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(More customer reviews)I watch the tech market fairly closely. My wife has the 13" Macbook (newer LED aluminium one) and really I love it...the "two finger scrolling" is wonderful, but I need a PC for work.
So, here's what I wanted in a new laptop (not in specific order):
1. 2 finger scrolling or at least dedicated scrolling areas (yes, 1 finger dedicated areas on laptops are nice, but still not quite as nice as 2 finger...plus, w/ the multi-touch pads, you get "right-click" w/ 2 fingers)
2. LONG battery life. And no, I don't mean "3 hours" long...I want 10 hours! (remember, each year a laptop battery will lose 1/3 of its performance, so a new 3 hour battery will only last 2 hours after a year!)
3. Performance
4. LED screen (goes w/ battery life), 15".
5. Quality/Build/Warranty
As odd as it seems, there aren't a "lot" of LED screens out there yet, I was looking at a Lenovo, but only the T400s seemed like what I was looking for, and at the cost and only 14", wasn't a good fit. Dell's have gone LED's on most all models, but not great review's on build quality depending on the model series...plus, compare the price of a similarly equipped Dell to this UL50VT...you'll be spending almost 2x as much.
This UL50VT is a PRO for:
1. Switchable graphics (switch from onboard graphics for long batter life...or when plugged in, switch to the 512mb Nvidia card for performance). Really, the best of BOTH worlds. Want awesome performance when sitting at a desk...but also want long battery life when on the go? Who else can provide this? The dedicated Nvidia obviously helps system performance, allowing graphics to run on the video card, freeing up system RAM etc for other things...or switch to battery mode/onboard graphics and live long & prosper.
2. 8-cell battery quotes 10-12 hours of battery life. I have only had this for 1 week, and still tinkering around with the settings, so haven't confirmed this, but 5-6 hours I've had easy, which is definitely more than you'll get with any other laptop regardless. The "ultra low volt" Intel processor draws less than 10 volts of juice. Its a 1.3ghz Core 2 Duo, but Asus overclocks it by DEFAULT and it arrives to you out of the box running at 1.7ghz. This is key...when you are looking at laptops, you have to remember that the "quad-core" and P9600 Core 2's are high-voltage drains...so you really have to decide "what do I want this laptop for?" If you are very rarely going to be without a power plug, then sure, get some other Asus model with a faster processor & full-time dedicated graphics. For me though, I like to grab the laptop and sit on the couch & not have to move the power cord over to the couch as well...plus I travel quite a bit for business...seriously, after a year or two any standard laptop with 2-3 hours of battery life "new" will only be good for an hour or so before turning off. With this Asus, with the extended 8 cell battery stock, the "ultra low"-volt 1.3ghz overclocked to 1.7ghz, plus the onboard video, you can actually grab this notebook and run to the coffee shop or couch for HOURS without having to worry about the power cord...and isn't that really what a laptop is for? Google "Asus Ul50VT" for other reviews on the processor etc, there are more informative articles if you want more details. The Macbook uses the UL voltage Intel processors as well, albeit a slightly faster one (1.9ghz?). Low volt processor, LED screen are two key ingredients to battery life. If you want a P9600 or quad-core or 3.2ghz processor, don't travel too far w/o your cord:) the 1.7ghz is much faster than my old Toshiba, plus w/ Windows 7 it really is awesome and more than capable of handling the vast majority of any consumer's needs.
3. LED screen looks great...I am apparently not that savvy of a screen consumer as others, so I can't complain about the screen, looks much better than my old LCD Toshiba screen, not that different than the Mac.
4. Windows 7 is AWESOME!!!!! I've long been an apologist for Windows, especially having used the Macbook for awhile, but need not apologize any longer! W7 64bit w/ the 1.7ghz and 4gb DDR3 is simply amazing, by FAR the best Windows product I've ever used...and as other reviews will confirm, this OS is nearly on par w/ Mac. I can LITERALLY go TO sleep, and back FROM sleep to an ACTIVE Outlook or Firefox, in LESS than 5 seconds with this Asus. Remember in the past, you might have wanted to look up something on the computer, but would opt not to, b/c it would take 3-5 minutes for your system to load into a use-able state? Not anymore, W7 is efficient & fast, if you switch the power settings to "sleep" instead of hibernate, it literally turns on & is ready to use in mere seconds, same as Mac's. (plus, drag a window to the left of the screen, it auto-sizes it to the left-half of the screen, drag another window to the right edge of the screen, voila! W7 auto-resizes both windows to share the screen 50/50.)
