Asus Announces Four Notebooks at CES

Asus introduced an 18.4-inch notebook with a Bang & Olufsen sound system, two Eee PC notebooks crafted by designer Karim Rashid, a gaming-intensive notebook and one more featuring bamboo finishes.

Asus kicked off its Consumer Electronics Show presence with a quartet of notebooks, including the monster NX90J with soundsystem by Bang & Olufsen and an 18.4-inch screen. Other announcements include the Karim Rashid Eee PC Seashell collection, the U Series bamboo collection and the G73Jh Gamers Notebook. Industrial designer Karim Rashid's Seashell collection PCs are available in either glossy Hot Pink or matte Coffee Brown finish and integrates the Intel Atom N450 processor with Windows 7, Express Gate and Super Hybrid Engine, as well as offering 14-hours of battery life.

The Gamers' Notebook, the G73Jh, boasts a list of efficient technology with the Intel Core i7 processor, Direct X 11-capable ATI Radeon HD5870 graphics, 8GB of DDR3 memory, 8-channel HD audio with EAX 4.0 compatibility and 1 terabyte of storage. The package is topped with on-the-fly overclocking for performance boosts mid-game and ambient lighting for enhanced visual comfort.

Asus is marketing the U Series Bamboo Collection as bringing a touch of nature and eco-friendliness to computing. The exterior features sleek bamboo finishes and inside the PC is powered with the latest Intel Core i7, i5 and i3 processors, Windows 7 and Blu-ray and up to 500GB of storage space. "Produced using an improved In Mold Layer (IML) manufacturing process, each Bamboo U33Jt notebook bears its own distinctive, natural patterning that provides individuality in a green-inspired product," a company release stated.

The NX90 features laser-cut polished aluminum surfaces and palm rest complementing a matte-black keyboard and dual touchpads which work together with Rotation Desktop software, which the company said is designed to give users an intuitive DJ-like control. ICEpower technology is integrated into the two speakers, which are enhanced by Sonic Focus technology for enhanced audio capability. The NX90, which also includes features such as 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M graphics card, built-in 2MP video camera and USB 3.0 connectivity, carries a price tag of $2,499, according to Asus representatives.

Asus is also showcasing three concept Waveface products at CES 2010, each which represent the company's context-based vision of the digital life. Waveface Casa is a large widescreen display, which doubles as both an entertainment center and Internet portal. When not in use, a flexible, decorative cover obscures most of the screen only exposing small areas to display contextually relevant information. Waveface Light is an interface to the cloud that features a touch-sensitive screen and backed by a soft, flexible material it can be used in a conventional screen-keyboard configuration or as a flat single-screen tablet. Finally, Waveface Ultra is a highly portable device that can be strapped to the wrist, allowing the user to access information anywhere at anytime.