Imagine scrolling through your e-mail, calendar, media files, and stock ticker without flipping your laptops cover open or even turning on your system. The auxiliary display on the ASUS W5fes lid makes this a reality. It does this through SideShow, one of Windows Vistas most intriguing functions.

The W5fe has a gorgeous 12.1-inch widescreen, but it’s the 2.8-inch full-color secondary LCD on the cases outside that gets your attention. It gives you quick access to e-mail, photos, calendar info, and music? (This is great for travelers who don’t have time to power up their laptops.)

E-mail and calendar info worked like a charm, although there’s no support for Outlook mail, only Windows Mail. Importing JPEGs and using the secondary display as a slide- show viewer worked well. I couldn’t get some video formats (MPEG, AVI, and WMV) to play, though SideShows Windows Media Player gadget should be able to run them.

The rest of these 3.9-pound ultraportables components aren’t shabby. The W5fe packs a 2.16-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a
dual-layer DVD burner. But it’s really SideShow that takes center stage here.

ASUS W5FE SIDESHOW: $2,200

Emërtimet: Notebook