I've had the new laptop for several days now, and I have the Windows install to the point where I am prepared to repartition to set up a dual boot with Linux. (I must keep a Windows install to support some Windows-only software for my wife, who rarely uses a computer except to send me email when we are apart).
I did get the ASUS UL30a-x5k from Amazon--the one with integrated Intel 4500HD graphics. The battery life is amazing, just as advertised--and having a 3.7 pound laptop is a very nice change.
I am taking the original 5400 rpm, 500 GB drive and putting it in an external case for use as a backup drive. I am replacing it in the machine with another 500 GB drive--a Seagate hybrid, which is a 7200 rpm unit with a 4 GB solid state hard disk element built in. The drive firmware is supposed to move those files that are most frequently accessed into the solid state portion, so it should run much faster than a conventional hard drive while having a far more reasonable price than a full solid state disk. This hybrid cost me $139 at a CompUSA in Dallas.
For those who do not know, the remaining CompUSA stores are now owned by the same people who own Tiger Direct. Their prices seem to blow away those at Fry's--the one in Dallas is across a freeway overpass from a Fry's, so some price comparisons were easy.
So far, I have not found the 13.3" screen to be a problem, even for my old eyes.
I have installed Kubuntu on the new disk, but thus far I haven't had a great deal of time to use it--I wanted to get the original drive all set up first, so in case of it being needed as an emergency replacement it should be easy to do. I will clone the resulting disk to the new hybrid drive, then slip the hybrid back into the machine.
I'll let you know how the whole thing turns out...
David
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