CES 2010: Asus NX90 18.4-inch laptop
This is certainly no Eee PC. In fact, we like to think of it as an "anti-netbook". Yep, the 18.4-inch, 18:9 NX90 certainly throws traditional laptop d
Taking some design advice from the brains at Bang & Olufsen, the NX90 features unique dual multitouch trackpads on either side of the keyboard for two-handed control, or “intuitive DJ like control” according to Asus.
That’s not the only thing you’ll notice on its sides though – that’s where the speakers are too, sloping outwards from top to bottom so the sound is directed to the user’s ears.
Asus said its main goal for this laptop is to deliver a hi-def audio experience in a portable computer, and although the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Centre were filled to the brim with the babble of excitable tech journalists, its high-end sound quality was noticeable and we could tell the speakers delivered powerful sound.
It’s no surprise then that not only were B&O on hand to help with the prettifying of the NX90, but of course also provided its audio.
However, sound quality isn’t the only high end feature on this laptop, which packs a 1080p display and a Blu-ray drive for watching all your HD movies.
The rest of its specs are also further testament to its quality – fitted with an Intel Core i7 processor (of which can be “Turbo Boosted” to 3.06Ghz) and dual HDD support for up to 1280GB. There’s also up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM and graphics are covered with the Nvidia GeForce GT335M.
Looking to the OS and it runs Windows 7, and comes in two models – matte finish or brushed aluminum, so it’s all down to whether you want your laptop to come with a side of fingerprints or not.
Pricing is yet to be confirmed but we’re being told to expect it to fall into the £2,000 price category when it lands in May this year. Pricey, but ne thing’s for sure – this is one beast of a multimedia laptop.
Do you like it? Drop us a comment below, and be sure to check out our other CES coverage on some of the links below.
More CES stuff:
Check out the details of the new Palm Pre & Pixie phones and Motorola Backflip
Watch our CES 2010 preview, CES 2010 press day round up, and CES day 2 round up videos
Read about some CES trends we’ve spotted: 3DTVs, Android, cameras, sporty gadgets and ereaders
Hands on with Google Nexus One, Intel InfoScape, Samsung ereaders and the Panasonic 152-inch TV
Paddy’s CES predictions: 3DTV, eBooks and tablets
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Stuff.tv editor Simon Osborne-Walker