Asus UL30A-A1: Thoughts + Confusion?

I just received a UL30A-A1 (Silver) from Amazon (which showed hardly any specs to begin with) and there is no built-in Bluetooth – at least not in the device manager (and there is no option to switch it on – so it’s not in there at all). Why would Asus be so inconsistent with the same model number? You’d think the ‘-X1, -X2 and X3’ models would have the different configurations and deviations from the base configuration (assuming that is UL30A-A1).

With that said, I guess that I am a little confused. Shouldn’t all (US) UL30A-A1 configuration models have the same specifications? Some sites are saying that there is built-in Bluetooth, and others are saying the opposite. Are these review sites (that are based in the US) not saying that they are using models from other countries/regions? Laptop Magazine does that all the time and it’s maddening.

Also, some specs (and reviews) show that some have the Intel WiFi internal card listed, when others show an Atheros WiFi internal card – yet the model numbers are still the same. Mine has the Atheros, and I am not complaining because the wireless range with the Atheros is better than any other notebook I’ve used so far in my apartment. The question is, how efficient is it compared to the Intel.

Without doing much research, is it safe to assume that models with Intel Wifi (carrying the same model numbers [UL30A-A1]) are the ones with the built-in Bluetooth? If so, what did Asus take away in those models in order to even things out? Smaller battery? Or just a small price difference? It seems regardless of which model you get, there’s a sacrifice of some kind. You are either sacrificing Bluetooth, battery size or CPU (solo versus duo). I was under the impression that the ‘A1’ model had it all.

I am trying to decide if the lack of BT is a deal breaker or not. This is a great notebook otherwise. The display is stunning (super white whites, deep rich reds), the computer’s fan is virtually silent and the machine doesn’t get very hot. It’s much faster than any Netbook, and the build quality is very good.

I personally love the clean touchpad (clean up the sticker residue real good and you’ll get a much smoother gliding sensation). I much prefer the ElanTech two finger scroll over the Synaptics. Also, the ‘keyboard flex’ as cited by others has either been greatly exaggerated, or mine doesn’t suffer from this issue. Flex is minimum only with deep pushing. The keyboard has excellent tactile feedback – but it would be nice if it was backlit, of course.

The only other lacking areas (for me) is the cheap Webcam – which is really lacking and pixilated when using Skype, and the mysterious lack of built-in Bluetooth when it included in other distribution channels of the same exact model number, with the same price.

 

It appears there is two North American model that is distributed by dealers. One is the A1, which is silver, with the SU7300, no bluetooth and the Atheros wireless card. The second, which is more limited, is the X1, which has a smaller HD at 320gb, silver and has a SU3500 which is a single core processor. The X3, is the X1 but with a SU7300.

I think? Need to see more details though.

 

Yeah what's up with the 0.3MP camera? The Acers are all 1.3MP.

Ima wait to get one of these till the dust settles, the bugs are worked out, W7 is out, etc. etc.

Meanwhile I bought an 11.6" Acer to hold me over, it has XP on it.

 

I've been lurking here for well over a month as I agonized over which CULV notebook to purchase. I had just about placed my order for the UL30A-A1 when I read this post.
Can we get others to chime in here? It's between this and a Timeline 3810, appreciate any clarity UL30A-A1 owners can provide.

Do the A1's have Bluetooth or not?
Which wireless card is actually included - Intel or Atheros?
Is the RAM maxed out at 4GB, or is this expandable to 8GB down the road?

I posed these questions to ASUS support and will post whatever useful information I get from them, but in the meantime...

 

I'm in the same boat. AS3810 seems like the better choice. At similar pricing there is a better camera, slightly faster CPU, and bluetooth.

The Asus appears to probably have better build quality (haven't seen one in real life) and a larger battery.

Unless a bluetooth enabled version shows up with Win7 release, i'm probably leaning towards the Acer. It's just equipped better. Also, if you dig down to the CULV processor benchmarks on Intel's site, you'll see they were done on Acer Timelines, so perhaps Acer worked with Intel (as they were the first out the door) to be the 'reference' for this platform?

J&R in the US has great pricing on the AS3810 w/500GB HD, and NewEgg has the 80GB SSD, both at $799.

 

I might add that I held off on buying the Acer to see Asus' offerings. So far, it looks like no HDMI on the UL20 (but the Acer equivalent should have it) and fewer featurs on the UL30.

Unless something changes between now and Oct. 22nd, i'm disappointed. Internal BT is a big deal, since it would allow a BT mouse with no USB dongle.

 

I want to believe that an SU9400, bluetooth, intel 5100 equipped, black version is coming very near Oct. 22. Else, I'm gonna be waiting an uncomfortably long time to get a new laptop.

 

*sigh*

Wish things we a little clearer from Asus in all this....

 

From what I can gather, the UL30A's in North America so far do not come with BT, Intel's Wifilink 5300, the SU9400, or in black. I'm sure some part of the world will have access to a UL30 with all of those features, but I doubt we'll be seeing it in North America anytime soon. For now, the option include the SU3500 or the SU7300, and the 500GB HDD or the 320GB HDD.

In terms of the Acer vs the Asus, I'd say definitely go Asus. Ever model (unless bought at Bestbuy) comes with a standard 2 year global warranty, 1 year accidental warranty, bright pixel guarantee, etc. It also does not have some of the problems the AS3810t has (take a look at the owner's thread).

 

Kind of tough to make that comparison right now, isn't it? The Timelines have been on the market for a while. People are just now (within the last 5-7 days) getting UL30's in their hands...

I have to say, the disparity between the specs on the Asus site and actual product bother me quite a bit. Considering online is pretty much our only option in the US to purchase these, it puts us at the mercy of the Asus website. If there is indeed no internal BT, no Intel wireless (I have heard power management is better on Intel vs. Atheros), then that may be a deal breaker for me.

 

I tried the Acer Timeline series - and while the build was good, I wasn't impressed. The fan was just too loud and distracting. Also, and on the minor side, that odd large amber/blue light in the front is also distracting and pointless to me. The amber lights in general just give an overall dated look to an otherwise nice looking machine.

The UL30A is a great, sleek, quiet and snappy well built notebook with surprisingly good speakers (not just tin - there is some depth there) and amazing battery life. Unfortunately, Asus like many other big PC makers have that 'lets do something - at least one thing to fvck it up' policy. For this model, it's the e webcam and the lack of BT.

For a $799 machine, a $10 BT chip and a cheap (for Asus and their buying power) 1.3MP Webcam was completely doable. Save the spec shaving for the cheaper models.