TrustedReviews has posted a Hands-On look of the new Asus U3. While it’s bigger than most ultraportables, it’s what some would call a “thin and light laptop”, since, even with the 13.3″ widescreen display, it still manages to weigh in at under 3.9 pounds.
The Asus U3 (or ASUS U3 if you prefer) carries some of the same features as the Asus U1 / U1F (an ultraportable with an 11.1″ widescreen display). In order to get the weight down, they do go with an external USB 2.0 optical drive. It’s similar to Dell’s XPS M1330. It’s based on Intel’s Santa Rosa chipset and features a variet of Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, with an optional (albeit underpowered) Intel Celeron M CPU.
Some of the features of the Asus U3:
– LED-backlit display
– “Piano Black†finish
– HDMI video and eSATA ports
– Optional integrated GPS available
– Dedicated nVIDIA GeForce G8400M G Graphics
– Leather palm rests