The Asus Zenbook launch! Prices, specs, pictures.

Since I have always been on the lookout for a slim, light and powerful laptop, I have been eyeing the MacBook Air, the Acer S3 and the Asus Zenbook for like, forever.
As you know, I wasrecently appointed as the Acer Aspire S3 Brand Evangelist (post> HERE) and for the last 3 weeks I have been cheerily carrying a much lighter lappie than my earlier Compaq. The Aspire S3, priced at RM2,599 is a good buy, taking into consideration its form factor and its specs.

Me anAcer Aspire S3 Evangelist!

However, it doesnt mean I stopped snooping around. Being an avid techie, Im still eyeing the Asus Zenbook and lucky me got a first-hand feel at it yesterday.

Finally! After all those weeks of oogling it on the Asus FB page, I had a chance to carry, type and did a few sample test runs on a Zenbook.
The comparison with my Aspire S3 was inevitable though UNFAIR. Yes, unfair as the 13 Asus Zenbook is RM4499, and the S3 is RM2699. I believe you get what you pay for.

Still, we did a few naughty comparisons.

B elow: Asus Zenbook on the left, Acer Aspire S3 on the right!

I love my S3 (yes, really.) but the keyboard can do with much much improvement. It can be labelled as clickety and plastic-ky, and I find myself always making mistakes while I type. BUT many techie friends told me its a matter of getting used to so Im certain its just a matter of time and practice.

Below: Asus Zenbook on the left, Acer Aspire S3 on the right.

The Acer Aspire S3 keyboard.

The Asus Zenbook keyboard.

The exterior.

Ravishing exterior look made out of spun metal and aluminum. The silver exterior panel features a concentric circle design that refracts a halo of light.

The Aspire S3 features a aluminum-magnesium alloy exterior.

The ASUS engineers designed custom cooling technology using a V-shaped channel with a unique copper fin design for improved airflow and cooling.

Asus Zenbook (left) thickness of 3mm at the front and9mm at the rear, Aspire S3 (right) at 13mm thick overall.

The Asus Zenbook.

The Acer Aspire S3.

Dont get the people at Asus started. LOL. They gave me more than enough to compare. Even the HDD, which apparently, for the Zenbook is hidden and the Aspire S3 its visible from the back.

Now its the touchpad.

Slim.. but solid.

As you guys would have known by now, the USB ports ( 2.0) are positioned at the back for the Aspire S3. There are 2 ports, but lets be honest, you cant use both simultaneously as its side by side. Its just difficult to plug in 2 peripherals at the same time.

The Asus Zenbook has one USB (2.0) at one side and another 3.0 USB (yes, 3.0!) on the other side.

This was another interesting relevation even the charger is light and small! This looks something like your iPhone charger right?

Models with the Asus Zenbook.

Look ma, ONE hand!

During the opening launch; a quick chat with Stanley, the Country Manager for Asus Malaysia and Intels Country Manager Prakash Mallya.

The 11 Zenbook with the kid while the big ones carries the 13.

One last pic!

Availability: At authorised dealers and the ASUS roadshow at Low Yat Plazas concourse, which starts TODAY (10th Nov) & ends on November 13, 2011.

Specification :

Model

ASUS ZENBOOK UX21 (Ultrabook)

ASUS ZENBOOK UX31

(Ultrabook)

CPU

i5-2467QM (4 core)-2.0GHz (Turbo up to 2.9)/6Mi7-2677QM (4 core)-2.0GHz (Turbo up to 2.9)/6M

Operating system

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Display

11.6 (16:9)

13.3 (16:9)

Backlight/ Resolution

450 nits HD 1366768

450 nits HD+ 1600X900

Memory

DDR3 1333MHz 4GB (on board)

Storage

SATA Revision 3.0 128GB SSD

SATA Revision 3.0 256GB SSD

USB Charger+

Yes

Instant on

Always resume in 2 seconds

Keyboard

268 Chiclit KB

Wireless Connectivity

WLAN 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0

Battery Life estimate

35W (5+ hrs)

