Touch-screen laptop @Dh2,999

ASUSTeK Computer, a Taiwanese multinational computer hardware and electronics company headquartered in Taipei, will launch Windows 8 touch-screen laptop in UAE soon.

The firm has partnered with technology major AMD to bring the high powered Windows 8 laptop the U38N VivoBook to the region. The machine, powered by AMD’s A8 APU (accelerated processing unit) apart from facilitating high-end graphics, also provides extended battery life of up to a 15-day standby period.

AMD has also introduced a new feature that will enable the machine to run each and every available Android application.

“The U38N … is the result of fusing the best of ASUS's technology with AMD's A8 APU processor, which harnesses the powers of the CPU and GPU on a single chip. The result - a touch-powered experience that is optimised for Windows 8 ASUS U38N,” points out ASUS.

The machine is so slim that the thinnest end is just 6mm. The display features enable full HD 1080p IPS panel with 178° viewing angle. The ASUS SonicMaster technology, co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, provides improved sound quality

The device is made for the best Windows 8 user experience and built to operate through the cloud. ASUS is also offering users 32GB of free WebStorage cloud space for three years.

Priced at Dh2,999, preorders for the device has already started. The laptop is expected to hit the market towards the end of the month.

Leon Yu, Regional Director for ASUS in the Middle East, said: “We are the number one brand when it comes to touch enabled Windows powered laptops. We are planning  an aggressive marketing strategy to increase our market share in the Middle East.”

Currently ASUS has only  an 8 per cent market share in the region compared to almost 20 per cent in Eastern Europe and 12 per cent in the United States.

Saurav Arora of AMD says the A8 APU increases the graphics capacity from a mere 17 per cent to 42 per cent. “It also enables HD media acceleration and image stabilisation.”

The success of its APU processors is crucial for AMD as it attempts to take on the much stronger Intel.

Meanwhile,  all those who are not content  with using your Android apps on their mobile and tablets and want to have them on ytheir PCs, can do so through the AMD AppZone.