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    Asus UX31E Zenbook/Ultrabook Owners Lounge

    Discussion in 'ASUS Reviews and Owners' Lounges' started by GuywithSocks, Oct 16, 2011.

  1. rlin

    rlin Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yes, but not much more - 100? maybe 105? It's an angle that's smaller than what I would set it at for normal use.
     
  2. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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    Can I convince you to youtube this?
     
  3. rlin

    rlin Notebook Enthusiast

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    Well, the keyboard/trackpad issues are not a dealbreaker for me. I am requesting replacement right away, however, because of the audio jack problem because that is very clearly a defect and not an issue with design. I don't know how the warranty works, but I don't think they would replace 2-3 month old laptops with new ones... maybe with refurbished if at all. 2-3 months would certainly be too late for vendors' replacement policies.

    All hail Anand. Looks like him and we agree on most things, except that he doesn't have a problem with the keyboard. He did remind me, though, that I appreciate Asus maintaining the standard keyboard size.

    The only video recording device I have on hand is the webcam on the UX21 itself, lol. I entertained the thought of doing something with a mirror or protractor, but just don't think it's going to work atm
     
  4. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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  5. dazz87

    dazz87 Notebook Evangelist

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    Just wondering how the hell do you get the finger gesture to work on this UX31.... :confused: Ive been trying the last half hour and the only finger gesture that work for me is 2F click. The rest are not working at all....... I have the latest driver 9.1.7.7 Is my UX31 faulty or mouse pad suck?

    I just test my UX31 just like in the video, and screen does not move at all.
     
  6. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have a UX21 as well, and am seeing a similar issue. The handful of headphones I've tried all produce distorted mono audio with very little bass.

    Interestingly though, connecting the combo jack to the line-in of an audio system works fine. The left/right channels are properly separated, and as far as I can tell, the distortion is gone. I've tried this successfully with two different cables and audio setups.

    Do you mind seeing whether your UX21 does the same thing? Does this information give you any clue as to what might be going on?
     
  7. rlin

    rlin Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am testing mine the same way as you, noxxle (with trackpad above keyboard), so that gravity is opening the screen. If i try to test the other way (with keyboard above trackpad), I get no movement - gravity is unable to close the screen.

    I only have some generic computer speakers at my disposal, and the symptom persists when I plug those into the combo jack. But if the audio system you are testing on is of decent quality, my hypothesis for the cause of this holds up.

    My hypothesis is that the ground conductor in the jack is either not making contact with the return conductor in the plug or is not properly grounded. The ground conductor is either the S or the second R in the TRRS jack - depending on whether Asus is following the convention used by iPhones (Left-Right-Ground-Mic) or the convention used by some other smart phones (Left-Right-Mic-Ground). I don't have a headset with a combo plug so I can't test which, but it shouldn't matter for just audio playback. Since the T and R get now cut off from their common return, the signal through one tries to return through the other. This results in attenuation because of the increased impedance, and cancellation whenever the signals correlate. The resulting signal being transduced by the headphone drivers will be the difference of T and R, with one channel opposite in polarity relative to the other. To our ears, this will sound like the same "side channel" mix in both ears, since we don't perceive the polarity difference when wearing headphones (the outputs won't acoustically interfere with each other). This also explains why the distortion will be different depending on what you are listening to (different songs/genres have different styles of stereo mixing).

    If you have a decent audio system, my guess is that your system is giving the Left and Right signal some alternate path to ground, instead of through the "return" conductor back to the laptop battery.

    I have some experience in audio production, but no formal training in electronics. So I know what I am hearing is a difference signal, but the rest is just my way of theorizing how it could happen. If someone who is knowledgeable in electrical engineering would please confirm or correct the logic of my hypothesis (i.e. IF the headphones have no return path, THEN we end up with an attenuated difference signal), I would be most appreciative.

    Update: I tested on my roomate's Bose system and yes, the problem went away, matching your observations. I would expand my hypothesis to add that any amplification would give the signal an alternate path to ground, so this problem should not occur in any powered speaker systems.

    What remains to be discovered is what kind of behavior results from plugging in a true combo plug (headset) into a jack with this symptom in question. Noxxle had no problems with a headset, but he didn't have the problem with headphones either. Kanishka42 or yxo2, do either of you guys have headsets that you might be able to try out?

    I'm also curious as to how widespread this is. I've scoured the web and so far I only know of the three of us with this problem (me, Kanishka42, yxo2) and we all have the UX21, not UX31. However, at least one person (noxxle99) with a UX21 has reported he does not have the problem.

