Autoblog

Click above for more pics of the Bentley laptop

As a devout lover of both technology and expensive cars, there are few things more exciting to me than an exotic vehicle or new gadget. It's cool when new technologies are integrated into cars, too. Unfortunately, the car/technology marriage doesn't work so well when the paradigm is shifted in the other direction. Ferrari and Lamborghini have tried to push exotic-branded tech with limited success, and now the latest offering from Bentley and Ego Lifestyle takes a bolder step towards brand-whoring.

The new Bentley laptop attempts to class up the notebook computer business with rich leather and hand-sewn cross stitching that comes directly from the storied brand's seats. Further connection between notebook and luxury vehicle comes from the use of a Bentley door handle that has been converted for computer carrying duty, and the laptop is supposedly "hand-built" just like the cars. Besides looking like a cross between a Coach hand bag and a George Foreman Grille, it also has sub-standard hardware specs as well. Oh, and it'll cost you a cool £10,000 to live the life of a poseur, too. What a deal. All is not lost, however, as the rest of the luxury automobile universe can look to this monstrosity as a reminder to never again build a branded laptop. Somehow we doubt they'll heed the warning.


[Source: T3 via Engadget]

Many folks erroneously believe the various Ferrari- and Lamborghini-branded laptops are scams, a nice way to blow a few extra hundies on a machine you could've gotten for less without the association to Italy's finest automakers. They can think that, but we've had hands on time with both types of laptops and have been nothing but impressed with their build quality, performance and, yes, even price. The new ASUS Lamborghini VX2 is the latest, and sister-site Engadget got to paw it at the ongoing CeBIT Conference.

You can check out the basic specs here (long story short, they're good), but the machine at the conference on display next to a real Murcielago had a few extra touches. First off, it's got HDMI out, which for those not yet inducted into the world of HD TV, is a good thing. It's the special Lambo touches, however, the we like. Check out the exhaust fan cover on the bottom of the VX2. Look familiar? It's a replica of the Murcielago's wheel design. The VX2 also sports leather palm rests that match the upholstery, even the stitching, inside the Murcielago's cabin. The carbon fiber casing is also a nice touch that makes the ASUS Lamborghini VX2 our new favorite sports carputer.

Check out Engadget's complete gallery of high-res pics here.

[Source: Engadget]

If you were playing a little word association, you might associate "Lamborghini" with "lap-dance", but Asus would rather consumers associate it with "laptop" instead. The Taiwanese computer company and the Italian exotic automaker are taking the wraps off their latest collaboration, the VX2, which as you might have guessed, follows the VX1 that launched this past August at the Concorso Italiano in Monterey, California.

Asus is keeping pretty tight-lipped on the specs, only revealing that the new model will ship with Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, and will employ Intel's Centrino Duo Mobile processor. Otherwise they're focusing mainly on the fit and finish: like the VX1, it'll be available in either yellow or black, but the casing will be made of either an aluminum-magnesium alloy or carbon fiber (depending on the model), and will feature a metal keyboard and what looks to be a rather beautiful contrasting-topstitched leather palm-rest, just like the trim on the interior of a Lamborghini road car.

That's all we know for now, but we'll be sure to keep you posted after the Asus Lamborghini VX2 is officially unveiled when it will have to compete with Acer's equally stunning Ferrari laptop series.

[Source: Engadget]