New owner of A8Js....

Just wanted to log in as a new owner of an Asus A8Js.

Purchased from MilestonePC and a great experience there..thanks.

I have been using laptops for ..well....I am an old dude :-D.....and this is my first Asus notebook but not my first Asus product. I have had Macs and I currenty have a Thinkpad for basic database and work stuff.

I lurked here for a couple months, researching the notebooks and just want to say to everyone here..thanks for the information and thanks for not being too much of a fanboy group but for just being enthusiastic lappy users.

Like every big ticket purchase, you always have some nervousness but..and I say this as a multi brand owner..The Asus is a very nice laptop. Is it perfect? No.
Here are a couple impressions from a multi-brand owner.

The Good...
--So much power and features in a small form. I have mine fully decked out with 2 gigs of ram, upgraded hard drive and bluetooth and it screams!
--The screen is VERY bright. I work in advertising on all manner of LCD and this screen is as crisp, contrasty and bright as any stand alone product.
--The outlets. Are you kidding me! This is one of the features that sold me. DVI output and firewire and all the USB ports you could need
--Great Value for the money.
--Build quality is very nice
--The keyboard is very nice..not as good as the IBM but then..what is?
--The software package is just right. Not too bloated but it does offer some interesting features I haven't had before.

The Bad..
--Everyone has said this before and I agree. The screen does not have a great off angle view. I would say it is about 10% worse than my IBM and about 20% worse than a good backlit LCD. The light leakage is noticeable but I attribute this to the screen being so bright anyway. Heck, even my $1,000 22" LCD I work on every day is not perfect with the light leakage! I will add that the brightness is so much better than most laptops that the off angle difference may be a reflection of this.

The only things I would change.
--A slightly better screen IF I didn't have to give up the nice contrast and brightness
--I want the IBM left and right click buttons versus the flush mount buttons.
--More battery power IF the package didnt get a lot bigger OR lose the video power (I know..I'm dreaming )

Anyway, I have had this lappy for a few days now and I am sure I will be posting some more. I hope this info can help some others who are on the fence about this little notebook.

 

Congratz! Enjoy the powerfull A8js, it definately is one good performer, especially fully decked out.

Thanks for a great post showing your a multi-brand owner, plus great description of pros and cons.

Enjoy the holiday season with the a8js.

 

RE: The bluetooth dongle.. is this available to purchase now from Milestone for us who bought an early A8Js ?

 

I think Eddie at BTO/G2P has been or will be selling the BT dongle with video install instructions.

 

I love my a8js too.

I love the screen. Im often in a setting with a lot of laptops, most of them are 15.4 inch screens of all different makes and the a8js screen looks so much better than any of them. I even went into staples with my a8js and the only desktop lcds that looked better to me were the 300$ and up ones from samsung and lg.

Another negative I dont like is the flex in the lcd screen. The bottom chassis is really solid and rigid probably backed up by metal somewhere

but be careful opening and closing the lcd lid.