This is a netbook-notebook hybrid. Quite small, with extremely long battery life, but very powerful.
Specs as tested: ASUS UL20A 2X022V, Core2 Duo ULV SU7300 1.3 GHz, RAM 3 GB DDR2 800 MHz, HDD 320 GB 5400rpm.
Linux distro 1: ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty, kernel version 2.6.28-17.
Linux distro 2: ubuntu 10.04 Lucid, kernel version 2.6.32-24.
This page is just for discussing using Linux on the Asus UL20A. For a general discussion about this laptop you can visit the Asus UL20A page on LapWik.
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For full specifications see the Asus UL20A specifications page.
| Name | Asus UL20A |
| Processor | Intel Core2 Duo Processor SU7300 : 1.3 GHz Intel Core2 Solo Processor SU3500 : 1.4 GHz Intel Celeron Processor SU2300/734 : 1.2 GHz |
| Screen | 12.1” HD (1366×768) LED Color-Shine (Glare-type) |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 4500MHD |
| RAM | Up to 4GB |
| HDD | 160GB to 320GB - 5400rpm |
| Optical Drive | No |
| Network | 10/100 WLAN Atheros AR9582 |
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Works | |
| Screen | Works | 1366×768 resolution auto-detected |
| External FullHD monitor | Works | 1920×1080 only with ubuntu Lucid Lynx |
| HDD | Works | ubuntu install with manual partitioning, windows7 partition compressed, swap, root, home |
| Graphics | Works | OpenArena runs nicely |
| Sound | Works | |
| Ethernet | Works | see below |
| Wireless | Works | see below |
| Bluetooth | Works | paired with a Motorola V3i phone |
| USB | Works | ubuntu 9.04 installed from bootable USB stick, obviously |
| Card Reader | Works | |
| Webcam | Works | tested with UCview |
Neither ethernet, nor WLAN was detected upon installation. I compiled the compat-wireless kernel modules and tried to load the ath9k.ko module. It did not help initially, as they were for the wrong kernel version. But after a reboot all network cards worked miraculously. It was probably “make unload” that had helped…
ASUS UL20A seems to be quite Linux-friendly, after all, despite being a brand-new model. I'm ecstatic, honestly…
I've reinstalled Ubuntu Lucid Lynx on the laptop. I'm even more ecstatic now, for 3 reasons:
- Reboot time 9s faster than Jaunty;
- Kernel command line “acpi_backlight=vendor” works wonders with the brightness buttons;
- My 32” fullHD TV is really fullHD (1920×1080) as an external monitor, unlike Jaunty.