Asus Lamborghini notebook arrives

Consumer Electronics Show 2006 Alongside a pink one

By Charlie Demerjian in Las Vegas: Thursday 05 January 2006, 04:30
ASUS HAD a bunch of very interesting laptops on display at CES. They went from frilly to serious to business class. Some were elegant, other ones a rather garish pink leather, but all were pretty close to the standard ASUS laptop you have probably all seen before.

The most obvious standout is the Lamborghini notebook. This one is based off existing designs, and oriented heavily at the multimedia sector, note the remote sitting beside it. They would not give out any details because it is going to 'debut' tomorrow, but I can say it is a PM based model, not AMD. Comparisons to the Acer Ferrari are inevitable, but Asus completely denies any similarities.

Aesthetically, this notebook is quite pleasing, it is a shiny black color, with all the trendy lights in the right places and a Lambo badge on the case. Nothing to complain about, just a solid looking computer with similarly solid specs. The problem for me is that there is little to tie it in to the car maker besides a badge. If it comes at little or no premium, I would have nothing against it, but if it hits you in the checkbook, go for the model without the badge, and buy an extra battery instead.

Asus Lamborghini notebook closed

The other notebooks were notable mainly for one unique feature. I would go into detail about the models, but since I neglected to write down thins like names and specs, much vaguer descriptions will have to do. The main thing is the extensive use of aluminum. Most companies use plastic for the shells and keyboard surrounds on laptops, it is easier to work with, you can just mold it. Asus has several models will full blown aluminum shells and wrist wrests. They feel quite solid, and are probably a lot more wear resistant than the normal low rent plastic. This is definite plus in my book.

On the opposite of plus side, there was a pink leather clad notebook. The lid and the wrist rests were covered in a lizard-skin patterned leatherish substance. When I say pink, I mean pink, this thing would set off alarms in a nuclear plant. You can see some of it in the corner of the closed Lambo shot, but it is much brighter in person. Not my thing, but there are those who will just love it, I am sure.

Lastly comes the most impressive single feature of the bunch, a secondary display and controller on the lid. It has a little color LCD and a four way pad to allow you to do a bunch of things without turning the PC on. If you use your computer as a music station, this will be very useful to you. It won't change any lives in a meaningful way, but it is quite handy.µ