ASUS B23E Complete Review: Almost Everything a Laptop Should Be

Review Summary:

The ASUS B23E is a well-equipped business notebook disguised as a netbook; a good option for road warriors.

Pros

• Decent performance
• Great array of ports
• Comfortable, easy-to-use keyboard
• Extremely thin and portable

Cons

• Price is a bit high
• Speakers could be better
• Small touchpad

 ASUS promises the 12.5-inch B23E to be a reliable business netbook with good performance and user-friendly features. Our review unit is packed with the kind of hardware you'd find in a mainstream business desktop...except in a tiny, 3.4 pound form factor. It has an Intel Core i7-2620M processor at 2.7GHz, Intel HD graphics, and a 500GB Seagate Momentus hard drive at 7200rpm. Read our full review below for more information!
Overview
Build & Design

The first thing you'll notice about the ASUS B23E is that it doesn't have a particularly stylish design. It looks like any other standard business notebook - there's nothing outlandish about it - it's soft black and has smooth matte surfaces. The important thing to cover here is the build quality, though, as this is supposed to be a durable business notebook that is essentially the size and shape of a cheap netbook.
And at 3.4 pounds and a small form factor, it is very portable. It also has pretty decent durability without being heavier - ASUS states that it's been drop tested to withstand "more than double the drop height of consumer notebook standards." ASUS also states that the hinge as well as lid panel have been tested to surpass consumer notebook standards. We'd like to point out that this isn't a consumer notebook, though - it's a business notebook. That being said, the only problem we had with the durability was with the lid.
When we pressed down in various spots around the chassis, we found that the B23E was solid - it barely budged. The cover and chassis are both made with a sturdy magnesimum alloy construction. ASUS claims that the keyboard is also spill-proof and that the hard drive has anti-shock cushions.
When we bent the lid at its corners, however, the lid twisted very easily and ripples appeared across the display. It might be made of magnesium alloy, but perhaps it isn't quite thick enough. Although, as another editor pointed out, when you press on the lid cover from its center, it doesn't show any noticeable flex. This is a good thing, as you probably won't have to worry about the B23E's lid cracking under pressure from someone shoving their carry-on baggage into your netbook on the airplane, for example.
Like most netbooks, the B23E isn't easily upgradeable. Users can replace the wireless network adapter and upgrade the memory by removing two simple covers off the bottom panel. It can hold a maximum of 8GB-1333 RAM. 

Ports and Features

The ASUS B23E actually has a great port selection. Despite the fact that there are only three USB ports in total, it has one SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port for fast flash storage transfers. The selection also includes a physical Wi-Fi power switch, a USB/eSATA combo port, ExpressCard and SmartCard readers, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader (SD/MS/MS Pro/xD/MMC). It also has HDMI, VGA, a fingerprint reader next to the touchpad, and a switch on the screen bezel to turn your webcam on or off.

Screen and Speakers
The B23E has a 12.5-inch matte display with LED backlighting and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The only available resolution is the low 1366x768, which is pretty much the standard for netbooks and notebooks of this size. We measured a contrast ratio of 167:1. This isn't surprising either, given the small screen; coupling that with the fact that this is a business notebook. You can tell the contrast isn't that great in the photos below. We're glad ASUS decided to go with the matte surface for it though; glossy, reflective screens are harder to work on in bright office settings. The viewing angles are very narrow all around.

The B23E has VIA HD speakers and drivers. The audio is what you'd probably expect: it doesn't reach very high levels and although the definition is fine, that doesn't matter much when you can't hear it that well. The volume levels could have been improved by placing the speakers on the top of the chassis rather than on the bottom of the netbook. We'd recommend a good pair of headphones and/or external speakers if the muffled sound is a nuisance. The drivers allow users to enable loudness equalization, sound equalizer, environment modeling and room correction. 

Keyboard and Touchpad
If you've purchased a netbook before and didn't really think too much about the ease of use of the keyboard and touchpad and were disappointed with it, you know how important it is to buy one that doesn't feel "cramped" and uncomfortable. If you're still considering the B23E up to this point, you're in luck: this Chiclet-style keyboard is great. We made very few typos while using it over the course of the week that we had it. It didn't feel cramped at all, probably because the spacing between the keys is well-proportioned. There are dedicated home, end and page keys. The keyboard is also spill resistant and features a fingerprint reader to the right of the touchpad. To top it all off, the keyboard is extremely silent; so you won't be bugging others in your office or classroom while typing away. 
The ELAN touchpad isn't bad, we just wish it were bigger. There is a lot of horizontal space, which is nice, but only a couple of inches of vertical space. It doesn't even make sense to make it small - there is a lot of space above the keyboard that could have been utilized to make more room for the touchpad. We will say, however, that the usability is good - the surface is smooth matte, and our fingers slid over it effortlessly.

Acer Aim Schedule Extra M3 Complete Review: A True 15-inch Ultrabook

Review Summary:

If you are in the market for an ultrabook with a large screen, excellent video editing and gaming performance, and a premium fit and finish then the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 deserves serious consideration.

