|
Asus Lamborghini VX1-5E004PJust like the car, the Asus Lamborghini delivers the exclusivity, performance, and high-end touches that buyers of exotic machines demand. Price:
$2,799
by Jamie Bsales 
Those thinking of buying the Asus Lamborghini VX1, get one thing straight: Like the cars that share its name, it’s not for those wishing to be inconspicuous. From its bright-yellow paint job to the suede-trimmed black carrying case included in the package, everything shouts “look at me.” And like the Lamborghini cars, the $2,799 VX1 has the performance to defend its status-symbol stance.
If you had that classic poster of a Lamborghini Countach in your bedroom as a teenager in the early 1980s, you’ll lust over the VX1. The yellow-and-black machine is certainly a sight to behold, with an angular lid reminiscent of the airfoil on the deck lid of an exotic sports car, complete with the Lamborghini logo. The VX1 is large, with a 15-inch screen, but Asus has kept the weight to a reasonable 5.6 pounds. Open the lid and you’ll find a black, full-sized keyboard set in a black aluminum deck that feels better to the touch than the more common plastic surrounds. The screen is bright and crisp, though some may wonder at the choice of an old-fashioned 4:3 screen in a market where widescreen displays are fast becoming the norm. Also, the high-res SXGA+ panel makes for small fonts at an application’s default settings, though the extra pixels do let you see much more of a Web page or document without scrolling. The glossy coating will mean reflections and glare in office settings, but it made photos and video really pop. And during DVD playback, we noticed much less motion blur than we’ve seen on other portables. We appreciate Asus’ Zero Bright Dot policy, too, where the company will replace a machine if you see even one pixel stuck in the on position during the first 30 days after purchase. Given that the VX1 has 1.47 million pixels, Asus must be confident it is picking premium panels. The full-sized keyboard is comfortable and quiet, though we found that the stiff mouse buttons took a lot of pressure to register a click, and the blue LED that shines between the mouse buttons was a little too bright. Fortunately, Asus includes a wireless mouse that was simple to set up and use. Above the keyboard are dedicated buttons for toggling the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios on and off, though the black-on-black icons are nearly impossible to see. Volume control requires a Function-key combo, and sound quality from the integrated stereo speakers was thin, lacking in both bass and overall volume. For a machine in this price class, we would have preferred to see more multimedia features, such as Media Center functionality, a TV tuner, or even an S-Video port. And the only third-party software of note is the OEM version of the Nero CD/DVD creation suite for use with the dual-layer multiformat DVD burner. The VX1’s other features are solid. The system comes with a very spacious 160GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, and Nvidia’s GeForce Go 7400VX graphics engine. The 2-GHz Intel Core Duo T2500 processor inside this machine isn’t in the newer (and faster) Core 2 Duo family, but productivity performance was still very good. The VX1 scored an above-average 267 on MobileMark 2005. This flashy system’s showing on 3DMark03 (4,937) and F.E.A.R. tests (27 fps with autodetect settings; 6 fps at the maximum settings) indicates the machine is passable for occasional 3D gaming at lower resolutions. Battery life was good for a large-screen portable, at 3 hours and 40 minutes. Wireless performance of 13.5 and 13.2 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet was right in line with other 802.11a/b/g laptops. The included warranty (two years parts and labor) is good, though buyers in this class might not appreciate phone support that requires a toll call, or the lack of 24/7 assistance (the phones are staffed 19 hours a day on weekdays and 9.5 hours on weekends). Ultimately, the Asus Lamborghini is a love-it or hate-it notebook. You are certainly paying a premium for the extra features and the name. But if you like the look—and like to get the looks—the VX1 won’t disappoint. Compare Prices | Asus Lamborghini VX1-5E004P Specifications
Featured Site Sponsors
|
 |
|
