Specifications

FIRST LOOKS BUSINESS
LED-backlit screen
ASUS U1F
An LED-Lit Ultraportable
The ASUS U1F is a sweet ultraportable with awe-
some picture quality and an innovative design. It’s a
traveler’s delight, packing a lot of appealing features,
but one thing you’ll miss is an optical drive.
Thanks to LED backlighting, the U1F’s 11.1-inch
screen looks magnifi cent. Digital photos and even
YouTube videos look amazing under low light.
However, the screen is very sensitive to glare com-
ing from any light source above you. ASUS uses
a magnesium-aluminum alloy in its frame to protect
the screen, which is only 5mm (0.2 inches) thick.
The small form factor presents challenges to
ultraportable manufacturers. It’s unfortunate that
ASUS didn’t integrate an optical drive, as Panasonic,
Toshiba, and Sony have managed to do on similar
lightweight systems. (See the review of Sony’s VAIO
VGN-TZ150N, page 50.) Another nit is that the U1F
runs a weak ultra-low-voltage (ULV) 1.06-GHz Intel
Core Duo U2400 processor, which hampers perfor-
mance. Also, its hard drive spins at just 4,200 rpm.
The keyboard is a bit unwieldy, though the
leather on the palm rests is a nice touch. The touch-
pad is responsive, but the mouse buttons were
diffi cult to press. The U1F has four USB ports, rare
on such a small system, and adds a FireWire port,
an ExpressCard slot, and a 4-in-1 card reader.
The U1F has a peculiar RAM configuration. It
comes with 1.5GB of memory (a 512MB and a 1GB
module), enough to run Windows Vista Business.
Still, I’d have liked to see a full 2GB of RAM.
Good battery life is just one of the things we like
in this 2.7-pound wonder. The battery lasted 2 hours
48 minutes running a DVD; you’d probably get 5 to
6 hours on more basic tasks. I’d like the U1F better,
though, with an integrated optical drive and a little
more power.—Cisco Cheng
Specs: 1.06-GHz Intel Core Duo U2400; 1.5GB DDR2; 80GB,
4,200-rpm hard drive; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
950, 224MB; 11.1-inch, 1,366-by-768 screen; 2.7-pound system
weight (3.4-pound travel weight); 53-Wh, 4.8-Ah lithium ion
battery; Microsoft Windows Vista Business.
ASUS U1F
$2,100 street
lllhm
PROS LED backlight
offers terrifi c contrast.
Good battery life.
Leather palm rests.
Featherweight.
Innovative design.
CONS Lacks an
integrated optical
drive. Low-powered
components.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/asusu1f
Leather
palm rests
PERFORMANCE TESTS
L High scores are best.
M Low scores are best.
Bold type denotes fi rst place.
BATTERY
RUNDOWN
SCORE
L
hr:min
SYSMARK
2007
PREVIEW:
OVERALL
L
MULTIMEDIA TESTS M
WINDOWS
MEDIA ENCODER
min:sec
PHOTOSHOP CS2
ACTION SET
min:sec
ASUS U1F
2:48 49 3:15 3:48
Lenovo ThinkPad X60 (Vista)* 3:45
N/A
1:47
1:12
* Editors' Choice, reported for comparison. N/A—Not applicable: The product could not complete the test.
52 PC MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 6, 2007