Asus V2JE Review (Pics and Games)

Introduction and Overview
The Asus V2JE is a new high-end business 14” notebook. The V2JE offers a sleek design with silver accenting. The Asus V2JE reviewed here comes Core 2 Duo T7200, 14” WXGA+ (1440x900), ATI Mobility X1450 256mb (512 hypermemory), 8x DVDRW Supermulti, 120Gb @ 5400rpm, 1x 1GB DDR2 @ 667mhz. The laptop is preinstalled Vista Business, it also comes with a 2 years Asus Global Warranty and Zero Bright Dot Guarantee for 30 days. The notebook offers many features which will be described in the review.


Reasons for Purchasing
The Asus V2JE is a 14” notebook that is targeted to business users looking for great features and flexibility. The notebook has a great screen with a higher than normal resolution compared to other 14” notebooks, at 1440x900. This allows for more real estate. The price of the V2JE is $1800 USD and $2150 CAD, it is expect that a 3.5G version of the V2 to be released in the future at a ~$500 premium.

Here is a list of other notebooks one may want to look at for business notebooks, ThinkPad (Lenovo) T60 14”, HP Compaq nc6400 and the Toshiba Tecra M5. The Asus V2JE can be purchased from any Certified Asus retailers. The V2JE is one of the top business notebook contenders for the performance, price and quality.

Specs of the Laptop

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0 GHz; 667 MHz w/ 4mb Cache)
• Display: 14" WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Color Shine, AUO1247
• Mobile Intel® 945 PM Express Chipset + ICH7M
• Memory: 1024MB DDR2 667 (1x 1024mb)
• Hard Drive: 120GB @5400RPM SATA
• Graphic: ATI Mobility Radeon X1450 256MB (512MB Hypermemory)
• Wireless: Built-In Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 A/B/G
• Optical: 8x Super Multi DVD Burner
• Battery: The 6 cells, 4800mah, 11.1V and 53whr. 9 cell 7800mah, 11.1V and 85whr.
• Operating System: Windows Vista Business
• Dimensions: 13.5” length x 10.7” width x 1.3”/1.5” height (front back).
• Weight: 5.1lbs with 6 cell and 5.4lbs with 9 cells
• Warranty: ASUS 2 Years Global Warranty + Zero Bright Dot LCD Policy (30 Days)
• Ports: 1x Express Card, 1x VGA port, 1x Headphone-out jack (SPDIF), 1x Microphone-in jack, 1x RJ11 Modem, 1x RJ45 LAN, 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1x IEEE 1394 port, 1x TV-Out, 1x Docking Port, 1x μ-DVI, 1x Kensington
• 6-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/SD/Mini-SD/XD/Memory Stick/MS Pro)

What's in the Box?

• V2JE 14" Notebook
• Standard Capacity; 6 Cell and extended battery 9 cell.
• Asus Design Gaming Series Notebook Backpack made by Targus
• Asus Wireless Mouse made by Logitech (USB Dongle)
• U-DVI to DVI Cable/Adapter
• Asus Cable Holder Strap (Used to wrap around your cables for travel)
• AC Adapter (19v DC, 1.5A, 90W)
• Software:
• AsusDVD (CD)
• PowerDirector Pro (CD)
• Medi@Show (CD)
• Nero Burning Rom OEM Suite (CD)
• V2 Driver and Utility (CD)
• Asus Recovery Disc for Windows Vista Business (DVD)

Packaging
The packaging of the V2JE is nice, just like most other Asus laptops. Asus decided to use a basic V2 box, instead of a box with a colorful design like other Asus laptops have. There is no rattling inside the box, everything is tightly packed. The overall weight of the shipping box is good, not to heavy, but also not light.



Design
The Asus V2JE has a very clean design, it appeals to the business user. The color of the laptop is primarily a dark grey and a carbon fiber black which gives the notebook a contemporary look. The laptop has silver accents which mimic the Asus V1JP brother. There is a silver trim around the lid, the edge of the chassis and around the touchpad.



My initial impression of the laptop was that it would be fit for a business user looking for styling, good performance, and a swivel webcam and fingerprint reader. The design is very inviting, and once you open the laptop, you see a very clean design. The webcam draws you in, and also the silver accent around the touchpad with the fingerprint reader in the middle of the buttons.



Screen
The screen on the Asus V2JE is quite nice and is glossy. It is 14” and widescreen, using a resolution of 1440x900 (WXGA+) which is a great, because this allows users to have more real-estate compared to other laptops which only come with a 1280x768 resolution. I ran Everest Ultimate to find out who the manufacturer of the screen is. It is an AUO1247, and I feel that this screen to be pleasant to use. The lid does not have a latch; it does take 2 hands to open the laptop. This is just like the W3 series, it closes shut and stays that way, and it will not open on its own.



