New ASUS W3N 14" + 9700 Released

Well I just posted that ASUS was about to release a new 14" notebook and volia here it is...unfortunately it still has the old intel chipset...no alviso yet. But it looks like an absolute beaut of a machine.
a




The ASUS W3000N combines the inner functions and exterior that is the vary notebook for various everyday life demands.



• CPU : Intel® Pentium® M 725-765 (1.60-2.10GHz, 400MHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
• OS : Microsoft® Windows® XP Home/Professional
• Chipset : Intel 855PM
• Display : 14.1“ WXGA Glare Type LCD
• HDD : 30/40/60/80
• Graphics: ATI Mobility™ Radeon™ 9700
• Memory: DDR333, up to 1G
• Wireless : 802.11b/g, Bluetooth™ (optional feature)
• Interface : 3 X USB, 1x TV-Out, 1 x Card Reader

• Dimension and Weight : 33x24.7x3- -3.27cm , 2.0kg


An Industrial design masterpiece

With the 14.1" widescreen display, new 90nm technology for mobile computing and unique battery/hinge design, the W3000N Series provides powerful audio/video performance in an elegant package. The glare-type LCD panel gives much brighter eye comfort.
Battery and hinge in one

The W3000N Series combined the hinge and battery into one elegant design that is both stylish and practical. The power button is conveniently located on the side of the hinge, allowing quick power on and off. Power4 Gear+, the exclusive battery saving technology, offers eight operation modes designed specifically for various applications to make sure no power goes to waste.

No distraction
Hidden instant keys, gapless touchpad and latchless design are all created to offer a clean and smooth worktop and distraction-free view of screen. You can now concentrate on exactly what needs to be done without being bothered by blinking lights and annoying dust accumulation.




ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Good specs... looks similar to the Acer 3201Xci in terms of specs.
Very nice looking... it looks like a 14" widescreen notebook.
I would buy it

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

 

i've also checked the price at some online store, its about the same price as an M6 with equivalent specs.

 

I was considering buy the M6 series in a few weeks time. Now this looks like a beauty and i might get this one instead. Got anymore pictures? [ ]

 

and a very nice graphics card to boot. not bad.

side profile:

 

Yay, I liked the m6ne but it was too heavy, this one looks like it's in my range. I liked the acer 3200 series but it's so hard getting the config I want so hopefully I can get this one with the right config.

 

Although i havent seen pictures of the exterior, the pictures posted so far indicates there are 2 colour schemes. One with a black surrounding touchpad with a silver hinge and a different version with silver touchpad keys and a black hinge.

 

UPDATE:

The screen is 14" 1280x768 display. WIll Asus provide a WSXGA version of the 14" screen?

other interfaces:
-VGA, 3 x USB2.0, Mic-In, SPDIF, S-Video, IrDA, IEEE1394, PCMCIA Type II
-AC´97 audio, two speakers, mic

W3N also features Audio DJ for playing music without OS bootup and has all buttons necessary: play/pause, stop, RW, FF.

My question, why has ASUS provided audio playback without bootup and not also include DVD plackyback?

 

i was just about to buy the acer 3201xci
but wow an asus in 14" w/ 9700.. shoot
now my laptop buying is gonna be delayed again

when is this guy coming out?

avaliable in canada?
gonna try to find some info

-nathan

 

Yeh, i was considering buying the M6 until i saw this..Will still have to wait for full specs though..but i have seen some european online shops with this one for sale.

 

nice!!!!

the touchpad is from m5200n which is the best i've seen so far simply minimalistic

from looking the new asus simply reminds me of Sony VAIO range

with latchless design and the new hinge looks like the one on X505

overall i love asus designers more
[ ][ ][ ][ ]

 

Looks like I've found the perfect laptop![ ]
Any words on when it will come to North America? Canada?

