ASUS U1 thread!

I'm really liking the U1. All I can say

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Engadget had it hands on here.

If only it had support for a docking station, that'd be totally awesome. But it has a left side vent haha.

 

It certainly looks like a sweeeeet machine. If the price is right, it's gonna sell like crazy!

 

Well, the suggested price is around $1800, which isn't bad for an ultraportable.

Must sell V6va and buy U1 and XG station...

 

i'm really not a fan of the leather.....if it were brushed aluminum on the other hand.....

 

Same here. That's my only quip about the U1. Otherwise, I would get it.

 

I'm kinda bummed out it's so small actually. I'm hoping there will be a 13" model... but man is it sexy! So sleek...

 

Yea, the leather is kinda.....hah....

Brushed aluminum would be awesome, as well as support for the PortBar...

Now that'd be awesome.

 

But 1.98 pounds is making me drool my friends...drooling all over my laptop as we speak.

 

perhaps they'll release one with a Brush aluminum palm rest like they did with the S series?

the U1 makes me think of a laptop that was the result of the Asus V2 and Sony SZ spending the night together

 

And 11.1" is quite a comfortable size, a classmate has a Fujitsu p7120, and it's so small and portable. A bit fat, but its actually not that bad.

I just noticed Engadget mention a port replicator, did they mistaken that?

 

Is Asus making the U1 compatible with a docking station? It would be nice to get something really small to travel around with, but having to unplug peripherals every time you want to move it becomes a hassle.

 

I don't see the docking 'bar' at the bottom, but according to engadget, its portbar compatible. Nothing on the ASUS site neither.

 

Really what I wish could be the case is that you could add the optical drive in a modular fashion for when you need it, perhaps docking it onto the underside of the laptop?

Does the $1800 price include the Blu-ray external optical drive for it?

 

I don't mind the leather actually, it looks more sexy.

 

I read on the notebookreview news page that the U1 is supposed to be available for purchase this week! I am very excited. Does anyone know where it will be available for purchase first?

 

I think you should look into the W7j, which is the Asus 13.3" model.

Oh yes...no doubt...

Almost positively, no. A Blu-ray drive should add another $600-800, even though its external.

I can still dream about an internal Blu-ray drive though...

Try online retailers first, like MilestonePC and ProPortable.

 

I know what the W7J is... I'm one of the NBR Asus moderators!
The U1 is sexier because it has an LED backlight... and because it's just sexier overall. Still a bit too small for my liking, though.

 

Yeah, its coming out really soon right, like this week or something? So, we should see in in stock at major online retailers very soon? I'd like to know the price and configurations it'll be offered in, the SKUs, thanks!!

 

Its coming to the US in a week? The US always seems to get Asus things LAST .

 

This thing is achingly beautiful. I wouldn't mind another .3lbs if it had a Core duo ULV cpu, the U1400 is way way slow for Vista (I tried it on a TXN at the store, and it was pretty bad). I cant wait till they get the LED backlights into some of the bigger models, like the S6F and W5/W7.

 

Still waiting for the V2.

Need dedicated graphics

 

Yeah, so can anyone please tell me when exactly it will come out in the U.S and what online stores should stock it, also what SKUs is it coming in and the price on them? Thanks a bunch!

 

from

http://digitimes.com/systems/a20070301PB206.html

Apple Daily, March 1; Carrie Yu, DigiTimes.com [Thursday 1 March 2007]

Asustek will launch its first LED-based notebook (U1) next week, with volume production to begin later in March, according to the Chinese-language Apple Daily.

The notebook will be priced at more than NT$60,000 and is for the business and high-end consumer markets, the paper quoted Asustek as saying, adding that the maker will initially focus on smaller-size models for the segment since LED production costs are still relatively high.

The 11.1-inch model will have a stainless-steel rim, a leather-made wrist pad, and weighs only 1kg, excluding an external optical disc drive, the paper reported the maker as saying, noting that the notebook supports a battery time of seven hours and can come with a Blu-ray disc drive.

 

Hey Cori, will this be your new baby???

