asus-g51j-a1

When it comes to playing the latest titles on a notebook, you want the best of both worlds: high frame rates and plenty of detail. The ASUS G51J-A1 delivers on both counts, thanks to its Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M graphics, and full HD display. You also get 640GB of storage space. Moreover, this is a sleek system that you’ll be psyched to whip out of your backpack at the next LAN party. The best part is the price; at $1,499, the G51J-A1 gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

An update to the ASUS G51Vx, the G51J-A1 sports a glossy blue lid and is adorned with a backlit ASUS Republic Of Gamers logo. There is also a light bar located on the lower portion on the lid. Taken as a whole, these touches tell you that this is a serious gaming rig.

When we lifted the lid of the 14.6 x 10.3 x 1.6-inch system, our eyes were treated to a highly attractive interior. The bezel surrounding the 15.6-inch display and the keyboard are glossy and reflective, making the system an immediate attention-grabber, though highly susceptible to fingerprints and smudges. A rubberized slip-proof (and smudge-resistant) palm rest inhabits the space below the keyboard, and has a great feel.

Above the keyboard is a speaker strip with several touch-sensitive buttons: Adjusting the gamma correction, enabling Turbo mode, disabling the touchpad, and booting into Express Gate are among the options.

Like all ASUS gaming notebooks, the G51J-A1 comes with a gaming backpack and a Razer Copperhead gaming mouse; while they may not be top-of-the-line, it’s still a thoughtful inclusion.

Lenovo ThinkPad USB Keyboard Specifications:

• Legendary ThinkPad keyboard look and feel
• Low profile, ergonomic design
• Integrated TrackPoint
• Spill resistant design
• Function (Fn) key provides access to variety of ThinkPad features
• Red backlit buttons for volume and microphone mute
• Volume up/down keys
• 3-year warranty
• Compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

Build and Design
The new ThinkPad USB keyboard uses the same keyboard assembly from the newer ThinkPad laptops, with a plastic frame and palmrest surrounding it. Compared to older design made under the IBM name they removed the touchpad and updated the keyboard to the newest version seen in the ThinkPad T400s and X200 series. The design is very basic with a thin frame and a large fixed palmrest. Lenovo kept the same large palmrest design from the older model even though they removed the integrated touchpad. This turned out to be an arguing point for some of the editors in the office. Some were split on it being wasted space and others enjoyed the added comfort of it being a huge palmrest.

The keyboard feels every bit as good in the external frame as it does inside the ThinkPad T400s. The plastic frame does a good job of providing support while laying flat and only has minimal flex when it is supported by its two extending feet. The design also incorporates rubber pads which keep the keyboard firmly planted on your desk. Lenovo did a good job of making an external chassis for one of their keyboards usually only seen in notebooks.

In Use
The keyboard is very comfortable to type on with its broad built-in palmrest. It is long enough where you can have your fingers resting on the keyboard and the edge of the palmrest isn’t digging into your wrist. The typing surface is identical to the keyboard on the T400s with the only difference being a springy feel if you press hard enough while it is supported by the two extending feet. Individual key action feels smoother than my old ThinkPad USB keyboard and is much quieter too. I think the biggest advantage of using one of these keyboards is you never have to transition between two standards if you own a desktop and laptop. Most desktop keyboards use keys with very long throws and if you are used to only typing on laptops your typing performance suffers.

Lenovo includes quick access keys on the top edge of the keyboard which allow you to adjust volume, mute the microphone or speakers, and launch the ThinkVantage software suite. If you are using it on any other type of computer the main keys work but the ThinkVantage key does nothing. I have found that on multiple systems no additional drivers are required to get those buttons to work, but that is only tested under Vista and Windows 7.

The primary difference between the old design and the new design is the lack of touchpad on the new model. Lenovo stuck with just a pointing stick … which you either love or hate. I find myself falling in-between the two extremes: I can put up with it if needed, but I still use the touchpad or external mouse if it’s available. The TrackPoint control works very well and operates just like it would on a notebook. The drivers allow scrolling through the use of the center mouse button or it can be configured to act as a middle button for tab control. The cursor did wander on occasion, but no more than what I have seen on current laptops which incorporate a pointing stick. When this happened it generally corrected itself quickly.

Old ThinkPad external keyboard

New ThinkPad external keyboard

Another item that Lenovo removed from the keyboard compared to the older model was the onboard USB hub. On my current keyboard if I have a USB memory stick I can plug it into the top of the keyboard, instead of hunting for an available port on the back of my docking station. Whether this change took place to save costs or to reduce the thickness of the keyboard, it is one feature I miss from the older design.

Old ThinkPad external keyboard base	New ThinkPad external keyboard base
Old keyboard (left) height vs. new keyboard (right)	Thickness comparison between the new keyboard (top) and the old keyboard (bottom)

Conclusion
The new Lenovo ThinkPad USB keyboard is pretty nice if you want the same keyboard experience on a computer that is not a ThinkPad. The new design removes the touchpad and onboard USB hub, but uses the newest keyboard design seen on the latest ThinkPad models. The typing experience is as good as the old model and nearly identical to typing on the laptop itself. If you own a previous model the biggest change you would have to put up with is the missing touchpad … but if you can get past that it is an excellent value. The new price of $59 is much lower than before, but you miss out on some previously included features. The bottom line is if you need a ThinkPad keyboard no matter what the computer might be, the ThinkPad USB Keyboard is your only option.

Pros:

• ThinkPad keyboard outside of a ThinkPad
• Sturdy design
• Built-in mouse control

Cons:

• No touchpad or USB hub
• Huge palmrest might annoy some

Apart from powerful hardware, Asus M60J also stands out with a long list of options for almost every major technical aspect. This is obscure why other manufacturers just let us choose between two hard drives and an extra memory stick. Because it’s not the case, here is the list of what is available for Asus M60J:

• Mobile Intel PM55 Express Chipset
• Intel Core i7 820QM 1.73 GHz or 720QM 1.6 GHz
• 2 x SODIMM DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM, up to 4GB
• NVIDIA GeForce GT240M, 1GB
• 2.5 inch SATA, 5400rpm or 7200rpm, 250GB, 320GB or 500GB
• 5.25 inch DVD Super Multi or Blu-Ray DVD Combo
• 6 cell 4800 mAh battery
• 16 inch HD display, 1366 x 768 resolution
• 2 megapixel web camera
• Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate, Business, Home Premium or Home Basic