 

Wow, I really wish I would have waited instead of buying the M6NE. I'm definitely going to make the switch when it comes out.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by mclassic

 

I emailed Asus North America asking when will be the approx date of release for this notebook.

no reply tho

typical great customer service eh [xx(]

 

Hey guys
Sorry to rain on your parade but I was not notified of the incoming w3n to usa market. I was notified of the following. Looks like it does have the new chipset but the appearance of it leaves alot to be desired.
New Alviso Chipset/Sonoma Platform/Centrino notebook is coming in the mid of Jan, 2005 and it is called Z71A. Here is a link for anyone interested ---> http://www.geared2play.com/products/laptops/z71a/z71a.htm

 

Dont know about their email support but you can alwasy r3each someone in the notebook devision. ASUS Notebook Support:
Notebook ONLY Hotline: 510-739-3777

 

I spoke to a Notebook sales rep at Asus today via telephone and was told that the W3N notebook will be available by the end of Q1, but could be available as early as the end of January.

I also asked gentechpc.com if they will be carrying it and the sales rep there said it will be available at the beginning of Q2. So, there seems to be consistency regarding the notebook's release.

According to the rep, the notebook is the most attractive he's seen and that he really loves the design. He said that it has a black aluminum outer shell and carbon fiber material on the inside.

He said that it will not be a barebones model like the M6000 series.

Take the info for what it's worth. Hope that gives a little more insight.

 

Ye it looks looks like those dimensions are wrong. Disregard them. When the product goes live the spec sheet will be updated as well. It looks exactly like the m6n but the damn color and design looks horrific. Or maybee its just the pics. Time will tell

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Geared2play.com
I was notified of the following. Looks like it does have the new chipset but the appearance of it leaves alot to be desired. New Alviso Chipset/Sonoma Platform/Centrino notebook is coming in the mid of Jan, 2005 and it is called Z71A. Here is a link for anyone interested ---> http://www.geared2play.com/products/laptops/z71a/z71a.htm<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Looks like an M6 replacement. Something wrong with the specs though. Indicates a 15.4" screen, but the computer is only 11.6" x 9.0". I don't think that's possible!


...........Peter

---

ASUS M6BNe - My reviews:
http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5722
http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?p=426053#post426053
1.7GB Dothan w/AS5, 15.4" WXGA, ATI 9700/64MB
1024MB Corsair, 60GB 7,200rpm, DVD+/-R/RW
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200bg, WinXP Pro SP2

 

Greets.
The second picture of the w3N, in this post, is not from a W3N.
Maybe a prototype, maybe some new product but certainly no W3N, as it's layout is vary different than the one in ASUS site.
http://www.asus.com.tw/products/notebook/w3series/w3000n/w3000n_overview.htm
On the side, only one usb port is at right, and the form is not straight, but it has some bumps. On the left side, there are two usb ports, one on top of another.
So, the reality is that the w3n is not so sexy as it may looks from the second photo.
And a question arises: what is that misterious notebook? Maybe a sonoma W3

 

it simply looks like a w3 with a different colour scheme to me.

 

What is meant by "Glare Type LCD"? Is that the shiny film that come on some types of laptop LCDs like the HP dv1000 and Toshiba Qosmio?

 

Thats correct. It's Asus' terminology for the shiny layer added on the LCD.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Dear Nathan,

We do not have the exactly releasing date for the W3 notebook yet, but it should be around the time at the end of Q1. Thank you.

Best regards,
ASUS notebooksales<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

so pretty cool

 

Glare type LCD?well I think this race goes to LCD-contest.Who LCD s more brilliant,more colorful,more crispy,more sharp...


Toshiba s Qosmio,Sony s Xbrite,Dell s Ultrabright,Lg s Xdengine(it s new,and will come soon),Now Asus s Glare Lcd...

I think my choice goes to Sony s Xbrite technology,amazing screen,unmatched LCD,exceptional image quality.

How long wil you say, "I will conquer the whole world
and fill with myself"?
Even if the snow covered the world completely,
the sun could melt it with a glance.
A single spark of God's mercy
can turn poison into springwater.
Where there is doubt,
He establishes certainty.
-Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (1207-1273)

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Clearday

 

It is my understanding that all those terms, xbrite,ultrabright are nothing more then fancy words for good and fair quality screens with hi resolutions. Try to understand that sony and dell go to some of the few odm's on this planet for all their products. LCd's all have the same problem. There is a certain brightness level they cant go above becuase it burns them. I may be wrong here but there is nothing different about dell ultrabright and any other manufacturer who chooses not to use confusing words for their hi end screens that can only fall into the gimmick advertising section of this business.

