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Zepto Nox A15: Like a black MacBook, only cheaper

When Zepto, Denmark's finest laptop maker, sent us its new Nox A15, we weren't damp with excitement. But hang about, this one looks rather like a black MacBook -- and it's cheap

Rory Reid

When Zepto, Denmark's only finest laptop maker, said it was sending us its new Nox A15, we yawned, stretched and relieved an itch in a delicate part of our anatomy. After all, the Znote 6615WD we tested over two years ago was a decent machine, but it "didn't exactly rape and pillage our fancy," we quipped at the time.

This morning, we gave the Nox A15 a go and were pleasantly surprised. Its matte finish and gently curved edges are reminiscent of those on the old black MacBook, and while the Zepto logo on the lid could have been a stumbling point, it's so unobtrusive and minimalist that some of us actually prefer it to Jobsy's giant backlit fruit.

The Nox A15's keyboard section isn't as attractive as the lid -- but that's mainly due to the keys being a slightly different shade of black to the chassis. Looking past this, you'll appreciate the minimalist design of the mouse trackpad and the fact there's a fingerprint reader set off to the right-hand side.

The Nox A15 can be customised to use pretty much whichever components suit your needs. Prices start at around £500, but our £774 model came with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 running at 2.26GHz, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi and 64-bit Vista Ultimate.

We'll put it through its paces and bring you a full review soon. In the meantime, feel free to check out Zepto's UK site for more info. -Rory Reid