ASUS U Series Bamboo Collection Owners Thread (U33JC/U43JC/U53JC)

Hey, about the keyboard...

http://www.laptopspirit.fr/wp-content/uploads/new/asus-u33jc-bamboo-1.jpg

This shows an absolutely normal american keyboard on the 33

 

That is not a silly question.Keep in mind there could very well be mistakes on any website that lists specs, but here is what I found to be different.

The Best Buy model doesn't have any USB 3.0, the webcam is only .3MP, no bluetooth, and the warranty is only 1 year parts and labor (which probably means no accidental damage warranty).

Those are the difference I can find just comparing the spec sheets. My thought though is that all of those hardware differences are mistakes on the Best Buy listing. I think the only difference would be the warranty as Best Buy wants you to buy theirs.

Keep in mind that if you use the cash discount you only pay $1,062 at GenTech and XoticPC, and I didn't have to pay tax on my U33JC either. That should negate any difference in price between Best Buy and the online retailers.

 

Good find! Whew. This assuages my keyboard concerns. Thanks for that.

 

1) Not really $100 cheaper at BB since you'll have to pay about $86 tax ($1,085 at BB) but no tax at GentechPC.
2) GenTechPC is $33 cheaper ($1,062 total) if you pay in cash or Paypal. That actually makes GenTech CHEAPER. Aren't taxes fun?
3) BB's has a 0.3 MP webcam. GenTech's is 2.0 MP
4) BB has a standard 1-yr warranty. GenTech's has ASUS' 2-yr warranty + 1-yr accidental damage.
5) IMPORTANT: BB's has 3x USB 2.0 ports (NO USB 3.0). GenTech's has 1x USB 3.0 + 2x USB 2.0
6) BB lists the battery at 5 hr 10 min so for sure their battery is the weaker one: 4400mAh. GenTech's has the 5600mAh
7) GenTech's has bluetooth. Best Buy doesn't list any BT
8) GenTechPC throws in an optical mouse & a carrying bag. BB? No.

Moral: Read the two lists carefully and compare where you can. There's usually more than meets the eye.

Anything else?

 

Let's hope you're right. But that photo was taken at the Jan 2010 CES and showed the pre-release demo model. Even the specs didn't turn out to be the same ... soooo I guess Case1 can continue to be worried!

 

Hehe, I feel at ease. It makes sense in my mind to have this European version keyboard with the additional currency buttons and letters with the accents, and then a US version that omits those things. I will be quite upset if I have a dang GBP and Euro sign on my keyboard at the expense of a regular enter and left shift key.

Not going to happen.
I hope...

Update: I direct you to the wikipedia page about keyboard layout. I believe what we are dealing with here is a United Kingdom style keyboard. They wouldn't release a UK keyboard in the US, right?
I never realized the small left shift key and inverted L enter key are so prominent throughout the world. That seems like it would be fairly awkward to type on.

 

When comparing the difference in specs between one model and another, one thing I don't think people should worry about is a lower resolution webcam. I read a review a couple of days ago of the HP Envy 14 (I'll try and dig it out) where it talks about how HP have downgraded the webcam from a 2MP to a 0.3MP because as they found with their previous Envy's, everyone was complaining about the poor performance of the 2MP webcam in low light. Apparently lower res cameras perform far better in low light than the high res ones. HP are claiming that with the new low res camera on their Envy 14, you can Skype in the dark and just use the laptops screen to illuminate you. The old is new again!!

 

by trim, are you referring to the sides of the laptop, like where the USB ports, hdmi port are?

if so, i do hope it is a metal trim. from the youtube vids, it looks silver but it could also be painted silver over plastic

 

I'm an Aussie living in the UK (just gone six years! I must be mad!) Anyway, I use a UK keyboard everyday and I can say with 100% certainty that the keyboard you are are all needlessly worrying about, is European only, NOT UK. UK keyboards don't have any of the other weird characters with little ticks above them. The UK keyboard is almost identical to the US apart from the '@' key and '|' getting moved around to accommodate € and £. There is no way Asus would sell laptops to one of the biggest markets in the world with anything but the keyboard standard for that market. They would be utter nutters!

 

Which has yet to be proven.
But a lower res. should produce lower quality images, videos.