 

I just cant wait till it comes out

dammm end of quarter1, that'll be like march!
by then schools over!

-nathan

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Geared2play.com

 

I think that there is a lot of confusion and over simplification occuring with "screen quality" at the moment, mainly due to the manf. push of "silly terms" which provide no indication of true screen quality.
I am by no means an expert on the issue but from my understanding terms like xbrite, glare type etc are generally refering to the highly glossy coating placed over the top of the screen to make it appear brighter. This does not improve the quality of the LCD, but it can on the surface make the screen jump out at you in the store, and for DVDs etc is probably the way to go...or is really up to personal preferance.
What is more important to real screen quality is brightness/contrast ratio's, response time, resolution, viewing angle etc.
I think in general the best guess it that if its a US $1000 dollar machine its gonna have a fairly average screen, regarless of the glossy coating it may or maynot have. So if your after a great screen best to try and findout the info that matters...unfortunately most manf. won't make it easy and will try and confuse you with "buzz words" like xbrite etc.
a

ps sony do have very nice screens it about the only thing I think they excel at, and so do fujitsu.



ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Greets,
W3N is on all the prices list of asus, around the world.
I talked to the rep here in Portugal and they told me they are due to appear in early February.

 

Underpantman
I completely agree 99%. The one percent i do not agree on is that the screen quality differs with the manufacturer. For the most part i would say the contrast/brightness ration for hi resolition screens that belong to a particular manufacturers flagship models all have basically the same characterists as far as brightness/contrast, response yada yada. To the untrained eye the slight defferences are imposible to notice. I never have seen a sony xbrite in action but i can tell you a few things about asus ace view. Asus as we all know was and maybee is an odm for sony. Asus ace view was equated to sony xbrite. As far as i remember aceview belonged to one model by asus l5gx & l5ga & l5gm. As you said glossy coating gave it the appearance of quality. In reality it is what it is a glossy coated screen. Qauality is a word not to be confused appearance. A quality screen will have a few good characteristics.
1. Response time. the lower the better. It helps eliminate those nasty ghosting effects perhaps other anomalies as well. As far as i can tell all machines with a performance video card generally fall into the same category of responce time.
2. Size of the pixel. a 15.1" screen with sxga+ resolution will have the same pixel size no matter what the manufacturer is. Size of the pixel is important as it is what makes a picture still or moving seem more detailed.
3. Contrast and brigtness. Having tested the l5ga, l5gm, m6n, z81k, z80k, acers, toshibas, all side by side i can tell you that if the screen res matches brightness is not a issue to compare these screens. I ve not seen a dell ultrabright. But i did see a compal d87p which was the odm for dells ultrabright series with 17" and the 9700 turbo. Correct me if i am wrong but i do belive its the same one. Again it has that glossy coating and no i cant say its of higher quality then other wsxga+ screens but it does appear so from a far. I am not trying to credit or discredit any particular manufacturer so any one with constructive criticism is welcome to correct me if they have seen other then what i said. Those glossy screens do look good but in direct sunlight i think they do more harm then good.

 

Truly,I agree in some parts of views but of course not at all.

