be used as a monitor out, adapter included. This can also be used as a port bar expansion dock. The dock is sold separately.
  • Ethernet network card port 10/100
  • Microphone Port
  • Integrated microphone
  • Headphone port
  • DC in port
  • AV out
• GPS: SirfStarIII GPS chipset
• Camera: Built-in 1.3MP video camera
• Wireless: 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth integrated
  

Packaging and In the Box

The R2H comes very nicely packaged, with a custom designed box sporting a carry handle.

Asus R2H UMPC box (view large image)

Inside the main box you get two more boxes, one that contains the actual R2 device and the other a whole bunch of accessories to go with your R2H.

After opening the main box, you get two more boxes and an instruction book (view large image)

Inside the box you'll get the following items:

• Asus R2, A/C adapter, standard battey, R2 protective sleeve with Velcro close, Mouse, stand, English Manual, Micro fiber cloth wipe, stylus, VGA-out adapter, several discs with software and the OS

Lots of goodies come in the box with the R2H (view large image)

Build and Design

The R2H is eye catching. It’s typical in its Asus look with a brushed aluminum type of finish. The build is rock solid, the case is a very rigid and firm metallic material. It's much sturdier than the somewhat cheap feeling Samsung Q1 UMPC device released in early 2006. The overall device is quite thick, I measure it to be about 1.4" thick when lying flat on a table -- it does have four rubber feet on the back so in actuality it's probably more like 1.25" in overall case thickness. Still, it's no skinny minnie and many an ultraportable laptop can be found that's slimmer. At 2.2lbs it's only slightly lighter than an ultraportable laptop too.

The R2 is designed to be held by two hands at the same time. It has a joystick on the right top side for easy cursor navigation (like a mouse). Below the joystick button on the right side are a Page Up and Page Down button that allow you to quickly scroll through long documents such as web pages. Finally on the right lower side is a shortcut button that brings up a screen allowing you to adjust system settings such as brightness, volume, screen resolution and color mode.

On the left top side is a biometric fingerprint reader that can be used as a login method to Windows. Below that are the equivalent of right and left mouse buttons. In the middle area of the left side is a D-Pad that allows you to easily scroll up, down, left or right in a document. You can't say Asus didn't give you enough ways to get around the screen with the R2.

Finally, on the lower left side is a button that brings up an application called Program Launcher that allows you to quickly navigate to various important program categories such as GPS and communications -- this Program Launcher application is customizable by the user as to what program links it contains.

Using the R2H

While I stated that the R2H is a device to be used holding it with two hands, it's really quite flexible in the way it can be used. I, for instance, found myself using it at the breakfast table to surf news web sites while drinking coffee and munching toast. Simply using the included stand so the device stood facing me and then poking links with a stylus (the Asus R2 is a Tablet PC with touch sensitive screen) to navigate about was quite doable. Just watch you don't spill coffee on the R2.

The built-in kick stand makes it easy to stand the R2 up and face the user for easy tapping of the screen with the stylus (view large image)

The R2 can also sit flat and be used. It has four rubber feet on its back so when you place it lying screen face up the device is slightly elevated to allow the vents on the back to still do their work.

You could also attach a USB keyboard to the device and type a document while using the kickstand to keep the R2 facing you. The major challenge being the limited 7" screen size and its resolution of 800 x 480.

The GPS functionality of this device might make you want to take in the car as a navigation tool. The problem I see here is that there's no way to mount this device, it's way too big, and I wouldn't recommend resting it on the car dashboard. The only real way to use it in the car as a GPS nav tool is to sit it on the passenger seat next to you. Or recruit your passenger as a co-pilot that can use the R2H.

Processor and Performance

The name of the game with the R2H is obviously not performance, the talk should focus more on usability and portability for this device. Unfortunately, it is important to talk about the fairly dire performance you'll tend to get from the R2H. The Celeron M 900MHz processor is just a drag, a Pentium M low voltage processor would have been so much better. Frequently there is lots of lag when using even basic applications or navigating menus. You can watch the screen redraw itself at times. Sometimes when inputting text with the stylus and poking the on screen keyboard you'll tap a letter and it'll register a couple of seconds later. You really have to make sure to stop as many background processes as possible, free up memory and don't run multiple applications at once to make a single program usable. Having said that, Asus included a bunch of software utilities that run in the background, aggravating and stealing resources from an already power starved processor. The very poor processor and overall performance really sinks the usability of this device.

