X-bit labs

ASUS M5A Notebook: Compact, Lightweight and High-Performance? (page 2)

Category: Mobile

by Galina Sudareva

[ 05/02/2005 | 10:37 PM ]

The M5A’s keyboard is made of opaque black plastic with white letters. The functional keys are labeled blue (you should press and hold [Fn] to use them). Because of the small dimensions of the notebook the cursor-controlling keys are joined with the keyboard’s mainland. The PgUp, PgDn, Home and End keys are combined with the cursor keys and are available as you press and hold [Fn] – I think this is the single disadvantage of this keyboard. The functional keys and the Shift keys have a smaller size than usual. The numeric pad and the Windows keys are available, like in an ordinary desktop keyboard. The keys sink down easily to a tangible halt. This keyboard is overall handy, and you quickly get used to the layout. The touchpad unfortunately doesn’t have an additional button for scrolling. The touchpad’s buttons that serve instead of the mouse’s ones are handy, too.

The 12.1” screen with a maximum resolution of 1024x768 offers wide viewing angles, good color reproduction and brightness. The brightness parameter is controlled with appropriate functional keys, and the onscreen 15-grade scale shows you the current setting. The brightness range is quite wide, so it’s easy to choose the most comfortable setting.

There’s nothing on the front panel of the notebook, except the display latch.

The following is located on the left panel:

• RJ-11 integrated modem connector
• RJ-45 LAN connector
• Optical DVD/CD-RW drive
• PC Card slot (for one card type I/II)
• Card-reader (MS, MMC, SD)
• One USB port

The right panel of the ASUS M5A carries the following:

• Microphone input
• Audio output
• Two USB ports
• D-Sub connector for an external monitor
• Kensington lock and vent holes

These things are located at the notebook’s rear panel:

• Battery cell
• Power connector
• One FireWire port

At the notebook’s bottom you can find the covers of the HDD, memory, ventilation system, and battery cells as well as two stereo speakers and vent holes.

The following table lists the communicational capabilities of the ASUS M5A notebook: