Any experience with the A6(Ne/G)?

I'm currently considering at a 'retail' (no Asus barebooks around here) Asus A6700G that seems very appealing. It's configured with:

Pentium M 725 1.6 GHz
15.4" WXGA
64MB Mobility Radeon 9700
60 GB 5200RPM Hitachi HD
512 MB RAM
802.11b/g WLAN (Asus I guess as there's no Centrino sticker)
Matsu****a (Panasonic) 8X DL DVD+/-RW (Edit: Have to love that forum filter)
Win XP Pro
Usual Asus goodies like bag, mouse and stuff.

The price is very reasonable (comparatively) at $1300 + VAT (that's 25% cheaper than a similarly speced M6700Ne).

So I'm basically wondering if anyone has used an A6-series Asus. How is the chassis? The screen? Any nagging issues or other (like a hot palmrest or unpractical port placement)? Noise? Weight? I browsed through the A6Ne manual and it seemed pretty much like a less refined and bulkier M6N (or like the illegitimate child of a M6 and an A2) with an added webcam. Couldn't find a proper review of any of the A6 models, though, so if there's someone with first hand experience to share it would be appreciated.

 

Just noticed a lot of pictures on the US Asus pages (http://vipforums.asus.com//4583/agenda_files/A6/index.html). Are those representative of the final look of the unit? I ask because it looks bulkier in the drawings in the manual and I guess those pictures are of a preproduction model or a mockup (among other things due to the missing S-Video port).

 

Haven't seen one in person yet so I'm not really sure about the weight and thickness. How does it differ from the M6N in that regard? That's a comparison I can relate to.

 

I've played with an A6Ne in person before... and if it's the same chassis (which I assume it is) then I'd say it's quite nice and rigid. Just like most/all of ASUS's ensemble notebooks, the A6 is of high quality.
If the weight/thickness is okay for you, then I say go for it.

ASUS M6800Ne, P-M 1.5 Dothan, 512MB Ram, Toshiba Combo drive, Samsung Spinpoint M 40G HDD with 8M cache, Mobility Radeon 9700

 

Well, it's a big heavier than the M6... just barely though; you probably wouldn't notice the weight difference unless you had both of them in front of you.
As for its physical dimensions, it's the same width.. but about a centimeter longer (depth) than the M6. Not much of a difference.. and it's 1.4 inches thick compared to the 1.3 inches of the M6.

Basically, it's more/less the same footprint... but just a bit heavier. Both are great machines... if you think the price is right and it'll suit your needs, I say go for it.

ASUS M6800Ne, P-M 1.5 Dothan, 512MB Ram, Toshiba Combo drive, Samsung Spinpoint M 40G HDD with 8M cache, Mobility Radeon 9700

 

to be completely honest, I think it feels more rigid than my M6... although I only played with it briefly. But from what I remember.. it was quite a nice notebook.
I'm sure you'd be happy with it.

ASUS M6800Ne, P-M 1.5 Dothan, 512MB Ram, Toshiba Combo drive, Samsung Spinpoint M 40G HDD with 8M cache, Mobility Radeon 9700

 

Thanks! Sounds promising if it's similar in 'feel' to the M6N. Features, speed, size/weight... Pick two. Looking to 'have it all' without having to pay for it isn't easy...

 

It's not for me. It's to replace a stolen nx7010 and the demands are:

1. Cheap.
2. NOT bigger than the HP.
3. Similar or better functionality.
4. If 1-3 can not be combined, then SMALL with as much functionality as possible.
5. XP Pro

Was hoping to be convinced that the Asus wouldn't be too big or had other silly issues. I'll have to try and get my hands on one but I don't think I'll be able to for at least two weeks. The other alternative I have is a good deal an Acer 4601WLMi. It fits the demands, but will be $150 more than the Asus in total which is barely within limits of the budget. That and I just don't like it.

My SMALL alternative is a basic Thinkpad T41 (from $1100 + VAT). The prices on IBM dropped like a rock here a couple of weeks ago.

Too bad the W3 is too expensive. That was my initial suggestion. Thanks again for the feedback.