ASUS laptop toughens up

Either the military is snapping up laptops faster than before, or consumers are bringing portables to inhospitable places. Just a few short months after NEC joined the rugged laptop race (previously dominated by Panasonic ToughBooks), ASUS is placing itself on the starting line, too, with its latest B51E portable.

Just how tough is the MIL 810F-approved ASUS B51E? Let us count the ways.

• One--The laptop can drop up to 75cm without any lasting damage.
• Two--Like the ThinkPad T60, drainage holes on the keyboard prevent up to 120cc of liquid from entering the internal components.
• Three--Magnesium-alloy chassis with rubber bumpers is hardier than ABS plastic.
• Four--High-strength protective film protects LCD from scratches.
• Five--Sponge protection system keeps harddrive from losing data due to vibration and drops.

But underneath all that protection, the B51E is still a normal, unassuming laptop with Core 2 Duo chip, integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios as well as an optional integrated Webcam. Strangely enough, the screen size was not specified in the press release though, at 3.1kg, we can expect it to be either a 14.1- or 15.4-inch machine. More details and availability will be forthcoming when this rugged laptop gets ready to hit the stores.

Tickling the ivories in the laptop of luxury

If you've never heard of Singulum, it may have something to do with your level of discretionary income. Chances are that most of its customers are independently wealthy.

The German company is a purveyor of ultra-luxury laptops with keyboards made of ivory and solid 24k gold, as well as "quality wood used in rich and elegant violins", according to BornRich. (That wood, by the way, comes from a single solid block.) Its innards look fairly standard, including a 15.4-inch LCD, dual-layer DVD burner, and Core 2 Duo processor.

None of this is at all practical, of course: The gold keys alone probably weigh more than most full laptops, so portabality obviously isn't a priority. No price is given, presumably because each model is handmade and will vary by the customer's requested specs, which are probably limitless. It's just too bad that the company's name sounds like an allergy medicine.

Via CNET Crave

Apple cuts price of flash drive MacBook Air

Apple has quietly reduced the price of the flash memory version of the MacBook Air by S$799 (US$572.10).

Appleinsider tipped us to the new price, which can be found at the online Apple Store. Before today, you would have paid a S$5,088 (US$3,643.13) premium if you wanted a MacBook Air with a solid-state hard drive, but Apple has reduced that premium to S$4,289 (US$3,071.03). It's also now cheaper to upgrade the processor from 1.6GHz to 1.8GHz at S$370.10 (US$265), on the standard hard drive version (the SSD model comes with 1.8GHz by default).

PC companies have been interested in flash memory hard drives for some time, but it's not clear how well they are selling. Using flash memory instead of moving parts to store data improves the reliability of the system; hard drive failures are one of the most common problems experienced by notebook users.

But it's still very expensive to choose a flash drive over a regular hard drive, and potential customers might not be able to justify spending that extra dough. Reliability is important, but so is price, and recent news that flash-memory drives are actually a drain on battery life won't help sell them as an upgrade option.

Via CNET Crave

Nvidia mobile GPU getting hot under the collar

For those of you happily shooting and looting away on your laptop's Nvidia GeForce 8M series graphics processor, take note. Turns out there is a bad batch out there made from defective materials which may fail before its time.

When contacted, Nvidia was unable to disclose exactly which vendors have received these products due to confidentiality agreements. However, the hardware company has assured us that its production line has shifted to a more robust die/packaging material set which will prevent this issue from occurring in the future. In the meantime, Nvidia is working with OEM partners to develop system management software that will provide better thermal management to the graphics card.

At this time, neither Nvidia or laptop vendors are recalling defective sets.

Fujitsu laptop strikes (pink) gold

All laptop makers have joined the fashion bandwagon--some later than others--so it's no surprise that Fujitsu is continuing to experiment with its runway persona. The Japanese company has gone through some interesting evolutionary phases of its designer laptops, from finishes in ubiquitous pink to an odd cedar and now precious metals, at least in name.

The Fujitsu LifeBook P8010E has already gotten a good review from us, but its new Limited Pink Gold Edition is trying to sell beauty as well as brain and brawn with such aesthetic features as a high-gloss finish and chrome hinges to go with its unusual color. Like the base model, it has a 12.1-inch widescreen, Intel Dual-Core processor, 250GB hard drive, and 2GB of memory, all under 3 pounds. It does add a few internal specs from the previous version, according to BornRich, including a 3G mobile broadband option.

But let's cut to the chase, as Fujitsu does on its site: This laptop, it claims, will "ensure that you'll always be the center of attention". Isn't that what it's all about?

Via CNET Crave

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