1-The screen quality differs notebooks when all conditions are same(vise versa)
2-As u see,all manufacturers try to release lots of idioms about screen.(glare lcd,ultrabright lcd,xbrite lcd,crystal view lcd etc)
Why? coz the market goes there.It must be eye-catcher,It must attract u with their excellent screens.
3-There are some signals on this issue;
a)Response time (the lower s the best,11ms-12ms-13ms...-the worst),
the traditional lcd screens are among 20-25 response time,Sony s xbrite has 11ms response time.It has a huge difference.These numbers reflects dvd film,games quality.And image quality.How can u say that s only nice names?for me,it s not so much fair...
b)"nit" amount (Such as a high-end tv has 450 "nit",the normal,traditional notebook LCD screens are among 120-180,the toshiba s last product called "qosmio" has 450 nit (in plug)(plug out,300nit)It is so important.It provides "sharp-crisp screen results".Asus has "180 nit" in all models.Lg LM50-LS50 has 200 nit,Acer s 8006 lmi 220nit(plug in amounts),Acer ferrari's (220nit)
c)degrees are another important issue.100 degree-150 degree view angle.When u sit on same chair u can see different screen shots on traditional lcds.So 100-120-150 degrees provide same screen shots in different angles.
d)Contrast ratio s an other issue.Xbrite has 90000:1 contrast.Amazing numbers,please look out San Francisco University s labour test on Sony Xbrite technology.
e)Please have u got any chance to test a XBRITE machine or Qosmio Engine or Packard Bell notebook s DiamondView?It has far superior than others on screen.
f)Yes u mentioned on top these are the headlines of excellent screen;and they call this "xbrite" and combine below in one screen.
dual lamp lcd xith Xbrite
high brightness
sharp contrast
anti reflection (coating)
crisp graphics
minimal reflection
razor-sharp details (eye catching images)
wide viewing angle,confortable viewing
rich color
brilliant colors
high brightness

please look a little more below links,they make these things for your unmatched eyes...

1-http://www.qosmio.co.uk/ (just enter)
2-http://www.packardbell.com/files/pdf/products/diamondview.pdf
3-http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?CategoryName=cpu_Displays_FlatPanelLCDs&Dept=cpu_Displays
4-http://www.lge.com/index.do (LG s xdengine)

maybe we will see these things in Asus notebook screens.



How long wil you say, "I will conquer the whole world
and fill with myself"?
Even if the snow covered the world completely,
the sun could melt it with a glance.
A single spark of God's mercy
can turn poison into springwater.
Where there is doubt,
He establishes certainty.
-Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (1207-1273)

 

I did a side by side test of an Asus M6 and a Sony A190 with Xbrite. It is not just a shiny surface, the Sony is brighter, has deeper blacks, more natural colors and better contrast. The differences become greater the brighter the room.

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=52397&highlight=sony+a190

That said, the Sony wouldn't come close to the contrast ratio mentioned above. Even in a completely dark room the best DLP projectors can't get much above 2000:1.

I'd estimate the Sony at about 400:1 and most LCDs at 150-200.

Cheers

Steve

Sony A190 WUXGA

 

Great post rider, its always nice to see side by side comparisons, which are normally rare due to the inability to afford mulitple lappies. Clearday you seem to have mistaken my post abit, I wasn't having a go at sony, its just Xbrite sticks in my head more than others and thus was used to summarise the "buzz words" that are being used which in most cases just refer to the cheap glossy plastic coating ontop of the screen....which doesn't always = quality. Otherwise I think we actually posted pretty much the same thing. That is there is more to a good screen then a glossy coating, like the dual lamps in sonys xbrite, the contrast ratio etc etc.
The side by side done by rider shows that ASUS's WSXGA screen on the M6N is of vgood quality almost up there with the sony. Gear2 has also reminded us that many of the notebooks are all sourced from only a small # of manf. for eg ASUS make many of sony's notebooks...who both probably get there lcds from the same place.
I'm glad we all cleared that up...now back to the topic of the new W3N????
what was the point of that post again?? lol
a




ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Guys
I agree and perhaps those number with nits and responce make sence, infact for sure they do. However you must make sure that you are comparing identical screens with notebooks in the same class. Also dont take the word of the manufacturer. They usually will far exceed independent testing. Its slightly unfair to compare a notebook with a bigger higher res screen that costs 2000$ to a notbook with a smaller less res costing 1500$. Its almost like comparing a dodge viper to ferrarri diablo.

 

You may want address that question to asus overseas. In america the info on them just is not available. Even the preffered dealer web page does not list them. It usually list something arriving about a month before it hits the stores. As far as i understand its one of their ensemble notebooks. If that is so its going to be around 2000$ or even more

 

Ok, so perhaps we can get back to the topic at hand, which is the Asus W3N.

