Asus UL30JT

My laptop has been dying a slow death and is extremely frustrating to use these days, so it's just time for me to buy a new one. Happens to be summer.

 

Trapt indoors at work... lol

 

Hilarious ... and sad. Look at this; a UL30JT thread where the last few pages are given over to what OTHER laptop model folks are buying because ASUS didn't come through with the planned UL30JT and for it being such a small improvement (processor) over the VT.

ASUS, you're losing customers here!

So, for the entertainment of those who are sick of waiting and are looking elsewhere...


An Ode To ASUS

You're losing your customers,
ASUS, my dear!
They've waited and waited
For some news to hear!

Yet you've kept your silence.
No progress we see.
So when will you sell
The 30 JT?

It's out in Taiwan.
For sale in some places
But in the US,
Better systems it faces.

No USB3!
No eSATA port!
And the battery life
Has less to report!

For 200 more
Than the UL VT
More power and options
We expected to see.

But it's just a retread
Of the same old model!
And then you're so late.
You just shuffle and dawdle!

And anyway, why
Should you sell it here now?
There's many more options
And models to wow.

Gone are your customers.
Stolen your thunder.
You're late to the market.
You've made a big blunder.

Your coffers are smaller
Less money you'll make!
If you check the boards,
You'll see what's at stake!

They're moving to Acer
Or Sony's light Z!
They're buying the Mac
And the Envy HP!

They're buying from whom-
Ever offers them more,
And brings it to market
Or sells in the store.

They're buying from those
Who give more than an ad.
Who'll do what they promise
Like the Apple iPad!

Don't rest on your laurels!
Don't think that you're done,
Or you'll lose more buyers.
To others, they'll run.

They'll run to the Envy!
They'll run to the Z!
They'll run to the
38 20 TG!

ASUS ... you have been forewarned.

BTW, this is what happens to your brain when you raise your kids on Dr Seuss.

 

Sums it up well. A lot of better options on the horizon. Toshiba has the R700 which (1) Is lighter (2) Has an improved cooling system and (3) Doesn't use the lamewad UM processors. Seriously, I'd say ditch the UL30JT. Shame on Asus for taking this long.

 

Oh! And the Toshiba Protégé R700 comes a magnesium alloy body only 0.66" thick WITH an ODD, 3 lbs and an LED display instead of LCD. Hopefully much less light bleed!

... and a standard 3-yr warranty!

 

Of course that Toshiba only has an integrated graphics option, correct?

 

Ah yes. The only real downside.

Now if only they made this model with optional discrete switchable graphics!

Come to think of it, somebody does! .... It's called the Sony Vaio Z. :wink:

I'm still happy with my U30JC.

 

It doesn't have an LED display. It has an LED backlit LCD display, just like the Asus. And it's about 1" thick, I don't know where you got that 0.66" from.

 

The 0.66" was taken from Toshiba's R700 page here where they clearly diagram the dimensions at the bottom of the page.

Other sites describe it's thickness as " less than an inch", not an inch.

Repeated sites (and Toshiba's own site) describe the screen as "LED backlit display" or "HD TFT LED backlit display", not an LED backlit LCD display.

NBR's page describes the screen as a "13.3-inch TruBright display (1366x768, LED backlit)". Note that the term "LCD" is never used.

On this page, Toshiba describes the R700's screen like this:

"High-Definition LED Backlit Display

The vibrant 13.3" widescreen high-definition LED backlit display on the Portégé® R700 laptop brings your work to life with bright and crisp colors. Plus it's brighter AND uses less power than traditional LCD displays."

Again, where are YOU seeing the word LCD being used?

 

Bravo Quatro!

After reading that, my mind read all your other posts in the same rhyming fashion, even if it didn't rhyme haha.

 

My 3820TG is on the way from Germany.

 

Take this with a grain of salt, but from Asus' Facebook page...

Hear that? Almost.... there....
bleh
This thing better be less than $900. I can't believe I/we have been waiting for over 6 month (6 MONTHS!!!) for this damn thing. I will almost feel like a sucker buying it after Asus has jerked us around all this time.

 

I'm in the same boat as you, except I actually went ahead and bought the Sony Y series about half a year ago, although luckily someone is taking that off my hands soon so I will have an excuse for a new laptop.

