4GB RAM
500GB hard drive
None
13.3 inches (1,366x768 native resolution)
Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD
3.7 pounds
1x12.7x8.8 inches
Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Not since the HP Pavilion dv2-1030us have we seen an under-$800 fully functional ultraportable, so the $799 Asus UL30A-A1 is a welcome addition to the category. The 13-inch 3.7-pound Asus UL30A-A1 is a low-cost, highly portable notebook with good looks and decent performance. We define an “ultraportable” as a notebook weighing less than four pounds, and typically, they have 12.1-inch screens, but since this one makes that weight requirement, it falls into ultraportable territory, with the extra inch of screen real estate as a bonus. While the UL30A is on the heavy side of the category, it's compact and sturdy enough to travel with. With integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, this notebook is a good companion for someone with a fast-paced lifestyle and a tight budget.
the screen supports a 16-to-9 aspect ratio. With no optical drive, the UL30A-A1 won’t play DVDs, but it does offer crystal-clear playback on its 720p (1,366x768) display from Hulu, YouTube, and the like. The screen doesn’t pick up too much glare from surrounding light sources, despite its high-gloss design, and it offers surprisingly wide horizontal viewing angles. (You can view it off-axis from as far as 70 degrees to the right or left.) Vertical viewing is much more limited, and tipping the screen slightly forward makes the picture look washed out much more readily than tipping it slightly back.
The sound quality, on the other hand, is excellent. Volume levels were much meatier than we expected from such a compact unit. Rarely are laptop speakers too loud, but at full volume, the UL30A-A1 can fill a small room with music and drown out a conversation. The 0.3-megapixel Webcam is a disappointment, though, offering up grainy and washed-out images. The standard for notebooks is 1.3 megapixels, and that would have been a better choice.
Better, though, is the port selection, which is downright generous. On the left side, you’ll find two ports for video output (VGA and HDMI), plus a USB port. The right side is fully stocked with an SD-memory-card slot, headphone and microphone jacks, two more USB ports, a LAN port, and a power port. Instead of a Kensington lock slot, you'll find a triangular slot for attaching the notebook with a lanyard.As you'd expect from a laptop this thin, there's no optical drive, which is a sore spot for those who like to grab DVDs and go but a boon for those who like their laptops light.
