While it was admittedly difficult to turn our attention away from ASUS' Dual Panel touchscreen PC, we couldn't help but notice its latest Lamborghini-inspired machine. The newly announced VX5 was on display here at CeBIT, sporting a 1TB SSD, leather panel rests, that iconic Lamborghini logo and a few chrome accents to boot. Oh, and take our word for it -- that leather was supple. Real supple.

We're just now wrapping our heads around that 1TB SSD that pureSilicon launched in January, and already ASUS is looking to place us back in a state of disbelief with its newfangled Lamborghini VX5 laptop. Said machine, which is slated to debut tomorrow alongside a litany of other products here in Hannover, will sport a 1TB SSD, a Core 2 Quad CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 16-inch "Full HD" display. You'll also find a GeForce GT 130M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR3 memory, an illuminated "chiclet" style keyboard and a Blu-ray optical drive to boot. Needless to say, this one's aimed at those not fazed by stratospheric price tags, and we're saying that well before the MSRP has been made public. Call it a hunch... or just superb deductive reasoning.

[Via Electricpig]

CNET Asia has apparently received word that not only will ASUS' Lamborghini-branded ZX1 smartphone be canceled (as we mentioned earlier this month), but the company will also be putting the brakes on its forthcoming P560 and M536 phones as well. In a statement issued presumably to CNET, the company claims that the project has been postponed due to the "technical immaturity of a key component from one of our suppliers," though they seem to have left the door open for a reboot. We know one thing for sure -- it's clear that the P560 and M536 weren't those "more important devices" the company made reference to previously. They probably need the resources for another 25 versions of the Eee PC.

[Thanks, chauco]

Last we heard of ASUS' Lamborghini VX3, we were watching it get lapped by the smorgasbord of other kit introduced at CES. Still, there's something to be said for a 12.1-inch ultraportable wrapped in sexy hues and accented with leather and Lambo badges -- unfortunately, "fast" isn't it. According to a recent test run over at CNET, the VX3 build quality was second to none, the style touches were easy to adore and the keyboard was surprisingly satisfactory. Unfortunately, the system faltered in more critical areas; partially due to the amount of bloatware that came loaded on, the 2.5GHz T9300 had a tough time surpassing other machines in benchmarking, and for folks hoping that the battery life would help negate that point, critics only yielded 67-minutes during a DVD playback test (and just 2-hours "in anecdotal use"). Even with the sluggishness, the VX3 may not be a bad choice if priced right, but considering the $3,299 sticker, we'd expect this thing to hold the pole position.

While poking around the ASUS booth this morning we had a chance to witness the world premier unveiling of the ZX1 Lamborghini. We even took a few shots before it went under the glass. However, the real treat is the UI based on a Windows Mobile 6.1 core running special ASUS tweaks. It's "just like the iPhone" according to our friendly ASUS guide. The device is expected to fetch an unsubsidized €1,000 ($1,500) price tag when this 3G world-phone launches in Europe this May. Maybe you'll think it's worth it when we get back to you in a few with a video of the GUI albeit sans all that Lamborghini theme nonsense.

So it now looks like that rumored high-end ZX1 Windows Mobile 6 Professional handset from ASUS is a lock for a CeBIT announcement, though we're going to be totally honest, we're not certain it's worthy of the Lamborghini name. Granted, we've got to withhold judgment until we get one in our hands, but outside of a Lamborghini badge-shaped nav pad and a speedometer-inspired clock on the home screen, we're not seeing anything special about the darned thing. On the plus side, it's a 3G world phone with HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 and quadband GSM / EDGE, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera out back with a VGA sensor up front for video calling, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, microSD expansion, GPS, WiFi, and the typical QVGA display. We guess the 13.2mm thick shell is notable, but Lamborghini notable? More on this one as soon as we catch it in the wild.

That, friends, is ASUS' Lamborghini VX3. As expected, it's available in black and yellow hues and proudly dons that oh-so-iconic Lambo badge, but as you can tell from comparison shots in the gallery below, it's mighty, mighty similar to the U6. 'Course, it was said to be rocking a Penryn processor and loads of sexy, but we'll let you be the judge on the latter.

There's an official news release on ASUS' website which has yet to be, well, released. Some URL trickery, however, tells us that they've got a whole slew of new "Turbocharged" Santa Rosa laptops coming in August. The nitrous boost comes from the combo of Windows Vista and Intel's Robson (AKA, Turbo Memory) which offloads application read/writes to NAND-based system cache instead of the hard disk. Right, the same optional Centrino Duo tech we've already seen in some ThinkPads and Acers. The 8 new widescreen models are divvied up into 14-inch, 15.4-inch (including the VX2S-A1B/A2B (Black) & VX2S-A1Y/A2Y (Yellow) Lamborghinis), and 17-inch models. The latter includes an updated G2S gaming rig. Watch for the press release any day now.