The UL30JT was on my list of options (6 months ago too) but it's been this long, and it's still not out yet??

Right now my ideal laptop would have to be the Sony Z series. Otherwise I'm leaning towards the U35JC or the Acer 3820TG once more heat related testing comes out for it.

 

i still don't understand why people think that other laptops are "so much better" than the ul30jt. all the said laptops (z series, timeline, non-um processor laptops) are, well, DIFFERENT laptops! they have different functions, different feature, different price ranges. the truth is, there is no clear alternatives out there for the ul30jt because any other options out there would not have a um processor (which is what's holding up the release date). The display is bad? well, pay more and get another one with a better display. the fact is, with this price, you can only get so much.

from the sound of it, ASUS already improved the touchpad, which has been a problem on the A and VT models

 

Like I said;

They're moving to Acer
Or Sony's light Z!
They're buying the Mac
And the Envy HP!

They're buying from those
Who give more than an ad.
Who'll do what they promise
Like the Apple iPad!

Don't rest on your laurels!
Don't think that you're done,
Or you'll lose more buyers.
To others, they'll run.

They'll run to the Envy!
They'll run to the Z!
They'll run to the
38 20 TG!

You're just living the poem, Bronsky!

 

Like I said in my poem:

"You're losing your customers,
ASUS, my dear!
They've waited and waited
For some news to hear!

Yet you've kept your silence.
No progress we see.
So when will you sell
The 30 JT?

It's out in Taiwan.
For sale in some places
But in the US,
Better systems it faces.

No USB3!
No eSATA port!
And the battery life
Has less to report!

For 200 more
Than the UL VT
More power and options
We expected to see.

But it's just a retread
Of the same old model!
And then you're so late.
You just shuffle and dawdle!"

 

You guys are making this too easy:

"They're moving to Acer
Or Sony's light Z!
They're buying the Mac
And the Envy HP! ...

They'll run to the Envy!
They'll run to the Z!
They'll run to the
38 20 TG!"

.... Okay, I'll be quiet about the poem now.

 

Dunno if I'm one of those people. But if I am, the main reasons I'm ditching them:


1) Time. Taking too damn long to bring it out.
2) Plastics. I've decided to shell out more for a tougher notebook
3) Parts preference. Don't really need a dedicated GPU, but would prefer a faster processor for the same price point.
4) Touchpad. I want an oversized touchpad. Multitouch gestures are the future.


At this point, the U35JC is probably a closer match, but plastics are still meh. I hear the keyboard isn't mushy like the others. That's why my bet's on the Envy 14. Its got an actual release date barring delays and it's got all the good things on paper. We will see.

 

I don't think you understand the difference between LEDs and LCDs. Here's something to help you get started Backlight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Regarding the thickness, that .66" is at the very front. On that same page you linked to, click the rear, left, or right view and you will see it is 1" thick.

 

You're correct. I know little about flat panels and am only learning at present.

As to distinctions between the LED & LCD (if any), clearly you're right and I'm wrong, though I still can't see how they are both in all panels; meaning, all modern panels are LCD, but not all are LED backlit. If that's not the case, then I'm still confused.

So are you claiming the ASUS U & UL notebook panels are LED-backlit LCD panels? Then why the distinction at present between the LCD monitors and the LED monitors? There are several articles touting the improvements with the LED panel monitors & HDTV's compared to the traditional LCD.

For example, reviews on this Samsung "LED LCD" monitor show that the picture is far better and has exponentially higher contrast ratio than other Samsung "just LCD" monitors. Why is that, if LED-backlit LCD panels are the common ones ASUS is using? And that Samsung LED monitor doesn't read like it's an RGB LED.

And this Samsung is called an "LED LCD monitor" instead of just an "LCD monitor" (as their other monitors are listed). Why do that if, in general, LCD panels have LED backlighting?

And the Wiki article states, "The use of LED backlights in notebook computers has been growing. Sony has used LED backlights in some of its higher-end slim VAIO notebooks since 2005". So why put LED-backlit in "high-end" notebooks if it is common in all standard notebooks, including ASUS' present fair? The statement then confuses me.

