X-bit labs

New Powerful Alternative to Asus W6 Series: Asus W7J Notebook Review (page 3)

Category: Mobile

by Alexander Britvin

[ 03/06/2007 | 12:16 PM ]

Design and Ergonomics

The choice of a professional. That’s a phrase from the advertising materials and it is hard to describe the appearance of this model in a more laconic yet comprehensive way. The notebook has a black body with a double silvery edging along the perimeter and with rounded-off angles that make it seem even lighter than it is.

A chromium-plated manufacturer logo is placed in the center of the lid.

There are two indicators at the back of the lid:

• Power (alight when the notebook is turned on and blinking when in standby mode; this indicator doesn’t shine at all when the notebook is turned off or in sleep mode)
• Battery charge indictor (alight when the battery is being recharged; doesn’t shine when the battery is charged or fully discharged; blinking when the charge level is below 10% and the notebook is not connected to the mains)

In the front part of the lid there is a silvery piece where the display lock is usually located. It protrudes from the notebook’s smooth contour.

The nature of this thing becomes immediately clear as soon as you lift the lid up (which is held down by means of spring-loaded locks in the display hinges). A 1.3-megapixel web-camera is installed here for making photographs and taking part in video conferences.

The color scheme of the notebook’s interior matches its outside. It is designed in a sober and restrained way, too. The few tiny elements painted silver are just lost in the overall mass of black. Rubber pads are scattered on the screen bezel for softer contact between the lid and the notebook’s body. There is a small ASUS logo in the left top corner of the bezel.

Under the screen, and between the screen hinges, there are two stereo speakers directed straight at the user.