[Thanks, Matt]

No official word from ASUS yet, but Italian site Notebookitalia has it that the Santa Rosa class Lamborghini VX2S will be out in June. The update to the 15.4-inch VX2 brings a new 2.4GHz T7700 Core 2 Duo proc, Blu-ray Disc drive, and 512MB of NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics to a list of specs which includes draft-N WiFi, 2GB DDR2 memory, and a 160GB disk spinning at 5400rpm. Rounding things out are HDMI, e-SATA, ExpressCard, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 2.8-kg weight when fitted with the 8 cell (5200mAh) battery. Much to love... or loath depending upon your taste for these niche, co-branded products.

It was there, so we did it, grabbed ASUS' Lamborghini VX2 from beneath its protective glass case to snap these photos. Three things to note: first, it sports HDMI-out. Next, the fan exhaust on the bottom of the slab is designed to look like the wheel of a Murciélago. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the leather palm-rest on the VX2 matched the seats (and stitching) of the in-booth Murc, perfectly. The modern day man-equivalent of your mother's handbag and shoes.

Looks like CNET Asia has pulled the first retail numbers for ASUS' Lamborghini VX2 laptop. For the US-equiv of $3,110, you'll be able to take home the 15.4-inch WSXGA+ resolution VX2 fitted with a 2.16GHz T7400 Core 2 Duo proc, 160GB disk, draft-n WiFi, DVI out, and 512MB of NVIDIA GeForce Go 7700 graphics. In Singapore and likely Europe anyway where this is expected to hit sometime around Q2. Hopefully by Q3 then, they'll squeeze in faster graphics and Intel's laptop friendly Core 2 Extreme proc for the US launch -- no doubt, at the expense of a few more Benjamins.

[Thanks, Darius]

Asus has already given its premium Lamborghini-branded laptops a few upgrades, but the company's now seen fit to give the line a more significant spec bump, announcing the second-gen VX2 series. While the model name would seem to suggest more than just a few tweaks, Asus is keeping most of the details under wraps for the time being, only going so far to say that it'll ship with Windows Vista and be based on Intel's Core 2 Duo-based Centrino Duo Mobile platform. Otherwise, Asus is mostly talking up the laptop's fit and finish, including its aluminum-magnesium alloy or carbon fiber casing (depending on the model), a metallic keyboard, a leather-bound palm rest, and a "glare-type LCD display," although we're not sure they should be bragging about that last feature. Unfortunately, Asus is also staying quiet on pricing and availability, so you'll have to make do without that added glare for a little while longer.

[Via Reg Hardware]

Asus just went official with at least one of the 4 leaked laptops we saw a few weeks back -- the Lamborghini emblazoned VX1 "Golden Addition" -- and hit us with yet another leather-clad model in their S6F. The Golden Edition VX1 is all that we heard: packed beneath that 15.2-inch SXGA+ (1400x1050) display you'll find up to 2GB of DDR2 memory, a dual-layer DVD burner, 3.7-hour battery and an ExpressCard/54 slot among a wide range on in/outs with a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo proc and 128MB of nVidia GeForce Go 7400 VX graphics providing the vroom, vroom. Thing is, they skimped on the disk with an Ultra ATA/100 160GB HDD spinning at 5,400rpm. If that doesn't scare you off then you'd best get moving race-boy, only 200 will be produced, in Japan anyway. Also announced is the 11.1-inch WXGA (1366×768) S6F which smacks of the S7Fm leaked, albeit dressed in a fine suit of dead cow. It opts for a 1.66GHz L2400 Core Duo processor and up to 1.5GB of DDR memory and 100GB disk, Intel 945GM Express graphics, a dual-layer DVD burner, ExpressCard/54 slot, and even a webcam in the bezel like any good laptop should these days. You'd better opt for the 3.75-hour, 6-cell battery though 'cause the standard battery only manages a pathetic 1.6-hours. Well, at least it'll look nice in your purse. Both will hit Japan's wealthiest starting tomorrow with the little S6F set to demand ¥279,800 (about $2,387) on up to a preposterous ¥389,000 (about $3,318) for the VX1. Now how 'bout showing us those leaked gaming rigs, ok ASUS?

[Via Impress]

Read -- S6F Leather Addition
Read -- Lamborghini VX1 Golden Addition