[Black Friday 2013] - ASUS N56VM-AB71 Full-HD 1080P 15.6"

Theater-like multimedia experience on a mobile PC

The new ASUS N56 Series multimedia notebook clearly embodies the design that caters to better user experiences. The ASUS N56 Series is perfect for those who need or want incredible multimedia performance they can take anywhere, the new ASUS N56 Series is the ideal notebook. Its all new deluxe look has recently won a prestigious reddot 2012 Design Award. Grab your ASUS N56 notebook today and experience the incredible.

Tried and Tested for Quality

ASUS is a global technology leader who focuses on the mastery of innovation and design perfection. Today, it is the world's #1 manufacturer of motherboards and is one of world's top PC brands. With customers' need in the forefront, ASUS embodies the passion to create products that truly enhance the computing experience. Not only does design matter, ASUS products are also strictly quality tested to surpass industry standards, surviving multiple drop tests, hinge tests cycles and LCD pressure tests to name a few, ensuring that every ASUS product you buy will be one of your best investments.

Reliability Matters

ASUS PCs finish near or at the top of the industry's reliability rankings survey after survey.1

Known for their unmatched reliability, ASUS products clearly offers you peace of mind and quality you can trust. Using only premium materials, ASUS aims to break the industry mold and deliver a product that is truly incredible. In addition, ASUS also offers the industry's best-in-class warranty and free 1-year accidental damage protection so you sleep worry-free knowing ASUS' got your back.

Innovation Like no Other

Discover your ultimate multimedia entertainment notebook PC with the new ASUS N56 Series. Featuring the ASUS SonicMaster Technology co-developed with audio experts Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®, the new ASUS N56 Series brings you even better sound reproduction.

With the power of 3rd Gen Intel Core processors, the new N56 notebooks provide smoother multimedia experience and better multitasking capabilities. It has an even sleeker, slimmer design - only 1.2" thin making it perfect to grab and go when needed.

Technical Details

Summary

• Screen Size 15.6 inches
• Max Screen Resolution 1920x1080 pixels
• Processor 2.3 GHz Core i7-3610QM
• RAM 6 GB DDR3
• Hard Drive 750 GB SATA
• Graphics Coprocessor NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
• Graphics Card Ram Size 2048 MB
• Wireless Type 802.11bgn
• Number of USB 2.0 Ports 2
• Number of USB 3.0 Ports 2

Other Technical Details

• Brand Name Asus
• Series N56VM
• Item model number N56VM-AB71
• Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Item Weight: 6 pounds
• Item Dimensions L x W x H 15 x 1.10 x 10 inches
• Color Black Aluminum
• Processor Brand Intel
• Computer Memory Type DDR3 SDRAM
• Hard Drive Rotational Speed 7200 RPM
• Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)

Conclusion

First of all, the build quality on this machine is EXCELLENT. Having never owned any asus product, I'm seriously impressed at the build quality on this thing. Even though I only paid $899, this feels like a $1500+ machine. The aluminum finish is fantastic and feels really good. I will say it's a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but that's nothing a quick wipe with a cloth won't fix. Also, since Amazon doesn't disclose this, the ASUS logo on the front lid is BACKLIT. Some reviewers have knocked on the weight a bit, but for everything you're getting, it's a non issue. Unless you weigh about 30lbs, I don't see how you could knock on the weight.
Keyboard:
The keyboard is great. I very much enjoy the feel of the keys and the response is excellent. Even for someone with big hands like me, I have no trouble typing at full speed. Also, this keyboard is BACKLIT for those of you not sure, and it looks great in the dark. You can also adjust the level of brightness as you see fit.
Touchpad:
Wasn't too happy with this at first but I've grown to like it. I'm a big fan of the pinch to zoom and all the other features it comes with. Yes, sometimes you might not get the exact response you want or you'll accidentally zoom in on something, but the touchpad is great. No regrets and no serious complaints.
Performance:
Initial boot up takes a bit, but even with all of the bloatware ASUS puts on this thing, it's pretty fast. The i7 along with the 6GB of RAM really makes navigating through all programs a breeze and I've no freeze ups or noticeable lag. I plan on installing an SSD sometime in the near future and doing a clean install but for the average user, there shouldn't be any performance issues.
Graphics:
As some reviewers have previously mentioned, you are using dual cards for graphics. The laptop uses the Intel 4000 for non extensive actions and the NVIDIA for heavy graphic tasks such as gaming. I don't really plan on gaming at all so this is perfect for me. But from what I've read, gaming shouldn't be an issue.
Display & Sound:
The display is AMAZING. Videos, websites, programs......everything looks excellent. Hands down the best display I've used on a Windows machine. I would highly recommend pushing for 1080p if possible. The sound quality for a laptop is amazing. It's loud and clear. I've just started doing insanity workouts and using this and the sound and look of everything is amazing. No complaints at all. I haven't used the included speaker, but I'll get around to it. Webcam is also nice and clear and video chatting is no issue. Other party can hear me loud and clear with no echo.
Overall, I am completely satisfied with my purchase.

