X

Asus VivoBook

Asus' VivoBooks fill the more traditional, non-transforming laptop role of its Windows 8 pantheon. Of course, this also means that they're touch enabled.

Craig Simms Special to CNET News
Craig was sucked into the endless vortex of tech at an early age, only to be spat back out babbling things like "phase-locked-loop crystal oscillators!". Mostly this receives a pat on the head from the listener, followed closely by a question about what laptop they should buy.
See full bio
Craig Simms

Asus' VivoBooks fill the more traditional, non-transforming laptop role of its Windows 8 pantheon. Of course, this also means that they're touch enabled.

The 11.6-inch VivoBook F202 is set for the budget crowd, featuring a Celeron 847 and a 320GB hard drive. It supports "up to" 4GB of RAM and starts at AU$499, but Asus hasn't outlined exact Australian SKUs yet.

Kick things up a notch, and you have the 14-inch VivoBook S400, which depressingly still only has a 1366x768 screen. It can pack up to 8GB of RAM (with either 2GB or 4GB soldered to the board, and a DIMM to spare), will either come with a 320GB hard drive or 500GB plus 24GB SSD cache and should run the gamut from Core i3 up to Core i7. Exact SKUs have yet to be detailed, but Asus will start pricing at AU$799.