There are endless contenders for the title of sexiest laptop. We've fallen head over heels for the Sony TX2, Samsung Q35 and MacBook Pro in the past, but our wandering eye has just caught what could be the most gorgeous of the lot, the Asus U1.
Just one look left us drooling like slack-jawed tech yokels -- it's gorgeous in a way that probably shouldn't be allowed. We like to think of it as a cross between Asus' own W6 and S6 and the LG Chocolate Phone because of the leather finish on the palm rest and the super glossy 'piano black' finish on the lid. The only drawback here is that it picks up fingerprint smears like nobody's business. Honestly, you don't even have to touch it -- just wave your hand somewhere near the surface and it'll suck the dirt off your mitts like some sort of smudge magnet.
As small as it is, we'd probably have forgiven the U1 for being under-specced, but Asus has done well in this regard. It includes an Intel Core Duo U2500 Ultra-Low Voltage processor running at 1.2GHz, which is plenty powerful for everyday tasks but uses very little power to aid long battery life. The U1 can also accommodate up to 1.5GB of DDR2 RAM, has a 60GB hard drive, a webcam, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a memory card reader.
Asus seemed keen to promote the fact that the U1 uses an LED backlit screen, which despite having a glossy surface, is still viewable even in direct sunlight. Ironically it also has a fingerprint reader for secure logins, but any self-respecting crook will be able to lift your prints off the lid of the laptop without batting an eyelid.
The U1 is scheduled to hit UK shores in March. Watch for a full review soon. -RR
Update: a full review of the Asus U1 is now live.