List Price: $1,149.99 | Deal Price: $899.99

Save: $250.00 (22%)

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Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB - Includes Special Offers

You have to hand it to Amazon. Instead of tackling the almighty iPad head on, the company bravely introduced a device that, while not necessarily wowing on specs or features, made an enormous impression with its bottom-dollar price. The impact is still being felt, and the industry hasn’t been the same since.Twelve months on, and the company has learned a few important lessons. No longer can it just offer a $300 device, not with the Nexus 7 around; it has to make something that truly stands out — take the best aspects of the original Kindle Fireand make them twice as good. Here’s a tablet that’s wonderful to hold and use, but marred by a few silly flaws.

DESIGN + CONTENT

With an 8.9-inch screen that’s not really too big and not really too small, it’s one darn comfortable device to hold. It’s fantastically thin — more so than an iPad — inside an equally light (but very solid) package. Picking it up, it’s immediately apparent just how carefully Amazon crafted the device together, using a strong rubberized material accented with a strip of plastic across the back.

Holding it with two hands is no problem, and it’s not really an issue one-handed either, like if you’re reading a book while holding the tablet in portrait. Everything is nice and clean, and worlds better than what last year’s Kindle Fire, that’s for sure.

When you hold the 8.9-inch Fire HD, you want to keep on holding it and turning it over and sweeping your hands across the back and screen and sides. You’ll turn it over and inspect its rounded back and flat edges. My thumbs fit perfectly inside the bezel, which isn’t all that big for a larger-sized tab. It sure doesn’t feel like a $300 product — there’s a craftsmanship that you can tell runs deep through every last inch, and it feels premium.

And that all makes consuming content, the device’s central purpose, easy and wonderful and addicting. If you’re new to Amazon’s ecosystem, actually building up a library is a bit intimidating. When you first turn the device on the carousel is empty and lonely, but this is where everything you watch and own and read lives.

There is a plain but simple navigation bar up top — shop, games, apps, music and videos are listed here — where you can access specific content in your library. If nothing’s there, tap the Store button, which is present in nearly every avenue of the device, and you’ll quickly learn just how massive Amazon’s ecosystem is — it really never ends. Never. Ends.

Everything is presented in a way that funnels users down a path with a dead end to videos, or books or apps. That’s exactly how Amazon wants it. Just as the company did in the original Fire, Amazon has designed a platform built on Android — Android 4.0 this time instead of version 2.3 (Gingerbread) — that’s a smooth enough experience. You don’t get the fluidity and snap of Jelly Bean, but there’s a noticeable step up from the previous Fire, as there should be.

Pretty much every video and book is available to watch and read. There were some instances I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but I’ll give Amazon a pass because they were admittedly a bit obscure. Otherwise, there are books, albums and movies (especially current ones) aplenty. The device’s purpose, after all, is to consume media. That’s particularly true if you have a Prime membership, which offers up a lot of great content for free. You can’t beat that. For a lump annual sum of $79, it isn’t a bad bargain at all.

Let’s, for a moment, judge this on hardware alone — Amazon should be very proud of what its engineers have created. The company is primarily known for its ecosystem, and not necessarily for creating desirable hardware. I think, though, we’ve seen a different side of the company this year, starting with a pretty great Paperwhite, 7-inch Fire HD and now the 8.9-inch HD. The addition of MIMO dual-antenna tech is a nice touch, as are the dual Dolby speakers.

The only slight knock against the design is how both the volume rocker and power button are implemented, which both rest on the tablet’s right side. It can be difficult to find; you’ll constantly find yourself sweeping your finger across the tablet’s sides — back and forth, back and forth — when you want to sleep or wake the device.

Finally, the screen, while behind the iPad and Nexus 10 in overall pixels per inch (ppi(, is lovely and great. HD movies look wonderful, and the text in books and on Web pages is crisp and easy to read. Likewise, comics look pretty fantastic in full screen here, and text is pretty easy to make out; nothing is too small, and the sharp display really makes the art pop. It’s all very comfortable and pleasant.

SOFTWARE, AND APPS

Overall, Amazon’s Kindle OS is a reasonable way to dig through and guzzle media. But compared to iOS and stock Android, it can get chaotic and downright maddening. Amazon’s carousel is an awkward workaround to the traditional home screen, and can easily transform into unwelcome clutter.

Everything you open (apps, movies, books, comics and more) is suddenly there, in your face. That might be nice if you frequently watch or play or listen to one specific thing, but the OS is constantly putting stuff there for you, whether you want it there or not. You can delete stuff from the carousel, but it becomes time consuming if you’re constantly doing so.

There’s not much flexibility — this is Android, so there should be — unless you count the Favorites drawer that pops up. The lack of multitasking is a wild omission in this stage of the game.

While Amazon’s media ecosystem is among the best, the company’s Appstore is still not quite on the same level of a Google Play or Apple App Store. I’m not a particularly heavy app user, so it wasn’t a major issue for me — I occasionally play games and use Netflix — but it might irk some folks. I think, for the most part, Amazon’s extensive media experience balances out the lack of some apps. This aspect will really vary from user to user. Someone who picks up a Fire HD to play Angry Birds and watch some videos obviously won’t be disappointed.

Price: $299

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