Asus goes hell for leather

Written by Wil Harris

February 23, 2006 | 09:22

Tags: #core-duo #lamborghini #leather

Companies: #asus

Asus has got a new range of laptops that it's been showing off to the world.

There are a couple of flagship models being released in the very near future. First out of the hat is the Lamborghini notebook, named the VX1, designed to compete with the Ferrari laptop from Acer. Available in trademark yellow, it has a couple of funky 'air vents' on the lid to replicate that performance car feel. To give it some performance under the hood too, it's decked out with an Intel Core Duo processor and an ATI X1600 powers a 15" display. If you're looking for something stylish to carry around with you, this could be the big boys choice. It's going to be available in mid-April, and will cost around £1700.

Also on show was the S6, a 12" widescreen notebook - decked in leather. Initially available on the market in suave tan and dark brown from the middle of March, the W6 was shown off to us in a fetching pink, which several members of the assembled audience were rather enamoured with. Asus espoused its design philosophy, which this 'season' is based around haptics - the sense of touch. For all the design and marketing blurb, the fundamental idea was that it would be cool to make a leather bound notebook, and so it is. It's 100% real leather and Asus claim you'll be able to smell the difference! It should cost around £1400-1700.

But how far is this just a pink notebook to please girls? Is it possible to make gender-neutral products with a high-class appeal? "For the industry, this is quite a tricky problem," Marcus Weiercoch - Asus design guru - tells bit-tech. "Because the technology we have is uniform, you can really only distinguish by adapting the appearance. We actually believe that adapting for different territories is more important than for genders. In The Asian market, products can be much more individual and bright, whereas in Europe, our products are much more calm and muted. In IT, gender differentiation is not that important."

Asus also outlined their plans for 'greener' products that are more environmentally friendly. This year, the firm will be transitioning to materials and processes that are better for the world and which will reduce the amount of waste caused by computers.

We know that bit-tech readers are a stylish bunch, so we're sure you'll appreciate the extra effort that Asus is putting into design this year. Take a look at the pretty pictures, then let us know what you make of the new notebooks over in the forums.


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