50W (7+hrs)

Camera

Digital 0.3M Pixel

Audio

ASUS SonicMasterTechnology HD Audio

Speakers

Bang and OlfusenICEpower Technology

Interface

6 (USB2.0 / USB3.0 / audio jack / DC jack / microHDMI / miniVGA)

7 (USB2.0 / USB3.0 / audio jack / DC jack / microHDMI / miniVGA / SD card reader)

USB 3.0

1 Port

Dimensions / Weight

3mm at the front, 9mm at the rear

1.1kg

1.3kg

*Product test results, specifications and features may change without prior notice. Checkzenbook.asus.comfor further details.

Interested to buy one? Drop me a comment here!

Job Completed & Serving the Community of Bakri, Muar Johor

At last the construction of a Government clinic is diligently completed and Ministry of Health has commenced utilising the facility for the community of Bakri, Muar.The clinic is a modern establishment with good medical equipment & facilities.Who say the medical facility in Malaysia is below par.....come to this clinic you will be amazed.The main entrance to the clinic.These apartments are meant for doctors & medical officers.One of the waiting areas of Klinik Kesihatan.Dental facility

A few of my postings for this project can be seen here at the beginning, midway and midway.

A newly found curry noodle near the clinic. Delicious and worthwhile coming back again.

The stall for the curry noodle and my next trip I will try their soto and lontong @ GPS : 2.045436,102.647569. My lunch with my colleagues at this favourite Assam Pedas stall at Jalan Jonid, Muar and a popular stall in Muar.Assam Pedas Jenahak. I like the gravy.Assam Pedas Keli (cat fish).Salad with grated coconut flesh.My plate of plain rice with a bit of bean spouts.

See here for my previous posting of this nice Assam Pedas stall at Jalan Jonid, Muar.

Deliciously Chocolate

These are the days, the sweetest days we'll know, thanks to this week's opening of Deliciously Chocolate, scarcely a 10-minute drive from our office.

Whole cakes that must be pre-ordered are Deliciously Chocolate's specialty, but customers walking in on the spur of the moment can purchase moist mini-cupcakes, sumptuously topped with dark chocolate ganache & peanut butter frosting. A convenient, bite-sized panacea for the pressures of the workplace.

Making whoopie might sound so 20th-century, but the "whoopie pie" _ a classic American confection, like a cookie sandwich _ is soft-baked comfort food that deserves a new-millennium resurgence. Dotted with chocolate chips & permissively stuffed with ganache, it's available here 11am-7pm weekdays & through 2pm Saturdays.

KL is choc-a-bloc with macaron-makers now; Deliciously Chocolate's chocolate ones contain its signature dark ganache, while its pink versions brim with white choc butter cream. The texture is terrific _ sufficiently fragile to cru! mble at the gentlest bite, but luxurious enough to laminate the palate with velvety lushness. See deliciouslychocolate.com for prices & cake varieties.

Need even more chocolate? Deliciously Chocolate occupies the same floor of Menara IMC as Urban Picnic, which is coincidentally serving chocolate desserts this month.

Try the red fruit chocolate log cake, for a fun interplay of fruity & cocoa flavors.

Earl Grey & mango chocolate cake. Creamy & dreamy, not at all cloying.

Man cannot live on chocolate alone, so Urban Picnic also supplies savory snacks. Try the shredded chicken, mushroom & lemon confit gremolata pasta _ simple but satisfying.

Beef burger blanketed with truffle sauce & paired with the fluffiest potato wedges that history might! record. Perfect for people who can't decide whether they're carnivores or carboholics.

Vegood purple carrot juice, very good to wash down food.

Earlier entry on Urban Picnic: October 31.

Deliciously Chocolate & Urban Picnic,

Menara IMC, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.