Tech in Style Issue 10

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BRINGING INNOVATIONS TO LIFE

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Experience a new dimension in home entertainment with the ASUS G51Jx 3D gaming laptop

;;; F9 ;LEBKJ?ED Three new ultra-stylish models take netbooks to the next level of mobility

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Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

?jÊi ]h[Wj je X[ ]h[[d Make an eco statement with the next-generation ASUS U Series Bamboo

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With the Karim Rasheed Eee PC 1008P Seashell

ISSUE 10 JUNE 2010 WWW.TECHINSTYLE.TV

Contents

#$ Hello and welcome to Tech in Style.

Whether aiming to reduce harmful emissions, increase productivity or make products incredibly stylish, ASUS puts new ideas first. But we also insist on making sure products work above and beyond the call of duty, in a way that makes life better.

That’s the very definition of perfection, and it persists throughout everything ASUS does.

We’ve been hard at work with world-renowned designer Karim Rashid to develop two innovative new netbooks in our Eee PC Series. Available in two distinct colours and finishes, the stunning Eee PC 1008P uses new manufacturing materials to create a laptop that looks — and feels — like no other.

ASUS is also committed to developing products manufactured from sustainable materials and with reduced energy consumption for reduced environmental impact. You can learn about our newest, the U Series Bamboo, in this issue. The very latest technology is also at the heart of our new products, and you can also learn more about our ASUS G51J 3D laptop and laptops with USB 3.0, too.

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ASUS never rests on its laurels and, at CeBIT, it’s proud to showcase some of its latest advances

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Helen Ling, Editor

About ASUS ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era, with a broad product portfolio that includes laptops, netbooks, motherboards, graphics cards, desktop PCs, servers, wireless solutions, mobile phones and networking devices. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s home and office users. ASUS won 3,268 awards in 2009, and is widely credited with revolutionising the PC industry with the Eee PC. With a global staff of more than 10,000 and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for 2009 was US$7.5 billion. ASUS ranks among BusinessWeek’s InfoTech 100, and has been on the listing for 12 consecutive years.

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High-tech meets high-fashion for the Karim Rashid Eee PC™ Seashell 1008P Collection.

Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

Find out more at www.techinstyle.tv

Credits

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TECH IN STYLE

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EDITORIAL Editor Helen Ling Creative Director Quawn Hsu Group Art Director Bill Bagnall Production Kate Faulkner

ISSUE 10

Meet the new U Series Bamboo — a laptop that’s both environmentally friendly and beautiful

Why the ASUS UL50VF and Microsoft Windows® 7 is a match made in heaven.

MANAGEMENT Managing Editor James Kidder

12 7 d[m Z_c[di_ed We introduce the ASUS G51Jx gaming

PRODUCTION Production Manager Mark Young Production Co-ordinator Liz Moores

laptop with a full-resolution 3D display.

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Copyright: ASUSTek (UK) Limited, 2010. All editorial content in this magazine has been sponsored by ASUS. While every care was taken preparing this magazine, ASUStek Limited cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information nor any consequences arising from it.

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Eee PC Seashell 1015 series Eee PC 1016P Eee PC 1018P

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The Eee PC revolutionised mobile computing in 2007 and now three new Eee PC netbooks offer access to the cloud in a super-stylish package

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he netbook revolution kick-started by the first ASUS Eee PC in 2007 shows no signs of stopping — and no wonder. With the cloud now providing increasingly powerful services for people on the move, small, lightweight laptops are more useful than ever.

Not all netbooks are created equal, however, and ASUS firmly believes that style is just as important as substance.

So, this year sees the birth of the new generation of Eee PC — if you thought netbooks couldn’t get any better looking, just wait until you see what ASUS has in store.

Three new Eee PC Series elevate the netbook to completely new levels of sophistication and demonstrate an attention to detail seldom seen in laptops so small. Sleek The 1016P is ideal for new slimline designs are unspoiled by the mobile professional unsightly labels, redesigned multi-touch

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touchpads provide an intuitive way to navigate the web, and large keyboards exploit every available inch of space for unrivalled typing comfort.

