Yesterday I spent an age taking the ASUS Zenbook UX31E out of its box and playing around with it. On the surface, this laptop looks and feels fantastic. So what of its awards and, more importantly, what did a group of kids aged three to seven think of it?
Like its cousin, the UX21E, this lovely Zenbook met with no small amount of critical acclaim. From Turkey to Sweden to the Philippines and Singapore, this laptop received very positive reviews from some of the sternest critics around. Take a peek at the reviews and awards here.
It is the weight and the thinness of the UX31E that are constantly mentioned. How this laptop manages to include a powerful performance within a highly portable and versatile shell. Obviously this meant that I had to test it with a tough target market – kids.
These small humans are deadly. Technology has to be robust enough to cope with their clumsy hands and fingers, and shiny enough to get their attention. I gathered them around and held the Zenbook up for all to see.
“This,” I told them, “Is a very light laptop. Do you know what a laptop is?”
They all nodded. One added that, “That is what my daddy sits on all night and makes my mum complain.” Exactly. They know what it is then.
I then told them that this laptop was so light that they could carry it with one hand. The kids eyed the Zenbook with suspicion. To their little eyes, it is a pretty big piece of kit. If I was surprised by how light it was for its size, then it will be doubly so to them.
I handed it over to the first child, a boy of eight, who wielded it like a lightsaber. His exact words were, “Oh coooooool!” I promptly rescued the poor UX31E and handed it to the next child, a little girl of five. She eyed it speculatively as she held it in both hands.
“Can I try holding it with one hand?” she asked. I thought this was a brilliant idea. She is so tiny that the Zenbook is exactly the same size as her entire upper body and as she hefted it in her right hand she looked like she could be Superman’s offspring.
The Zenbook UX31E withstood repeated opening and closing, even with the instant on feature, and being handed around messily by a group of kids and there is not a scratch on it, nor any sign of technical issues either.
It’s the magpie’s dream toy, all bright and shiny and light enough to put in the nest.
Tomorrow it’s going to be all about opening this baby up. Any questions?
Tamsin