    Neither Newegg nor Asus has gotten back to me or responded to my requests for replacement RMA (Newegg historically has responded within 2 business days, and Asus states they respond within 48 hours - it's been much more than that).
     
  8. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    This explanation sounds plausible. My knowledge of EE is pretty spotty, though so I can't really confirm or disconfirm it. Too bad that it's likely a hardware fault. :/

    I looked around a bit, but I don't have a headset with a 4-conductor TRRS plug. Just some older ones for PC that use two TRS plugs.

    A recent UX21 review on Amazon reports some manner of electrical issue with the combo jack: Amazon.com: chris' review of ASUS UX21E-DH71 11.6-Inch Thin and Light U...

    I'm not sure his problem is exactly what we're seeing (I wouldn't describe it as a "buzz"), but it's perhaps suggestive of problems with the UX21's assembly process -- especially since the reviewer is on his second UX21 already.
     
  9. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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    Strangely, the reviewer speaks favorably of the keyboard. Other than a possible hinge defect, the keyboard is the only thing that bothers me right now. But, I have little experience with chiclet style keyboards. Hoping I get used to it.
     
  10. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    So, I tried connecting the sleeve/ground of the plug on a pair of headphones to an alternative ground (the UX21 chassis itself), and that did clear up the distortion and separate the channels. Seems like your hypothesis is right.

    FWIW, my hinge does tend toward opening if I move the laptop around, but not quite to the level that you've described for your UX21. At ~60 degrees, I have give it a bit of a shake to get it to open (the static force of gravity isn't enough).
     
  11. yxo2

    yxo2 Newbie

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    rlin unfortunately I don't have a headset so I can't test it out. Even if it does work though I know none of the earphones I tested work properly, at the moment my cellphone produces better audio than the laptop.
     
  12. rlin

    rlin Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yea, I agree that I'm not hearing a buzz. The best way I can describe the distortion I'm experiencing for the audio layperson is that it removes certain instruments in your mix. It's kind of like a filter, but heavily dependent on content of the signal - which for me are normal MP3 tracks. The Amazon reviewer mentions that the buzz is at "60Hz". If that's accurate, that is a frequency that screams of some kind of grounding issue. If it's not a connection in the plug itself, then something somewhere else in the sound system is not connected right.

    I had did the opposite and taped over the sleeve of my headphones and plugged it into my phone, and was able to recreate the type of distortion.

    I wouldn't recommend what you did as a workaround. The difference in impedance of the new return path would still distort the signal, albeit not nearly as severely as before. There might be some faint echoes that weren't previously present before.
     
  13. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah, definitely far from ideal (I used a bent paper clip to make the new connection :p). I was simply trying to verify a grounding problem.

    Sigh, guess I get to see whether Amazon or Asus wants to deal with this.
     
  14. cmr

    cmr Newbie

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    Hi,

    I wrote the Amazon review complaining of the buzz. It is the typical dirty 60 Hz buzz you get with badly grounded or shorted equipment. I did not notice any of the weird channel phasing issues you folks have described, so it appears Asus are shipping units with multiple kinds of defective audio jacks.

    I'm willing to believe that there are some units out there with audio jacks that weren't dead on arrival, but both of mine were.

    The buzz is reproducible:
    - With Sony MDR-V6 headphones
    - With a Sony consumer-grade 2.1 system
    - With Yamaha HS50M monitors connected via a Mackie 1204 mixer
    - With my mid-90s component stereo system
    - On AC power
    - On battery
    - With Windows booted
    - With Ubuntu booted from a USB stick
    - In the BIOS configuration menu

    The buzz is quieter:
    - With the UX21 unit powered off

    The buzz only stops completely:
    - When I remove the audio plug from the UX21's headphone jack

    Other things I plugged into these systems were:
    - Asus Eee model 1015PE
    - Apple Iphone 4
    - Apple Iphone 3G
    - Acer Iconia Tab A100

    Only the UX21 units produced the buzzing sound. It was so bad that I was at first legitimately worried that I'd somehow damaged the speakers I use with my Eee... after some testing with the first unit and the above equipment I was convinced the first unit was defective. When the second unit buzzed exactly the same way I gave up on this model altogether. Listening to music is one of the primary applications for my computer systems, and one that can't do that has no place in my home network at all.

    The first unit was about 4 dB louder than the second one, but both were loud enough that the buzz totally drowned out typical classical music recordings (I heard mostly buzz and a little music) and was clearly audible during quieter passages of popular music.

    I'll leave it to others to pick up the pieces with this disappointing offering. While I wait for my refund to clear, I'll try to decide between an Asus 1018P and an 11-inch Macbook Air. I got two UX21 units in a row with the same defect, and it's a waste of my time to summon replacement after replacement until I get one that works.
     
