The ASUS N43SL Jay Chou Special Edition Launch
Which mobile computing device collectively combines the expertise of ASUS, Bang & Olufsen and Jay Chou? The answer to that question is also the reason why we are in Taipei at this moment. More to the point, we are here to witness the launch of ASUS' latest N-series notebook, otherwise known as the N43SL Jay Chou Special Edition. In a jazzed up media affair, the press event opened with ASUS Chairman Mr Jonney Shih conducting an "orchestra" consisting of an array of 14-inch N43SL laptops. The enigmatic Jay Chou soon appeared, taking his seat at the grand piano before playing tunes to accompany Shih's electronic ensemble.
The stage was set, and many of those present waited in anticipation before the Taiwanese pop star emerged. Those Chinese words flashed on the giant screen is the running slogan for the N43SL, loosely translated as "in pursuit of excellence" if you trust our shoddy Mandarin that is.
Seems like ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih has quite a flair for the musical kind. Besides tackling huge corporate decisions, he also has a knack for conducting symphonies such as those formed by an ensemble of notebooks.
After his on-stage performance, Mr Shih confessed that his son and himself are admirers of Jay's musical accomplishments. So it's no surprise that the Taiwanese artiste was appointed as Chief Designer to help design the flamboyant N43SL. Chou also added he was never adept at drawing since he was a child, and he thanked the ASUS creative team for aiding him during the creative process. Just like the first N43 model launched last year, the 2nd-generation N43SL will feature audio hardware and technology co-developed by the Bang & Olufsen ICEpower team. Termed as SonicMaster, you may expect similar amplifier circuitry as well as larger acoustic chambers and speakers on the Jay Chou-flavored laptop as the previous N43. Lookout for more info and photos on the new N43SL after the jump.
Chou takes a break from his usual repertoire of hip-hop tunes and soppy ballads to bang out a classical piece during the ASUS event. We might not be huge fans of his, but we have to admit that the boy's got talent. You'll get to see how Chou influenced the N43SL's design over at the next page.
Jay and Jonney responding to the media's questions during the Q&A session. Jay revealed he wasn't extremely gifted in the art of drawing, and was thankful for the help shown by the ASUS creative team during the N43SL's design phase. He also added he sometimes had trouble conveying his thoughts to the team despite his abundant creative ideas.
Chou is now "officially" an ASUS employee after Shih handed him an ASUS staff pass. In jest, the event's presenter reminded Chou to report for work punctually despite his superstar status. Hmm, we wonder what is his salary like?
Of Music And Sonic Maestros
Now that we have covered the the glitzy event, let's get down to the notebook proper. First, its body art. The beautiful markings you see on the lid are crafted mostly by Chou himself. Look closer and you'll see hints of Chinese porcelain artwork, French-gambling card suits, treble clefs, and even a nunchaku as inspired by his song "Shuang Jie Kun" and his role as Kato in The Green Hornet. You might also notice a "J" initial brandished on the lid. While it is obviously a reference to the Taiwanese musician, Jay admitted he spent a considerable amount of time perfecting the brushed artwork. Peek under the notebook's lid, and you'll find a unique baroque style "J" key as well as his signature brandished on the wrist rest.
The inclusion of the "incredible" adjective may be a tad tacky but the singer's brushed initial does add a nice Oriental touch. Designs of piano keys adorn the inner concentric circle as testament to Chou's artistic and musical flair.
The N43SL will sport gold or red speaker grilles, depending on your choice of colors, as well as Chou's baroque "J" insignia which differentiates itself from the rest of the fonts on the keyboard.
Here's the red edition in the flesh, which also has our vote over the gold iteration. The N43SL's large acoustic chambers and thumping speakers should please audiophiles who frown on sub-standard audio delivery on conventional notebooks.
Hardware for the N43SL will vary across the Asia Pacific region. Singapore's edition will feature an Intel Core i5-2410M Sandy Bridge processor. As for its display and graphics options, the notebook will carry a 14-inch LED backlit screen and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M GPU module. Mostly, we were fairly surprised when ASUS revealed its S$1,298 shelf price for we estimated the swanky laptop would cost more given Jay Chou's endorsement and B&O's SonicMaster engineering. The N43SL will ship with a number of Chou's tracks and music videos handpicked by the singer himself. Finally, fans anticipating the singer's handiwork can expect the notebook to arrive on our shores in the first or second week of July 2011. Before we end of, grab a glimpse of the chrome-like N5 slated to be released during the latter half of the year.
It's a shame the N43SL won't be shipping with this sweet and attractive model. Humor aside, the N43SL's almost Sanskrit-like artwork seems to grow on us the more we gawk at it. It's not hard to make a fashion statement with this machine.
Despite all of its artsy accents, the N43SL is no pushover in the performance department. A second-gen Core i5 processor powers this machine, aided by a discrete GeForce GT 540M GPU to crunch serious polygons for you. To top it all off, the N43SL is priced with an affordable S$1,298 shelf tag.
The N5 is still in its prototype phase. However, it should share a similar framework as the N43SL such as larger audio chambers and a generously-sized keyboard. If ASUS isn't deviating from this design for the actual production unit, we'd expect the N5 to sport 30mm up-firing speakers within as well.
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