ASUS UL30A-X5 Thin and Light 13.3-Inch Black Laptop

ASUS UL30A-X5 Thin and Light 13.3-Inch Black Laptop (12 Hours of Battery Life) List Price: $729.00 Sale Price: $625.00 You save: $104.00 (14%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Average Rating:

Description

Weighing less than 4lbs and measuring less than an inch thin, the new ASUS UL30A-X5 is a harmonious blend of form and function. Powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo ultra-low voltage processor, it boasts an impressive 12 hour battery life for all-day computing. It also sports user-centric features such as a multi-gesture touchpad and provides an impressive multimedia entertainment experience with Altec Lansing speakers and SRS Premium Sound. All of these features and more are shrouded in a robust brushed aluminum lid that not only looks magnificent, but also helps in maintaining the notebook’s stylish exterior day after day. ASUS notebooks come with a 1 year global warranty, one month zero bright dot guaranty, free two-way shipping and twenty-four hour tech support seven days a week. Plus it comes with a FREE One Year Accidental Damage Warranty protecting your notebook from drops, fire, spills and surges.

Free yourself from power cords and start exploring with up to an amazing 12 hours of all-day battery life with the ASUS UL30A-X5, thanks to its Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor and 13.3-inch LED-backlit display, which combines vibrant visuals with advanced energy efficiency. This stylish, ultra-portable notebook features a brushed aluminum lid that not only looks magnificent, but also helps in maintaining its stylish exterior day after day. The UL30A also features a multi-gesture touchpad, which enables you to intuitively zoom in or out of pictures via pinching, or navigate up and down pages by sliding your finger. Learn more about Windows 7 Home Premium below. 13.3-inch LED-backlit HD high definition display with a 16:9 aspect ratio (see larger image). An all-day computing companion, the ASUS UL30A provides up to 12 hours of battery life. The chiclet style keyboard and spacious keys allow for a comfortable typing experience and also prevents dust buildup (silver model shown). Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to. (Learn more about Windows 7 Home Premium below.) Experience FastBoot, the unique performance boost for Windows 7 made possible by ASUS's close partnership with Microsoft. With ASUS exclusive FastBoot technology, this Windows 7-enabled ASUS notebook starts up in a staggering 30 seconds. Compact and under 1-inch thin, you can fit the UL30A virtually anywhere--freeing space for books, files, or whatever else you need to enjoy a spacious workspace. The UL30A includes Altec Lansing speakers plus SRS surround for a virtual home theater experience on the go, as well as an HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV at home. You'll be able to store all of your favorite applications, most important documents, and large video and audio libraries with the generous 500 GB hard drive. Other features include 4 GB of DDR3 RAM (maximum capacity), integrated webcam, Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n), Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated video graphics, and multi-format memory card reader.  Now there is an even bigger reason to get the UL Series by ASUS. Adding to a whole trophy case of awards is the latest 2009 Editor's Choice Award by Engadget.  Voted by Engadget's editorial staff as LAPTOP OF THE YEAR, the UL series is the ultimate companion for your mobile computing needs. And in addition to a 1 year global warranty, the ASUS UL30A-X5 includes a 1 year Accidental Damage Warranty (ADW). Key Features High-gloss 13.3-inch LED-backlit HD high definition display with 1366 x 768 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio) that uses less energy and still gives you an immersive cinematic experience (Learn more) Up to 12 hours of battery life from 8-cell battery(4400mAh) Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. (Learn more) Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process. Chiclet style keyboard and multi-touch trackpad for comfortable and intuitive use (Learn more) ASUS IceCool Technology for cool-to-the-touch palm rest Exclusive Express Gate feature enables ultra-fast boot so you can connect to the web in just 10 seconds Energy efficient, dual core 1.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor with ultra-low voltage for extended battery life (Learn more) 500 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM) 4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (1066 MHz; 2 x SODIMM slots; 4 GB maximum capacity) Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD integrated video processing 0.3-megapixel webcam for connecting with friends and family over video chats ASUS SmartLogon facial recognition system detects your face and logs on automatically Draft-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) HDMI high-definition audio/video output allows a single cable to transmit uncompressed high-definition video to your digital TV or LCD Altec Lansing speakers enhanced with SRS Premium Sound for home theatre quality acoustics (Learn more) ASUS Super Hybrid Engine for extended battery life Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.28 x 0.98 inches (WxDxH) Weight: 3.74 pounds (with battery Warranty: 1 year global warranty and 1 year accidental damage warranty (Learn more) Networking, Connectivity & Expansion With its integrated Draft-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers). This notebook also provides Fast (10/100) Ethernet networking. 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players 1 HDMI output for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable Analog video output: 1 VGA 5-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and xD Picture Card 1 headphone jack (S/PDIF digital audio output), 1 microphone jack 10/100 Fast Ethernet What's in the box This package contains the ASUS UL30A-X5 notebook PC, AC adapter, rechargeable 8-cell battery, and user manual Learn More High Definition That Doesn't Break the Bank The 13.3-inch LED-backlit display offers bright, vibrant visuals and advanced energy efficiency, and it has a high-definition resolution (1366 x 768) and 16:9 ratio display for watching movies and HDTV programming without annoying black bars. It's supported by an integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics processor for cinematic visual quality. Equipped with HDMI connectivity, you can easily stream media whether you're on the move or through an external display at home or in the office. The UL30A is complemented with Altec Lansing speakers--30 percent more powerful compared to those found on conventional notebooks--and SRS premium surround sound, providing high-quality audio playback without the need to connect to external speakers. The angle of the speakers also allows audio to be "bounced" upwards from any surface to provide better amplification, delivering a wider frequency range, which in turn produces lower pitches that allow users to hear every reverberation of the drums, as well as every note in pitch perfect quality. Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. You can even watch, pause, rewind, and record TV. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium. Simplify everyday tasks Work the way you want Make new things possible Simplify your PC with new navigation features like Aero Shake, Jump Lists, and Snap. Customize Windows to look and feel the way you like by changing themes and taskbar programs. Setting up a home network and connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever. Windows 7 Home Premium supports the latest hardware and software. Designed to make your PC sleep and resume quicker. Takes full advantage of 64-bit PC hardware and memory. Connecting to wireless networks is fast and easy. Watch, pause, rewind, and record TV with Windows Media Center. Watch your favorite DVD movies. Includes integrated video and Dolby audio codecs. Jump Lists New in Windows 7, Jump Lists take you right to the documents, pictures, songs, or websites you turn to each day. To open a Jump List, just right-click a program icon on the Windows 7 taskbar. (You'll also find them on the Start menu.) What you see in a Jump List depends entirely on the program. The Jump List for Internet Explorer 8 shows frequently-viewed websites. Windows Media Player 12 lists commonly-played tunes. Your Jump List missing a favorite? You can "pin" whatever files you like there. Jump Lists don't just show shortcuts to files. Sometimes they also provide quick access to commands for things like composing new e‑mail messages or playing music. Improved Windows Taskbar In Windows 7 you can "pin" favorite programs anywhere on the taskbar for easy access. Not crazy about the icon lineup? Now you can rearrange them any way you like by clicking and dragging. Finally, there are new ways to preview windows. Point to a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail preview of open files or programs. Then, move your mouse over a thumbnail to preview the window full-screen. You can even close windows from the thumbnail previews--a big time saver. Snap Ever need to cut through a cluttered desktop and quickly focus on a single window? Just click a pane and give your mouse a shake. Every open window except that one instantly disappears. Jiggle again--and your windows are back. Energy Efficient Intel Core 2 Duo ULV Processor Offering the latest in ultra-low voltage processing power, the dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 has a has a power consumption rating of just 10 watts and a 1.3 GHz speed that's paired with a fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB) and 3 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) Intel Core 2 Duo Processor: The Dual-Core that Delivers Impressive Power While Saving Energy Featuring dual cores that power through the most intensive tasks, the Intel Core 2 Duo processor lets you surf the web, download content, connect with friends--and do it all with ease. Intel Advanced Smart Cache technology minimizes wait times by allocating more access to frequently used data to the processing core that needs it most. Intel's power-saving capabilities enable fast, cool-running performance even in a compact form factor.   Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology: Breakthrough Technology for Mobile Creativity With dual-core processing, ultra-fast wireless and exclusive energy conservation features, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology lets you achieve more, aspire higher, and log many more miles between battery charges. Optimized wireless capabilities provide up to 2x greater range and up to 5x better Wi-Fi performance1. Intel Clear Video Technology combines hardware- and software-based video processing features to deliver sharper image quality, improved clarity and customizable color control. Eye-Catching Sophistication Impress onlookers or complement any setting with the UL30A's brushed aluminum finish and high-class appeal. Simply opening the notebook you notice the interior casing around the display that brings the color to life so that time-after-time the UL30A shines with a brilliant, high-gloss finish. Plus, the chiclet style keyboard and spacious keys not only allow for a comfortable typing experience but also prevents dust buildup keeping it nice and clean every time you use it. Inspired by the light grace of a butterfly, the UL30A carries the hallmark contours and slim elegance that separate it from the typical cookie-cutter notebook with a true style of its own. With ASUS IceCool Technology, you're ensured extended battery life and a cool-to-touch surface, so even after the longest computer sessions there's limited heat for optimized comfort. The palm rest area also makes your experience more enjoyable so you have plenty of space to place your hands while typing on the keyboard. Industry Leading Customer Warranty The industry's most complete notebook care package offers a level of coverage that would add hundreds of dollars to the price of competing laptops: 1-year Asus 360 global warranty (estimated $200 value) 1-year ADW (estimated $100 value) 30-day flawless display guarantee Free 2-way standard overnight shipping 24/7 tech support Accidents Happen You have extra protection when they happen to your ASUS notebook purchased in the US or Canada. ASUS will fix it or replace it for you at no charge during the first year after purchase in the event of damage from accidental spills, drops, electrical surges, or fire. Warranty covering accidental drops, spills, power surges, and fire damage Target 3-business-day turnaround time for repair / replacement; not including receiving and shipping time One-way shipping (from ASUS to the user) at no additional cost 24-hour toll-free phone support One incident covered per notebook

