Design and Ergonomics
The plastic case of the notebook is designed smooth and elegant according to the latest trends. The notebook looks lighter visually than it really is.
The manufacturer’s logo is stamped in the middle of the lid.
There is an integrated 1.3-megapixel web-camera at the top of the lid. Painted a light-silver color, it can be turned counterclockwise for an angle of 180 degrees. It can also be shifted upward for an angle of 30 degrees at the back or front, so the full rotation angle is 240 degrees. The turnable block has a tiny activity indicator and rubber rims at the sides for softer contact. The hole of the integrated microphone is positioned to the left of the webcam.
The display lock is designed like a button that you can find right under the webcam. The display hinges are also very stiff, preventing the notebook from opening even if the button is pressed accidentally.
The labels and LEDs of status indicators are placed below the webcam on the notebook’s body and remain visible only when the lid is opened. If the lid is closed, there are duplicates of the indicators on the front panel covered with a narrow plastic piece. This allows you to see what’s going on with the notebook irrespective of the position of its lid. This group of indicators includes (from left to right):
- Power indicator (alight when the notebook is turned on; blinking in power-saving mode; off when the notebook is turned off or in sleep mode)
- Battery charge indicator (alight when the battery is being recharged; off when the battery is charged or fully discharged; blinking when the battery charge is below 10% and the notebook is not connected to the mains)
- Wireless indicator (it indicates the activity of the integrated WLAN adapter)
- Bluetooth indicator (alight when the Bluetooth interface is activated)
The configuration of our sample of the ASUS F5R lacks WLAN and Bluetooth modules and the appropriate indicators never shine. Those wireless adapters can be installed optionally.
At the left of the front panel there is a card-reader’s slot. It supports the following memory card formats: Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Pro.