I'll have to play with one of this before I can give an opinion. I really don't like this kind of tiny-tiny ultra-portables. I have long fingers and find myself making too many mistakes while typing.

14" is OK, maybe I can take the 13".... but 11.1", is not much bigger than an Axim..

Is the leather only on the wristpad???


C.

 

I doubt it, I'm too poor to upgrade heh.

It's more about portability now, if I'm home, I have a 20" LCD and a docking setup(via usb heh) to convert it to a desktop machine.

 

Yes it is. What surprises me about this is that it has 4 USB ports for instance where its close competitor, the Vaio TX only has two, even the Macbook Pros I think only have 2 or three right?

 

Why on earth would you want dedicated graphics in an ultraportable?

 

to play games?

render graphics faster?

to reduce battery life ?

 

Dedicated graphics so one can hook it up to a large LCD at home and use the same machine as a "desktop replacement". and have dual monitors or at least 1 and 1/2 monitors.

An ultraportable is way faster than some of the older desktops.

But of course there is a bit of history about Windows OS. Back in 89' there was a poster at MS that said, "building software for tomorrows hardware"

Viva Vista!

 

The V2 isn't an ultraportable ...

 

ASUS U1 now in the shops in London!

Wandered into Micro Anvika on London's Tottenham Court Road on my way from the office this evening and took a look at the Asus U1 they had on display. It's a very cool machine.

U1 seems about as well made than the Sony Vaio G series I was also considering but is definately more durable than the Vaio. They've opted for a thicker (magnesium alloy I think) screen backing which makes it seem more durable whilst the Vaio is so incredibly thin it bends a huge amount when you open/close the lid - very scary.

Priced at £1399 in the shop but I've seen it for over £100 less on the online Asus stores in the UK. Spec: just over 1GHz CORE DUO processor with Intel 950 (or was it 945?) graphics, 1GB RAM (2x512, max 1.5GB), 80GB HDD 4200rpm, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, bluetooth...

Unusually it comes with these accessories in the box:
* protective bag (fairly cheap one - not as cosy/protective as the expensive Vaio bags)
* bluetooth mouse
* TWO batteries (3 cell lightweight and a 6 cell)
* external DVD writer - looks very neat and weighs very little - it takes power from the notebook which is a bonus.

The leather around the keyboard and touchpad is OK but a gimmic. Also gimmicky is the very high glass 'piano' finish lid - looks cool but picks up every fingerprint immediately.

Screen looks brilliant. Glossy finish (not sure how well it performs outdoors). Very high res on the 11" widescreen size and good viewing angles. Similar format to the Vaio TX series screen. Probably not as bright as a Vaio XBlack screen but still very good. Using LED backlighting like the Sonys (a first for ASUS).

Loads of ports on either side (4 USB, ethernet, modem, monitor, firewire too I think). The packaging is ridiculous - clearly they're targeting this at the exclusive end of the market! It's like a series of wooden boxes covered in black felt with compartments for all the pieces - a work of art in itself! Boxed like the earlier iPods were - very showy.

Unfortunately it has an ExportPort rather than a PCMCIA (PC Card) slot - bad news if you want to use a mobile data card. This is the main drawback for me - otherwise I'd be ordering one now! I need to consider mobile data card alternatives first.

The cheapest price I've seen it is just under £1100 excluding VAT (17.5% in the UK).

Dave

 

Well, ExpressSlot is the slot of the future, PCMCIA is being phased out.

 

Heh..me too.

I can't wait for the real job to kick in after what...seven years...and then I can afford to get ultraportables!

The U1 is very cool, though, for those who want an ultraportable now.

 

Man, I really want the U1 due to its size and LED display. The problem is that 1.8" flash drives are not out yet. The slow speed of traditional 1.8" hard drives are way too slow for me. With Santa Rosa coming out in under 3 months, this laptop will be old already.

I'm just curious, does this laptop have a full size keyboard? If not, what are the size of the keys?

 

The high end Vaio UXs use 1.8" flash drives do they not? The U1 will not have a full sized keyboard, probably 90%.

 

You can't buy those drives separately. I'm not going to go out and buy a UX and take out the drive just for the Asus U1.