Windows Vista includes the Windows Experience Index, which rates the components of the computer on their ability to run Vista. The graphics are only rated at 2.3 on the Aero scale and the gaming graphics at 3.0, while the memory, hard drive and CPU are all rated above 4.5, so this laptop is very marginal in terms of its ability to run the Aero interface. We installed the latest Intel driver to see what difference it made and the WEI score creaked up slightly to 2.5, which wouldn’t make a lot of difference.
- Processor: Intel Core 2 T7400 2.16GHz
- Memory: 1GB 667MHz DDR2
- Hard disk" 160GB Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00
- Optical drive: Matshita DVD-Ram UJ-842S
- Chipset: Intel 945GM and ICH7-M
- Graphics chip: Intel 945GM
- Screen: 12.1in, 1,280 x 800
- SideShow screen 2.8 inches 320 x 240
- Weight: 1.8kg with three-cell battery
- Dimensions: 30.5 x 22 x 3.1cm
When it comes to battery life we fully expect to see a real world life of three hours or more with the regular six-cell battery, however our sample had a three-cell unit that only lasted for 27 minutes. Clearly that’s disastrously bad but we can’t believe that this figure bears any relation to the production unit, however we feel it would be dishonest if we didn’t report the figures that we saw.
Benchmark results
Verdict
[Dreamy M&S-style voice over] This isn’t just a laptop; it’s a Windows Vista laptop. The SideShow screen will boost your staying power and make you more appealing to women, while the Core2 processor and 1GB of RAM provide the power that will impress your boss.
Asus W5Fe Windows Vista laptop
COMMENTS
Security???
[QUOTE]If you choose to open the lid the image on the SideShow screen flips over in order to remain the right way up.[/QUOTE]
So, if I'm on a train reading my e-mail and decide to open my laptop to do something, the slideshow screen not only stays on but flips around so that the person sitting opposite me on the train can read my e-mail?!?
Overblown
"The lid of the Asus also holds 1GB of flash memory which stores a cut-down Operating System that powers SideShow and which also links to the main Vista Operating System."
How intoxicated can one get by Microsoft PR to believe that a one-gigabyte operating systems is "cut-down"? One gigagbyte is "bloated". Vista is "overblown".
Bert Ofnuts
Sideshow != Sidebar?
According to this review on engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/25/hands-on-with-the-i-mate-momento-70/
The sideshow uses completely different gadgets than the sidebar. Limits the use somewhat, I imagine sidebar gadgets are going to be a bit more widely developed.
Nice review though
Multiple Devices, No need to sync
There is a new service called Netelligence that lets you get the data that you would have on your laptop on your phone / pda / internet enabled games console (e.g. PSP) whenever you want, wherever you are, so something like sideshow is really not that necessary, especially if you have to pay a lot more for it to be on your laptop. You can even access files on a internet connected computer (whether it has a static IP address or not), and you can play games. you can see more info at www.netelligence.co.uk.
Vista slideshow = chindogu
The only reason to have a feature like Vista slideshow--providing easy, low-power-consumption access to content when a laptop is otherwise asleep--is to kludge around the unsolved problem that the content is not otherwise easily accessible. I already have a cellphone with a tiny screen that I have with me whenever I have my laptop with me. Give me the content I want on that device (surely these laptops have bluetooth, so they're capable of talking to cellphones) instead of making me pay for yet another tiny screen that only shows me some of my content.