So we know that it will be released in February or March. Does anyone know what the baseline price will be?

 

Greets.
In Portugal a W3N 1.6, 60gb hdd cost 1799euro (2000 dollars +-).
It is about to be released in early February.
And it is already on the Asus website
I'm waiting for they to come out, to get one right away

 

W3N is going to be an ensemble notebook? THat just made me sadder... I was hoping for a whitebook.

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

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Raider

 

I was told (German distributor) that the W3N is about to arrive next week.
Best version is about 2000€ (2GHzCPU,(0GB HD)

I will get it then...

Jorlin

 

Does anyone know if the W3N will feature the new Intel Alviso chipset?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by mclassic

 

Ok i have a bit of something to add to that. In regards to your comment about asus improving its screen quality. With regards to their elite series laptops such as the m6n and w1n and z81k. Sir i ve had not had a single reply from the hundreds upon hundreds of buyers that mention anything other then stunning screen quality. When you put a 15'4 " screen next to a 17" wsxga screen will it look like its less quality? No brainer. Have you had a chance to look at asus z81k? That screen will lite up any room just as well. I dont know the numbers. Yes i do sell both asus and compal products. Have you seen the compal np9860 or np8790. Both have superb quality screens. Its what you would expect from their flagship laptops with 17"wsxga screen with the glossy display. is it better quality, no its better appearance. I am a big fan of asus as well as a reseller. I ve used them ever since i got into this field. There are tons of people on these forums with asus and compal laptops. Everyone of them will tell you that the sreen quality is superb, that is not a fact that is an oppinion. As for the links to sites that post reviews about the products. Did you know that most of them have an incentive to do so? I am sure you know that. How many laptops did you personally compare side by side that have an identical screen type? I do it everyday. Asus, compals, uniwills, a few acers. When comparing the same screentype only a scientific test can determine the difference in numbers. The human eye if it can see a difference will be very minute. Granted there are few people with very keen eyesight. I am not here to sell any of these proiducts the reviews and advice i post are my experience not something i read in a sponcored analysis of a particular product. Our customers dont have to be impressed by a review though it helps. Most of our customers are already familiar with the brands we sell and the legions of followers that stick to familiarity. This is a fairly simple to understand industry. Just like a car manufactuer laptop manufacturs must invent and sponcor all kinds of gimmicks that separate them fromt he rest. I for one cant stand the glossy displays. They are completely uselles in natural sunlight, if anything thet do more harm then good in sunlight. Also here is something you should know about. Sony as we know makes some laptops and sources some as well. They make some screens and sources some as well. Which ones i dont know. The asus and compal aluminum logs if you read the stickers on the back it says "Sony chemicals". The card readers they make as far as i hear are made by sony, thus why they use sd/mmc and not flash. make a long story short dont judge your oppinion of a product based on profesional reviews. Ask the people who buy them this place has plenty reviews about all products. Sorry to stick my 5 cents in i just had to explain where i am comming from

 

I have placed my order today. I was told that I will receive one of the first units that will arrive. Which should be by next week.

I will than try to compare the screen of the W3N with a sony xbright from a friend of mine.

Jorlin

 

Guys
How many people here would be interested in this notebook w3n in the usa? I dont forsee this comming out in the usa anytime soon. We can put in a special order with taiwan to import these to the usa usually. Requires a heafty investment but it may be worth it...Unless asus has reasons not to allow special orders for this model. If enough people here ask for it i may just do that. You dont have to contact me directly just post your oppinion here and expected price.

 

Please post pictures and features when you receive your W3N. Thanks!!

 

Well you are number one. I ll wait for a couple more posts and then contact their sales dept. What do you expect the price of the m3n to be. More then that of m6n or less or the same? What are the features which are attracting you to it? By the way i stand corrected from before. It looks like a strong posibility that this will be a whitebook. Though the name kind of fools you so do the specs. it does look like they put alot of extra effort into the w3n just like the w1n. Who here thinks the screen size is a bit too small for it to be a gaming notebook?