ASUS K52JK-A1 15.6" Notebook Computer

Comment:
I spent over a month looking into a good laptop that will suit my use that goes from basic document editing and web surfing to AutoCADing and programming. My budget started low and eventually I had to raise it bit by bit, until I come across this laptop. Checked with many other computer-savvy friends, and this one turns out to be pretty good for the price.The first thing I learned when I brought it home was that new computers these days would contain bloatwares (I actually had to Wiki this term) that the user will have to clean up before using. It was a quick job (well, more like I just reinstalled Windows 7 Home Premium after reformatting the HDD), and due to the great hardwares, it was a quick and easy job.First few things I really appreciated about this laptop are:- Facial recognition log-in --- While it's not that special (to some people) and fingerprint-login would be more efficient, this is still a pretty cool feature, allowing me to log-in without having to type anything.- Multi-touch Touchpad --- Yes, I do own an iTouch, but this is still the first time having this feature on a laptop. As the mouse keys are a bit tough to press (occasionally when I try to drag icons, they get "un-held" and end up somewhere else), I'm liking the multi-touch control a LOT. One finger = left click, two fingers + drag = scroll, three fingers = right click. Nice and simple, and covers all the usage I'll need.- Beautiful display --- You'll have to understand that I came from the age of Windows XP with standard displays. The 16:9 HD display on a laptop is something I would never have expected on something I own until I got this laptop. I have yet to test it with high-end games or AutoCAD/Solidworks, but playing some DVD movies on it already showed me its capability.Then we move onto the keyboard. The issues I've had with laptops before was that their keyboards always missed that convenient number pad on the right side (usually along with the other keys such as PageUp/Down, etc). A full-sized keyboard like the one on this laptop makes it a lot easier for typing lots of numbers quickly (I study in a robotics/automation program so a lot of the labs require taking lots of data and analyzing them). The Chiclet keyboard will take some time to get used to though, as it does not have as much feedback as your desktop keyboards (or even those older laptop keyboards).And then there are the ports for plugging cables in. (From back to front) Kensington lock, 15-hole VGA, 1x HDMI, 2x USB, microphone and headphone on the left side, while the AC, Ethernet, card-reader (with a protective plastic "card" of the size of an SD card), one more USB, and DVD-RW on the right side. Nothing on the back as the monitor "sinks" behind the base when opened up. The only issue I have this configuration is that, if the power cord is plugged in and the cable goes under your desk from the front, the DVD-RW will get caught when popping out.Speaking of which, the DVD-RW's button is rather small and thin, making it a bit hard to reach without looking. And then the tray has some interesting issue that makes it a bit difficult to get pushed in (it tends to get caught on the top edge a little bit). Nothing to worry too much about though, as the overall design still makes everything nice and smooth.As for the appearance, the case is done fairly well. From the constant flipping open and close, the top of the case actually caught more dust (easily wiped off) than smudges and fingerprints. Heck, I actually can't find any fingerprints on there. The only complaint I could have about the appearance is that...... Despite looking black, it's actually a very, very dark brown. Which, really, shouldn't make much of a difference (I know it didn't for me).At 15.6", it's fairly portable, capable of going inside some bigger backpacks or standard laptop bags/cases. The AC transformer is a bit on the big side, though. Overall, a pretty good purchase, if your budget is relatively limited.