Posted on 09 November 2012
As I checked the list of top selling laptops at Amazon.com again this morning I noted that the ASUS Vivobook X202 touchscreen ultrathin, an Ultrabook-a-like for most consumers, was at position 10 for the second day running. Note, that we’re talking about the laptop category best-sellers list that includes two cheap Chromebooks, a couple of Apple laptops and a clutch of value laptops. Later this morning I picked up on a full review of the ASUS S200, the European version of the X202, and it gets a lot of praise. In our own ranking system, based on visitor view numbers, the X202 / S200 is #11 out of over 100 Ultrathins. This ultrathin is on target to be the big hit this season and that’s something Intel need to take a close look at. It sounds bad. It’s not.
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Posted on 01 November 2012
We’ve just added the ASUS VivoBook S400 to the database (The 84th Ultrabook) and I note that it’s already quite the popular product. At around $700 for a touchscreen 14.1”-er, it’s not too surprising although for that price you’re not getting best-of-specs!
1366×768 resolution is almost a budget laptop specification and the hybrid hard drive won’t be as fast as an SSD. The weight is not exactly class-leading either but you do get a free RAM slot inside. We’re still trying to track down information on the battery capacity for you.
Given the current spec list and ASUS’ reputation this could be a really great entry point into some Touch Windows 8 productivity and fun.
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Posted on 30 October 2012
We saw some reports on the ASUS VivoBook X202 when it launched at an event last week but we’ve now got un unboxing of the European version of this low-cost Ultrabook-a-like via Notebookitalia.
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Posted on 22 October 2012
We picked up on the almost-Ultrabook ASUS Vivobook S200 a few days ago. The ASUS Vivobook S400 (S400CA-DH51T) has now appeared in Amazon.com for a surprisingly cheap $699. This is a full Ivy Bridge Core i5 Ultrabook with touchscreen making it the cheapest touchscreen Ultrabook to date.
The specs include:
- Windows 8
- Core i5 3317U CPU 1.7Ghz
- 4GB RAM
- 500GB hybrid hard drive (24GB SSD)
- 14.1” touchscreen 1366×768
- 2xUSB2.0, 1xUSB3.0
- 4.4lbs (1.995KG)
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Posted on 24 September 2012
Forget Intel’s prediction of $699 Ultrabooks. Forget our own prediction of $599 by the end of the year! The $599 Ivy Bridge Ultrabook is here already with the a great offer on the Vizio CT14. In Europe, prices have dipped to below €599.
It’s Vizio that have come through with the most impressive offer. The Vizio CT14-A0 1.8Ghz Ivy Bridge (Core i3) with a 128GB SSD and 1600×900 IPS screen. We can hardly believe that! It even comes with a Windows Signature (no bloatware) build of Windows 7 Home Premium. It’s at $599 at Amazon today.
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Posted on 19 July 2012
On an earnings call yesterday, Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel, told journalists that Ultrabooks would reach $699 by ‘fall’ – Q4 of this year. Does he not read Ultrabooknews? Ultrabooks are already selling for under $699. Take the Acer Aspire Timeline M5 for example.
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Posted on 03 July 2012
Use the European comparison engine Skinflint.co.uk today and do a search for Core i5 Ivy Bridge laptops with a screen size up to 13.9” and a weight of under 1.5KG [link] and you’ll find about 32 solutions. 5 of them are Apple MacBook Air solutions, 11 of them are Ultrabook alternatives over 1000 Euros and the rest are Ultrabooks…apart from one which sits nearly 30% cheaper than any other offering. Take the screen size limit down to 11.6” and the Acer V5-171-53314G50 is about half the price of any 11.6 Ultrabook out there; and it’s very difficult to see where the differences are.
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