Ultrabooks - anyone else waiting for one?

Soldato
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I was holding out for the Asus EEE Transformer 2, but now that Asus Ultrabook range seems to be on the horizon, I think i'm going to wait and see how they fare.

I think the main deciding factor will be price... the only comment i've seen on that side of things is "It should be below $1000" [source] from ages ago.. which sounds dubious... but hmmm

The UX21 does look rather sexy IMO - anyone else waiting for one of these, or has any other "insider info"? :D
 
I'm keeping a eye on them, but unless i can find one that has a decent panel in it, i'll not be picking one up. 768 down just isn't enough space to work on, i struggle with the 1280x800 the HP dv2 i'm using now has.
 
I don't think that resolution is too bad for an 11 inch screen. Not sure what type of panel it is though.
 
Most Ultrabooks are going to be 13" in size though.

TBH at the moment I would still go for something like the Series 9, 2011 MBA or Sony Z series over the Ultrabooks released at the moment. You get what you pay for TBH, especially with the Z series, which doesn't really fit with any of the rest of them being half way between the ultrabooks and the MBP in size but with the specs of powerful 15" laptop
 
I still think I like the idea of the Transformer, but it still needs a bit more to replace my laptop... a few programs I need, and specifically Truecrypt...
 
Yup, the Vaio Z looks awesome, shame the external gfx doesn't have a bit more kick. I don't need to play stuff on the move but it'd be cool to sit down, connect the dock and fire up some games at home.
Samsung series 9 also looks good, but it's got the same intel HD300 gfx as the rest of the ultrabook bunch i think.
 
as per usualy we can probably do a 1:1 conversion on price so anything from£700-£1200 i imagine. i like the look of this.

hardly a comparrable product to the transformer though as will be much superior unless you want a smaller tablet running android. the transformer still doesn't make sense to me, all the promise and price of a flexible ultra portable 11.6"-13" notebook/netbook (hp probook/lenovo x121e) yet gimped with the OS unless you are only doing basic office work and internet.

the vaio z also costs £1700 upwards with warranty and a decent configuration, where the i7 tops out at £2500

the other alternative is the thinkpad x1 13" at £1k.

with an i5/i7 (even the ulv variants) the HD 3000 graphics is pretty good and far far superior than the old gma solutions. it is fine for the productivity work inc graphic and design authoring like autocad too.

these arn't hardcore gaming machines, and the hd 3000 is excactly the right low power graphics to go with.

any other graphic solution inc the ati low power dedicated like the 6470 would increase power draw, lower battery life and increase heat.
 
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Asus ux31 going on sale tomorrow in the US. Screen is a bit higher res at 1600x900 which is tempting...
Sounds like the high res screens are coming but not until well into next year
 
Will be interested in the battery life of the new Asus models, as that is one thing that the Macbook Airs have going for them.
 
Hmm that doesn't seem 'too' bad really.. but I'll wait til I've seen some hands on vids and benchmarks before I pass judgement :P
 
Will be interested in the battery life of the new Asus models, as that is one thing that the Macbook Airs have going for them.

5 hours for 11 inch and 7 hours for the 13 inch, apparently beats the air in every asepct. 3d mark, write speeds on ssd, general grunt etc. Seems like a MBA killer to me. It beats it in every test according to Asus.
 
If only they did it in matte black rather than that horrible shiny silver colour!

(obviously still alu or magnesium but not the generic silver colour)
 
I've had quite a few laptops over the years, plus I'm the tech buyer for my dads business so I've bought a variety of brands and specs. For personal use I have an advent netbook, which, if it had a HDMI output would be awesome. Netbooks are useless for gaming though, although I can run RA2 so thats cool.

I've read quite a lot about these Ultrabooks and they do seem a good alternative to a basic laptop. However, as I said I've used laptops for years but for personal use I would definitely consider a Macbook
 
Too expensive for what it is. Might aswell get a tablet or a 15.6 inch laptop at that price..

You seem to have missed the point...

tablet - too restricting for actual work
15.6" laptop - too big for those that use their laptops away from a desk.

The reviews of the Asus and acer do seem to touch on the issues I thought they may have. You pays your price so to speak. They just aren't quite there, probably because of the cost cutting measures to get that sort of design for a cheap price point.
 
You seem to have missed the point...

tablet - too restricting for actual work
15.6" laptop - too big for those that use their laptops away from a desk.

The reviews of the Asus and acer do seem to touch on the issues I thought they may have. You pays your price so to speak. They just aren't quite there, probably because of the cost cutting measures to get that sort of design for a cheap price point.

15.6 is too big? then macbook airs are 11 to 13
 
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