HDTune

The hard drive included with the R2H is a 60GB Hitachi drive, it spins at 4200 RPM. It's slow, but with a device like the R2H it's a sacrifice you have to make to keep size down.

(view large image)

Everest Hardware Report

Everest is used to give a rundown on the hardware inside a PC, following is a link to this report for the R2H: Everest Hardware report

Screen

The R2H screen is 7" diagonally and has a 800 x 480 native resolution. The screen is nice and can be cranked up to be easily readable and bright, but Windows XP on a display of this size is pretty painful to use. Granted it's usable, but can be an exercise in frustration. Sometimes some simple dialogue windows are a bit too large to fit on the screen and you can't click on the "OK" button because you can't fit the entire window on the screen. For instance, when using the Windows wireless network utility to find networks you can select a network okay from a list in the dialogue box, but the "Connect" button isn't on the screen so you sort of have to drag the box around to get the "Connect" button to display on the screen so you can push it.

You can adjust the resolution of the screen so it is higher, you do this by using the built-in Asus Power4 Gear utility (by hitting the bottom right hand button) to select higher resolutions of 800 x 600 or 1024 x 600. However, the graphics and icons will appear a bit distorted and text is fairly hard to read at the highest resolution of 1024 x 600. All the same, I ended up using the 1024 x 600 resolution most of the time so I could see more stuff on the screen.

Below are screenshots of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 used in each screen resolution offered by the R2:

Screen at 800 x 480 (view large image)

Screen at 800 x 600 (view large image)

Screen at 1024 x 600 (view large image)

Ports and Buttons

Let's take a tour around the R2H to see what input and output ports it offers, along with buttons.

On the left side of the R2H you simply see a mini USB 2.0 port, there is a provided expansion cable that converts this to a regular USB 2.0 port.

Left side view of Asus R2 (view large image)

Close-up of the USB mini port with the full sized USB adapter inserted (view large image)

On the right side we have a regular USB 2.0 port, microphone in port, headphone out, and power jack. You'll notice that there's also a door covering some more ports, behind this door is an ethernet port and a port that allows you to connect either a VGA out adapter (included) or to an expansion port for the R2 (not included, an extra option).

Right side view of the R2H (view large image)

Revealing ethernet and expansion ports behind the door cover (view large image)

On the top of the R2H we have an AV out video port, USB 2.0 port, hold button (when this is on, it blocks other button pushes from registering), heat vent and fan, SD card slot, Wireless on/off toggle button, login button and finally the power switch.

Top of the R2 (view large image)

On the bottom of the R2 we just find the battery lock buttons and some vents for allowing heat out.

Bottom of the R2 (view large image)

On the underneath side of the R2H you can see the GPS antenna and kickstand that allows you to prop up the R2 so it can stand facing you. In the bottom left hand side is also a silo for storing the stylus.

(view large image)

On the front side of the R2H you can see the 1.3MP camera located at the top, and next to it an integrated microphone so you can easily use Skype or speech to text functionality of the Tablet PC OS. Down the right side is the joystick navigation button that acts like a mouse, pushing it in acts as a left click. The Page up and Page Down nav buttons are below the joystick on the right, and then a shortcut button to the Asus Power4 Gear utility that allows you to adjust system power and display settings. On the left side is a fingerprint reader for biometric login -- this can be used to replace the regular Windows login. Below that are buttons that serve as left and right mouse click buttons. Below that is a D-pad for screen scrolling -- the joystick controls the cursor while the D-pad serves as a method for scrolling within windows. Finally, on the lower left side is a shortcut button to open the Program Launcher.