The horizontal viewing angles are very wide. I am able to see text, icon and images from roughly 145 degrees from the center. The vertical viewing angles are not so good, they only allow for a little leeway before they wash out. In my opinion it is roughly 100 degrees up and down.




The brightness of screen is good, there are 16 levels brightness. The lowest level does not turn the screen black, and I feel comfortable using the lowest screen brightness for work and optimize battery life. At the highest brightness, I also felt comfortable; it is great to use it when watching movies and some gaming.

Maximum Brightness--------------------------------------- Minimum Brightness


When considering the backlight there some light leakage at the bottom of the screen. The contrast levels look good. Overall I found the screen to perform quite well under all situations, gaming, movies and regular use.

Keyboard
Asus provides a spill proof keyboard that can withstand a small spill of your drink. One of the great things I like is that Asus placed the FN key to the right of the CTRL key. So now the CTRL key is on the far left corner. This is how keyboards are supposed to be in my opinion, thumbs up for that.



The keyboard is black with white lettering that is a little grey. The sizes of the keys are great. I felt comfortable typing on the notebook. The keys have a good amount of travel and the sound of the clicking is soft, I would feel comfortable typing in a class or library setting without disturbing others.


There is a considerable amount of flex on the right side of the keyboard. I don’t feel that it hinders my ability to type. The middle of the keyboard has some flex and the right side of the laptop has little to no flex.

Touchpad
Physically the touchpad area is aesthetically pleasing, and using it is even more enjoyable. I am able to glide my finger across the touchpad as if it was silk. You can really feel the quality of the touchpad.



The touchpad buttons were also good, they have an ergonomic shape and the pressure required to press them is decent. The buttons are not as soft like the Asus G2, but not as hard as the Asus V1JP.

Features
Webcam
The Asus V2JE is equipped with a 1.3 mega pixel camera, located above the screen and it does swivel. The quality of the camera is decent; I would feel comfortable using it for video conferencing and using it to entertain people. The flash is just a screen, so if your taking a picture of something close up, then it will brighten the picture, here’s an example below.

Without Flash-------------------------------------------------With Flash




Spill proof keyboard
Asus placed a spill proof keyboard for those business users who may accidentally spill a small amount of liquid on the laptop. This is a great feature and no I have not tested this, nor plan to, Ha Ha.

3.5G Wireless
This is an optional feature on the V2JE which costs an estimate $500 to have. This will allow you to connect to the internet using a special service, and it is much faster than the previous technology. This is a great feature for those people who need to be on the internet at high speeds on the road.

Docking Station
The docking station is something new to Asus laptops, and fortunately the V2JE has a docking station port located at the bottom of the laptop. The docking station has a variety of ports that allow users to connect more devices.

Bluetooth 2.0
The V2JE has a nice toggle switch at the front of the laptop which turns on and off the Bluetooth and WIFI. Bluetooth technology allows users to connect up to 8 devices, like mice, keyboards, headsets, cell phones and more.

Fingerprint Reader
Many business users are looking for additional security, and Asus offers the fingerprint reader so that it can further protect the data on the notebook. It is located in between the touchpad buttons and is easy to use after a few tries.



Wireless
The V2JE has a toggle switch in which you can turn on the WIFI and Bluetooth on and off at the same time. If you want one or the other, turn on the switch and then use the software, FN + F2 to change which wireless connectivity you want. The WIFI worked great, it was very fast around the store.



Sound System
The speakers are located at the front of the laptop and are slightly facing downward, and the sound emanates to the user in front. The treble of sounds good, the loudness of the speakers is good, however is an evident lack of bass. The sound card is Realtek High Definition Audio.

The sound quality using headphones and ear buds is excellent, just as expected. The treble and bass are clear and crisps .Overall I found the speakers to be good, since this is a 14” laptop you really can’t expect much more than this.