These new models represent the best on-the-go cloud computing devices, and tight integration with ASUS Access means cloud content is quick and easy to access. So, let’s take a closer look at what we can look forward to from ASUS in 2010.

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Two new models in the Eee PC Seashell range take the idea of a stylish, longlasting netbook for everyone to the next step. With gentle, fluid curves and a new soft-touch finish, the Eee PC 1015 Series is very easy on the eye. ASUS Super Hybrid Engine technology also provides a battery life of up to 11 hours, while up 500GB of online space is on tap with ASUS WebStorage.

Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

Find out more at www.techinstyle.tv

Have cloud computing at your fingertips with the Seashell 1015 Series

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The Eee PC is adored by people in all walks of life, but ASUS Netbooks already offer unparalleled portability, but the ASUS recognises that not everyone’s netbook needs are the same.

Eee PC1018P takes things still further. Fashioned from a The classic lines of the Eee PC 1016P’s aluminium combination of exquisite materials and stunning designs case are perfect for the no-nonsense needs of the never before seen on a netbook, the ultra-slim mobile professional and the cool exterior (18mm) chassis packs a full array of ports is matched with an equally elegant and up to 10 hours’ battery life, thanks interior. True all-day computing can to ASUS Super Hybrid Engine technology. be achieved with up to 11 hours of Security is second-to-none too, with such battery life, while such thoughtful features as a fingerprint reader for private touches as an instant Wi-Fi hotkey data security and easy online backups with for seamless on-the-go internet Syncables Desktop.

The 1018P has a connectivity make it even more useful ;[[ F9 '&'+F" '&',F WdZ '&'.F" WlW_bWXb[ \hec stunning design mmm$[Xko[h$Yec" J89 when out and about.

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Instant access to the information you need, wherever you are, lies at the core of cloud computing and ASUS is committed to delivering just that. Its Access online platform provides software downloads (ASUS AP Bank), online storage (ASUS WebStorage), games (ASUS Gamepark), multimedia content (ASUS @Vibe), anti-virus and anti-theft service (Safeguard), and worldwide Wi-Fi access — all from the comfort of your Eee PC.

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ASUS Eee PC™ Seashell Karim Rashid Collection

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omputers and the catwalk may not be the most obvious combination, but that’s all set to change with the launch of the ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008P Karim Rashid Collection. These beautiful new netbooks are the result of a collaborative effort between ASUS and legendary industrial designer Karim Rashid, and they look like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Clad in exciting new combinations of materials, the Eee PC 1008P Karim Rashid Collection are a stylish delight, but their striking designs are more than just a visual treat. Every inch of the case incorporates am incredible wave-like texture that feels wonderful to touch, whether it’s the metallic gloss finish of the Hot Pink model or the soft-touch matte of the Coffee Brown model.

Beauty is more than skin deep with the Eee PC 1008P, of course, and the new Intel™ Atom® N450 processor helps ensure excellent battery life and fabulous performance. 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250GB hard drive also keep applications running smoothly, while the 10.1” LED-backlit display delivers a vibrant image that’s just as eye-catching as the rest of the package.

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Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

Find out more at www.techinstyle.tv

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The latest Intel® Atom™ processor is paired with 1GB of DDR2 RAM for excellent power-efficient performance.

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i [ l W Wl[i MWl[i M Windows ® 7 Starter simplifies your everyday mobile tasks, works the way you want and makes new things possible. It’s installed as standard on the Eee PC 1008P.

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The bright 10.1” LED-backlit display has sleek, frameless design for an uninterrupted view on the crisp 1024 x 600 resolution.

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Get up to six hours’ battery life with help from ASUS Super Hybrid Engine technology and pack a spare battery for those marathon mains-free sessions.

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The low-profile keyboard makes for comfortable typing and the large multitouch trackpad sits on a soft-touch surface that’s easy on the wrists.

