back to article Asus goes wide with Bang & Olufsen laptop

Asus has kicked off 2010 with a Bang, or should that be an Olufsen? The Taiwanese PC maker has unveiled a super-stylish laptop sporting speakers and design features supplied by the legendary audio firm. Asus_NX90_01 Asus NX90 features Bang & Olufsen speakers and styling The NX90 Bang & Olufsen edition laptop looks like a …

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  1. Hermes Conran
    Thumb Up

    HOW MUCH!

    Beautiful though, and a great game machine from the sound of it!

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge
      Flame

      Aaaargh

      "from the sound of it!"

      Oh dear God, ban this machine now or give me money for every time someone makes a pun like this.. Groan..

  2. lglethal Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    I like the looks of that!

    Will be looking forward to the El Reg review of this as it looks pretty damn nice! With this and the HP Envy 17 coming out soon (if the rumours are to be believed) then there's finally seems to be a few high end, large screen, stylish desktop replacement systems coming out...

    I personally cant wait!

  3. blackworx
    Thumb Down

    Legendary?

    B&O legendary? Maybe among those more impressed with look-at-my-wad industrial design than hi-fi.

    1. Hugh Jorgen
      FAIL

      Seriously?

      I've always thought B&O look a bit bland and basic and not at all impressive, but the sound is second to none. The remote controls are so sturdy you could hammer nails in with them. When you but a B&O you're buying a well made quality piece of kit with superb materials. Sorry if you find the flashing lights on a Kenwood or Sony all impressive, more knobs and dials don't make a better stereo.....perhaps you should critique Tesco's new range instead of commenting on top end equipment for people who buy the best.

      1. blackworx
        Paris Hilton

        Eh, no

        I think you misunderstand me.

        Contrary to your assumption, I'm not coming from the Kenwood/Sony flashing lights and millions of knobs and buttons angle at all. I loathe them just as much as you clearly do, although I should probably qualify that by pointing out that both Kenwood and Sony have some high end kit that pisses all over B&O.

        My point is basically that B&O hi-fi is style over substance. You say their sound is "second to none"... and I'm really trying not to be cheeky here (honest - I'm nowhere near being a raving loony hi-fi nut) but I think you should do a bit of research before making claims like that.

        Similar to Apple computers, if you buy a B&O hi-fi you are not buying "top end equipment for people who buy the best", you are buying "a solution", "a style", "a statement" and you are paying a significant premium to do so.

        Don't get me wrong - B&O are brilliant at what they do. If I were looking for an easy way to an impressive-sounding hi-fi without really having to think about it or go to the hassle of comparing it with other stuff then I'd happily part with my money. I'm not though, and the fact remains that - as with Apple - you can get equally capable kit for much less money, or much better kit for the same money.

        Their tellies on the other hand - wow.

        1. TeeCee Gold badge

          "Their tellies on the other hand"

          Same old same old.

          If you took the back off their CRTs it invariably said "Philips" on the tube and tuner. Presumably they also buy the panels in for the LCDs, probably also from Philips. I don't know, I've never taken one of these apart. The money's in the case, the same components are available with less brushed stainless glued on from the OEM.

          I agree with the other comment here about the remotes though. There's something deeply statisfying about a hefty object in a cast metal shell and solid buttons with a decent click to them. A massive cut above the more usual placcy and rubber affairs.

          1. blackworx
            Thumb Up

            @ TeeCee

            Thought the telly comment might elicit a response from someone (not that it was meant to).

            What I'm saying is - unlike with hi-fi - I'm easily impressed by a run of the mill telly in a swanky box ;o)

            I don't watch much you see, and I'm half blind anyway so image quality is lost on me.

      2. blackworx
        Boffin

        PS

        Going by your comment you don't actually know what industrial design means

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Most of you lot haven't got a clue either...

          Go-on smarty pants, what *is* industrial design then? Speaking as an industrial product designer, I'll tell you that your "style over substance" jibe is a dead give-away that you, like most of the commentators here, haven't a clue what "industrial design" is. You'll be waxing lyrical that form must follow function next, or pontificating on design for design sake, why not just use all of Ruskin's out-moded 19th century notions from his 'Seven Lamps'? Either that or you are an extremely bad designer...

          1. blackworx
            Stop

            @AC 11:05

            Sorry mate I never claimed to be an expert, I only implied that "Hugh Jardon" thinks industrial design is purely about looks.

            So down off your high horse.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        eeer no

        B+O sound is second to quite a lot of things, including stuff like my Allen and Heath mixer and Adam Audio monitors, which cost less and sound better. Conduct a blind taste test with some people with non-cloth ears in a proper controlled enviroment, and you'll see.

        That's before we start dragging ugly old carcasses like Rogers LS5/9 speakers and the associated amps into the equation.

        Second to none? Not even close. One buys B+O for fun, and for the outrageous alien design rather than for absolutely first-rate audio. Sure, it sounds better than hunks of crap like Bose domestic kit, but there's plenty that sounds much better for much less- even if it doesn't look nearly as awesome.

    2. Chris Parsons

      Yep, B&O, the Apple of the hifi world

      Look terrific, sound ok, but if you spend that kind of money and want good sound rather than impressed neighbours, there are much better bets...Naim, Cambridge, Unison Research......this should start a flame war, hopefully.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    I want, I want!