  15. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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    Can you direct me to a song that really brings out the noise? A link would be appreciated. I'm going to run some tests.
     
  16. rlin

    rlin Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks, CMR, for sharing and bringing to our attention this other possible defect with the UX21's

    I had been listening to some electropop where the distortion wasn't as apparent but where I was familiar enough with the tracks that knew something was up.

    Here are two pop tracks that many people should recognize, produced in such a way that jacks with the distortion problem completely destroy them.

    Britney's Hold it against me : In the verse the vocals are pretty much gone, leaving just reverb, backing vocals, and instrumentals. Then in the chorus, the vocals are boosted and the instrumentals drop out. The dubsteppy part of the bridge is just wacky.

    Pink's Raise your glass: In the verse the vocals have some weird phasing affect on them. In the chorus, all low frequencies drop out. There is a huge loudness difference between the verse and chorus too.​

    If you're planning to generate the side channel manually in a sound editor to hear what the distortion sounds like, you won't mimic it exactly but you'll get pretty close. The left and right channel digital analog converters in consumer-grade sound cards are never precisely in sync nor have precisely the same amplification factors. These in themselves are normal, but in a system with the return cut, they reduce the "side channel" effect and add some comb filtering. There should be echoes in the signal too due to impedance mismatches, but I haven't noticed this.
     
  17. dazz87

    dazz87 Notebook Evangelist

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    What is the dead pixel policy on the UX31 with Asus? I read that Asus offer some policy about dead pixels. I just checked mine and I found 2 of them.
     
  18. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I found the simplest test to be either Realtek's or Windows' basic stereo sound output test. It just plays a sound through the left channel, then again through the right channel. If your UX21 is affected by the problem, then when using headphones, both sounds are audible in both ears (i.e., it is mono instead of stereo).
     
  19. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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    Is it possible to turn off turbo boost? I think that would really help to keep temps down during gaming.
     
  20. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    The Engadget review says that the battery saving mode "essentially disables Turbo". Their benchmarks under each mode seem to confirm this. So, one of the settings in the battery saving power profile is presumably responsible for disabling or limiting turbo boost. I'm not sure which specific one it is, but I hope this gets you started down the right path...
     
  21. GuywithSocks

    GuywithSocks Notebook Enthusiast

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    That's too bad, CMR. The quality control must not be rigorous.

    I just tried two different headphones in my UX31, and I don't have any buzzing.
     
  22. johan12345

    johan12345 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm thinking of buying a ultrabook for some light audio work when I'm on the go. Whats the dpc-latency of the UX31E? Have anyone tested it with "DPC Latency Checker"?

    DPC Latency Checker

    I would really appreciate it if some owner of the UX31E downloaded this tool, run it and reported the highest latency spikes. You don't have to install it, it's enough to download it and double-click it.
     
  23. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    On battery power, I let it run for about a minute while idle, and got ~180us worst case, ~150us average. However, it spiked as high as ~800us when lightly using the laptop (including WLAN traffic). Hope that helps.
     
  24. Juxtapose

    Juxtapose Notebook Enthusiast

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    Can you elaborate on that spike? Was this concurrent while on battery power, multiple open applications, and what type of power profile settings were being enforced?
     
  25. rlin

    rlin Notebook Enthusiast

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    (warning: mostly a rant post)

    neither asus nor newegg have responded to my technical support / rma request emails. it's been 6 and 3 days, respectively, so i called them up today.

    asus says their warranty process involves me resetting the ssd, sending the laptop to a service center across the country, waiting 10-14 business days for repair, and waiting for it to be sent back. that's at least 4 weeks of downtime.

    newegg is willing to send a replacement within 3 days of receiving the defective one, but can not guarantee the replacement won't have the same issue. and they do not allow returns on laptops.

    i'm very bummed out at the momment. i'm not sure i like being an "early adopter" anymore. i've spent way too much time on this, time that i should never have had to spend and will never get back :(
     
  26. smckenna

    smckenna Notebook Evangelist

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    Sorry to hear that you're having to return your UX31. If you're willing to tough it out, they seemed to have resolved many of the problems with BIOS and driver updates (or are in the process of doing so). On the other hand, if you just don't like the way the keyboard is not registering some of your keystrokes, or aren't happy with the screen contrast or viewing angle, then you're stuck fighting with the return policies (including the 15% restocking fee of NewEgg).
     
  27. johan12345

    johan12345 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thank you, that helps very much. Those values seems like good values. I don't think a 800us spike will affect audio performance. For me I think its ok as long it does not spike in the red.