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Just 1” thick and weighing a mere 2.42lbs (1.12kg), the Eee PC™ 1008P is as portable as they come, but still packs plenty of performance.

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<EKH M7OI JE I7L; J>; FB7D;J ASUS believes that social responsibility is key to sustainable corporate development. The GreenASUS initiative, established in 2000, introduced strict environmental standards to its working practices and 2008 saw the development of the innovative â&#x20AC;&#x153;Four Green Home Runsâ&#x20AC;? strategy. This is designed to help ASUS create more environmentally friendly products for people of all generations.

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The modular design of ASUS laptops allows users to extend the lifespan of each model by easily replacing parts, thus reducing waste.

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ASUS R&D can only select vendor parts that have passed a strict approval process to ensure that they do not contain hazardous materials.

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To ensure the strict adherence to hazardous-substance guidelines, ASUS restricts the use of 37 hazardous substances, not just the six required by the RoHS directive.

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ASUS participates in the EPEAT certification programme for environmental assessment, as well as the EU Ecolabel scheme to identify products and services that are kinder to the environment. http://csr.asus.com

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Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

Find out more at www.techinstyle.tv

?jÊi ]h[Wj je X[ ]h[[d ASUS U Series Bamboo Collection

Made using environmentally sustainable bamboo, the new U Series Bamboo Collection is both eco-friendly and beautiful

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SUS takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and has long been committed to working practices that reduce its impact on our planet. Part of this commitment is to develop new products that not only eliminate hazardous substances in favour of more sustainable manufacturing materials, but that are also more easily recycled at the end of their life.

This holistic approach was exemplified by the development in 2008 of the first laptop to achieve EPEAT Gold certification — the ASUS N51V. A further 28 ASUS products have since received this accolade and this year they will launch a new laptop that builds on this success — the U Series Bamboo Collection.

The ASUS U Series Bamboo Collection was designed from the ground up to have as small an environmental footprint as possible. By using bamboo for the lid and palm rest, ASUS has been able to reduce the amount of plastic used for the Bamboo Series case by 16% - 20%.

Bamboo pulp and non-woven cloth is also used for the Bamboo Series’ packing materials and its box is 100% recyclable.

Of course, bamboo is more than just an ecologically sustainable resource — it’s also a beautiful material to work with. Both sturdy and resistant to fingerprint marks, bamboo has a natural patina that changes over time to impart a sense of style to each ASUS U Series Bamboo Collection that’s as unique as its user.

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ASUS UL50 laptop

A partnership ASUS UL Series laptops and Genuine Windows® 7 combine to give you a seamless mobile experience, wherever you may be

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SUS UL Series laptops are among the thinnest and lightest available, but the days when ‘ultraportable’ meant ‘underpowered’ are long gone.

The latest Core™ 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) processors from Intel® offer unprecedented levels of performance and energy efficiency, while ASUS Turbo33 technology can boost system performance by up to 33%* at the push of a button. Up to 12 hours’ battery life* means that the UL Series won’t tie you to a mains socket, either.

Just 26mm thick and weighing a mere 2.3kg, the ASUS UL50 packs a full-size keyboard and multi-touch trackpad for uncompromised user comfort. The vibrant 15.6" LED-backlit screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio that’s a perfect match for widescreen movies, while Altec Lansing speakers provide crystal-clear stereo sound for top-notch entertainment.

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Mobile magic

ASUS UL Series laptops ship with 4GB of memory as standard and every last byte is available for use with the 64-bit edition of Windows® 7, designed to make your PC faster, more secure and more reliable.

Switchable graphics technology provides optimisation between 3D graphics performance and improved laptop battery life. Capable of easily switching between integrated and discrete graphics chips on-the-fly, without the need for a reboot — and with minimal interruption to what you’re doing — switchable graphics technology delivers a power boost for tackling high-end graphics or longer battery life when using less demanding applications. Now you can concentrate on what’s on-screen, safe in the knowledge that you’re getting the best possible performance, whatever the power source.

Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

Find out more at www.techinstyle.tv

ASUS UL50VT Intel® Core™ 2 Duo SU7300 processor Genuine Windows® 7 Professional (64-bit) Switchable graphics: NVIDIA® G210M, 512MB DDR3 VRAM + Intel® GMA 4500MHD 4GB memory 15.6" (1366 x 768) screen 500GB HDD SRP £799 Available from www.amazon.co.uk

5 REASONS WHY ASUS AND WINDOWS® 7 ARE AN IDEAL MATCH 3 4 5 1 2 SAVE TIME ON THE GO

Windows® 7 64-bit and the ASUS UL50 let you experience up to 40% faster startup and shut-down times. Overall system performance can be greatly increased too, thanks to access to up to 8GB of RAM.

FIND FILES FAST

Windows® Search lets you track down anything from emails to applications and documents by just typing a few characters of the name — perfect for when you need to find information in a hurry.

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Enjoy crystal-clear high-definition video on the UL Series’ brilliant LED-backlit 16:9 screen, and stream content from a multitude of sources with high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi.

RUN YOUR OLD APPLICATIONS

Windows® 7 Professional’s XP Mode, together with the Intel® SU7300 processor’s 64bit Virtualisation Technology, allows you to run old software with ease.

ENTERPRISELEVEL SECURITY

Patch Guard prevents unauthorised programs from accessing the Windows® kernel and system crashes are significantly reduced, compared to Windows® 7 32-bit.

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ASUS G51Jx 3D laptop

7 d[m Z_c[di_ed ASUS’ new G51Jx 3D laptop offers a full-resolution 3D display that makes games and movies leap right out of its screen

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ith 3D movies currently taking the cinema box office by storm, isn’t it about time your home entertainment entered a new dimension, too?

The ASUS G51Jx 3D is the first NVIDIA® 3D Vision laptop to offer a full-resolution 3D display, and movies, games and photographs all burst from its screen with astonishing clarity.

It’s all thanks to innovative new 3D technology that provides a fully immersive experience with eye-popping detail, giving a whole new meaning to the term ‘3D gaming’…

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3D — or ‘stereoscopic’ — images have been around since the earliest days of photography, and the basic principles behind modern 3D displays haven’t changed much from those used 150 years ago.

All stereoscopic displays create an illusion of depth in a two-dimensional image by mimicking the way in which our eyesight works — by superimposing two photos of the same scene taken at slightly different angles. How successful the resulting 3D image is depends on how those two images are then separated — which is where the ASUS G51Jx 3D has the visual edge.

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Rather than degrade a superimposed image by using such primitive stereoscopic techniques as red and cyan-coloured tints, or polarised screen filters, NVIDIA® 3D Vision displays each pair of images alternately, in rapid succession. When viewed through glasses with LCD lenses that ‘blink’ in time with the display, the result is a crystal-clear, full-resolution 3D image that can be viewed from any angle.

NVIDIA® 3D Vision supports over 400 games, so where

Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

Find out more at www.techinstyle.tv

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Humans see in stereo because our eyes are spaced slightly apart, and so each sees images from a different angle. The two images are combined by the brain to give a perfect 3D image. Although 3D displays rely on the same two-image principle, the images are combined in different ways.

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Simple 3D displays superimpose two differently coloured images, which are viewed using glasses with one red and one cyan lens. The image can be blurry, with poor colour separation.

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Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2 © 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. Trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved.

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Some 3D computer screens display an interlaced image behind a polarising filter.

Glasses with polarising lenses then split the single image into the two originals, one for each eye. This creates a convincing 3D image, but interlacing means that the resolution is half that of the original image and the 3D effect disappears if the screen is viewed at an angle.

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The ASUS G51Jx 3D displays each image alternately, in rapid succession on a custom 120Hz screen. Glasses with LCD lenses that ‘blink’ in time with the display mean that each eye only ever sees one of the stereoscopic images. The result is a full-resolution 3D display with high framerates that can be viewed from any angle.

better to enjoy the benefits of this groundbreaking technology than in a cutting-edge gaming laptop? The ASUS G51Jx 3D combines a quad-core Intel® Core™ i7 processor with incredible graphics for unbelievable 3D gaming performance.

