Asus G2P 17″ Core 2 Duo Gaming Notebook Review

BIOS and Software

The BIOS

The Asus G2 BIOS is fairly minimal with all the basic features you need to adjust the onboard devices.

The BIOS security is a bit better than those I’ve seen on Dell and Alienware. Asus uses two passwords here instead of one – one for a restricted user, and another for an administrator. This allows two different classes of user to view and modify settings.

Software

The Asus G2 installs quite a lot of software and utilities onto the system. Here is a list of pre-installed software:

• Adobe Acrobat Reader 7
• Skype
• ITE Remote software
• Logitech Keyboard/Mouse software
• Norton Internet Security (90 day trial)
• FarStone Virtual Drive 9 Lite

The ITE Remote software is curious because the Asus G2 we received did not come with a remote control, so this software should probably be uninstalled unless you have a compatible remote. Virtual Drive 9 is an older version of the software, but is potentially useful in reducing the number of discs you bring along when you go travelling. However, Virtual Drive only creates and loads the propietary VirtualCD file format which may limit its usefulness (i.e. does not support BIN/CUE, ISO, or NRG formats).

Skype is worth singling out because it’s used in conjunction with the Asus MiVo Messenger utility. The MiVo software is an interesting phone-Skype software bridge that allows you to place phone calls to your PC (through the modem) which is then relayed to any Skype contact. Conversely, any Skype user can call your phone. This has the potential in saving communication costs since the only cost is the call from your computer to your phone.

Asus has a few other utilities for you to use to make your G2 experience more enjoyable:

• MultiFrame, a windowing utility which quickly allows you to move windows around the screen without dragging.
• SplendidVideo quickly adjusts the colors of your display to suit your environment and personal taste
• LifeFrame 2, a great little webcam tool which allows you to take videos and photos using the built-in 1.3MP webcam. LifeFrame even as “stationary” for different events like Halloween and different effects like B&W. There’s even a security mode which monitors motion and captures images, but the images just get saved to the local disk which makes it useless if someone steals the notebook itself.

A screen capture of Asus’ LifeFrame webcam software.
Someone please tell me why Santa is a communist?

Finally, perhaps the most interesting is the DirectConsole utility which enables/disables the flashing lights and provides customization for the OLED display on the G2.

In the image above, you can see the screen which allows you to customize the display of the OLED (I prefer using the current time). Oddly, the DirectConsole wasn’t preinstalled on the G2, so it had to be installed seperately using the driver disc.