Input and Output Ports


Front Side Ports

• Left Speaker
• Right Speaker
• WIFI Toggle Switch

Right Side Ports

• Mic In
• Headphone Jack (SPDIF)
• ExpressCard Slot
• 6-1 SD Card Reader
• 8x DVDRW Supermulti
• LAN Port
• Modem Port
• USB Port
• 1394 Port

Left Side Ports

• Vent
• VGA out
• S-Video
• U-DVI
• 2x USB

Back side Ports

• Battery Bay
• Power Input
• Kensington Lock Port

LED Indicators

• Power
• Battery
• Email
• WIFI
• Bluetooth

Lid LED Indicators

• Power
• Battery

Build Quality
Asus is known for making quality products, let’s indulge ourselves on how the V2JE performs under certain stress tests of quality. Firstly, the lid and screen section is one of the most used parts of a laptop aside form the keyboard. The bottom of the lid is strong, where the hinges are located, I am able to apply a consider amount of pressure to the lid. When I am applying pressure to the middle of the lid there is some flex and evident rippling. At the top of the lid where the webcam is located, there is a considerable amount of flex, and the entire top portion does move.



The hinges are very sturdy; they hold the screen up very well. There is only a little amount of wobbling, and there is no creaking sound. I feel very comfortable using the laptop in any position and the screen will hold its position.

As previously mentioned the keyboard has a considerable amount of flex in the right and middle, but little to no flex on the left hand side. Overall the quality of the keyboard is good, and having the extra feature of a spill proof keyboards keeps me from worrying.

The wrist pads, also known as palm rests are indeed very strong, high quality, very little flex when excessive amounts of pressure is applied. I am very pleased about this.

I feel comfortable carrying and holding the laptop in my hands and in different positions. Overall I find the build quality to be good, it does share similar flex issues like the V1JP, and however I feel confident that this will not be a problem.

Size and Weight
The length of the V2JE is 13.5”, the width is 10.7” and the thickness is 1.3”/1.5” (front back). The weight of the laptop is 5.1 pounds with the 6 cell battery. When placing the 9 cell extended battery into the laptop, it weighs roughly 5.4 pounds. The 9 cell battery protrudes about half an inch outwards from the back of the laptop.

Overall the laptop feels very nice to carry, it is light and the size is just right. I would feel comfortable taking it to school in a backpack with other books inside, or to work in a briefcase with a sleeve.

Heat and Noise
I have been using the notebook for a very long time, installing application, running benchmarks, browsing the internet and typing. Only the right side gets mildly warm, the right palm rest and keyboard side. The touchpad also gets warm. The left side of the laptop is cool and only gets as warm as your skin is touching it. Overall I am happy that the vent is on the left side since I use mouse on the right hand side.

During gaming the heat is quite good, sure there is warm air coming out of the vent, and the right side of the laptop, but overall there so little noise. I am very impressed with this laptops cooling solution.

Overall the noise is only evident when you place your ear near the left side of the laptop, then you will hear the vent blowing out air and some clicking sounds. These sounds are not easy to hear and I would feel very comfortable using this in school and in work.

Processor and Performance
The Asus V2JE is equipped with a fast 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, and using it in Vista, I don’t feel any slow downs. Overall the notebook performed well in Vista while doing light to medium tasks. I also had Aero Glass running the entire time. To further see how well the notebook performs, please check out the benchmarks and gaming portion of the review.

Battery Life
I normally test battery life under the following settings to maximize battery life for real life usage. Using the 9 cell battery, the screen brightness will be 1/16, in Vista the power mode is battery saving. The battery life is 3 hours and 35 minutes . When I changed the brightness to 100% (16/16) the battery life was 3 hours and 15 minutes .



Using the 6 cell battery, the screen brightness will be 1/16, in Vista the power mode is battery saving. The battery life is 2 hours and 05 minutes . When I changed the brightness to 100% (16/16) the battery life was 1 hours and 45 minutes .



The 9 cell battery has 7800mah, 11.1V, which results in an 85whr battery which is really nice and big. The 6 cell battery has 4800mah and 11.1V, which results in a 53whr, which is a normal sized battery.





*Edit
I found that the battery life to be quite poor, than what I expected. I was expecting closer to 2 hours and 45 minutes on the 6 cell battery, while I was expecting 4 hours and 15 minutes using the 9 cell battery. I do find that this to be one of the negatives to the Asus V2JE, and we can not only blame the laptop, but Windows Vista may have contributed negatively to the battery life.

Comparison
Here are some comparison picture of the V2JE beside a V1JP. As you can see the V2 is smaller than the V1. Also the V2 is about them same thickness as the V1, only 1-2 millimeters in difference.







When I compare the V2JE to the W3 series and A8 series notebook you can see that they are similar in size and dimensions. The V2 weighs less than the W3 and you can feel it. The V2 and W3 are roughly the same in thickness only 1-2 millimeters in difference.








Benchmarks

SuperPi
Here’s a screenshot of SuperPi, the ASUS V2JE calculated 2 million calculations in 1 minute and 5 seconds.


