A relatively powerful Core i3 processor, brushed metal lid, and comfy keyboard make Dell Latitude 131L Battery this ultraportable worth a look, but it's frustrating to use.

Believe it or not, there was a time when 12-inch ultraportables weren't just considered supersized or supercharged netbooks. It was its own laptop category, mostly populated by business machines for road warriors. The Asus UL20FT-A1 focuses more on entertainment, thanks to features such as Altec Lansing speakers, and there's no question that this laptop has enough speed to be your primary work-and-play PC. You also get a stylish sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery brushed aluminum lid and comfy keyboard. But is that enough to justify its $629 price when you can get the 12.1-inch EeePC 1215N netbook for $130 less?

Design and Ports
Handsome but somewhat unassuming, the UL20FT weighs a light 3.4 pounds and features a sturdy and classy brushed metal casing. You won't have Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery to worry about fingerprints marring this notebook. The EeePC 1215N is the same weight, but its all-plastic chassis doesn't feel quite as sturdy. Inside the Asus you'll find a plastic sliver deck with a subtle cube pattern that looks elegant, which carriers over to the ridged touchpad, and a glossy black bezel.

The left side of the UL20FT houses an HDMI port, USB port, and headphone and mic jacks. A 5-in-1 memory card reader sony VGP-BPS9 battery and two more USB, VGA, and Ethernet ports line the right side. Above the keyboard is a small power button on the right, as well as a button on the left that doubles as a launcher for the Express Gate instant-on OS (when the system is powered off) and a way for toggling through various power profiles (when the notebook is on).

Heat
The UL20FT managed to keep its cool during testing. After playing sony VGP-BPS9/S battery a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, we measured relatively low temperatures of 88 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad and 86 degrees between the G and H keys. The underside of the notebook got up to 104 degrees by the vent, but the middle of the underside was a reasonable 91 degrees.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Asus doesn't have a reputation for delivering great ergonomics, and the UL20FT doesn't do much to change that perception. On the plus side, the keyboard Dell Vostro 1510 Battery offers good tactile feedback with minimal flex (much less so than the Eee PC 1215N). Our only nitpick here is the shrunken right Shift key.

However, the touchpad button will be a deal-breaker for some. It's entirely too stiff, good battery and it's also small. We resorted to double tapping the touchpad to make selections, and whenever we had to right-click we were reminded why we avoided the button. The ridged touchpad offered smooth navigation as well as smooth pinch-to-zoom gesturing. Too bad the pad measures a mere 2.5 x 1.5 inches (versus a relatively mammoth 3.3 x 1.9 inches for the 1215N). We wish Asus could combine the keyboard on this notebook with the touchpad on its souped-up netbook.