ASUS W5Fe-A1 Ultraportable Notebook PC

The Bottom Line
The ASUS W5Fe-A1 is a very solid ultraportable design with its unique SideShow display on the back side of the display that will get lots of comments. Beyond the SideShow display, the W5Fe is a solid well performing notebook with lots of storage space.

Pros

* External SideShow Display
* Large Hard Drive
* Sturdy Chassis Design

Cons

* Relatively Expensive
* Limited Applications For SideShow Display

Description

* Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 Dual Core Mobile Processor
* 1.5GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
* 160GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
* 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
* 12.1" WXGA (1280x800) LCD Display and Intel GMA 950 Graphics with 1.3MP Webcam
* External 2.8" (320x240) SideShow LCD Display
* v.92 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2.0
* Three USB 2.0, One FireWire, ExpressCard/54 and 5-in-1 Reader
* 11.9" x 8.6" x 1.2" @ 3.7 lbs.
* Microsoft Vista Business, ASUSDVD, Power Director, NERO Express and Norton Internet Security

Guide Review - ASUS W5Fe-A1 Ultraportable Notebook PC

The first thing that everyone notices about the ASUS W5Fe ultraportable is the small 2.8” external LCD display. ASUS is the first company to release a notebook with an external display compatible with the new SideShow features of Windows Vista. This is helpful for display information such as incoming email, but it is somewhat of a let down due to the limited number of applications designed for it. Of course, this could change over time.

Beyond the external display, the ASUS W5Fe is actually a well equipped system. It is powered by the new Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 dual core mobile processor. It would have been nice to see them use a low or ultra-low power processor to help extend battery life. To compensate for this, they have a selector on the system that lets you easily switch between multiple power profiles depending upon your usage to help balance power consumption to the performance required. A total of 1.5GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory rounds out the package giving it a good smooth operating environment with the Vista OS.

One area that the ASUS W5Fe does really well is storage. Most all notebooks now tend to come with a built-in multi-format DVD burner and the W5Fe is no different there. Ultraportables tend to have limited amounts of hard drive storage space. This tends to be from using smaller or more low power drives. The W5Fe comes with a very large and strong performing 160GB hard drive making this a good choice for a primary system.

The only real major detractor for the ASUS W5Fe is its price tag. The extra features and functions add to the overall price tag that put it in the upper range of the ultraportable market. Still, the system is solid and well performing that make it a great choice even for a primary computer system.