3DMark05
This tests the graphics and performance of the laptop. I had the laptop plugged in and using High Performance as the power mode.



3DMark06
This tests the graphics and performance of the laptop using Shader Model 3. I had the laptop plugged in and using High Performance as the power mode.


PCMark05
This tests the overall performance of the laptop. This score is on average compared to other notebooks with similar specifications which is good.


Windows Experience Index
The Windows Experience Index shows how well your computer is compared to what Vista demands.


HDTune
This is used to test how well the hard drive performs, and I felt it performed on par with other notebooks hard drives.


Games
The overall gaming experience was good, I found the ATI Mobility X1450 to be a decent little graphic card. I was able to play many games, but as we know Windows Vista is not optimized for gaming yet, so these results in games may have been hindered. Unfortunately I was unable to play STALKER, it installed but I couldn’t get playable FPS mainly because the lowest resolution was locked at 1024x768, which is too high. You can expect more performance gains all round by using XP Pro.

NFS Carbon
The overall experience was fine decent the graphics were decent.

• 800x600
• 2x AA
• Anistropic Filtering
• Particles/Motion Blur On
• Medium to Low Details
• FPS 13-19

BF2142
This game ran pretty well with decent graphics and resolution.

• 1024x768
• 2x AA
• V-Distance 90%
• Medium/Low Details
• Range 18-25

Oblivion
Overall Oblivion is fun game to play and the X1450 256mb did a good job.

• 800x480
• 2x AA
• Medium/Low Details
• Bloom On
• Indoor Range of FPS 20-55
• Outdoor Range of FPS 18-40

Supreme Commander
Despite low FPS the game was something new, and unfortunately the game locked the lowest resolution at 1024x768.

• 1024x768
• No AA
• Graphic Settings are all Low
• FPS 10-15

Software
Asus provides Windows Vista Business; it is preinstalled on the laptop with a vast amount of other programs. There are some programs you may not want to have, like Norton, Asus Live Update and there could be others that many would want to remove. By removing these programs it will free up resources and will make your laptop run smoother and faster. I would recommend people who are keen on doing a clean install to do so, in order to get the maximum performance out of the laptop.

Customer Support
Asus support in North America is excellent, many have used it and they have been satisfied with their experiences. Another factor to consider is who will be your reseller, even it if it an Asus ensemble unit or ASMOBILE (Barebone) laptop. Overall you can expect good service from both Asus and your reseller, especially from the ones here on the forums.

Accessories and Miscellaneous



The V2JE comes with a few goodies that are packed with the laptop. The first thing you will see is the Asus bag made by Targus. It is quite nice, the lining, quality and looks, I would use it from time to time depending on the situation.



Asus also provides a wireless mouse made by Logitech, it is not Bluetooth, instead comes with a USB dongle for wireless connectivity.



The other accessory that stands out is the cable holder, which is a small strip of fabric with Velcro to hold your cables when you take your notebook for traveling. This is nice since my cables get tangled with each other.

Rating

• Design – 8/10
• Screen – 7.0/10
• Keyboard – 7/10
• Touchpad – 8/10
• Sound System – 6.5/10
• Ports – 8.5/10
• Build Quality – 8.0/10
• Battery Life – 4.0/10
• Heat & Noise – 8.5/10
• Value (Price/Performance/Features) – 7.5/10
• Overall (Compare this business notebook to others in the same target market and come up with your own evaluation)

Pros:

• Screen <- Good horizontal, decent brightness, and contrast
• Graphics <- X1450 256mb in such a small package
• Performance <- The overall performance was good
• Touchpad <-Textured feel, worked well right away, with vertical and horizontal scroll
• Build Quality <- Good build quality all around
• Heat & Noise <- there is a regular amount of heat and little noise
• Ports <- great layout of ports and variety of ports
• Freebies <- Asus Bag and Wireless Mouse
• Weight & Dimensions <- The weight is decent, and has nice dimensions
• Features <- Webcam, Spill proof keyboard, docking station (optional), future models available with 3.5G
• Latch Design <- The V2JE has a no latch design

Cons:

• Lid Flex <- The lid flexes in certain spots (most notebooks do)
• Multi-bay <- We all expected a Multi-bay and Asus did not provide one
• Keyboard <- considerable amount of flex
• Heat <- The warmth is felt on the left side (depends on location of the vent)
• Screen <- Satisfactory vertical view angles and the glossy screen exhibits reflections
• Battery Life <- With the 6 cell battery, I feel that 2 hours is not enough (Use 9 cell), overall it is quite poor
• Bloatware <- Most brands have a lot, Asus does have a small amount, but I still prefer a clean installation of Windows XP or Vista

Conclusion
The Asus V2JE is a great notebook and it was a pleasure to use. The price is $1800 USD and I find it to fit that price well for a business notebook. It offers so many features and flexibility. The overall design and quality is good, I would feel confident in using this notebook daily for school or work and even some graphic demanding tasks.

