Portableone UX- first impressions

Well, I am typing this on the UX ( Portableone UX), and I must say I am VERY impressed!
Screen: I listened to Ivan's advice and opted for the screen upgrade to the new transreflective indoor/outdoor screen, made by Mitsubishi, with improved viewing angles, and I am glad I did. It is not the glossy screen like the Fujitsu crystal view, but has much better color depth and clarity than the matte screens like on the IBM T43's, etc. Especially for extended periods of office or classroom work, it seems like it's the best of both worlds. In brightly lit areas the screen has a higher sheen, but remains easy on the eyes. The sheen of the screen almost appears to change in different room lighting, for lack of a better description, eliminating that reflective glare effect which can be very annoying. I was worried about a 1024x768 resolution on a 12.1" screen, especially since I am not a fan or the higher resolution displays, but everything is clear and easily readable.
Build quality: this unit seems solid and durable. Aluminum strips along the edges of the base and screen are both decorative and protective, and seem to add strength, especially along the edges of the keyboard. The review of last year's model noted flex by the optical drive, but this one feels real solid. The revised keyboard is terrific. I don't feel any keyboard flex. There is very slight screen flex with pressure, but much less than in the Fujitsu S7020; you have to try really hard to produce even a small ripple, rather than the light one-handed pressure which produces large ripples on the Fujitsu.
Keyboard: The keys are full-sized, with the right shift key and spacebar slightly smaller. The keyboard uses virtually all the machine width- no wasted space on the sides here. Function keys serve to turn the wireless on/off, control brightness and sound functions. The Power4 gear toggle makes it easy to balance performance and battery life depending on your needs. The keyboard is responsive and doesn't feel "mushy" like on many laptops. Another nice surprise, because I generally find keyboards of small screen machines very difficult to use, and they have a nice tight springy feel. The keyboard is set in in the frame a little, which will prob. help protect the edges.
Optical drive- I have a combo DVD-CDRW, but a dual layer dvd writer is an available option. It is a slim, integrated drive. Works well, but sensitive to any bubble on a label of a burnt cd because it is a slim drive. Nice to be able to have a larger battery (instead of needing a modular battery to get 6 hours of battery life) and not have to swap out the cd drive.
Wrist rest: again, very solid feel, and the touchpad is terrific. The mouse buttons are almost integrated on the wrist pad, and the pad is very responsive and just the right texture. The scroll feature on the right side of the pad is responsive and convenient. I normally have to use an external mouse with a laptop, but find this touchpad very easy to use.
Performance: I equipped this with the 1.86 750 processor, following Ivan's advice not to get the 760 because of added heat, and 768 MB DDR2 533 RAM. This has the integrated Intel video on the 915 chipset, so I wouldn't expect stellar graphics, but Office applications and Internet surfing are smooth, and the unit boots quickly into Windows. The unit has the Hitachi 7200 rpm hard drives, which are top-rated.
Heat: It gets warm on the bottom (not hot, but definitely warm) and you can feel the heat coming out on the right side vents, but the fan dissipates the heat nicely. If right handed and using an external mouse you feel the heat blowing out, and you'll probably want to move the mouse over a bit. The wrist rests barely get warm, and the keyboard did not get warm. The fan is generally on, with a low but audible hum. There are lots of vents for air flow on the bottom and, given the size of this unit (and the heat of the Sonoma processors) it probably is best to place this unit on a thin book or lapdesk rather than directly on your lap for air circulation.
Interestingly, on battery using the email/office Power4 gear setting, which steps down the screen brightness to 50%, the machine gets barely warm and warm air is not exhausted out the side vent.
Wireless: The wireless card has been flawless in different areas of the house, with only one very brief drop over almost entire day of use while setting the unit up. It finds the network almost instantaneously on booting.
Portability: This is a light, ultraportable unit. I was concerned about giving up screen size going down to a 12.1" screen, but the screen quality and weight make this a great compromise when the unit is going to be carried around. This is truly a lightweight unit- 3.4 pounds with the integrated drive and 2 hour battery, just under 4 pounds with the bigger battery which is reputed to give a real 6 hours (up to 7.5 if really powered down) with reasonable application and wireless use. The larger battery does stick out from the back, which makes one-handed lifting awkward because it is rear heavy with the 9 cell battery, but is fine when lifted with 2 hands. With the smaller battery the unit feels really light. The battery swaps out easily. Another nice feature- the AC adaptor is lightweight in keeping with the ultraportability of this unit, and is smaller than others as well.
Of course, any commentary on the unit would be incomplete without mentioning Portableone's incomparable customer service. They are there for you both pre and post sale. The add-ons are nice too- the carrying case is a professional looking thin messenger or briefcase type bag, with room for a little storage. It also comes with a fitted neoprene sleeve and pouch- nice touches.
Having not fared well with a prior Fujitsu, I find this unit a refreshing change. Because of my experiences, I am a bit jaded and hypercritical, and was very wary of plastic components of lightweight units, but this one feels surprisingly durable- the carbon alloy case feels like they didn't sacrifice durability for weight.
Many (like myself) will be choosing between the Fujitsus and Portableone's UX (and their MX, which is a 14.1" widescreen with dedicated video for superior performance), and I think a few comparisons might be helpful: Compared to the S7000 series, the UX screen is 12.1" versus the Fujitsu's 14.1," with the same screen resolution. I thought the 12" would be a detriment, but the sharp screen is wonderful and I am not sorry. The Fujitsu crystal view is touted as the best, and it is a gorgeous screen, but glare can be a problem with overhead lighting or sun filtering in through a window. The UX with the upgraded screen has almost the richness in color, but without any glare issue, so I would say they are different but comparable in quality- my guess is that the Fujitsu is a little better for watching movies, but the UX will be better for Office applications and Internet, and pouring over the computer for long hours. The UX is 3.4 pounds versus the S7000's 4.3 pounds; true, the bigger battery makes the UX almost 4 pounds, but to get 6 hours with the S7000 you must swap out the optical drive and put in a modular battery, which adds a little weight, and with the UX you get 6 hours of battery life with an optical drive in place. The AC adaptor on the UX is smaller and lighter; I was actually surprised that the Fujitsu's was so cumbersome for a relatively light unit. Durability- the UX wins hands down- very minimal screen flex, solid keyboard, solid wrist rest, no wiggle in the hinges. It is obvious that the Fujitsu has a lot more plastic. Even the thin aluminum edging on the UX seems to add to its structural integrity. Heat/fan noise- in general, the Fujitsu is better here, although different. The top surface of the UX (keyboard and wrist rest) are better, with especially the wrist rest area of the Fujitsu getting warm. The bottom of the UX gets warmer, and it blows out a lot more heat from its side vent than the Fujitsu does. The fan is almost always on in the UX, and it is a bit noisier- a by-product of its smaller size. Not annoying, but there. Performance- the UX I have has the 1.86 processor and the S7020D had the 2.0 processor, both equipped with 768 mb of RAM and the same Intel graphics chipset, and I don't see a lag in performance on the UX (although this is just from observation, not benchmark testing). I was advised not to get the 760 processor on the UX because of the heat issue in the smaller space. The UX boots into Windows much faster; this may be a by-product of the included VCOM utility suite as opposed to Norton's which was on the Fujitsu, but may be related to the 7200 rpm hard drive on the UX versus the 5400 on the Fujitsu. Noise- the Fujitsu is a tad quieter- less fan noise, quieter hard drive (BUT- the UX is a better and faster drive) and a lower pitched cdrom access noise while installing programs. Battery life-with the included battery, expect maybe 2 hours with the UX; replace it with the 9 cell battery, and it'll run for 6 hours with practical useage (use the Power4 Gear toggle to adjust performance to needs on the UX). With the Fujitsu, expect about 3.5 hours with the regular battery and 6 hours with the modular battery added. Maximum battery life is essentially the same, but with the UX the optical drive remains in place. Bottom line- with the UX you save about a pound (a little less if you go for added battery life in both units, but if you include the difference in travel weight with the AC adaptors you're back to around a pound), but get a 12.1" rather than a 14.1" screen. The UX is the first ultraportable I've seen that doesn't feel like a plastic toy, and feels solid, durable and reliable. Time of course will tell, but I am VERY impressed- definitely a keeper!
I bought this unit for my daughter, and I anticipate many years of reliable use! YEAH PORTABLEONE!!!!!