Features

• 1.3GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo Processor
• 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 2 slots, 4GB Max
• 500GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
• 13.3" HD LED LCD Display, Intel GMA 4500MHD, Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn, 0.3M Webcam
• Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (64 bit)

Reviews

One of the best under $700 notebooks

by Jeff Carroll from St. Joseph, IL USA on 2009-10-24
Just received my Asus UL30A-X5 yesterday. After much review, and a try-out with an Acer 1410, I decided that I wanted a full-sized chiclet/island keyboard and the larger screen. I'm already quite pleased with my decision. At the

Excellent Ultra-Portable Laptop at a Great Price!

by TJ from Colorado on 2009-10-27
I recently purchased the Asus UL30A-X5 through Amazon and am very pleased with my decision. Let me first begin by briefly explaining what I was looking for in a new laptop, as I believe that will give the reader better information when deciding if this laptop is right for them. I am currently a student on a budget and was looking for the following: 1) Less than $700 in price, 2) Screen size between 13-14", 3) Windows 7 already installed (I didn't want an older computer with Vista that I would have to manually upgrade to Win 7 myself), 4) At least 320GB HD, 3 GB DDR3 RAM, and a Pentium Core 2 Duo SU7300 equivalent or greater processor, 5) Thin and light, and 6) 4+ solid hours of battery life. Although a netbook offers a small size and easy portability, I didn't want to sacrifice power and performance for everyday tasks. On the other hand, I also didn't want a large "desktop replacement" laptop that would be a hassle to carry around or difficult to take with me anytime I was away from home. In summary, I wanted a laptop that offered a good combination of power, performance, and size for my money. With that being said, here is my impression thus far after 2 days of using this computer: Pros: -Performance: Able to smoothly and efficiently handle everything I have wanted to do to this point. It is even faster than my 3 year old 15.6" Dell Inspiron that I originally paid $1300 for at the time. -Size and Weight: Couldn't be happier with the sleek look and light weight. It looks even better in person than in the pictures. -Quality: Some people may think you are sacrificing quality for a laptop with these specs for under $700. I think this computer is built very well, and would argue it stands up to the much more expensive or name-brand models in the same class. -Warranty: The accidental protection warranty offers an extra piece of mind, which is also something not often included without an additional cost in other laptops. -Keyboard: Very easy to use, great design! -Mousepad: I love the textured touchpad on this model. It is difficult to see in the pictures, but the touchpad is actually not a traditional "pad", but a bunch of tiny dots that track the movement of your finger. Also, I really like the extra features such as being able to scroll up or down a page by using two fingers anywhere on the pad. Cons: -The only thing that I am not too excited about is the small (or "smaller" when compared to my larger laptop) mouse buttons below the touchpad. This might be something that just takes a little getting used to, but it is more difficult to click the buttons than on my older laptop. Again, this is my first 13.3" laptop so it probably just comes with the nature of a smaller laptop and I will get used to it with time, but it's just something I wanted to point out if you are transitioning from a large laptop to a smaller one. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Sure, there are better laptops on the market as some will argue, but only if you are willing to spend $1000+. This computer definitely earns "5 stars" and I think anyone who is looking for an affordable, ultra-portable laptop with powerful performance will be very happy as well.

Cheap and good

by A. Quan from on 2009-10-25
I really love this computer despite the facts that it has some issues. I really like the finish, it's very thin, less than 1 inch, but by no means is thinner than the macbook air. The casing is very sexy, it looks very nice from all angles. The keyboard is amazing, the only problem is that it has a little flex but its not the end of the world I can type pretty well. The most annoying thing might be the touchpad, whenever you type and you have your hands positioned close to it, the touchpad might register some click while you type. A lot of people are talking about the battery life of this computer that it won't even reach 10 hours, I can confirm I get 11+ hours on this lappie, Windows 7 is much more energy efficient than Vista (note: I tested under wireless off, lowest screen brightness, power saving mode, word 2007). I really enjoy the price point its less than $700, which is the perfect price for the performance. PROS: - Stylish, very sexy looking. - Keyboard feels amazing. - Multi-touch track pad works well - Fast compared to a netbook (C2D, 4GB DDR3) - Battery life 11+ hours - Smart Logon, very nice cool feature - Big hard drive 500GB - LED screen has nice viewing angles - Very light and portable - The charger is very small and portable too. - Loud quality speakers from small size - Warranty, 1 Year of accidental Damage - Price its a deal! CONS: - Fingerprint magnet (inside and outside) - Loud Hard drive (a little annoying) - Little flex on the keyboard - ASUS bloatware - Intel GMA4500MHD, where's the UL30A-VT? can't do gaming - It doesn't cook, do laundry, or cleans my room. This computer is perfect for students, and travelers. Recommended