When comparing this notebook to other business notebooks in the market, I found this notebook to be amongst the top 5 contenders; however battery life is poor. If you require more battery life and do not mind carrying 2 batteries then this may be an option for you. On the other hand, the battery life is did not live up to its expectations and this is one major flaw for this laptop; however Asus provides both 6 cell and 9 cell batteries.

Thanks,

This review is completed by Akhil Parujanwala, a notebook reviewer at www.MilestonePC.com

 

i'm sure a lot of people would want to know....how does this screen compare to the a8js?

 

its quite rare to see an Asus model with a left side vent!

 

It has a carbon fiber color? Are you saying it is made of carbon fiber? Sorry to ask, but Sony describes their laptop that way to describe its carbon fiber case.

 

I know that the V1JP has a magnesium alloy lid and a carbon fiber chassis.
As for the V2JE, the Lid seems to be magnesium alloy, as for the chassis, it is darker, more carbon looking, when compared to the V1JP. I will have to double check whether it is carbon fiber.

I find that the Vent on the left hand side to be an advantage since it is not blowing air on to my mouse hand. I don't mind the left side of the laptop getting warm because if the vent was on the right side, then the right side would be warm just like the V1JP.

As for a comparison between the A8js and V2JE screen, the V2 has an AUO screen, AUO1247, and the A8js comes with both CMO and AUO. The differences between both CMO and AUO on the A8js are hard to differentiate, but most people like the CMO.

As for the V2JE, it did seem brighter and had decent horizontal viewing angles but it still had poor verticals like most laptops. In my opinion the V2JE did appear to have the better screen than both W3J and A8js. Howeve the V2JE is in a class of its own for 14" business notebooks compared to the other two.

 

Slightly disappointed that Asus didn't include a modular optical bay like I was expecting, but still, the V2 looks like it's a winner.

I can't wait until it's refreshed with Santa Rosa, I'm gonna get one the instant it becomes preorderable.

 

I think the biggest disappointment is the ATI X1450 instead of the ATI X1600. The battery life only went up a little. I think the WJ3 battery life was 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours. Sorry, I cannot find the review right now. I guess I expected a bigger jump in battery life for that sacrifice.

 

I understand the fact that there was a drop in graphical performance when comparing the X1450 to the X1600, but this notebook already has so much packed into it, plus it was not geared for average gaming. It is a business notebook and provides enough graphical power for Vista and other programming needs.

However your point is understand able when considering this can be considered as the replacement for the W3J. But I feel it is more like on a whole new class of its own since this is geared to the business user.

The Asus XG Station should help alleviate the graphic performance difference upon its release.

As for battery life, I wasn't too happy with it, but I was fine with the 9 cell battery life, but yes you would expect by having a X1450 it would result in having more battery life.

But if you look at the W7J it faces a similar outcome, smaller screen, lower graphics and lower battery life when compared to the A8js and W3J...its odd nonetheless and I understand. Thankfully Asus provides 2 batteries resulting in a grand total of 5 hours of battery life.

 

Sorry, but I have one more question. According to
http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/mer...&Product_Code=V2JE-4S023E&Category_Code=ASUSV
the V2JE has a Firewire Port. Does it?

 

1394 port = firewire. so yes.

 

x1450 doesn't need the 256mb / 512mb of memory, would have prefered to see the power-saving x2300 =/.

Nice looking laptop and I hope to see more reviews like this one it was a pleasure to read!

 

does anyone know if the V2je keyboard will fit in a W3j? id love to have that spill proof feature and ctl button in the right spot.

 

How ligher is the V2 compared to the W3J?

 

It's only a 4-pin Firewire. So, the standard sized Firewire port won't fit on this laptop.

 

Excellent review. Does the v2 run warmer than the v1?

 

Technically speaking the V2JE is about half a pound lighter, about 200-300 grams lighter. You can feel it in your hands, it is noticeable.

As for a heat comparison between the V2JE and V1JP, first you have to consider that the V1JP has a right side vent with a C2D T7200 and X1700 versus the V2JE with left side vent with a C2D T7200 and a X1450.

