IN BRIEF: The W5 matches looks, battery life and performance to excellent effect

Making a bid for a wider consumer market, Asus has launched its latest multimedia laptop, the W5 (£1408 inc. VAT) directly at the home user. The first sign of this decision comes in the choice of chassis – you can opt for standard black or you can show a little more fl air and choose the arctic white edition. We chose to look at the white version, but both models share the same feature set.

COOL AS ICE

The compact nature of the chassis means that at 1.8kg, the W5 is light and easy to carry. For those who need even less weight, a smaller 3-cell battery (£45 inc. VAT) can be fitted, as opposed to the standard 6-cell. However, even with the larger battery, which protrudes from the back of the case, the W5 proved no trouble to carry around. When it came to battery life, we tested the unit with the 6-cell pack, with the unit lasting 205 minutes running MobileMark 2002. At over three hours from a single charge, we were satisfied that the W5 has the battery life to satisfy the most ardent of users. For those looking for longer battery power, the 9-cell unit should offer up to five hours from a single charge.

802.11g wireless is fitted as standard with a hardware switch located just below the screen to allow users to switch the service on and off. Next to this is a button using Asus’ Power4Gear battery-saving technology. Clicking the button allows the user to define the brightness of the screen and lock down the processor so that extra battery life can be eked out of the W5. The Intel Pentium M 740 processor, which runs at 1.73GHz, means the W5 takes advantage of Intel’s new 915GM chipset and has a 533MHz FSB for quicker performance. Coupled with 512MB DDRII memory, the W5 lacks nothing in the power department. We found that applications loaded and saved smoothly, with no hanging during operation. With a benchmark of 237 bearing out our daily use tests, the W5 has power to match its stunning looks.

With no clasps to fumble with, the panel is held closed using a magnetic clip, which means you can open the laptop one handed – ideal if you’re standing and need to access you laptop. The lid also has a built-in webcam that has a 1.3-megapixel resolution. However, rather than being static, the camera can be rotated 180-degrees. In this way, it is possible to use the camera for more than as a straight-on webcam.

The 12.1-inch panel sports a widescreen with a native resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels. The use of a high-definition panel, similar in construction to Sony’s X-black screens, means that digital media looks stunning, as the high contrast screen offers pin-sharp clarity. The keyboard is well spaced and is firmly fixed to the main unit. Due to the widescreen of this unit, the keys are of a good size and we found typing a comfortable experience.

A wireless Logitech mouse, which is in the same colouring as the laptop, is supplied as standard. This is a nice touch and means people can use the W5 more conveniently at their desk without going to extra expense. In keeping with its super-cool look, the W5 didn’t grow warm to the touch. Even after long periods of use, it remained cool. Given that smaller laptops are prone to heat build-up, this is another plus in the W5‘s favour.

The Asus W5 is a stunning laptop. We were impressed with its feature set, as well as its appearance. The addition of a wireless mouse, as well as a 1.3-megapixel camera, make this the perfect laptop for those looking for something out of the ordinary.

PRICE £1199/£1408 (ex/inc. VAT)
PROCESSOR Intel Pentium M 740
MEMORY 512MB DDRII SDRAM
HARD DRIVE Hitachi 80GB
SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE 12.1-inch TFT
DISPLAY RESOLUTION 1280 x 768 pixels
GRAPHICS CARD Intel GMA 900
DIMENSIONS 305 x 225 x 36mm
WEIGHT 1.8kg
PC CARDS (TYPE II/III) 1/0
WIRELESS LAN Intel 802.11g
ETHERNET 10/100
MODEM Yes
USB PORTS 3
FIREWIRE 1 (mini)
STANDARD WARRANTY 2 yrs International
WARRANTY UPGRADE N/A
CONTACT
www.asus.com

VALUE FOR MONEY 8
PERFORMANCE 8
FEATURES 9
MOBILITY 8
BUILD QUALITY 9
OVERALL 9

BATTERY LIFE 205 MINUTES
MOBILEMARK 2002 237
3DMARK 2003 1036