Asus 13.3" UL30A CULV Notebook Review
Software and Accessories
Asus is clearly trying its best to ensure that the price tag on this CULV machine doesn't top $800, and that means only a few accessories and software are included. Within the box, you'll find just the machine itself, a few install discs, an Express Gate user guide (that's an Instant-On operating system pre-loaded onto the UL30, by the way), a UL30 user guide, an AC adapter and an AC power cable.
On the software front, our test unit was loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, CyberLink's Power2Go disc burning software, a suite of Asus utilities, the previously mentioned Express Gate Instant-On OS, Norton Internet Security, Adobe Reader 9, a 30-day Microsoft Office trial and...well, that's about it. Nothing too earth-shattering here, and we'd actually prefer if Norton came only on a disc so it wouldn't pester those who didn't want it every time they booted up (until they uninstalled it, of course).
We should mention that we can't wait for Windows 7 to start shipping in October, as the CULV platform (along with netbooks) stands a great chance of benefiting from Win7's improved speed and usability. But since we're still a month away from the new operating system's official ship date, the machines on the market today still use Vista.
On the software front, our test unit was loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, CyberLink's Power2Go disc burning software, a suite of Asus utilities, the previously mentioned Express Gate Instant-On OS, Norton Internet Security, Adobe Reader 9, a 30-day Microsoft Office trial and...well, that's about it. Nothing too earth-shattering here, and we'd actually prefer if Norton came only on a disc so it wouldn't pester those who didn't want it every time they booted up (until they uninstalled it, of course).
We should mention that we can't wait for Windows 7 to start shipping in October, as the CULV platform (along with netbooks) stands a great chance of benefiting from Win7's improved speed and usability. But since we're still a month away from the new operating system's official ship date, the machines on the market today still use Vista.