    How long did you leave it on? It can be good to have the program on for 15-30 minutes to catch occasional high spikes. It can also be a good idea to see how much it spikes when the cpu is stressed with a program like prime95.
     
  28. bananachipz

    bananachipz Notebook Enthusiast

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    hopefully it'll fix the power mgmt issues!
     
  29. Chastity

    Chastity Company Representative

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    Attention noxxle99, dazz87, and cmr

    Can you guys please PM me your contact info, as we would very much get in contact with you about any issues you are having with the new UX21/31 models.

    Thanks ahead of time!

    - Chastity
    Asus Customer Care
     
  30. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    It was on battery power using the default battery saving power profile. Firefox was open with several tabs. The spike occurred while loading a new page.

    I tried leaving it running for longer (~10 minutes), and I do indeed see some occasional higher spikes, including one or two in the red zone. Prime95 and CrystalDiskMark don't seem to lead to higher latency. However, launching apps, watching videos, and increased WLAN traffic roughly correlate with spikes that are normally in the 500-800us range. I can't pinpoint any specific action that causes yellow or red spikes more often. It just seems random.

    Oh -- I should mention that I'm on a UX21. I think you originally asked about the UX31.
     
  31. dazz87

    dazz87 Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi just sent you my info. Thanks
     
  32. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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    Listened to both songs with the following headset. http://www.amazon.com/Koss-UR20-08-...N9D3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319497011&sr=8-1

    They sounded completely normal at first. However, if I twist the headphone plug slightly, I can create some strange distortions. In fact, the sound might completely drop from one side. The distortion or lack of sound would remain even after I stopped twisting. I felt like I had to tune the plug just right to get the full sound.

    *edit* Is it normal to get the described effects when twisting an audio plug?
     
  33. yxo2

    yxo2 Newbie

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    As much as I like ASUS and thoroughly dislike Apple, I am returning my laptop tomorrow and buying a Macbook Air. This laptop was clearly rushed to the market and in my professional opinion there should be people fired for having next to zero quality control when releasing a $1000+ laptop to retail stores. For those who are keeping it I sincerely wish most (if not all) of your problems are fixed.
     
  34. dazz87

    dazz87 Notebook Evangelist

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    Good luck with your Air.......
     
  35. Trey1

    Trey1 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Good luck with the Mac. I seriously hope you don't think Macs are problem-free, however. After three Macbooks, I know better. Although with a Mac you can walk into a store and talk to a "genius" who is well trained to make you feel better, if not actually fix your computer.
     
  36. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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    Here are a couple videos of what I think is a hinge defect. Not sure whether it is a manufacture or design defect.

    UX21E Hinge Defect? - YouTube

    UX21E Hinge Problem (vid 2)? - YouTube

    The first video is me lightly shaking the device by the palmrest. This illustrates what happens after several minutes of typing on a soft surface. The second shows how gravity easily pulls the lid downward.

    Anyone else experiencing these things?
     
  37. ALLurGroceries

    ALLurGroceries  Vegan Vermin Super Moderator

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    @noxxle99

    That isn't right. It looks like the nuts aren't tight enough on your hinge.
     
  38. noxxle99

    noxxle99 Notebook Deity

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    Is that an easy fix? I hope this doesn't mean sending my laptop to ASUS and waiting 3-6 weeks to get it back.
     
  39. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    That doesn't sound normal to me. I've seen some headphone or jacks produce some static or other noise when disturbing the plug, but they stop as soon as its left alone.

    So, it sounds like none of us with a UX21 have a completely-working headphone jack?
     
  40. ALLurGroceries

    ALLurGroceries  Vegan Vermin Super Moderator

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    @noxxle99

    On a normal laptop you'd just pry the screen bezel off (after a few screws) and the hinges would be exposed where you could tighten the nut.

    I don't think getting the bezel off the UX is going to be quite as simple. You probably should either return it for an exchange to your retailer or RMA it to ASUS. :(
     
  41. Ayemageyene

    Ayemageyene Notebook Guru

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    Does the wireless card have Bluetooth enabled? ;< I use a Logitech mouse and keyboard that connects to my computers via the unifying USB mini-receiver. Since the Zenbooks only have 2 USB ports (one 2.0 and one 3.0), I was wondering if the wireless card in these Zenbooks has Bluetooth. Although I'm not even sure there are keyboards and mouses that connect via Bluetooth either.
     
  42. johan12345

    johan12345 Notebook Enthusiast

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    How far up in the red? What was the highest spikes? Sometimes the really high spikes can come when a few different things happens on exactly the same moment. Does it spike in the red when you run it with the power adapter and set the power management in window 7 to "high performance"?