    ...but can't afford....

  5. TeeCee Gold badge
    WTF?

    Not really analogous.

    How the hell can one describe the exterior of something that sports an 18.4" screen that doesn't even fill the full width as "Macbook Air-esque"?

    That's a bit like invoking Kate Moss as an example in an article about American obesity.

    The only thing Apple-esque about the thing is that they've stuffed a load of off-the-shelf components into a smart case, stuck a badge on the lid and are charging an extortionate price for the result.

  6. Blake St. Claire

    Apple Tax?

    Oh wait. Never mind.

  7. Harry the snot gobbler
    Thumb Down

    More money than sense

    More nice styling you pay well over the odds for? Isn't that why we have Apples?

    Oh yeah, I forgot, Apples work some times and don't fall apart after the warranty runs out so there is a gap in the market for rich people to swank off about something that looks nice, will go wrong and cost a fortune to repair.

    Looks nice though

    1. Bruno Girin
      Coat

      No gap

      > there is a gap in the market for rich people to swank off about something that looks nice, will go wrong and cost a fortune to repair.

      Nope, that gap in the market is already filled by Sony with their Vaio range :-)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Grenade

      @Snot gobbeler...

      Want to check your facts before spouting your runaway gob off?

      http://gizmodo.com/5406415/laptop-reliability-study-asus-and-toshiba-come-out-on-top

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's quite nice...

    ... but could it possibly be a little bigger please? It doesn't quite fill the suitcase you would need to lug it around in.

  9. Chris Hatfield

    It's the tight integration of the software and hardware that makes Apple amazing

    Apple control the insides as well as the outsides. This is how they can control the experience. The B & O thing looks very nice, but how will it perform?

  10. Bassey

    All that width

    ....and still no room for a numeric keypad. Still, I suppose if you need to enter numbers into a spreadsheet to find out how much money you have left then you probably can't afford one.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So whats that in B&O's native DKK?

    ...and US prices start at $1800 (£1123/€1254). For indicative UK pricing add another 10-20 per cent and 17.5 per cent VAT ®

    1800 + 20% + 17.5% = UK Price of £2538

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Legend?

    Surely you mean myth? Dreadful crap bought by tone deaf style victims.

    1. Hugh Jorgen
      FAIL

      Fail - you're not making yourself look either big or clever

      Another one? Honestly now, have you actually seen or heard a B&O IRL? Say, a Beosystem 7000 running through a set of Penta speakers with CX100 and S120 speakers as surrounds? Obviously not!

      And prey tell what system you're snuggling up to to make these 'knowledgable' statements of B&O performance? A flashy Aiwa? The top-of-the-line Matsui? A JVC half price in the sales? Nah, probably bought a Teac and become gods gift to stereo critics?

      Please, pretty please say "Denon", I haven't sat in a pool of my own piss clutching my sides and laughing hysterically for a while now.....

      1. Anonymous Coward
        WTF?

        @Hugh

        As it happens I have one in my [bought second-hand] car, assembled by competent Germans rather than Czechs on minimum wage. Bling aside, its not a patch on the 'free' Symphonia of the previous model which I miss every single day. Since B&O stopped making the 7000 13 years ago you should perhaps take your own advice.

      2. Araldite
        Joke

        Wont be happy until,

        I have B&W Nautalis Speakers Powered by Perraux Amps.

  13. hvanderw

    all that and no....

    keypad!!! they have room for it and did not put it in there - other than that it is a nice unit

  14. IR

    1080p screen?

    So lower resolution than nearly every other laptop then?

  15. jim 45
    FAIL

    someone has to be kidding...

    $1800

    LOL LOL LOL LOL

  16. SisterClamp
    Gates Horns

    All that....

    ....and only a pissy 120GB hdd??!!!!! How can they be serious? Nice kit otherwise. I'll be looking at Linux compatibility myself.

  17. Merton Campbell Crockett

    Touch pad?

    Bang & Olufson laptop with a touch pad? I would have thought that you would just wave your hand over it like their old stereo systems.

  18. mumm-ra

    Oddly

    It puts me in mind of a Sinclair QL, rather than than anything futuristic..

    1. blackworx
      Thumb Up

      Ah the QL

      With its "Sinclair mandatory modification" ^H^H^H PCB design cockup that required each case to be opened up and a missing resistor to be soldered in after manufacture.

      And the microdrives!

      Come on El Reg, do the QL!!!!

  19. Ascylto
    Jobs Halo

    Looks kinda good ...

    but it still runs Windows!

  20. Graham Bartlett

    @Hugh

    Two problems.

    First is that this is a laptop. I don't care how good B&O are at designing hi-fi stuff, on a laptop you're fundamentally limited by the dimensions of the case. £100 multimedia PC speakers will sound better. Nor is the amplification likely to be any better than any other laptop's built-in speakers use.

    Second off, compare hi-fi kit to pro audio kit used by people who actually make a living from it. You really want accuracy of reproduction, use what engineers use. Typically they'll have a bunch of speakers ranging from good to crappy, to get an idea how it sounds on a range of speakers, but one of those is going to be a really good set for accurate listening. B&O aren't even in the running there.

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