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ASUS U43JC and U43F show up at Best Buy boastin' bamboo bods
ASUS has been showing off bamboo laptops at trade shows for about three years now, but actual machines adorned in the special wood haven't quite made it to market for what we'd call affordable prices... until now. The sub-$1,000 U43JC and U43F have been hanging out on Best Buy's website for the last couple of days, and will be shipping towards the end of the month. Internally, these two 14-inchers certainly match their strong exterior -- the $999 U43JC is a lot like the U30Jc we reviewed a few months ago with its Core i5-450M processor, NVIDIA Optimus / GeForce 310M graphics, and a 640GB hard drive. The $950 U43F has the same Core i5 processor, but instead sticks with Intel's graphics to get some WiDi bragging rights. We're planning to review at least one of these puppies in due time , but hey, don't let that deter you from hitting those pre-order links below.
Intel HD graphics to support 3D this summer, 30 more WiDi laptops on the way
Intel's integrated graphics are about to get a stereoscopic shot in the arm this summer. Although the Computex presentation today wasn't clear on whether it would come in the form of a firmware update or all-new hardware, we're being promised the ability to watch 3D movies straight off Blu-ray discs. Mind you, the GMA HD graphics aren't aimed at competing with NVIDIA's 3D Vision or any other heavyweights, not least because they'll be relying on polarized lenses to generate that extra sense of depth. Intel had even better news regarding its Wireless Display tech -- which throws your laptop's picture onto a nearby HDTV -- as it will soon be spreading out to "over 30" laptop models and going global. You can count on Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, and Samsung to bundle this Google TV-killing functionality in with their portable computers sooner rather than later. Update: A bunch of the new WiDi laptops were on display at Intel's Computex booth. Looks like we are in for some new ones from HP, Acer and Dell. Check out the gallery below. %Gallery-94341%
Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops
Curious what's inside a new ASUS laptop? Then Notebook Review has the treat for you -- earlier this month, forumite David took the time to download the company's massive 108MB ASUS World Magazine PDF and laid out the spec sheets for not one, not two, but a veritable smörgåsbord of potent portables. There's 36 in all; we've told you about some of them before, to be sure -- but others are getting solid specs for the first time, and there are even a few diamonds in the rough. Enough chit-chat, on with the show! U-series: Otherwise known as ASUS' Bamboo Collection, the U-series laptops were highlighted at CES, where we discovered they would have Core i5 CPUs and USB 3.0 support. Well, that's not the whole story. They've also all got NVIDIA Optimus auto-switching graphics between an onboard Intel GMA HD and the GeForce 310M 1GB. Oh, and forget Core i5 -- these machines support processors all the way up to the 2.66GHz Core i7-620M. Highlight: The U30JC, with a combo Blu-ray drive and a chiclet keyboard that won a iF Product Design Award. UL-series: ASUS for "UnLimited," you can read UL as "ultra low," as in Intel's ultra low voltage (ULV) processors that provide 8+ hours of battery life and let these notebooks stay cool despite being under an inch thin. We saw the UL80JT sport NVIDIA Optimus at CES and got hands-on with the Optimus-equipped UL50VF; now, the UL30JT now has it as well. Highlight: That same UL50VF, with an estimated 12+ hours of battery life. More after the break -- save pricing and availability, unfortunately -- or feel free to hit up the source link to download the entire electronic magazine for yourself. %Gallery-89273%
