Sneak Peek
Asus U3 series notebooks are very compact and stylish notebooks with 13.3″ display and a full sized keyboard. Even though it lacks an optical drive, it remains a firm choice and provides a variety of features rarely seen on notebooks of its class.
Design
On the looks front, the Asus U3 is a very classy and elegant. The top of the lid is covered with a glossy black finish which gives it a stylish look. Whereas its inside is covered with a silver keyboard and it has eye-catching chrome highlights. Its fingerprint reader and a leather-like material surrounding the touchpad make the complete package of the laptop very attractive.
Core Information
The very first thing to notice in Asus U3 is the dual graphic setup. With just tapping a small switch on the side frame of the notebook, the U3 gives you the opportunity to select amongst the incorporated Intel graphics, or a more powerful 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G. This saves a lot of battery and you don't need the battery-hungry NVIDIA chip. But you are looking up-on this laptop as a game-board then you are mistaken this device is not made for playing games.
Cutting Edge Technology
Just above the display, there's a 1.3 megapixel webcam, with headphone and microphone ports to be found on the left side of the frame. The display is crisp and lucid and the LED backlight looks great for multimedia, particularly video substance. Contrast and color is excellent and the glossy finish combined makes Asus U3 a must have laptop.
For wireless connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g and n are provided, in addition to Bluetooth 2.0. The U3 has all the usual ports; three USB 2.0 ports, an ExpressCard slot, S-Video out, a memory card reader and FireWire. Amazingly, ASUS has further added a single HDMI port and an eSATA port which are very useful.
A set of other programs in general which are kept aside for higher end notebooks are built-in HSDPA and an incorporated GPS receiver is present in the Asus U3. However you get an external DVD multi recorder in the sales package. Keep in mind though that you'll only be left with two USB ports when this is attached it does consume battery life drastically. The 6-cell battery returned a more favorable but still not outstanding 2hr 57min. Do note that adjusting power plans in Windows Vista's control panel should result in somewhat better statistics.
Conclusion
The Asus U3 Series Notebook is a good buy but gamers and multimedia enthusiasts are better advised to take a look at the other available models before settling with this Asus U3.
