Asus U36JC 13.3" Laptop: Intel i5-460M. 500GB/4GB, GeForce 310M, 8-Cell: $649.99+tax

[Pardus]

$649.99+tax@microsoftstore.com. Specs

DISPLAY | 13.3 in HD, LED backlit (1366 x 768)
PROCESSOR | Intel i5-460M 2.53 GHz, L3 cache 3 MB
MEMORY | 4 GB DDR3 1066 MHz
HARD DRIVE SIZE | 500 GB SATA 7200 RPM
OPERATING SYSTEM | Windows 7 Home Premium PC
TYPE | Notebook
OPTICAL DRIVE | None
MEDIA DRIVE | 5-in-1 memory card reader (SD/MMC/XD/MS/MS Plus)
AUDIO | Integrated 2-watt Altec Lansing speakers
VIDEO | NVIDIA GeForce 310M with 1 GB graphics memory
PORTS | 3 USB 2.0 • HDMI • Headphone output • Microphone input • VGA (15-pin) • RJ-45 (10/100/1000)
BATTERY | 8-cell 5600mAh (up to 7 hours)*
CAMERA | Integrated webcam
WIRELESS | 802.11n
BLUETOOTH | Yes
DIMENSIONS | 12.90 x 9.28 x 0.76 in (327.66 x 235.71 x 19.30 mm)
WEIGHT | 3.74 lbs (1.69 kg)
COLOR | Silver
OTHER | Model number: U36JC-A1

 

[Ricochet]

FYI,

The same laptop is available at J&R and can be purchased through Buy.com. May make a difference for those looking to avoid tax.

 

[Apex]

For what it's worth, the U36SD-RBK5 may be a better deal at $50 less ($599 shipped).

Equipped as above except with:

2nd gen 2.3Ghz Intel Core i5-2410M (with Turbo Boost 2.0 to 2.9Ghz)
640GB 5400RPM hard drive
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics

It weighs slightly less at 3.66 lbs including the 8-cell battery.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.231076900

Specs:

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/U36SD/

 

[donfm]

Is there a reason there is no optical drive on these laptops? Or is this considered one of those mini notebooks and none of them have drives?

 

[Apex]

Is there a reason there is no optical drive on these laptops? Or is this considered one of those mini notebooks and none of them have drives?

It's considered an ultraportable. They usually don't have an optical drive. They're close to the class of laptops Intel has dubbed the "Ultrabook":

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ultrabook/shop-ultrabook.html

Honestly, for me, I rarely even use the optical drive in my ThinkPad X301 (13.3" laptop weighing 2.98 lbs). Kinda weird, they found a way to fit one in this very light laptop 2+ years ago. They're just becoming less and less useful these days I guess.