 

Thanks for the comments on the differences between the BB and the GenTech models, gang. While I'd never make a purchase such as this with cash to get that discount, the warranty and other subtle differences make the difference, when you add in tax at BB.

Will wait to hear more about these, as it compares to the Envy 14.

 

nice, it finally came out! im gonna be selling my ntbk maybe he he

 

Well, there you go. You're probably right. I've typed on UK keyboards many times. I somehow thought the $ sign over the 4 was replaced by a £, but your link shows otherwise.

Okay, we can all breath a sigh of relief now.

 

You're right. Though picture quality REALLY suffers. I know this because my ASUS 10" netbook has a 1.3 MP webcam and my ASUS U30Jc has a 0.3 MP. I've used them both. Summary: (as you said) the 0.3 MP seems to see better in low light (so you need some room lighting hitting the face to get around that on 1.3 MP) but is very grainy & poorer quality.

The downside is if there is a light behind my chair (there is) then the 0.3 MP sets the light meter by the light and makes me a silhouette (so does the 1.3 MP, but the 0.3 is worse). So a lamp across the room works in both 0.3 & 1.3 just fine.

The 1.3 MP sees a fine image as long as there is a normal light in the room somewhere (besides behind you.) Some people must want to Skype in the dark!

My vote: I'd still prefer the 1.3 MP or 2.0 MP. The lighting is not a big issue as I don't video chat in the dark. Perhaps that's why Apple has now improved their webcam lens to 1.3 MP.

 

We'll see. For sure around the ports is black plastic, as in other ASUS models (but shines when a light is on it a bit). Note the photos of the sides. The color clearly changes at the port level:




The YouTube reviews showed a metal strip that comes down the from the upper side like 1/8" over the edge and looks like the same aluminum as the top surface ... but only a hands-on examination will reveal what it's made of. Same on the lid. It appears to have a 1/8" edge of metal trim around it.

It could be shiny painted plastic, but typically ASUS doesn't do that. On my U30Jc, the painted plastic everywhere is matte and clearly fake silver paint, not that cheap chrome-look that's on some plastics. I hope that's not what ASUS did on the U33Jc. Those edges get a lot of wear and the paint (if it's paint) will wear off. My silver paint on my edges are already showing wear (see-able because under my silver paint is black plastic. Ugh!)

Since BestBuy plans to get some of the U43J's for their stores, I'll perhaps be able to see it up close!

 

@Quatro,

I guess we have to wait until our b&m stores have them on display. According to best buy, estimated arrival time is 7/21-8/3/2010.

I'm from Chicago so hopefully the flagship store will have it there on display

 

Then you might see them before me.

Tulsa is no commercial hub!

Hmm ... I wonder how one changes out or opens the keyboard on these models? The U & UL models are extremely easy but the design on these bamboo models is very different.

The video here shows a trim that just looks way too glossy to be paint. It really looks like metal. (We'll see.) As well, close-ups of the keyboard show a thin line at the edge that I think means the top can be lifted out leaving the trim at the sides.

And the German review of the U33Jc at 2010's CES shows it had a BACKLIT KEYBOARD (a US keyboard, Case1). Now that would have been very cool. I guess it didn't make it into the final production line.

 

haha, i think the reverse as you. because it's so glossy, i think it has to be painted, probably that chrome silver crap. if it was metal like the keyboard cut-out, it wouldn't be as shiny

Silver-Painted Plastic Gadgets Must Die

 

The U33JC looks perfect. As long as I can play SC2 at medium details, that's all I need gaming wise. Everything else I play on my desktop. I really like the bamboo and aluminum look. If the keyboard is solid and the screen is haft way decent, I am sold.

 

When does this come to mainstream retailers for the US? I keep seeing everyone talking about it and it sounds amazing but I cant find it online.

 

Depends what you consider a mainstream retailer. XoticPC and GenTech have solid reputations in these forums and they have had all of Asus' new notebooks available for pre-order since the end of June as you can see in my first post of this thread.

I check Amazon every day as they would likely be among the first to sell these new notebooks. Best Buy carries some of Asus' new computers but with some slight differences.

 

Well, you may be right. I hope not. But we'll see soon enough.

The edges are at least as shiny as the little lamp stands the camera pans over between the laptops, and those look to be metal.

Admit it Nexus14, you're just expecting the worst! Time to cheer up. Put on those rose-colored glasses and watch that video again.