 

I am considering the MX (I have old eyes). I would like to know if the MX comes stock with the same transflective screen as the UX (which is optional on the UX)? Thanks

 

My impression was that is the same screen technology being used on the MX - oops, I was wrong there. The MX has a glossy screen similar to the Fujitsu CV. The transreflective screen option of the UX is different, but I was told by someone else that it can also be ordered as an option on the MX if requested.
I am very impressed- I have to say, I don't wear glasses but am definitely at "that age," and I never would have ordered a 12" for myself, but this unit is for my daughter; setting it up, however, with this screen, I can see that I could actually very comfortably use this laptop and would love it. Having had problems with another unit, I am spending a lot of time with this to make sure it is running well before bringing it to her at school, and working with it even late yesteday evening with tired eyes was a pleasure (and this is from someone who is visually a neurotic perfectionist).

 

Thanks. I just sent P1 an email. BTW Great review!

 

Yes the MX has a glossy screen.

 

I checked with P1 and the transflective screen on the UX is not the same screen that the MX utilizes.

 

I think the MX screen is a glossy one because it is based on W3v which is a glossy screen. If the UX one is not glossy, it is probably a IPS screen which is a matte screen with wide viewing angles, is brighter and better contrast Simillar to the ThinkPad FlexView. If you want to check those out, they are offered on the 15" SXGA and UXGA screens.

 

I know this is going to sound strange, but I am not sure if I would categorize the upgraded UX screen as glossy or not. When you look at it almost parallel to the screen, it definitely looks like a glossy screen, but when looking at it at viewing angles, its character changes depending on the light. It definitely is not the flat matte, and has the character of the glossy screens, but not the reflective qualities. It seems to be comparably as rich in color as the Fujitsu crystal view screens, but without the sometimes annoying glare. The screen is evenly lit, without the annoying brightly lit one inch at the bottom of the S7020 CV screens. Is there such a category as semi-glossy ?