    Resplendence Software - LatencyMon: DPC, ISR and pagefault execution monitor

    This is an other similar program that measures the dpc latency and record which driver or process that is responsible. You could try it if you want to now the exact issue. I think the most common things that effect dpc latency is the network-card, the graphics driver and sometimes the antivirus-program.

    Yes but I think they should not be to much different since they seem to have the same components except different processor models. It would be nice if also someone else with the UX31 could try though.
     
  43. Juxtapose

    Juxtapose Notebook Enthusiast

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    Integrated Bluetooth (V4.0) is present.
     
  44. kanishka42

    kanishka42 Notebook Enthusiast

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    The reported maximum was about 2500us, if I remember correctly.

    After about 10 minutes of mucking around with the laptop plugged in (Prime95 stress test in the background, starting apps, opening and transferring files), it hasn't gone over 850us. The biggest factor feels like the WLAN adapter.
     
  45. twe90kid

    twe90kid Notebook Evangelist

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    Would like to see what the Asus rep responded with above. Please let us know how they react to your claims and problems. Thanks!
     
  46. cherhuan

    cherhuan Notebook Geek

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    just got my UX31.. and I'm having the same hinge problems.


    Its really loose at all angles.. I suppose if you place it on the table top its fine but if you shake it a bit it moves quite a lot


    I also seem to be missing quite a lot of keystrokes.. I'm thinking of maybe returning it :(
     
  47. theonetheonly

    theonetheonly Newbie

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    Sorry to hear about the problems everyone is having.

    Personally, am LOVING my Zenbook - from the packaging down to the solid construction.

    My only downer is the fact that it came with 40 GB off the 128 GB on the SSD already being used. Seriously, Asus?
    19 of that is Windows, ok.
    But then there is eSupport > eDriver files - they look like drivers for the hardware there as backup, over 4 GB? I have no idea if I can delete it, will I need it. I guess I'll have to back it all up. But I really shouldn't have to!
    2 Other iso's - 3 GM each, I don't know if they are boot files or something else. And no readme in the iso when you mount them. Really poor form.

    One thing I did delete was a 380 MB Screensaver file from Asus!! 380 MB???!!!!!

    Anyone have any luck/tips on getting rid of the bloatware?
     
  48. cherhuan

    cherhuan Notebook Geek

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    I'm also getting wi-fi issues (but perhaps its due to my source)
    I think I managed to fix it by changing the settings in the profile..

    But the strength of the wi-fi seems to be weaker than other notebooks?
     
  49. rlin

    rlin Notebook Enthusiast

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    While the keyboard/trackpad is annoying, the big dealbreaker for me is the audio jack defect. Since I'm almost certain this is an electrical issue, I don't expect drivers to fix it. I've initiated RMA with Newegg, and am going to ship it back soon as I can test the jack with a combo-plug headset to get that last piece of missing information.

    I still like this machine overall, but it fell short of my expectations. I want to make sure those who haven't committed to purchasing one have an accurate picture before they do so. My bit of disappointment will become full on rage, however, if the replacement still has the audio jack defect. Fool me twice...

    No, this is not normal, and could lend more insight into the grounding problem. If you look up "TRS jack" on google images, you can get a quick idea of how the various "pins" makes contact with the plug. One possible explanation for how rotating a plug can break a connection is that the jacks are out of round

    Yea, I can replicate what is shown in both your videos, but I have to open my screen just a bit wider in each case (or give it the slightest shake in the second test). My time in manufacturing tells me they've got "process capability" issues in the assembly, given the variation of tightness we're seeing with both.

    Asus includes a small utility that allows you to customize whether you want to toggle the bluetooth, wifi, or both when you hit the function key combo (fn+F2) for wireless. If you remove this utility, the key still works, but it'll turn both wifi and bluetooth on/off together.

    There is a tiny LED light on the F2 key that shows when either one is on. The only other lights are the capslock light on the capslock key, and the two power lights on the power key + the right side of the body. They are sublte and white and don't blink (except power in standby).

    I think it's the network adapter too. I tested for a few minutes and my numbers never exceeded 500u except when opening new pages in chrome (1-2 spikes 2000-8000us), placed a mock skype call (constant 1000-2000us latency), and did a file transfer over LAN (over 8000us until transfer complete).
     
  50. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    The screen on my UX31 13.3" review unit seems to be fine, however I have only been using the notebook for a few days. It does not wobble or move unnecessarily.
    The review should be up in a few days. :)
     
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