Here's another video review

And if THAT is painted plastic chrome then the plate near the back hinge on the lid is also chrome plastic (utterly doubtful) as they are the identical metallic shininess. We'll see. Maybe plastic. I do hope not!

 

Mid to end of July

 

Same here! Release time-frame should be around end of this month for Starcaft 2 and the U33JC. Best combo ever.

 

Hmmm, I may have to look into this StarCraft 2 thing. I do all my gaming on my Xbox but I just might want to test out my U33 with it.

A little update, I just got off the phone with GenTech and they expect to receive shipment during the week of July 19th. They are located in LA and I am in Vegas, so shipment should be very quick for me once they do arrive. I'm getting excited. About 2 weeks to go. Hopefully some reviews start popping up to keep me satisfied till then, unless they are bad reviews... I would be gutted.

 

i admit, i am expecting the worst i can't wait until best buy has it on display so i can check it out.

 

Hey. There was a thread a couple days ago in the general ASUS forum about the difference between 2.5 and 4.8 GT/s on the processors. There was no clear explanation of what that meant, and real world effect, so I was hoping that someone in this thread could help clear this up.

 

It definitely looks like plastic trim to me. I sure hope its not. Why put glossy paint on plastic on a bamboo and aluminum notebook

Oh well here is to hope for metal trim

 

metal+bamboo is such a crazy mix but sounds awesome. those asus renders/doctored shots make for such an appealing notebook

 

Here is my analysis on the mystery trim.
After looking at the highest res pictures I can find and the highest res video I know of, I've decided.... it is impossible to tell.

My first thoughts were that it is painted plastic, but it is extremely shiny; much more shiny than the silver painted trim on my girlfriend's HP dv4t. However, the touchpad and mouse buttons on her HP have almost a mirro-like finish, so I know it is possible to have really shiny paint.

Then I started to think it could be metal. It is very hard to tell, but it looks like there might be some scratches on the trim in the video. These scratches look more like what shiny metal would be prone to. My mirror-like touchpad doesn't really scratch. Also, just for comparison I googled "polished aluminum notebook," and guess what? Asus' NX90 was the first thing I came across. Here is a picture of the NX90 from Gizmodo. Looks a bit like the finish on the U33JC trim, no?

Take a look at the pics and videos. It isn't THAT big of a deal for me, so I am going to assume the worst and hope for the best .

 

I'd only offer that they are boasting the use of a renewable material such as bamboo to cut back on the use of plastic (so they say), so one would hope it's metal...but then again, making metal products isn't exactly an environmentally friendly process.

 

Dude, forget the doctored shots. Watch the video. That's the real deal.

 

Well, since I'm not buying it (wish I could), I'm expecting the best (this is supposed to be an upper-level ASUS product) and will be fine if it turns out to be plastic.

A related question: so on my U30Jc, is my shiny trackpad mouse bar also plastic? It sure looks like metal ... which I guess is the point. If I can't tell it from metal, what difference does it make?

The only problem is when wear or damage occurs (as I've had already on my laptop.) Then that dreaded black plastic shows through. Ugh.

This is probably like the discussion going on over at the UL30Jt thread. Some feel the palm rest is painted brushed aluminum (owners). Others are not convinced and feel it is faux aluminum-looking finish on plastic. One owner says he can only be sure if he scratches it, which he's not going to do. So even in hand, it's not always easy to tell unless the specs clearly state it ... which they don't on the U33Jc.

How nice if ASUS clearly said, "with aluminum trim". Of course there's the typical practice that if something is NOT stated ... it usually isn't anything special (like the R/W speed of an SD card or response time & contrast ratio of a screen.)

 

The only thing that worries me is the battery life. It only has a 56 mAH which is a bit small for an 8 hour claim

 

it has an 84 Whr battery, no?

if it's the same battery as u30jc, then it will get 6-7 hrs easily.

 

My U30Jc has the 5600 mAh battery and I get 8 hrs if I have all power saving engaged and hardly use the wifi. Over 6 easily (7 hr) even with wifi and Office mode.

So stop worrying.

 

I really would like to know what exactly is mAH and what is Whr. I know most stores just show # of cells (which is mostly irrelevant) and occasionally list the mAH

 

mAh = millamp hours / Wh = watt hours ... but does it matter? The bigger the number, the more battery life you get. Simple as that.