5. Build & quality: Ask tech's at your local retailer or online retailer, which brand they see back the least for repairs, and you'll hear "Asus" more often than not. Unlike other brands that farm out all the hardware to companies around the world, Asus makes most of the components themselves. Who invented the Netbook? Asus. What brand of motherboard is in many laptops? Asus. Many techies swear by Asus, regardless of the poor review NBR gave the UL80VT.
6. Warranty. Asus is the *ONLY* brand to offer the following standard warranty: 2 year global parts/labor & shipping, PLUS 1 year accidental warranty. Go through the checkout process on any other brand online, and you'll add on $100-200 to your laptop cost to have a similar warranty. Figure that for $800 you are getting 1 year accidental and 2 years parts/labor/shipping, plus Asus' reputation for build, and its close to a no-brainer.
CONS for the UL50VT:
1. NOTE! The UL50VT and the UL50AG ARE NOT THE SAME! This is probably my main pet peeve with the "VT"...when I tried out a UL50AG at Best Buy for $675, I was in love with it! Why? B/c the surface around the keyboard/touch pad is a matte rubber...no finger prints! So I ordered the "VT" for $100 ore and am disappointed...Asus, along w/ Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc figures that 99% of all laptop users must be in high school. I mean, high-school kids like shiny things right? Who doesn't like neat shiny surfaces!? Well Asus (& HP & Toshiba) here's an unknown fact for you...most people that actually "use" a laptop instead of polishing it & placing it on a mantle as a room decoration, *HATE* glossy/shiny surfaces...If the UL50VT came w/ the same matte rubber deck as the "AG" this would be a 5 star notebook, but it is a serious flaw IMO.
2. The mouse left/right buttons are a sure bet to develop repetitive stress injury (RSI). Unlike most right/left buttons, which have two different buttons/pads...this has "one" long button, that has a pivot point in the middle of the button. As such, the button is near impossible to use without pressing on the far edge of either side of the button, and your fingers/thumb will certainly get tired copy & pasting, dragging & scrolling as it requires considerable force to hold the button down.
3. 2 plastic stickers over the screw on the bottom of the screen panel look like they'll come off soon. The DVD tray seems to vibrate against the chassis when in use (loud noise)...I use a CD/DVD like 3 times a year, so this isn't an issue for me, and I'm not sure if this is an issue for all units or just mine.
Solutions:
1. If you can find a skin to put around the keyboard/touchpad, that'll fix the finger-print issue. [...] has one, but they won't sell you the skin unless you buy the Asus from them:( Skinit.com really only sells the "A" surface skin (the back lid)...I might have to buy a generic skin and try & cut it out to fit around the keys/pad, or carry around a lens cleaning cloth!
2. Luckily, the Asus comes with the Elan mouse driver...which supports the multi-touch/multi-touchpad. Asus really just needs to realize PC's are trying to catch up with Macbook's here and not try to re-invent the wheel. The default settings it comes with must be changed for best results. Change the "right-click" to be actioned by "two-finger" tap, instead of three-finger tap by default. Now, you can scroll up & down (& left/right) with two fingers anywhere on the touchpad (not just the right edge as w/ one-finger scrolling). You can left click with one finger tap. You can now right-click with two-finger tap...just like the Macbook glass touchpad. You double tap with one finger then scroll left/right to highlight text, then tap the highlighted selection w/ two fingers to bring up the right-click menu (copy/paste/etc). Once you get used to using the touchpad like a Mac, w/o the left/right button, you'll forget how bad the right/left buttons are (plus its more efficient in the long-run to just use the touchpad I think...two finger scrolling will make you wonder why you wasted years and caused carpel-tunnel on a PC...too bad they wasted space w/ the RSI causing buttons instead of a bigger touchpad).
Summary: If only the UL50VT came in the same material the UL50AG came in and with a right/left mouse button that didn't cause RSI (repetitive stress syndrome), it would be 5 out of 5 stars; a true Macbook killer for 1/2 the cost!!! Long battery life, LED screen, Full size-keyboard (Number Pad), Chicklet keys to keep out dust, ultra-low voltage processor, reliable quality, awesome standard warranty, switchable graphics and DDR3 memory on a 64bit W7 OS. For $823 you can get the UL50VT, or for $100 less (don't forget taxes if buying locally), you can get the UL50AG. Honestly, if you are on a budget, I think the "AG" is a steal of a deal and saves you the glossy/fingerprints. For $100 more w/ the VT, I'll take...Read more›
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