Oh! You're absolutely right. The 0.66" IS just the front. My bad. It is 1.01" thick from the thickest point (including the little bump feet).

 

No worries, I'm no expert, and marketing guys make this more complex than it needs to be, but here's the basics.

LCDs are the actual panels used in laptops, most flat panel tvs (except plasma), and most mobile devices. LCD panels are translucent and need some kind of lighting behind them. This back light shines through the LCD panel which provides the colors.

Older LCDs on laptops and TVs use CFL (cathode fluorescent lamps) as the backlight. Many of the newer laptops and TVs now use LED backlighting which is supposed to improve colors, contrast, etc. Displays will use multiple LEDs placed around behind the LCD panel for even lighting.

Because LEDs are so much smaller than CFLs, LED back lit displays are much thinner. So that is why laptop screens have gotten thinner over the past several years and why there are some super skinny LCD tvs. Many TV companies advertise these as LED tvs (like Samsung). In reality they are just LED back lit LCD panels.

It's really just marketing to call these displays "LED" vs "LED back lit LCDs". Because they are much thinner and look better so companies want people to think it's really something new and different I guess.

To make things more confusing, there are OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes). Screens that use OLEDs are made up of a ton of tiny OLEDs that provide the light and color, there is no LCD panel with them. OLED displays have even better colors and contrast and can be even more thin (paper thin and flexible even). There are companies working on OLED printers that literally print out OLED displays on different mediums. Expect video displays embedded into clothing within the next decade.

OLED displays are primarily used for phones and really small tvs right now as the cost is preventing larger screens and some other technical issues I think.

Hope that helps.



On a side note, I bought the ul30VT a little over a month ago and my only regret is that I didn't buy it 4 months earlier.

 

Okay. There's a YouTube review where an owner compares the Samsung XL-2370 and the Samsung P2570HD.

He states that the XL-2370 (sold as an LED LCD monitor) is a vastly better picture (5,000,000:1 contrast ratio) than the P2570 picture (sold as a LCD monitor, not LED) with a 50,000:1 contrast ratio. The LED LCD is 5 million:1 and the LCD-only is listed as 50 thousand:1.

So there is more than thinness but an affected picture. And they're both new. So do both use LED backlight? It doesn't read like that.

I'm wondering how the MBP using a TN panel can have so much less light bleed then my U30JC, my Dell Vostro 1000 and my wife's 1-yr-old 13" white MB.

UPDATE: ASUS on an official site, says on my U30JC:
"ASUS always uses what are considered “A+ grade” screens in its notebooks. The LED screen on the U30Jc is bright, uses 20% less energy than typical CFFL LCD screens, and contains no mercury." There it is. U30JC's LED screen.

 

And...just why are we even having this discussion? LED backlit displays have been mainstream for at least 2 years! "LED" and "LED backlit" are interchangeable when used to describe LCD TVs and monitors, though Samsung got into some trouble in the UK nearly a year back for advertising their LED backlit TVs as "LED TVs." At the end of the day, LED backlit displays are still LCDs. The primary points of contention until OLED displays become mainstream within the next 2-5 years will be whether one LCD monitor or display has better or worse brightness levels, viewing angles and color reproduction.

 

The discussion is pertinent to me (utterly selfish reason) because I'm about to buy a monitor or HDTV monitor and was curious at Samsung having some listed as just LCD while one (or more?) is listed LED LCD and they made a bigger deal out of the LED issue ... that it affected not just thinness but contrast quality (50K vs 5Mil). I'm yet uneducated in the topic. If it's all the same (ie in these days all LCD's are LED LCD's and vice versa), why are some sites or articles making it sound like the "LED screen" is something that's an improvement (of the picture, not just the thinness).

This arose out of the passing comment on the Toshiba R700 vs the UL30JT.

And my ending comment on ASUS calling my screen LED in its advertising is me admitting I was wrong in my initial assumption that the Toshiba "LED screen" was really anything special.

Off topic, I know .... but no one seems to actually be talking very much about the ever-coming-but-never-quite-arriving UL30JT (hence the silly poem), but rather the preferred alternatives.

And I'm looking for helpful info on the LED LCD topic.

