ASUS! What were you thinking?

I realized I needed a more durable laptop than the A8Js. I still do not like the matte screen of the Dell Latitude D620. I heard about the ASUS V2JE. It has a similar construction to the D620, but it is made by ASUS. I found out it has the same matte screen. Stupid business series and their matte screens.

 

Usually most business-oriented laptops have matte screens because they are used in environments where the glossy screens aren't always ideal (and they're intended use doesn't specifically benefit from glossy screens, etc.).

 

The only reason I might need a matte screen is in sunlight. Office lighting does not seem to cause too much glare. Sunlight however, creates so much glare that glossy screens become invisible. Then again, matte screens are so washed out that sunlight makes them hard to see too. Overall matte screen fair better in sunlight, but that is about it.

 

Pick a notebook, buy it, and buy an anti-glare/privacy filter than fits on the NB screen, like Search Amazon.

 

Those only work so well because their viewing angles are worse than with a matte screen. However, my point is most laptop users can use a glossy screen without noticing the glare. I only know of one college student that likes to type while outside. She bought a matte screen for that reason.

 

It's funny, I had written off Asus because they didn't have any matte screens. Now I may consider one again. Must be very hard for these companies to please everyone, ha.

 

Not true. Dell already has the WXGA+ glossy screen on the E1405 laptops. Dell could make it an option for the D620. ASUS has a WXGA+ glossy screen on the A8JS. ASUS could make it an option on the V2JE.

 

errr....you need to read things more carefully. the v2 in asia has matte screen. v2 in u.s. has glossy. if you check both milestonepc and proportable's site, they both state that it has a glossy screen. also, check out milestonepc's pictures. it has a glossy screen.

 

Yes, the V2Je has a glossy screen (but apparently not in Asia...). As far as I know, the D620 has a matte screen too....

 

if that is true i guess you can say that mercedes m series has the same construction as a lexus or infinit. They may be both elite laptops of both asus and dell but i dont think that is a fair comparison at all. by all standards a v2j owner who had to give up the laptop and use the d620 would consider it a downgrade in aesthetics. aside from having obvious superior options the v2j has a better video card (1400 vs 1450) and thinner. Also i dont think the dell has a modular bay and docking option. Point being that the comparison you made is just off. the only thing they have in common is the screen size and chipset really. Asus havinmg a far more superior home warranty which is 2yr standard GLOBAL.

 

Dell and ASUS both have aluminum magnesium cases instead of plastic. As long as it does not fall apart, the looks and build construction are just gravy.

The last time I went to MilestonePC, they said it has a glare reducing screen. I thought that meant matte screen.

The Dell Latitude has the best warranty of any laptop. It is the only one to have a standard 3 year warranty and complete accidental coverage for $149. It also can have Next Business Day On site service for $99. ASUS might make a better laptop, but their warranties are terrible. Their customers support is just as bad as Dell's.

 

That has nothing to do with aesthetics, expandability or performance really. It has nothing to do with quality either. It may affect weight. I cant say which is better made. By aesthetics i mean little things like how much frame is around the lcd. how thick is it? how big is the footprint? a kia and a honda body are both made of the same plastic or whatever they make the panels out of. does that mean that a kia and honda are both gravy? To some people a laptop is kind of like a car but much cheaper. To some a laptop lifecycle is on par to that of a car. Some people will pay a few hundred extra for the quality of an underpowered v2j over a more powerful a8js which has the same screen and chipset. You can not say that a d620 is just as gravy as v2j becuase they share a screen and chipset. then you have other minor things like "curve appeal" and a dozen other things that picky buyers would find appealing on the v2j which the d620 would fall behiond in. dell is not really knows for its "sleek sporty look", Asus has the entire v series that does exactly that. Look "sporty". starting with the not so popular v6j, to the vx1, now to vx2, v1j, and v2j finally. Its really hard to find something equivalent in any dell laptop.

