X-bit labs

Asus U1F: Ultra Compact High-End Notebook (page 5)

Category: Mobile

by Alexander Britvin

[ 11/01/2007 | 05:11 PM ]

The ASUS U1F is equipped with an 82-key black keyboard. Some of the keys are reduced in size due to the small form-factor of the notebook. The Arrow keys are not separate from the keyboard’s mainland and are on the same level with its baseline, so there’s a higher risk of your pressing them accidentally. The Fn button is located in the bottom left corner, which should prove inconvenient for people who are used to Control-involving shortcuts. Numeric buttons and two Windows keys are available: the Context Menu key is placed over one key to the right of the spacebar; the Windows Logo key is to the left of the spacebar. The functional keys are smaller than others. Home, Page Up, Page Down and End are combined with the Arrow keys and are accessible via Fn. Pause, Print Screen, Insert and Delete end the row of functional keys. The letters are painted white, the functional keys are painted blue (you should press them in combination with Fn to access their additional functions).

There is an integrated monophonic microphone near the right hinge of the display.

In the middle of the cylindrical hinge there is a large group of indicators (these are not visible when the lid is closed). It includes (from left to right):

• Caps Lock indicator
• Storage (it shows that the hard disk or the optical drive is being accessed)
• Wireless indicator (blinking when the integrated WLAN adapter is receiving or sending out data packets)
• Bluetooth indicator (alight when the Bluetooth interface is enabled)
• Battery indicator (alight when the battery is being recharged; off when the battery is charged or fully discharged; blinking when the battery charge is less than 10% and the notebook is not connected to the mains)
• Power (alight when the notebook is turned on; blinking when in power-saving mode and off when the notebook is turned off or in sleep mode)

A Num Lock indicator is missing.

This block of indicators has buttons on both sides. On the right is a button to turn the notebook on. On the left is a button to launch ASUS’ exclusive Power4 Gear+ utility. The latter offers several power modes that vary in such parameters as CPU frequency, screen brightness, Windows power management scheme, etc.

Five Power4 Gear+ modes are available when the notebook is connected to the wall socket and seven when it works on its battery.

The touchpad follows the overall style of this notebook. The touch-sensitive panel is surrounded with a polished metallic frame together with the buttons that act as the mouse’s left and right ones. There is no dedicated scrolling zone or additional scrolling joystick here. In between the touchpad buttons there is a fingerprint scanner that works together with the Trusted Platform Module.

If you are using an external mouse and want to avoid the touchpad reacting to an accidental touch, you may want to block the latter by pressing Fn+F9.