ASUS' 12.5-inch B23E ultraportable touts speed for pros
updated 01:15 pm EST, Sun January 22, 2012
ASUS B23E ups business notebook design
ASUS has quietly slipped out a new pro-oriented notebook in admist the more home-focused designs of CES. The 12.5-inch B23E has a relatively sleek magnesium alloy chassis. Although 1.1 inches thick and 3.4 pounds, it's intended as a true complete replacement with a DVD burner, up to 750GB of storage, and as much as 8GB of RAM.
Multiple extras also tailor it to business. A fingerprint reader, a Smart Card slot for authentication, and an ExpressCard slot give it security and add-on support its audience demands. It also has LoJack to help recover a lost or stolen notebook as well as an optional Trusted Platform Module.
Processors are also relatively fast, with a minimum 2.2GHz Core i3 and as much as a 2.8GHz Core i7. ASUS hasn't set an official price of its own, but Amazon (linked above) is charging between $950 and $975 for a high-end version with a 2.7GHz Core i7, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. [via EeePC.it and Netbook News]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2011
No
Too heavy. Too expensive. Lack of performance.