I saw on this forum recently a detailed explanation of watts used by the processor, etc leading to how much power was being used and mAh size of battery leading to time allotted. But to use it would require a calculator ... and who can figure in power used by brightness level or wifi use?

Most go by real-world use of a given-notebook with it's battery mAh or Wh capacity, processor, GPU & screen size.

 

Have you guys noticed that on the Asus global site they list the UL30JT as weighing 1.9kg (4.18lb) with an 8cell battery, but the U33JC is only 1.8kg (3.96lb) with an 8cell battery. I know it's not a massive difference, but I thought the UL30JT was supposed to be the lightest of the 13.3inch bunch? I guess all that bamboo really does make a difference

UL30JT: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
U333JC: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

 

It sounds like a mistake on the UL30Jt. It should weigh close to the UL30Vt.

GenTechPC here lists the UL30Jt's weight as 3.74 lbs.

 

yes, but does 5600 mAh battery always equate to 84 Whr? i always see batteries with the 5600 mAh listing but the Whr will always differ

 

Yes, I believe so. As the mAh rises, I believe the Wh also rises, or that's been my experience. There is a standard relationship between watts and amps, so I'm assuming there will be one between milliamp hours and watt hours.

Here's an interesting article on the subject.

 

Ok so these are great laptops and im about to preorder one. just had a question about the asus fastboot. is that software that i could download for the u33 or u53. or is that only for specific models

 

All models. It simply works within Windows to prioritize what programs load first. And you can affect that priority.

It's not that it boots faster. Rather that access to other programs happens faster (while it is still loading certain drivers in the background.) So it seems to boot faster, and I get access to Word 2007, for example, faster. But the time it takes the HDD light to stop blinking is still the same.

Most of the time it's immaterial as I usually put the notebook to sleep when I close the lid and come back from sleep. Or else I hibernate & resume if it will be many hours before I need it. Either way, I don't reboot that often. When I do, I'm doing something else at the same time (e.g. I sort my desk papers for work while it is rebooting), so I rarely notice if it boots in 40 sec or 60 sec or even 90.

How much in a hurry are people anymore? I might reboot once in a day. Sometimes I go days w/o rebooting. To me, the few seconds saved is a fairly silly & moot point.

 

thanks for the info. Im not impatience just wanted to know exatcly what that fast boot was and i rarley reboot either so i agree with you

 

Oh, I wasn't implying you were impatient. Rather, when others quote their boot times as a boasting-rights thing (which you never did at all). To me it's sort of, "So what if you boot faster?"

 

I like the U33JC. It looks nice. Can someone point out the difference between the U33JC and the U35JC?

I heard the U33JC is the one that gets USB 3.0 and the fancy bamboo and THATS it.

 

The U35Jc appears to be a CLONE of the UL30JT except with a full-speed M processor instead of a ULV.

The U33Jc has:
1) Bamboo & aluminum finish over the entire keyboard area
2) WiDi
3) 1x USB 3.0 port & 2x USB 2.0
4) Bluetooth
5) 2.0 MP webcam (instead of the wimpy 0.3 MP)

I think those are the main differences, plus the body/chassis designs are very different. .... oh, and the price!

 

This is my first post, but I have been following the conversation for a few weeks now. I am on the cusp of purchasing a new laptop and I've been eyeing the u33jc. Love the bamboo finish, the full aluminum keyboard area and the faster core i3-370M processor as well as USB3.0 and bluetooth. However, I'm keeping an open mind and exploring every option before I buy.

I recently took a peak at the U43JC because of it's slightly bigger screen and upgraded Core i5-450M processor. However, I ran across an issue with the model types: U43JC-A1 and the U43JC-X1. Amazon has the U43JC-X1 on site with no picture and few specs but for a reasonable price--$999 even. My question is, have any of you read the differences between the two models? If so, what are they and are they significant? Given that GenTech has the U43JC-A1 pre-order for roughly $100 dollars more, is it worth the trade-off if any?

 

In the past some of the differences have been smaller battery (X1), silver (A1) vs black (X1), and shorter warranty (X1).
With the U43JC-X1 it looks like the differences are 500GB HD vs 640GB, probably only a 1 year warranty, and there is no mention of bluetooth. Until Amazon fills out the page with more info we can't be sure. Good find on Amazon though. I'll add the link in the first post.