ASUS N10J-A2

As netbook manufacturers flirt with larger screen sizes, and generally raise the bar for performance, the definition of a netbook is constantly evolving. The ASUS N10J-A2 is the latest to break—or at least stretch—the mold. This $799 system offers a business-friendly design and port selection, along with switchable graphics, face detection, and several upgrades to the identically designed N10Jc ($649), including a bigger 320GB hard drive (up from 160GB), 2GB of RAM (formerly 1GB), and Windows Vista Business. Its relative heft and less-than-stellar battery life are strikes against, but if you can live with a 10-inch display, the N10J-A2’s overall performance and design make it a good alternative to traditional ultraportables that cost considerably more.

Design

Despite its 10.2-inch screen, the N10J-A2 doesn’t look like a typical netbook. Beginning with its glossy taupe lid, silver hinge, and subtly stamped logo, it has a more refined aesthetic than the plastic chassis belonging to other netbooks. To be fair, its hefty shape also makes it look more like a full-size notebook: at 10.8 x 7.6 x 1.4 inches and 3.4 pounds, it’s still compact enough to carry in the crook of your arm, but plenty of lighter netbooks are out there, even ones with six-cell batteries (the HP Mini 2140, another business-oriented netbook, weighs 3 pounds).

The glossy taupe continues on the inside, covering the palm rest and even the trackpad and touch buttons. Above the keyboard are buttons for toggling between high-performance and battery-saving modes, turning the computer on, and launching a draggable zoom box that can magnify on-screen text up to three times. The same button that toggles performance modes also boots the N10J-A2 into Express Gate, the instant-on OS (more on that later). 

Keyboard and Touchpad

The spacious keyboard on the N10J-A2 is among the better ones we’ve used on a netbook. The panel is firm, with no flex, and the keys are nicely proportioned; however, as with the N10Jc we tested, the right Shift key is shrunken, which may annoy touch typists. We prefer the layouts on the HP Mini 1000 and Mini 2140, as well as the Samsung NC10. On the whole, typing was comfortable, but we noticed that we made less errors when we used the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE, whose island keyboard we mastered immediately.

The large, 2.8 x 1.7-inch touchpad is as hard and smooth as the chassis. A scroll panel runs down the right side of the touchpad, but it felt overly sensitive. The metal buttons are roomy, quiet, and easy to press. Nestled between them is a fingerprint reader. Although mastering the finger swipe took about ten tries, we had no problems thereafter.

Display and Audio

The 10.2-inch display has a thick, one-inch bezel. Clips from Saturday Night Live on Hulu.com looked bright. The 1024 x 600-pixel resolution was sufficient; we didn’t have to do any horizontal scrolling, and did less vertical scrolling than with netbooks whose resolution is 1024 x 576. The glossy finish didn’t stop us from enjoying comfortable viewing angles when dipping the screen forward and watching from the side (though severe 180-degree viewing angles were a stretch).

The N10J-A2’s Altec Lansing speakers produced sound that was louder than your average netbook’s, but still not quite what you’d expect from a larger notebook. The quality, however, was pleasant; it wasn’t too tinny when we streamed Internet radio.