So, with the ASUS G51Jx 3D, you can sit back, slip on the special 3D glasses and experience a stunning new visual sensation that will bring your gaming to life.

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7bb WXeWhZ j^[ KI8 )$& [nfh[ii Already fitted as standard in a number of ASUS products, USB 3.0 is set to revolutionise the way we access and share our data

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niversal Serial Bus (USB) has been standard issue on PCs for over 10 years. It’s the perfect solution for connecting external devices like hard drives and scanners quickly and easily, thanks to its convenient ‘plug and play’ design. Perfect, that is, except for one problem — speed.

USB 2.0’s 480Mbit/s data transfer speed may have served us well back when we just needed to shift a few megabytes back and forth, but as multimedia permeates into everyday life, the importance of a highly capable entertainment laptop becomes ever greater. The desire to watch HD videos with true-to-life sound, and the need for high-speed connectivity capable of sharing multimedia with friends and family is the motivation behind the new ASUS USB 3.0 laptops and components.

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USB 3.0, or ‘SuperSpeed’ USB, can achieve data transfer speeds of up to 4.8Gbit/s — that’s 10 times* faster than anything USB 2.0 can manage and it means that you can copy an MP3 album in under a second or a 25GB HD movie in just over a minute. And you can still connect older USB 1.0 and 2.0 devices, too. SuperSpeed USB ports also supply more power to peripherals, which means that you can plug more powerful devices into your PC and recharge mobile gadgets in extra-quick time.

ASUS has embraced the USB 3.0 standard and it’s already standard in a number of its new products, from motherboards to laptops. Read on to find out how it can speed up the way in which you use your computer.

7IKI b[WZi j^[ mWo m_j^ KI8 )$& bWfjefi USB 3.0 isn’t just reserved for computers that stay in one place and the new ASUS N, NX and U Series laptops now have USB 3.0 as standard. This means that they deliver the speed benefits of USB 3.0 wherever you take them — and allow you to recharge your other mobile USB devices faster than ever.

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With USB 3.0 on board, you can access music and movie collections stored on compatible external drives at unprecedented speeds, putting a vast world of home entertainment at your fingertips, no matter where you are.

Windows®. Life without Walls™. ASUS recommends Windows 7.

Find out more at www.techinstyle.tv

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It’s not Mary’s day — she forgot to charge her smartphone last night and has a meeting with the boss at 10.30am.

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Luckily, the USB 3.0 port on Mary’s ASUS NX Series laptop takes less time to recharge her smartphone, so she can get to the meeting on time — wonderful!

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It’s lunchtime and Sara tells Ted that she has the unedited video from the team’s day out for him to work on. It takes just seconds for Sara to transfer a DVD’s worth of video from her ASUS N61 laptop to Ted’s external USB 3.0 hard drive.

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Just before heading out of the office to get something to eat, Nick transfers three new albums to his MP3 player using USB 3.0 — it makes transferring files so much quicker and easier than USB 2.0.

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Sam and his girlfriend spend the night watching their favourite TV shows on his ASUS U53 laptop. Sam justs plug in his external USB 3.0 hard drive — it’s so convenient and they can kick back, relax and enjoy themselves. Thank you ASUS!

If you like reading Tech in Style in print, you’ll love reading it online.

Head to www.techinstyle.tv and you’ll find all the content from from previous issues of Tech in Style, along with breaking news, exclusive reviews and lots of other things that we just don’t have room for in the magazine.

To celebrate the launch of Tech inStyle.tv, we’re offering the chance for you to win a new Eee PC 1018P in dazzling white. This aluminium-clad netbook uses the new Intel™ Atom® N450 processor with 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and a brilliant 10.1” LED-backlit display.

You can find full details of the competition online at www. techinstyle.tv.

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SRP ÂŁ349 Visit: asus.co.uk/KR