Design and Ergonomics

The OpenBook 1559-JL looks like a regular, full-size notebook, so its design solutions should be discussed just like those of “normal” notebooks. The only sign telling this is not a brand but a user-assembled computer is the lack of a label with the manufacturer’s brand on the top panel.

The top panel of the OpenBook has a dark-silver color with decorative light-silver inserts on the sides. The inserts are shaped like wavy stripes, about 3.5cm wide. The bottom of the case is colored dark-gray. Opening the lid, you can see that the area between the keyboard and the touchpad is light-gray, too, and the screen bezel is the same color. The overall appearance of the system is elegant and yet simple.

There is a rectangular Power On/Off button on the top panel, near the left hinge of the screen. Also under the screen and above the keyboard is an LCD indicator and buttons to control Audio DJ technology (this notebook can serve as a CD player even without booting the OS up). Unfortunately, Audio DJ technology only allows playing Audio CDs, which limits its usability somewhat. Moreover, talking about sound, the speakers located on the sides of the Audio DJ panel are of poor quality. They reproduce only high frequencies and thus are only good for reproducing the standard Windows sounds. These speakers are inappropriate for listening to music or watching movies.

The built-in microphone is located under the touchpad buttons. Unlike the speakers, the microphone works quite well, having a good sensitivity.

To the left of the notebook’s keyboard, there are five instant-launch buttons that you can assign to start your Internet browser, e-mail client, and other frequently used applications. These buttons have the same shape as the Power On/Off button. You can configure them using a special utility supplied with the notebook.

The system status indicators are placed quite conveniently: one group is located at the bottom of the screen bezel (these indicators are designed as highlighted symbols). The other group copies some of the first group indicators on the notebook’s lid. The point is that the indicators are visible irrespective of the position of the lid. The first group of indicators includes: digital keyboard mode, Caps Lock, battery charge, HDD activity, power, standby, WLAN. The group on the notebook’s lid consists of WLAN, power and standby indicators.

The full-size keyboard of the OpenBook is made of black plastic. Its size makes it easy to use: the buttons are the right size and feel. The functional keys and the cursor keys have a smaller size. The keyboard’s layout is typical for a notebook. The location of PgUp/Home and PgDn/End keys isn’t quite proper – they are on both sides of the Up Arrow button in the block of cursor-controlling keys. The numeric pad and two Windows keys are available – they are placed like on the ordinary “desktop” keyboards. The base of the keyboard crackles a little as you’re punching the keys, and the keys may seem fragile and ready to break under a pressure. It is not quite so: the keyboard went without problems through the pressures and deformations when we removed and reinstalled it back.