Display too glossy

by M. Floyd from Washington D.C. on 2009-11-12
Update 11/14: I've decided that I'm going to return this laptop. The glossy display is too reflective. It's not really that noticeable if you are looking at a web page with a white background with the brightness turned all the way up, but in almost every case it's just too glossy for my tastes. Also, as mentioned blow, this display fails horribly for sharing the screen for something such as watching a movie. If they swapped out the display and trackpad, this would be the perfect budget laptop. --- I was torn between this product and the Acer Aspire Timeline. I ultimately decided to go with this product because of the battery life claim. Obviously the battery life claim on ANY laptop is quoted using settings that will not be reflective of the typical user. One of my biggest concerns with this laptop was the processor. I was not sure if it would be able to handle my daily computing activities. This machine is by no means a powerhouse, but it is more than capable. As long as you do not need to do anything such as gaming or multimedia editing, you should be fine with this laptop. This machine is capable of playing HD videos with a little extra left over for background tasks. Notes: - While you do receive recovery DVDs, if you need to take advantage of them you will need to get an external DVD drive. I have heard some reports that some external DVD drives do not receive enough power through one USB port and require either a powered USB hub or plugging the drive into two USB ports. (This is why USB cables for portable HDD and portable disc drives have two heads.) I am pleased to say that the Samsung USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive for Mac and PC SE-S084C/RSBN (Gloss Black) works perfectly with just one USB plug. - The power brick can get hot. One review claimed it got as hot as 130 F. I have not personally experienced temperatures this extreme. Usage: Microsoft Office, Web Browsing, Media Player Pros: - Great balance between speed and battery life. - The keyboard is fantastic. - Very lightweight and portable. - The laptop does not get so warm that it is uncomfortable in your lap. - The laptop has a very sleek look. - Excellent value for the price. Even on top of the specs, they throw in one year of accidental damage protection. That's an incredible value. - The fans are very quiet even when they are on. - Comes with little bloatware. - Ability to play HD movies with no tweaking whatsoever (using VLC). Keep in mind that Adobe Flash will soon be releasing an update that will push HD decoding off to the GPU. If the new 1080p at YouTube is choppy for you now, just wait for the new version to come out. Cons: - The screen is very glossy and reflective. - I've really discovered that the viewing angles aren't all that great if you want more than one person to look at your screen at one time for something such as watching a movie together. - The track-pad is less than ideal. The track-pad tends to move the cursor position while you are typing. The gestures are nice, but I found that the scrolling doesn't register. The trackpad utility is greatly lacking in features. - The hard disk squeaks. It's not terribly loud, but you will notice if you have no other background noise. - The chassis is indeed a fingerprint magnet. Again, this seems to be an issue with every make and every model laptop these days. - No back-lit keyboard. This is not necessarily a bad thing since a back-lit keyboard would drain on the battery.

I'm very pleased with my UL30A-X5!

by Dave the Love Enforcer from Chicago, IL USA on 2009-11-04
This little laptop is a wonder. It's a beautiful piece of hardware, runs very quick, multitasks great, is dead silent, and I'm getting 10-12 hours of battery life on stock configuration. I've never seen anything like this; you just keep using it and using it and using it. Even when I've got every MS Office program running at once + a bunch of Firefox tabs + iTunes playing music, I still get 6-7 hours. I was pleasantly surprised how little bloatware came with it. The only annoying piece of software I really needed to uninstall was some antivirus program. MS Office Home/Student came preinstalled on a free trial, but I was going to use that anyway so they saved me the installation. Windows 7 runs great on this laptop. Power management and networking features work beautifully. The great sleep/wake functionality in Windows 7 makes startup time largely irrelevant, but even when you do have to start up from scratch it's nice and speedy. There are lots of nice little touches to this machine that let you know Asus is a really class act. Things like attractive on-screen displays for volume and brightness adjustment for example. My only nitpick is that the trackpad is a little jumpy. It's a little hard to land the cursor onto some of the smaller buttons, like scrollbar arrows. This is probably a driver issue, so it likely will be fixed soon enough. The keyboard is very spacious and pleasant to type on. Overall I'm extremely satisfied with my UL30A-X5.