What separate the W5Afrom its S5 and M5 predecessors is the new Sonoma platform and the
mighty performance that comes from it. More on this in testing below.
The 12 inch widescreen TFT LCD is the first of its kind to come out of ASUS. The 1.3
megapixel camera is also very rare in notebooks of this type.
Although the W5A has integrates a camera module, most people still consider it an
entertainment notebook. The truth is that the 12 inch widescreen display provides room for a
wider keyboard, so keyboard feel is superior to many other entertainment notebooks. This is
due not only to the design of the keys, but the size of the keyboard itself.
The same touchpad pointing device adorning the S5 and M5 is also applied here and
integrated into the wrist rest. For added aesthetic appeal, the metal buttons use a brushed
effect.
Worry not, however, if you’ve never gotten used to the ideas of touchpads, because the W5A
comes with its very own wireless Logitech Cordless Optical Mouse for notebooks (resolution
800dpi), which is manufactured under OEM agreement for ASUS. Although Logitech has
developed compact wireless USB receivers, that is not in use here. But that doesn’t mean that
there is an annoying wireless receiver somewhere – just the opposite: the wireless receiver for
the mouse is hidden well inside the notebook’s compact body, which makes things a lot easier
on the user, because he/she can’t forget to bring, connect, or lose it ever again.
