It looks like ASUS is bolstering its line-up of ultraportable notebooks with an all new 13in model that's set to arrive in Europe sometime in December.
According to Notebook Italia, the U31 will measure under 1in thick and weigh only 1.88kg, thanks in part to the use of aluminium on the lid and palm-rest. Inside, the laptop will run a choice of dual-core Intel Core i3 370M, Core i3 380M or Core i5 460M CPUs and ship with up to 4GB DRR3.
The slightly higher-specced U31JG also comes equipped with a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 415M GPU, and thanks to the inclusion of Optimus graphics-switching tech and ASUS' proprietary Super Hybrid Engine you should be able to squeeze up to ten hours of runtime out of the standard six-cell battery.
Otherwise, the specs are fairly normal for a laptop in this class. The 13.3in LED-backlit display will run at a standard 1,366x768px resolution and all models will come with a 500GB HDD and support for 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth. ASUS has also decided to equip the U31's with Windows 7 Professional, even though it looks like it would fit in at home just as well as it would at the office.
These notebooks should just about make it to retailers before the end of the year, with the discrete GPU-less U31F starting at around €799 (£676). This is still quite expensive for an ultraportable, but the manufacturer is sweetening the deal by throwing in a two year warranty - including courier collection there and back - and a full year of accidental damage cover.
