The Windows 8 invasion is right around the corner and Asus has no intention of being left in its wake, this week unveiling a new notebook PC called the VivoBook X202.
Since taking the wraps off its forthcoming line of Windows 8-powered tablets back in August, Asus has remained mum on its plans for notebooks, but it finally broke the silence on Friday with a product page on its website.
The Asus VivoBook X202 takes its style cues from the company's Vivo Tab lineup announced at IFA 2012, offering an 11.6-inch LED backlight HD, 1366 x 768 display with a capacitive touch touch panel capable of multitouch.
Notebook or netbook?
However, the remainder of the VivoBook X202's specs are a mixed bag.
On one hand, the attractive notebook comes with an Intel Core i3-3217U processor clocked at 1.8GHz, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 500GB hard drive.
Graphics, on the other hand, come by way of an integrated Intel GMA HD GPU, putting the VivoBook X202 more in the class of a high-end netbook than a mid-range notebook.
Regardless, the 2.9-pound laptop promises an instant-on, 2-second resume, automatic backup and recovery and 25 percent longer battery life along with USB 3.0 and of course, the 64-bit flavor of Windows 8 Home Premium.
The good news is the $599 (UK£372, AU$585) ASUS VivoBook X202 is already available for pre-order from online resellers such as Amazon, NewEgg, TigerDirect and B&H Photo - despite the fact that ASUS is not expected to make an official announcement until Oct. 23.