I would say the V2JE was all round cooler than th V1JP underall conditions, gaming, normal tasks, installations and the such. If you compare the heat from the right side of the V1JP to the heat from the left side of the V2JE, the V2 is cooler.

 

200 - 300 Grams lighter...OMG.

If only it had a better GFX, then I would replace my W3J.

 

I do see some people talking about if V2JE had a multi-bay and X1600 or X1700 it would have been the ultimate replacement notebook for all Business and Gamer users.

I believe Asus wanted to make a direct distinction from the great selling A8 series which is able to game very well, compared to the business side where the V2JE equiped with a vast amount of features and still being very light compared to the W3J.

 

That is just abysmal battery life.... 14" with a 9-cell I'd expect at least 5 hours.

 

Right now I am re-doing the battery test, it is charging now. but I don't think "14" with a 9-cell I'd expect at least 5 hours", I am using my Z33A everyday, it is 12" on borad video, with 9-cell it will last 5+ hours, but for V2Je I don't think you should expect the same thing considering the different size, CPU, Video.

 

Thanks for the review!

 

I'm not necessarily sure I agree with you. On a twelve cell battery in my laptop I exceed 5 hours with WiFi on easily. The V2Je should easily jump four hours on a nine cell, not barely scrape it. My laptop is bigger and runs hotter than the V2Je does. I've read stories on the forums of people complaining that HP's dv6000t barely beats two hours on the six cell, so when the V2Je - which has less power draw to worry about - is having the same problem, it's a major down point.

Additionally, I do waffle a bit on the integrity of the review. Though I do like you guys at MilestonePC.com, it's important to note that you have something to gain from a good review of this unit, so I feel compelled to highlight for those that haven't noticed that the reviewer is - while a respected vendor - still a vendor of this product.

 

The V2Je looks like a great notebook. Solid and visually appealing. I'm one of those people who are disappointed with the battery life too though. My MacBook Pro gets 2-2hrs 15mins in Windows XP Boot Camp with no PowerPlay since it seems to be disabled in hardware and the drivers can't see it. In OS X I easily exceed 3 hrs of battery life. With a slower processor, smaller screen, and a X1450 vs my X1600, I would definitely expect better battery life from the V2Je. Maybe newer drivers or newer BIOS will address this?

 

W are currently re-testing our battery life test, I have given the battery life rating a 7/10...upon the re-test if the values turn out the same or lower, I will drop this figure to a 5/10 and move battery life as a con and change the conclusion and state battery life is something of concern.

Also there are only a few owners right now, 1 person here on the forums, also stated 2 hours of battery life.

By basical calculations of battery watts and battery life, we can easily calculate this laptop has a discharge rate of 25 watts per hour, which is definitely not good for such a laptop.

One thing to note is that we are testing under Vista and with AeroGlass on. It has been said that Vista roughly eats 10% battery life and AeroGlass takes roughly 5 minutes. So there could be roughly up to 30 minutes of battery life being lost.

Windows XP Pro would give a true value for battery life, I personaly dislike Vista, but nonetheless I did the entire review using Vista because this is how people will most likely use the laptop and what they can experience when using it.

I have been contemplating about the battery life numbers myself, and what to think of it. We know the V1JP also consumes 25 watts per hour, as per MysticGolem's review. We see that the A8js, also only gets 2 hours and 30 minutes of battery life. The W7J also suffers in battery life only achieving an estimated 2 hours and some minutes of battery life.

Despite the controversy of the battery life, which I am fully aware of everyone's input and I greatly appreciate it, most, if not all have stated that the battery life to be subpar, but the reasoning is still hard to figure out. As previously mentioned I will change the conclusion area upon new battery life tests.

Thanks!

 

If anyone here is willing to do a review on the V2JE in Widnows XP Pro so that we can compare battery life and gaming and anything else, that would be great. Otherwise I will talk to Danny about this and see if I can do a follow up review with XP Pro installed on the V2JE, in the following weeks.

 

Thank you for the review

Personally, I like XP/SP2 more than Vista

 

I must admit, the battery life gained from the 9-cell battery is horrible. I expect to be on par if not exceed the VAIO SZ series, even though it has a 13.3" screen.

Vista may be to blame.

 

It is really hard to blame anything right now. By simply looking at the V1JP with XP Pro, having a discharge rate of 25 whr, with a 8 cell battery of 77watts.

While the V2JE seemingly has a discharge rate of 25whr, with a 6 cell battery of 53watts, but has a smaller screen and a X1450 and same features of the V1JP. The 9 cell having 85 watts.

