Asus outs 11.6-inch U24E in Japan, appeals to bargain i5 hunters everywhere

Here's the thing. You want solid CPU performance in a lightweight laptop, but you don't necessarily want to spend Zenbook-type money. We hear you, and apparently so does Asus. Its U24E is out in Japan packing an Core i5-2430M processor in a 1.5kg (3.3-pound) chasis, complemented by a 11.6-inch 1366x768 display, 4GB of RAM, a 750GB HDD, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI out and a seven-hour battery life -- all for just shy of ¥60,000. In a direct currency flip that equates to $770, but the US price could well be lower when the device officially hits our hemisphere. We have no idea when that'll happen, but it had better be soon or the U24E might get poisoned by some ivy.