Front view of the Asus R2 (view large image)

The Asus Power4 Gear utility comes up when you hit the lower right button (view large image)

When you hit the lower left hand button it launches this built in application called "Program Launcher" where you can quickly navigate to useful programs to open (view large image)

Overall the R2H has an excellent array of ports for its size. It's amazing how much stuff Asus crammed into this device.

GPS

The GPS inside the R2 is the SirfStarIII GPS chipset. This is the most up to date chipset you can get and supposedly offers fast fix times, high sensitivity for locking satellites in urban areas and a low power drain on battery life. However, I struggled for days to get the GPS working within the included Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006. I was never able to acquire satellites from indoors by a window, but going up on the roof of a 21-story building did eventually yield success in acquiring 5 satellites and a very precise location. After that the GPS worked okay, and I could even acquire a couple of satellites from indoors by a window, but performance was never outstanding. I think it might have something to do with all the interference from the internal workings of the R2H. The R2H does have an antenna you can retract to get better satellite reception, but this didn't seem to help things a whole lot. I don't have a car, so I couldn't test for the quality of reception while driving, but when on a bus in a city I had no luck getting satellites.

OS and Software Features

The R2H is a Tablet PC OS run device and the screen is a touch screen type. It is not Wacom Penabled like many other full fledged Tablet PCs on the market. The stylus you get with the R2 is no fancier that what might come with a PDA. I found using Tablet PC applications and writing on the screen tough because of the size, and the feel unnatural. The touch screen capability is cool for screen navigation of course, but if you're looking for a tablet device for school or work this is the wrong type of device to choose. Write one word within Microsoft Journal and you'll have used almost an entire line up given the screen size and resolution.

Included with the R2H is a full version of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006, a handy piece of software for planning trips and getting maps of the U.S. and Canada. The integrated GPS works in conjunction with this program to locate where you are and also provide directions to a destination.

A cool little accessory that comes with the R2 is a Netlink cable that allows you to connect to a PC and access files or optical drives on that PC. It also allows you to browse the hard drive of the R2 from your PC. Below is a picture of the R2 connected to my ThinkPad using this cable.

ThinkPad and Asus R2 connected via included Netlink cable (view large image)

There's a bunch of Asus utilities built into the system as well as the ubiquitous Norton. Honestly, while some of the security stuff and automatic update utilities are well intended, I think the end user would have appreciated a somehow more stripped down OS with minimal pre-installed software. When in native resolution mode (600 x 480) if you open one program and display all the icons in the system tray your entire bottom toolbar is occupied.

The caveat to saying any one piece of software is really great to use on the R2 is the fact the processor and sluggish performance could turn the application into a slog.

Audio

The R2 has a mono speaker built-in on the left lower side. System sounds are fine, but listening to MP3s is quite painful as the sound is tinny and low in volume. Luckily there's a port for headphones, which are recommended.

Heat and Noise

I figured that with the Celeron M processor inside power consumption and heat would be low. But the R2 got hot at times, the fan on the top had to puff out air as fast as it could after a couple of hours of continuous usage. The fan was certainly audible when it revved into high gear. When running HDTune it even warned me my hard drive was at a critical temperature of 59C, so things can certainly get warm inside. The front surface of the R2 never seemed to get really hot, but the back area and vents did get very warm.

Battery

The R2H came with a 4-cell battery, I was prepared for pitiful performance but was able to get 3 hours of usage out of one charge. This was accomplished having the screen brightness set to level 3 brightness (low), but the screen was still quite viewable indoors at this setting. Wireless was toggled between on and off over this period and the device was used for about 2 hours of the time. Battery life certainly beat my expectations.

Wireless

Asus included an 802.11b/g wireless card and Bluetooth. Wireless was decent but reception was not as good as what I get from my regular laptop that has an Intel wireless card. I don't know why, but I always find it kind of neat to surf the web on a smaller device like this and see how favorite websites render on a smaller screen. Not having an integrated keyboard makes typing in web addresses tough though, you have to quickly build out your favorites links so you're doing more touch screen clicking around than trying to type in URLs.

I was able to use Bluetooth to pair with my Treo, but didn't use it outside of that so all I can report is that it does work.