Winbook X530 (X series/model)
Overall, the X530 has left us with a good impression. Like the Asus W5A, there are two main groups that this notebook will attract: people looking for a more feature laden ultraportable and people looking for a multimedia ultraportable. Granted, the line between these two groups is blurry. Our problem lies mainly with those looking for a multimedia ultraportable. The issue lies in the supplied multimedia mode. While its addition by Winbook is a plus, its implementation is less than perfect. For example, widescreen movies are squashed down even further and viewed in non-native aspect ratios. This definitely needs to be fixed.
Excluding multimedia mode, the X notebook offers a fairly good multimedia experience. It has a pretty bright display, one definitely more suited to multimedia than the W5A. While it is certainly not a spectacular multimedia platform per say, the general movie watcher and the like will probably be content. The extremely conscious movie buff, however, may want to look at some of the premium multimedia ultraportables on the market.
The limitation of the X model is in performance. Using the previous generation of Centrino technology does reduce the thermal footprint, but it also eliminates the performance benefits that you can get from the newer Sonoma platform. This isn't just about performance, though, as there are battery enhancements that Intel has included in its newer mobile products.
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There is one minor structural flaw we noticed with the X model. It seems that the embossed "Winbook" logo right above the keyboard is actually made up of plastic letter decals which are glued on. The problem is that after we wiped the notebook a few times with a lens cleaning rag, the decals started to crack off. There are a lot of ways to correct this. Considering that we only used this notebook for just over a month, Winbook needs to remedy the problem. Of course, once the whole thing falls off you probably won't even remember that there was something there to begin with (the glue doesn't seem to leave a residue).
In the end, we would like to see Winbook make the improvements we cited (including exposing the autodim function in the BIOS). Most of them are simple enough that Winbook could really take the X model to the next level. For the moment, the X model from Winbook has earned an 8.0 on the Heat Meter and, at its current price point of $1,299, is tough to beat. Outside of the performance limitations of using the 855GME chipset (and consequently DDR1 memory), this ultraportable is one of the better designs out there when it comes to feel, weight, portability, and features.
