Samsung's latest 15-inch notebook performs well and plays games VGP-BPS9/B smoothly, but its faux wood design isn't for everyone.

Since it entered the U.S. VGP-BPS9A/B notebook market, Samsung has established a reputation for pairing powerful components with head-turning designs. The Samsung RR540 continues that trend, though not necessarily in the best way possible. This 15-inch laptop ($999 as configured) has the power to best even more VGP-BPS9 expensive machines in its weight class and offers smooth Blu-ray playback. However, while the faux-wood pattern on the lid and deck VGP-BPS9/S will certainly get stares, you'll either love it or hate it.

Design
At 5.5 pounds and 14.9 x 10.1 x 1.4 inches, the R540 is relatively light Dell Vostro 1510 Battery for a notebook with this size display. The notebook has a smooth, brown plastic lid with a wood grain pattern, making it look like a Formica countertop. Not only does this surface pick up fingerprints, it has a somewhat cheap feel.

On the inside, Samsung's attempts Dell Inspiron 1545 battery to mimic wooden surfaces are more successful. The palm rest and chassis, still made of brown plastic, at least have etched grains instead of painted-on ones, along with a more subtle matte finish. The touch buttons, too, have this faux-wood look, although the touchpad itself is smooth, with a pattern of brown dots.

We give Samsung props for trying something different, but we much prefer the look and feel of the ASUS's U33Jc. That 13-inch notebook Dell Latitude E6400 Battery uses real bamboo, and it's much more elegant.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The R540 has terraced keys that are positioned close together, as opposed to a chiclet-style VGP-BPS13/B layout. Even with amply sized keys, the keyboard deck can still accommodate a full number pad. Particularly since Samsung didn't skimp on the Enter and right Shift keys, we were able to type quickly (for us, at least) at a rate of 93 words per minute. As we typed, though, we felt some flex beneath our fingers; this keyboard VGP-BPS13 panel isn't the sturdiest on the block

The touchpad isn't large, at 2.8 x 1.6 inches, but it felt smooth and offered next to no resistance. The twin touch buttons, likewise, VGP-BPS13B/Q are easy to press, although they're on the noisy side and we found ourselves wishing they were a bit taller so they could better VGP-BPS13A/B accommodate the pad of our finger.

Ambient Heat
Even after extended use, the R540 doesn't get as hot as other notebooks in its class. After Vostro 1710 Battery watching a Hulu clip at full screen for 15 minutes, we measured temperatures of 88 degrees on the touchpad, 89 degrees at the center of the keyboard, and 83 degrees on the underside of the machine. (It did, however, reach a hot 100 degrees near the vent.) That's not bad when you consider that the average notebook this size Vostro 1720 Battery reaches temperatures of 90, 93, and 97 degrees in the same spots.

Display and Sound
The 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 1366 x 768, which is standard for an inexpensive notebook of this size, and is good dell Latitude E5400 Battery enough to watch 720p video. Although it has a Blu-ray player, the benefits might be lost on this lower-resolution display. When we watched "The Other Boleyn Girl" on Blu-ray, the picture was sharp, colors accurate, and the screen bright, but thanks to the display's glossy finish we had a hard time making out the picture when watching dell Latitude E4300 Battery from the sides or with the lid pushed forward.

The twin speakers, located above dell Latitude E6500 Battery the keyboard, produced fairly strong sound, given that this isn't a souped-up multimedia machine. "Maria, Maria" by Santana, for instance, sounded as it should both at medium and high volumes, and at all times we were able to make out the strong bass notes. More guitar-based battery songs, such as "Someday" by The Strokes, sounded clear and balanced as well.

Ports and Webcam
The R540 has a predictable range good battery of ports, including three USB 2.0, HDMI and VGA output, an Ethernet jack, Kensington lock slot, dell Latitude E5500 Battery headphone and mic ports, and an SD card reader. (While SD is the most common format, people who own, say, Sony cameras and use Memory Stick cards, are out of luck.)

The webcam's VGA video was adequate, but good battery during a Skype call voices sounded weak and not completely clear. We could hear an echo when we spoke, and voices became harder to make out even when we simply leaned back in our chair, away from the camera. On the plus side, our videos and still photos battery were well-lit, and the included CyberLink YouCam software offers an array of fun filters, animations, 2D frames, and avatars