 

Fair enough. I'm no expert on the topic of displays, but there is indeed a difference between regular LCD TVs and LED backlit TVs. I bought a 24" IPS monitor a while back. I believe it still uses CCFL bulbs, but it's got better viewing angles than the LED backlit monitors I was looking at some time back.



As a side note, my recommendation is not to get too caught up in the thinness of edge-lit LED LCD TVs if it's not going to be crucial to your viewing experience or your bragging rights with visiting guests.

If you're planning to buy a big screen TV anytime soon, I'd say take a good luck at LG's local dimming LED backlit TVs. I hear that unlike Samsung's edge-lit LED backlit TVs, LED's local-dimming LED backlit TVs utilize more LED bulbs at the center and not just at the edges. As a result, LG's local dimming-based TVs tend to have fewer "halo effect" problems and better color reproduction. Samsung's thinness might seem cool and sexy at first, but the edge-lit technology only helps them save money that should be spent on inserting extra bulbs and charge extra for that "premium" thin look.

 

Oh. An excellent tip! Thank you for that.

I'm not in the slightest interested in "thin" ... anything flat is a huge leap from the used very fat Philips behemoth I recently gave away.

I'm actually looking at an HDTV monitor that can be used for TV and PC use. 25"-26" will suffice quite nicely.

The bigger issue for me is sharpness, color and avoiding light bleed. Watching steaming video (HULU, PBS, etc) and DVD's look really washed out on my U30JC due to a large amount of light bleed. If I/we watch a movie, it's at night, so even brightness isn't a huge factor.

I'll look into the LGs'.

 

That, or just get a 25-26" monitor.

 

Lol... My u30jc clearly has it written that the screen does contain mercury and take the proper procedures when disposing of it.

 

I am speculating that North America is going to get UL30jt with i7UM chip rather than the i5UM chip that the rest of the world getting. So it's worth waiting.

 

What "that" is that? We'll need a 25-26" monitor that also has a TV tuner.

Oddly, usually that "small" a size on HDTV monitors comes as 1366x768 instead of 1080p. I wonder why. And how sharp will the image look at that rez but that size (same as my 13" notebook panel?)

 

Here is a small 27" HDTV 1080p for $280 AOC LC27H060 27 Widescreen LCD HDTV - 1080p, 1920x1080, 16:9, 100000:1 Dynamic, 5ms, USB, 3 HDMI at TigerDirect.com (enter code: OGB2932)

or this for $240 after $30 rebate and code: EMCYTNS22

Newegg.com - ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers w/ component connector

Personally, I like the monitor since my tuner is in my HTPC. But I digress. Most, if not all, laptops now will come with LED backlit LCD's. This is due to 20% less energy requirement, sharper colors (subjective, as in beauty is in the eye of the beholder), may be cheaper to mass produce and LED's are smaller. Therefore, the screen panels can be made thinner ---> less weight overall for the laptop.

 

Thank you for those speedy & handy links!

I'm not interested in 1000:1 contrast ratio. Perhaps the 100,000:1. Also, I know nothing about AOC and can't find them on Amazon and each one sold on Newegg have 15 or less user reviews, so hard to check on their performance for others.

I am being lustfully enticed by the 3,000,000:1 and up monitors (3-10million:1)! But those are more $$'s. BTW, those monitors are also the ones they include "LED LCD" on the label.

Here is one:
Amazon.com: Samsung UN22C4000 22-Inch 720p 60 Hz LED HDTV (Black):…

But it's only 22" (2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, which is low for several of their other offerings) for $386. If one goes to 32" on this model (3,000,000:1 contrast ration) but for the heady price of $770. Out of my budget.

 

Anything influencing this speculation other than your desires? I don't think the UL30JT product page even has the i7 listed as an option. It was an option on that demo model at CES but I think that is no more. We can all hope that Asus is going to pull some great updates (i7, USB 3.0, 335GT, better webcam) but it isn't going to happen.

Not to say some of those updates shouldn't be in order given the ridiculous wait, but I don't think Asus is full of many surprises. We will probably see something like a UL30XT get announced a week after the JT with all the updates mentioned above. That is more Asus' style.

