Business laptops. The mind shudders at the thought. Lifeless designs, inflated prices and various “sensible” options define the corporate laptop. Can Asus bring anything new to the party with the B23E? Not in the slightest, but at least it looks the part.
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Asus had an incredible show at this year’s CES, but kept the B23E in the stables. It’s not going to set the tech world on fire, but it is going to set you back a cool US$1000 or more according to sources who discovered it on Amazon.com. It’s no Ultrabook as the B23E is aiming for the middle ground, a user who requires raw power and nothing more.
Focused on power
CPU-wise, Asus is looking to provide nothing but raw, sexy power in the form of the i7 2.64Ghz processor. In terms of speed, few laptops outside of the Alienware range can better the B23E. It will be interesting to see how the laptop benchmarks when it is eventually released.
The B23E falls under the ASUSPRO Ultraportable line of laptops, therefore is made up of an aluminium and magnesium alloy compound. So it can take the bumps and knocks life offers, and content remains intact thanks to the anti-shock hard drive.
The screen resolution is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the slim, powerful package. At only 1366×768, it’s HD, but not full HD. Frankly, that’s unacceptable for the price on offer.
Other protective features include the spill-proof keyboard which will be vigorously tested by the millions of productive hipsters who knock over their skinny lattes during an ad-hoc meet-and-greet at the faux-French corner café.
Interestingly, the hard drives range in flavour from a respectable 320GB to a gut-busting 750GB monster. Combined with a “900-charge cycle battery”, the B23E promised three times the battery life of standard Li-ion power supplies. A fingerprint reader rounds off the device.
Asus calls it the “pro notebook for business pros”. It does what it says on the tin, no more, no less. Watch for it in February 2012.
