Asus F8P Review

Whether you think it's the epitome of style or just plain silly, it's hard to feel undecided about the Asus F8P's appearance. Using gratuitous amounts of leather on the lid and palm rest, the notebook makes a visual statement - though what kind of statement it makes is up for debate.

Beneath its polarizing exterior, however, the 14-inch F8P looks to offer solid performance geared toward multimedia users looking for a machine providing power and portability in equal measure. With a 14.1-inch WXGA display, a 2.0GHz Core2Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and an MSRP of $1,349 as tested, the F8P is appropriately speced and appropriately priced to compete with other high-style, high-function notebooks on the market.

Full specs for the F8P-B1W model used for this review are as follows:

• Screen: 14.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800)
• Processor: 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 (800 MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
• Hard Drive: 160GB SATA, 5400 RPM
• Memory: 2GB RAM (DDR2 667 MHz SDRAM, 1GB x 2)
• Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi with LightScribe
• Ports and Slots: Five USB 2.0, one IEEE 1394, one ExpressCard 34, VGA, DVI, S-Video, multi-format (SD/SDHC/MMC/MS) card reader, 10/100 Ethernet, modem, microphone in, headphone out
• Wireless: Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
• Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2400 (256MB dedicated VRAM)
• Operating System: Windows Vista Homes Premium
• Dimensions: 13.4 x 9.6 x 1.5 inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 5.8 pounds

With its use of dyed leather coverings on the palm rest and lid, there's no mistaking the F8P for anything else. Asus bills the notebook's design ethos as "mix and match," which results, depending on your perspective, in either an interesting combination of contrasting materials or a stylistic mess of "leisure suit" proportions.

Our "Amazing White" (the F8P also comes in "Galaxy Black," with matching black leather) test unit looks a bit feminine for my taste. With the F8P's supplied suede notebook sleeve, silver carrying case, and leather-covered optical mouse, the Asus comes together as a total visual package perfect for style-conscious college students, aspiring fashionistas, or David Bowie. As TabletPCReview.com editor Tiffany Boggs observed, "Women will like this ... or pimps."