Asus W5A Reviews
Asus W5A laptop
Measuring in at just 11.7″ x 8.7″ x 1.2″ and with a claimed weight of 3.45 pounds the Asus W5A includes the new Pentium M processor 770 (2.13GHz) with a 533MHz front-side bus speed, though there is a choice of a Pentium M 730 (1.6GHz) to 770 (2.13GHz) processor. There’s support for DDR2 RAM though the maximum RAM allowed a pitiful 768MB which came with the W5A. Also there the available hdd is 4,200rpm 80GB drive with 30GB to 80GB options.
The graphics of the Asus W5A notebook are enhanced by the Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 900 with an 12.1″ WXGA display – glare type TFT LCD (native 1280 x 768).
Asus W5A Reviews
The Asus W5A review from Pc World states:
A swiveling Webcam and an all-white carbon fiber case highlight the Asus W5A, an ultraportable laptop weighing just 4.1 pounds (not including its power adapter). Vanilla-hued laptops are not my favorite, because of the smudge factor if nothing else. But I had a ball taking snapshots and making videos using the Asus Mobile Vision Camera W5-A01, a rotating camera set in a snazzy chrome frame centered at the top of this portable’s 12-inch wide-aspect screen, and the LifeFrame Webcam software.
The Webcam swivels 180 degrees for shooting in front of or behind the laptop. Three screen-frame shortcut buttons provide a quick way to activate the camera and take a picture, zoom into a scene digitally up to three times, and turn on the microphone for sound with videos.
Beyond the camera, the $1649 Auss W5A is nicely equipped overall, featuring a three-in-one memory card reader, a FireWire port, an S-Video-out port, and three USB 2.0 ports. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi handle your short- and long-range wireless communications needs. However, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive is the only optical drive available for the W5A laptop, so you’ll be able to burn CDs but not DVDs.
And note the conclusion:
Lightweight and fully equipped, the Asus W5A laptop goes one step further than most ultraportables with a swivel Webcam.
There is also an Asus W5A review from CNET. They write:
“The first Sonoma we got to test was the elegant pearl-white ASUS W5A. Undoubtedly a good looker, the top-end 2.13GHz processor does no harm in boosting processing power. There are abundant features such as a built-in receiver supporting wireless mice and a nifty swiveling Web cam on the screen. Though battery life is a let-down, ASUS has done a pretty good job in turning out a solid machine
ASUS’ featherweight thin-and-light appears to have the same white veneer as the stylish S5NE. The compact white beauty has a 275 x 235 x 29.8mm frame weighing 1.55kg without the battery (1.8kg with a 4800mAh Lithium-ion cell). Sporting a reflective 12.1-inch widescreen, the Asus W5A features a hingeless lid with a 1.3 megapixel camera which can be swiveled 180 degrees.”
Taking 8 points and an “Excellent” Rating the Asus W5A receive this review conclusion:
“Should you need a sleek, featherweight machine with the power, this ASUS might do the trick, but mind the battery life.”
HotHardware writes about the Asus W5A ultra-portable laptop (review):
“We have mixed feelings on the Asus W5A laptop. There are two main groups that this notebook will attract: people looking for a high performance ultra-portable or those looking for a multimedia ultra-portable. Our problem lies mainly with those looking for a multimedia ultra-portable.
This notebook from Asus doesn’t use a top notch display panel along with the glare coating, which is a problem in our opinion. The occasional movie watcher may be content with the display, but if you sit it side by side with other notebooks, you will definitely find the Asus W5A at a disadvantage in display quality. ”
At the end of the day, the Asus W5A is certainly an impressive looking ultra-portable laden with many features. However, it is still in need of some polish. With a current price just under $1,600 (seen at a low of $1,596 including shipping), the W5A isn’t terribly expensive. In its current form, we are giving the W5A a 7 on the HotHardware Heat Meter scale.
Notebook Review writes about the new Asus W5A laptop:
The Asus W5A has a lot going for it, and in my opinion it is one of the best looking notebooks available. It is sleek, thin, lightweight, has a bright and shiny 12.1″ wide screen, is well built and is extremely attractive. The added bonus of a built in web cam, Bluetooth, a slick wireless mouse and an included carry case make the Asus W5A a good value too.
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The Asus W5A is a fine small notebook, with sturdy build quality, good looks, and good performance. It’s a good value and very portable due to its size and build quality.
