Razer, which has long been a player in the gaming peripherals market, has been showing off its newest toy: a high-end gaming notebook it plans to release in the fourth quarter. In a statement to Ars Technica, Razer CEO and creative director Min-Liang Tan explained why the company built the Razer Blade:
Today, there hasn't been a single PC laptop that anyone has been passionate about for the longest time. It's not because there's no innovation, but [because] the big PC guys just don't want to innovate anymore.
You can see what separates the Razer from every other gaming laptop on the market to the right of its keyboard: The Switchblade interface. It's comprised of 10 dynamic keys and a small multi-touch LCD screen.
Specs
- 2.8GHz Intel® CoreTM i7 2640M Processor
- 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory
- 17.3" LED Backlit Display (1920x1080)
- NVIDIA GeForce® GT 555M with NVIDIA® OptimusTM Technology
- 2GB Dedicated GDDR5 Video Memory
- Built-in HD Webcam
- Integrated 60Wh Battery
- 320GB 7200rpm SATA HDD
- Wireless Network 802.11 b/g/n Compatible
- 16.81" (Width) x 10.9" (Depth) x 0.88" (Height); 6.97lbs (Weight)
Most of the Blade’s competition looks the same: bulky and heavy but at a reasonable price. In contrast, the Blade is slim and light but really, really expensive – probably too expensive to really push sales. But remember this is a Version 1 and Razer has invested heavily. Tan told Ars:
We had to buy our own manufacturing capabilities to even get to this point, as no one wanted to make specific components for us, so we essentially acquired some of the key assets. We bought an entire ODM recently in Taiwan because we wanted to be able to control all facets of design. That's how important it is to us.
Tthe $2800 price tag will probably be the Razer Blade’s undoing, but if the company has the staying power we could start seeing some really interesting notebooks in the not too distant future. Source:
Ars Technica