 

Bang for buck. In this economy, that's what I'd personally aim for. Buy a TV with good image quality and low price and upgrade 3-5 years later when 3D TVs no longer require glasses and 3D content is more readily available.

 

Keep in mind, that there's a difference between static (contrast in one picture) and dynamic contrast (contrast between two different pictures). Your contrasts of >1,000,000:1 are dynamic contrasts, that are produced by dimming the backlight when showing darker pictures.
wiki

 

When we no longer need 3D glasses for 3D TV? What are they going to do? Put implants in our corneas? How very scifi!

 

And, of course, they rarely list if the contrast ratio is static or dynamic. Sigh. This reminds me of the different numbering standards for speaker loudness.

 

No, there's 3D tech with no need for glasses. Heard of the Nintendo 3DS? It's called autostereoscopy. All the major TV vendors are working on something. Expect first units in 3-5 years.

 

I am mystified as to how they pull that off.

Reading the article, I can only assume it is magic or elves assisting in the development. They've found a way to use the lenses on the screen itself so that each eye sees a slightly different image?

Okay, I'm officially impressed ....

 

Trust me. You ain't seen nothin' yet. Technological advancements occur at exponential rates. It won't be long before we're all using notebooks with displays that are a few millimeters thin.

 

Looking for "local dimming" HDTV monitors (LG or otherwise) in sizes of 26"-32", I'm only finding edge-lit (incl LG). Reading on the matter confirms your thoughts.

My problem is my list. Trying to find something:
* HDTV & PC monitor capable (built-in TV tuner)
* $550 or less (yes, I know. A student-budget, but the way it is)
* max 32" size
* 1080p
* 50,000:1 contrast ratio or better
* refresh rate higher than 60Hz to avoid ghosting (or is the 60Hz what's causing the ghosting some complain of? Amazon & Samsung never lists response times)
* not edge-lit. Preferably local dimming (how do Super IPS panels rate? or CCFL backlighting?)

Does such a monitor even exist? Do you know of anyone selling 32" or less and uses local dimming?

Here are a few w/ non-edgelit panels:
LG 32LH40 w/ Super IPS panel
LG 32LD450 w/ CCFL backlight
LG 32LD550 w/ CCFL backlight (over my budget, but enticing nonetheless )

Thoughts, anyone?

Lastly, in case others want the education, here's a great article on local dimming, LED backlighting, CCFL, etc, and a briefer summary here.

I'm in the throws of a learning curve. Info ... overload ...... brain ... aching ...

 

Hard to say. This is my own personal theory: I think local-dimming is distinguishable from edge-lit once you start going into the big screen arena. It's kind of like the way 720P vs 1080p isn't really noticeable detail wise until you go into bigger screen TVs (50" and beyond). I've heard mostly good things about LED backlit monitors with the one negative being that some of them are bright.

 

But OLED's are taking FOREVER to reach the consumer market. I read about it probably ten years ago and was supposed to be "the next best thing" by 2006 or 2007... still nowhere near.

 

Trust me. 10 years ago, all of your major display makers were pouring billions into LCD technology. OLED tech back then was simply unusable with all the barriers to making it commercially viable. LCD tech back in 2000 was still fairly new, and the major LCD companies had no incentive to throw aside their investments.

I recall when my sister first paid $2,000 for her 15" Dell LCD+desktop combo back in 2000. I seriously thought her monitor back then was the best thing since sliced bread compared to my clunky CRT with the blurriness and bad colors! I used to watch my earlier episodes of Naruto on her monitor. Colors came out simply beautiful. The flat screen and the way the yellows seemed to pop out so nicely really got to me. Then came 2006 when I got my own Dell Ultrasharp 19." Ohhhh man. That bad boy smashed aside my sister's LCD like none other. Viewing angles were still so-so, but the color reproduction was much "closer" to how it should've looked. LCD underwent several evolutions within the course of those 15 years of investment and manufacturing as viewing angles, color reproduction, and screen sizes improved and increased.


Now in 2010, it seems to me LCD technology is "aging" somewhat. I've seen TN panels get better...and better over the past 12 years and actually in some cases, making gains image qualitywise on their more expensive IPS counterparts. But I haven't seen anything breath-taking or revolutionary unless you count that overhyped technology called 3D and the "half" tech evolution we saw through the usage of LED backlits. Aside from those two, not a whole lot has changed in the past few years.