Pros

• Unbelievable graphics performance
• Thin and light yet well built
• Good keyboard and large touchpad

Cons

• Bad location for power button
• All ports are in back
• Nasty hot spot on the bottom

One simple problem has been unpleasant us since the appearance of the ultrabook type of slim, Intel-based top quality netbooks last year: Ultrabooks don't really produce top quality efficiency. Acer wishes to change that with the new Aim Schedule Extra M3; the first 15-inch ultrabook with high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 640M design within. Can a thin-and-light ultrabook really offer you "ultra" performance?

Build & Design

At first look the Acer Aim Schedule Extra M3 looks like a basic wide screen laptop computer with a slim information, but take a nearer look and you'll see the all-metal external covering a very well-equipped ultrabook with many slots and a nice key pad. While the 15-inch impact and 20mm width of the case makes this the biggest "ultrabook" we've analyzed to date, that dimension provides just enough room for a tray-loading visual drive and some highly effective inner elements. It's reasonable to indicate that the unique idea for "ultrabooks" was top quality slim netbooks depending on the 11-inch and 13-inch Apple MacBook Air, but it's also reasonable to indicate that many people like larger displays and full-sized controls ... and 15-inch netbooks remain the most popular laptop computer computer dimension in terms of sales here in the United Declares.

The mineral magnesium metal lid and case provide Extra M3 the advantage of lightweight and the longevity of steel development. The matte-black complete looks professional and clean while the chiclet-style key pad and large touch pad give this ultrabook more customer charm. As opposed to some slim and lighting netbooks with steel covers, the display lid on the Extra M3 is amazingly powerful and should records protection for the display when you're visiting. As for the case itself, Acer loaded as many elements within as possible so the M3 seems powerful when you pick it up; there are no poor areas or empty appears to be when you tap your fingers and hands on laptops computer computer.
A serious, rather terrible drawback in the style of the Extra M3 is the place of the energy option. For some reason that destinations me, someone at Acer determined to place the energy option on the top side side of laptops computer. Not only that, but the top side side is set at an angle down a little bit and the energy option is a delicate pressure-activated change ... significance that if you use the M3 as a "laptop" you can accidentally media the energy option with your lap just by pushing down strongly on the palmrest.

I wish someone at Acer is examining this. Whoever is accountable for the keeping this energy option needs to be relocated to a different office at Acer. Anyone who believes it is an excellent option to put a pressure-activated energy option on the top side side of a computer should not be developing netbooks.

On a more content observe, the Extra M3 is amazingly easy to update in comparison to other ultrabooks. Most current ultrabooks have enclosed case styles that avoid you from improving components like RAM or the disk generate. The M3 features a practical access section on the end where you can substitute out important components like the RAM, Wi-Fi card, disk generate or the optionally available mSATA SSD. This gives the M3 a unique advantage over the competitors since it means you can update elements over time.
Screen and Speakers

The 15.6-inch bright display is one Acer's "CineCrystal" shows with LED backlighting. There is just one screen excellent at a lot of length of this writing; a rather ineffective 1366x768. However, the bright external on this screen isn't as a sign as some of the bright shows we've seen on other ultrabooks ... importance you won't have to fight with serious glare and glare as much. Still, a lcd option would have been a recognized operate to help with visibility outside under sunlight. The colors don't appear far too over packed at conventional adjustments and evaluation is very frequent.

Screen and Speakers
The 15.6-inch glossy display is one Acer's "CineCrystal" screens with LED backlighting. There is just one screen resolution at the time of this writing; a rather unimpressive 1366x768. However, the glossy surface on this screen isn't as reflective as some of the glossy screens we've seen on other ultrabooks ... meaning you won't have to struggle with harsh glare and reflections as much. Still, a matte screen option would have been a welcomed feature to help with visibility outdoors under direct sunlight. The colors don't appear overly saturated at default settings and contrast is pretty average.


As with all TN panels, the viewing angles on the M3's screen are pretty average: The screen looks great when viewed from straight on or from a modest horizontal angle, but the colors appear washed out when viewed from above and colors look inverted when viewed from below. We would love it if every ultrabook featured an IPS display with near perfect colors at all viewing angles, but the higher cost probably isn't something the average consumer wants to pay. As long as you tilt the screen so your eyes are parallel to the screen you'll probably think the screen looks great.

When it comes to audio, The Ultra M3 features stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theater branding located on the bottom front edge of the chassis. The speakers are large enough to produce high volume with good clarity but the location means you can muffle the sound if you use the M3 on your lap and you're wearing thick clothing. On the other hand, the metal chassis is so thin that sound passes up through the palmrests even if you block the speakers on the bottom.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The full-size chiclet-style keyboard is a simple layout with a dedicated number pad and no LED backlighting. The individual keys are matte black with silver trim around the keyboard tray. The matte black keys are surrounded by the aluminum frame of the notebook. There are also dedicated home, page up, page down and end keys located above the number pad. The keyboard tray is quite firm with more than adequate support structure. There is no flex or keyboard bounce when typing with firm pressure. The individual keys have a short throw (the distance between pressed and unpressed) and the key action itself is very quiet; you won't disturb others while typing in a quiet office or classroom.
The ELAN touchpad is actually a massive "clickpad" (a touchpad surface which lets you press down anywhere to produce a click). There are no dedicated left and right mouse buttons but the clickpad has shallow feedback when pressed. The only complaint we have about this touchpad is that it sometimes has trouble understanding the difference between a left click and a right click unless you press down on the extreme left or extreme right bottom corner of the clickpad.