However when you look at the MacBook Pro, equipped with a 2.3Ghz Core 2 Duo, X1600 and has a battery with 60 watts, but achieves 3 hours of battery life in OS X.

Isn't it interesting that the V1JP has a discharge rate of 25whr using XP Pro gets 3 hours battery life with a 8 cell 77 watt battery. While the V2JE has Vista Business and has a dicharge rate of 25 watts with a weaker GPU and smaller gets 2 hours of battery life with a 6 cell 53 watts battery, and 3 hours and 30 minutes on a 9 cell battery with 85 watts. Last but not least the MBP gets 3 hours of battery life using the OS X with good specs on a battery which only has 60 watts. Theorectically the MBP is far superior in power management, its discharge rate is 20 watts!

This really baffles me more than why the V2JE achieves the battery life it does.

 

Didn't people get over 3 hours with the W3J on a 6-cell and 5 hours with the 6-cell + media bay?

 

It looks like a bigger w7j, which isn't bad in and of itself, but...it could be better.

 

Thanks for this excellent review. However, add me to the list of people who are disappointed with the battery life. I'm not happy that my 15.4" Samsung X60 plus gives only 2 hours on a 6 cell battery, but I'm sure that part of the problem is that Samsung haven't yet figured out how to make PowerPlay work with the X1700 CPU. I strongly suspect that the T7200 CPU with its 4MB of cache also pulls more juice, even when on idle.

Asus need to be tweaking the V2JE to get well past 3 hours on the 6 cell battery and 5 hours on the 9 cell. A sensible light usage power drain would be 15W. At this level the fan would also stay off most of the time. For those who are interested in the power issue, yesterday I posted some research on my X60plus. If Vista is swallowing power then users need to have some quick tweaks to maximise battery life.

John

 

Could you elaborate, please—does the web cam have a built-in flash tube? Is it for still pictures, or what? I take your comment to mean the screen brightens, illuminating the picture's subject (if so, that's pretty weird).

Nice review.

 

Excellent review. Very powerful machine for a 14". One note though, on the comparison chart; the macbook pro is either a 2.16 core 2 duo, 2.33 core 2 duo or maybe a core duo 2.0 not:

"Apple MacBook Pro (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI X1600)"

 

I really look forward to a critical review of this notebook (maybe one that doesn't use 'good' 23 times?), overall the notebook seems totally underwhelming, especially considering many people have waited for this for almost 4 months.
I personally own a W3v and had intended to upgrade to a V2 w/ 3.5g. I'd hoped to get the V2 and then put a solid state disk drive in it (when available) and thus would fix the heat issues, improve battery life, and create a rugged, sleek notebook for the next half dozen years. I was also hoping the V2 to have much improved build quality, I personally found the W3v a bit poor and gimmicky in regards to build quality and it doesn't get any better in the V2.

 

Thank you for the review. Very succinct and informative.

I am buying a new notebook and have not considered a 14" but only a 12.1" for weight/portability or 15.4" for screen real estate. Being that 14" seems to be kind of an in between size, what are the 14" screen advantages that make it worth considering. (There are no 14" screen computers to try here where I am now living.) Thank you.

 

I do not believe it has a flash tube because there is no space in the webcam to do so. So yes, the screen flashes white, which causes the image to be illuminated. Weird yes, but nonetheless something that may be useful for your application.

I agree cysus, many have been looking for a replacement to the W3J, it definitely is a hard laptop to beat in interms of quality, performance (X1600) and that multi-bay that many would wants. Mind you the V2JE is offering a whole host of features that the W3J does not have, like the webcam which is becoming a staple in the notebook industry, optional docking station, and more.

I also believe if the V2JE was equipped with a multi-bay this would have been a much better notebook, also if it had a X1600 or X1700, then this would have been one heck of a laptop. I guess we can't have everything, there's always something more we would like.

Later this evening I will be receiving confirmation regarding the battery life re-test and if the values are the same or worse I will be changing the conclusion.

In fact I have already written the new conclusion, I am just awaiting the final results and then I will make the necessary changes.

 

Disappointed for the video card! I really expected around 2500 3dmark05 points, especially with that great configuration. It could also be bad drivers of ATI in combination with Vista... not sure.

But SupCom runs on a Dell of my friend at 1024*768 with low settings with good FPS (25-30) and it is very playable. And that is a T2250, 1 Gb, X1300!

Thanks for the review!

 

V1Jp does´t have a magnesium alloy lid and a carbon fiber chassis.

 

The review is quite good, but the idea of a vendor reviewing items it sells sits a bit uneasily with me.