 

actually, from what i hear, the v2j is coming without modular bay battery....and the dell d620 does indeed have a modular bay battery. plus, d620 has hd shock protection, while it seems that the v2j doesn't.

this is what milestonepc says about the display:

14" WXGA/WXGA+ AG/Glare
Asus Splendid Video Intelligent Technology

the implication is that wxga = matte
wxga+ = glare = glossy

the u.s. version has wxga+ = glossy.

seriously, go look at the v2je discussion that milestonepc started. you can distinctly see that the screen is glossy.

 

Both have about the same weight and size.
Dell D620 Starting at 4.37 lbs and 1.26" thin 1.26"(h) x 13.27"(w) x 9.37""(d)
The Dell goes up to about 5 lbs with the larger battery.
ASUS 5.0 lbs 13.3” x 9.6” x 1.2~1.4”

I do not need many ports, but Dell offers a nice $50 upgrade to Vista Ultimate. This is a big deal to me because I normally could not afford Vista Ultimate.

 

I was wrong. I looked at this site
http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/mer...&Product_Code=V2JE-4S023E&Category_Code=ASUSV
- 14.1“ WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Display with Color Shine & Anti-glare technology
Thank you for the help.

 

I will belive it when i weight it. It has been my experience to add atleast apound to what dell specifies its weight. that laptop is no less then 5.5lbs but regardless of that dell will still advertise it way below. Have seen it done countless times. asus has the same practice. i dont weight all our products on a digital scale for no reason.

 

The V2JE has no modular bay as has been discussed widely in the other threads.

 

Here is the actual weight from a person who weighed it.
Weight: Starting at 5.00lbs/2.27kg with 6-cell battery and CD-ROM

 

Yes, ejl is right, it is not a matte screen, check the pictures here. BTW, the review should be done this afternoon.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1875979&postcount=1

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=25849

colorshine = glossy

 

Thanks. I thought ASUS dropped the ball for a second. Now I just have to find the cheapest price which I hope drops bellow $1700 with 2 GB or ram by July. It probably will not drop that low, but I can hope .

Sorry ejl, it will not let me give you any more reputation. I can give you a round of applause.

 

5.0 on a digital scale? i doubt it. i round of to the nearest 10th when i weigh something. What scale was used/? as you can see the stated weight of 4.3lbs as advertised by dell was not correct regardless. If a regular bathroom scale was used and estimated you can add or subtract a whole pound to that 5.0lb
My mistook earlier v2j has no modular bay or battery but it does include a spare 9 cell. 2 batteries with the machine. again d620 is not in the same league even if it does offer a modular bay. but you will find many that love that dell.

 

Dell states the weight with the tiny useless 4 cell battery. If you get the 4 cell battery and no modular battery, it weighs 4.365-4.375 pounds. Obviously the 6 cell battery is heavier and I am not sure how accurate the NBR member's measurement was. But, I think it was accurate enough.

Dell offers a Modular Bay battery. Where are you getting this wrong information from?

 

SWITCH TO ICON VIEW
Compatibility Instructions
Primary Battery
4 Cell Primary Battery
Learn More Help Me Choose
4 Cell Primary Battery [Included in Price]Up to 2.7 hours
6 Cell Primary Battery [ Free!] Up to 4.8 hours
9 Cell Primary Battery [add $19]Up to 7.0 hours
Additional Battery
Select options below
Learn More Help Me Choose
None
Additional 6 Cell Primary Battery [add $69]
Additional 9 Cell Primary Battery [add $99]
6 Cell Media Bay Battery [add $119]

 

Homer, why don't you give us a real-life Homer Simpson DOH?!? This whole thread is a waste of time considering the V2JE destined for the U.S. will have glossy screens.

If everyone read more closely, we could save ourselves a lot of disinformation grief.

 

Perhaps this would be the ideal forum to dispel all ASUS V2JE misread "facts":

1. The V2JE sold in North America WILL have a glossy display.
2. The V2JE does NOT have a three-megapixel camera, it's a regular 1.3MP.
3. The V2JE does NOT have a modular bay.

