Gadgets & Gear: Fast Circuit
August 1, 2008
Press the starter button and the LED screen illuminates to the tune of a 6.5-liter V-12 engine. The mechanical roar does not resonate from a Lamborghini LP640’s exhaust pipe, but it will remind every raging bull enthusiast of his or her prized sports car. The Asus-Lamborghini VX3 ($3,299) laptop is one quick machine, equipped with Intel’s next-generation processor, the Core 2 Duo T9300. It is further endowed with 4 gigabytes of RAM, and a hard drive that will hold up to 320 GB. And like any good exotic car, the VX3 is as fashionable—it is one foot wide and weighs just 3.6 pounds—as it is fast. The palm rest is swathed in stitched Italian leather, the built-in sapphire-crystal camera lens provides a clear picture, a fingerprint scanner adds to the VX3’s wow factor, and a wireless black-and-yellow mouse can only be described as bellissima. The glossy casing is available in yellow or black, and each model bears a gilded Lamborghini bull emblem on its polished lid.
ASUSTeK Computer, www.asus.com
Nick Comer-Calder’s custom case company—based in the small parish community of Buckfast, Devon, England—specializes in making musical instruments and laptop cases using carbon fiber. Each carbon-fiber container is enveloped in full-grain leather from Tarnsjo Tannery of Sweden (a 135-year-old company that still employs traditional vegetable oil tanning treatments), and requires more than 35 hours to construct by hand. Calder designed the case for the Macbook Air, but he can tailor the case to accommodate the Asus Lamborghini VX3’s similar dimensions. The small case (pictured) is lined with soft, cream-colored calfskin and retails for £2,090 (about $4,100). Cases are built to order, and generally take up to one month to fulfill.
Calder, +44.1364.642.148, www.calderoriginals.com
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