 

Poor battery life, no hard drive protection, no multi bay, average build quality (compared to the W3J). And this is supposed to be a notebook targeted to business users?

This notebook seems like an overpriced toy to me. There isn't a real reason to buy this like one would with the W3J.

ASUS needs to get their act right and release better notebooks under the A and V lines or reduce prices.

 

Agree with Luke here.

 

Well, I appreciate the review despite it coming from a vendor.

It is pretty obvious that the reviewer is associated with a vendor and maybe I'm being too generous here but I really do think that the average person is intelligent enough to figure this out and take the review with a grain of salt.

I appreciate the review because I have been desperate to read almost anything about the V2.

Of course, I will wait for more reviews before I make up my mind.

 

I have made the following changes to the review: They have been either bolded or in the color red.

I personally apologies and thank everyone here for pointing your concerns and regards to this review and the battery life. I have made the above changes to shows everyone who is considering the Asus V2JE that it has poor battery life.

My overall intent is to provide some of the most coherent, thorough reviews, with plenty of pictures to show every aspect of the notebook, with benchmarks and games without being bias as possible. However every writer has their own bias or perception, and their own style and outline for a review. My outline uses the NBR.com review outline as a core and I expand much further on it.

Danny has contacted Asus regarding the V2JE, here’s what happened.

I hope this clarifies everything for everyone. Thanks

 

I think the review is good, and maybe unbiased... I just find something ethically wrong about it being on this site. Maybe I am just in a bad mood today

 

I used a fully charged 9-cell battery V2J this afternoon, with a USB optical mouse connected, mid brightness, typing and internet browsing, wireless on, BT off, the notebook shut off at 3 hours and 5 min.

This is kind of too fast, I used A8Js w 6-cell battery and W3J with 8-cell battery, under windows XP Pro, under the same way of use, I got 2 hours 50 mins. I will do a V2Je under XP Pro the same way to see if there is any change.

After you guys read more reviews from other users, You will see we did try very hard to be unbiased.

We want to set up an image that we do provide unbiased reviews, this may take a while for readers to realize it, we try to set up this image because from now on, we will provide more and more reviews, especially on Asus notebooks, you will see our reviews come out very early, earlier than most NA media reviews, including these models not yet in production.

 

I personally dont think the reivew is biase I want this notebook, that y i read as much as I can from the review.

 

If the reviewer did not make it obvious enough that a reasonable person would not know the reviewer is associated with a reseller then I would agree that it is unethical.

However, it is more than obvious from the pictures to the words to the email address of the reviewer.

If that's not enough transparency then I suppose we could ask the reviewer to put up in bold "I AM ASSOCIATED WITH A RESELLER IN CASE YOU'RE TOO STUPID TO NOTICE!"

Pardon the sarcasm but I just don't think people are this stupid.

As for bias: well, at least the bias here is obvious.

I much prefer this type of bias than the bias of some "fan boy" or, worse, some new laptop owner who is so overwhelmed by his purchase, and by the charge on his credit card, that he has to justify his purchase by raving about it.

 

For those who didn't notice, I have changed the review. I made some necessary changes in regards to the battery life and overall conclusion of the review. However this does not appear to those who click on it from the homepage.

You will need to click on "discuss" and then read the review, then you will see the edited version of it. I'm not sure why there's discrepency in the version I can edit and the version posted in the homepage, Abaxter?

 

I updated the stuff added to the homepage review, I have complete control over the content there, the changes made to the forum article do not propagate back automatically

 

biased or unbiased this review is just as reliable as the average joe reviewing it. I ve found reviews on this forum and any other to be misleading and acurate at the same time. I stopped doing written reviews mainly becuase people will come back many months later and say "ur a liar the screen sucks or the battery life is not as described". to each his own. ethical or not i see nothing wrong with vendor reviews. danny got it here first. i wanted to mention that when testing battery life before you say "it is poor or it is great", take another similar notebook with the same os and the same apps and test it as well. i think your call of poor battery life was premature. you should test other batteries in other models in a similar environment before you can make this judgement. take the v1jp for example with an 8 cell undre vista you will find similar life per cell. other things like disabling bluetooth and wifi, or even the nasty ms defender may affect it. also keep in mind mystic golem and his review of the v1jp. vista may simply be reporting wrong life. the way i think is all batteries pretty much come from a few manufacturers. take a 14" notebook from any brand compare it to any other brand under the same conditions you will find the battery life very similar. asus is not using sub par batteries. other things may be affecting life which for now we may not be aware off.... video for the v2j is up soon