 

2 cells do not add 3/4 of a pound. I bet that was weighed with a traveler drawer and no optical drive and a 4 cell battery. put the optical drive in there and the standard 6 cell and it weighs 5.5lb or over. but who knows. i know a light weight 14" notebook with integrated graphics weighs 5lb or over. something like a8js with 6 cell is 5.5lbs. i can see v2je being thinner and lighter then both the dell d620 and asus a8js comming in between 5lb-5.5lbs. there is no way the dell d620 weighs less then that of v2j.
i was not talking about dell modular bay i was talking about v2j modular bay or obviosly the lack of it.

 

It will have a microphone and a 240 degree rotating camera

 

The actual weight is 5.0lbs/2.3kg with 6-cell battery and DVD drive.

 

I dont doubt the words that are coming out of your mouth i doubt the origin of where you hear it. v2j has an ultra slim drive and regarded as a light weight thin chasis made of light weight materials. I highly doubt that the advertised weight of 5lbs is right unless asus all of a sudden decided to advertise acurate weight. let us assume that it is correct. the only way that dell can weigh the same or less is iff they used even lighter materials and it has a ultra slim optical drive. As far as i see it does not have an ultra slim drive so that is out the window. Long story short i do not believe that the d620 weighs 5lbs with a 6 cell and the optical drive. If i had to guess i would say it weighs all 5.5lbs. i guess once i get a chance to review it i will know the true weight of the v2j.

 

Believe it or not, the D620 weighs 4.37 lbs with an optical drive and 4 cell battery. The 4 cell battery is extremely small and saves weight. Ihope this comes out right I am typing it on my Wii. I am exhauted.

 

Sorry, should have said that the actual weight quoted was that of the V2JE, not the Dull.

 

I dont belive it. Asus w7j weighs more with a 6 cell (4.44lbs to be exact). the 6 cell all together comes in at 12ounces, i have a 3 cell that comes in at 6 ounces, while a 4 cell should weight about 7-8 ounces. if what you say is correct then asus w7j (13.3") without the battery weighs 4 ounces less then the d620? there is no way i will belive that dell d620 (14.1" incher) is less then a quarter pound heavier then a 13.3" w7j which is regarded as a light weight mobile-gamer. the d620 chasis is a good 20% or more larger in foot print. That means its weight should be proportionally heavier. which puts it at about 5.2lbs with a 6cell battery. dell does not use space age materials which make their notebook lighter any better then asus does. if the d620 weighs less then 5.2lbs with a 6 cell then i am a efing a-hole. find me someone has it sitting on a digital scale with a 6 cell and the optical drive. I bet it comes right in at 5.5lbs or so with a 6 cell. I am also basing this not knowing whether the dell has a ultra slim drive or just a regular slim drive (guessing regular slim). I also dont know the cooling system in the dell. if it has one or 2 fans? if 2 fans then forget about 5.5lbs its probably even more. if i am wrong then my apologies but dell does not have any technology that makes it lighter then a similarly equipped asus which does have a ultra slim drive (v2je).

 

dells are ****in ugly anyway

 

This thread should be renamed Dell D620 vs. Asus V2Je.

 

actually the d620 is prolly the only dell i like, the rest are bulky and ugly

 

The D620s I've seen at work has the same screen issues as the bad A8J ones that people complain about. Vertical viewing angle and brightness uniformity is crap on the 1400x900 screen on the D620. The chassis on the other hand actually feels pretty solid.

 

lol
It's starting weight is 4.41lbs with 4 cell and traveller draw (no optical drive)!
It's starting weight is 5.04lbs with 6 cell and CD-ROM.

These figures are also generous because it's the lightest it can be i.e. with minimum amount of ram, small 1 platter HDD, integrated graphics, lower res screen, removed touchpad (joking on the touchpad ) etc.

Do you notice how it mentions the weight with only CD-ROM? It probably weighs a tad more with multi-drive.

To be fair, some manufacturers do similar things on their quoted weights.

I would have it a guess for a reasonably spec'ed notebook it will be closer to 5.5lbs.

http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/latit/en/spec_latit_d620.pdf

 

The best screen on the d620, the one dell owners like the most on nbr, is the lesser screen or the older screen on the a8js.
people probably complain about it the same way because its the same screen or its something worse.