But OLEDs? I've been personally following their progress since 2005. It wasn't until last year we finally heard that a major company, Samsung, was actually making a new production line. You can probably thank the recession for the lack of desire among companies to build more OLED production lines from 2008-2009. But even during the recession, I was constantly hearing rumors and actual press releases by the likes of Sony, Samsung, LG of further developments in the R&D sector. At the initial stages, there was an issue with the LEDs in the test models having low life compared to LCDs. The challenge was ensuring that these TV LEDs would last years at least as long as LCD CCFLs and LED lights. That problem was eventually fixed. Then Samsung briefly encountered a problem that involved certain colors not showing up correctly when cast onto the screen. That problem eventually got solved too. Thus passed the last 5 years as a lengthy time period of much trial and error.


It looks to me now that at least Samsung is nearing the end of the R&D stage. That new $2.1 billion factory is probably going toward tablets and cellphones. Right now, we have a handful of actual phones and mp3 players a la Zune HD that utilize OLED screens. That's a sharp contrast from 10 years ago when OLEDs weren't even bleeding edge technology. It won't be long before we see tablets from major electronics companies that use OLED panels. The evolution from smartphones to their bigger-sized cousins, the tablets, will only embolden major display companies to increase the size of post-production panels so that they're eventually available for the standard 15.6" laptop. It'll then be a huge challenge to develop a manufacturing process for a 50" OLED TV.


We've already seen 40" and bigger OLED TVs. But once again, they're pre-production models. We have the technology to assemble these TVs, and I'll bet we could take them and use them for regular home viewing. Only problem is how to make them cheaply. The technology for creating an OLED TV is there. But the technology for mass manufacturing them economically isn't there yet--at least not for big screen TVs.

I'll bet the farm we'll be seeing quite a few OLED display-equipped tablet announcements and more pre-production OLED TV models in 2010 and beyond. As soon as that Samsung factory comes online, prepare to see some iPad competitors enter the stage. I'm rooting for HP on this one with their Palm acquisition.



TL;DR:

1. OLED TVs are there. Companies already have pre-production models. The R&D stage looks like it's nearing the end. The trick is finding out how to mass-produce them efficiently and economically. LCD technology probably won't undergo anymore revolutionary changes until OLED comes online. Most improvements and advancements will just be incremental unless you count 3D as being revolutionary.

2. The main reason we haven't seen as much as progress as we'd like in this arena is probably because the display companies didn't want to cannabalize their own LCD investments in R&D and factory setup too early. It's the same reason the likes of Boeing and Airbus choose 10-15 year cycles for replacing specific passenger jets which often cost $8-12 billion for research and factories.

 

i thought about that before, but how are you going to protect the keyboard? haha

we're getting grossly off-topic

 

That's what happens when a thread is started almost 6 mo ago in expectation of a soon-arriving UL30JT that has yet to come to market in most of the world.

The topic will be pertinent when there is an actual UL30JT being sold in most areas and folks have something in their hands to actually talk about.

For a while, the topic digressed to what other laptop people were going to buy since the UL30JT hadn't come out yet and they'd tired of waiting.

 

zeth006: (or anyone else with experience in this matter)

1) Do you think there is any advantage or improvement on 32" HDTV's to get Super IPS panel over LED-edgelit?
2) What if it is a CCFL-backlit vs LED edgelit?

** BTW, there's probably not a lot more to say, but if we want to get back to what people will buy vs the UL30JT, I can put this in a new thread.

 

Wish I could tell you. I'm no expert.

1) You'd have to compare both side by side. Might want to pose this on another website as this website doesn't have a section on that.

2) I'm biased. I'd choose LED edgelit. Just looks so much brighter and nicer IMO.

 

whats the ul80j? Asus - Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 14" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Black - UL80J-BBK5

 

I'm not sure how it's different than the UL80JT, since it has the same specs as far as I can tell. It appears identical to what was announced in the Asus magazine for May/June, although it's the most basic configuration listed there. What does J/JC/JT signify, anyway?