With Blu-ray being the winner of the High Definition (HD) format wars, it is just a matter of time that we see notebook PCs utilizing Blu-Ray drives as a standard for us to enjoy the clarity and vibrancy of HD movies. However, to fully appreciate these movies, the display must at least be high-definition ready at 1080P and at the same time, not straining to the eye.

Mobility is something that is much appreciated nowadays, and the industry has been shifting from the conventional tower PCs to smaller form factors, as we can see from the mini-PCs from various vendors like Asus and Acer. We are also seeing an increasing trend in using notebooks as desktop replacements, and many vendors are also subsequently rolling out notebooks with impressive features like SLI graphics and dual hard drive bays to compliment the market.

We have managed to obtain a review unit of the Asus M70s, their latest desktop replacement notebook. Armed with a 17" display that supports a full 1080P HD resolution, The M70s allow users to view HD content with absolute intricate details and the desired vibrance.

The M70S is designed not only as a digital entertainment machine, it also boasts the latest ATI Radeon HD3650 Mobility graphics, which enables you to watch HD videos without the slightest lag and at same time, enjoy your latest DirectX10 games like Crysis & Assasin's Creed! The M70S also claims to be the world’s first notebook PC that supports1 terabyte of storage capacity.

This entertainment monster is huge and weighs almost 4kg (10 pounds) .

Here’s a quick look at the specifications before we continue:

Processor	Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50GHz)
Chipset	Mobile Intel® PM965 Express Chipset +ICH8M
Main Memory	3GB DDR2-667 SDRAM
Display	17-inch WUXGA (1920x1200)
Video Graphics & Memory	ATI Mobility™ Radeon® HD 3650,
	External 1024MB VRAM
Hard Drive	SATA, 160GB,200GB,250GB,320GB,500GB
	(5400rpm), support dual HDD up to 1TB (500GBx2)
Operating sytems	Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate,
	Genuine Windows Vista® Business,
	Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium,
	Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic,
Optical Drive	5.25-inch DVD Super Multi,
	DVD Super Multi Light Scribe, Blu-Ray
Card reader	8-in-1 card reader: SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,
	mini SD w/ adapter,MS-Duo,MS-Pro Duo via adapter
Video camera	1.3-Mega Pixel swivel web camera
Fax/Modem/LAN/WLAN	Integrated Intel® High Definition Audio chip (Azalia)
	compliant MDC fax/modem and 10/100/1000 BaseT
	Built-in Bluetooth™ V2.0+EDR(optional feature)
	Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN or
	Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Interface	1 x Microphone-in jack
	2 x Headphone-out jack (S/PDIF) (1 with S/PDIF)
	1 x TV Out (S-Video composite)
	4 x USB 2.0 ports
	1 x IEEE 1394 port
	1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line
	1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
	1 x HDMI
	1 x CIR for remote controller
	1 x E-SATA
	1 x TV Antenna Input (Optional)
	1 x Light sensor
Audio	Built-in 4 speakers and array microphone
	Support Dolby® Home Theater
	1 x Built-in Subwoofer
Battery Pack & Life	8 cells: 5200 mAh,
Dimension & Weight	41 x 29.8 x 3.84 - 3.94 cm (W x D x H)
	3.78kg (with 8 cell battery)

The laptop in its open glory

A 1.3-megapixel multi-position camera is placed above the large screen that can be used for picture taking, video recording or video conferencing. You can flip the camera forward or backward through the bottom, but not more than 35-degree upward.

ASUS managed to fit in the full-size keyboard including the numeric pad in the M70S, though some buttons like the left shift key is made smaller to squeeze the entire keyboard within the limited space. Coupled with Altec Lansing speakers and ASUS instant keys (Power4Gear eXtreme, Touchpad Lock, Splendid and InstantFun PLUS). Below the keyboard is the multimedia touchpad & buttons and fingerprint scanner. There are also two additional speakers at the bottom of the speakers.

The multimedia touchpad not only works as a pointing device to control your mouse cursor and scroll your documents or webpages, but it is also a multimedia controls. Press the MODE once and the rest of the multimedia controls will light up with a white backlight and you can use them to listen to your music or watch a movie conveniently. Simply press MODE again revert it to a normal touchpad.

 On the left are two USB ports, TV antenna input, IEEE1394 connector and a card reader that supports MMC, SD, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro. There is also a 2x BD-ROM drive for reading your Blu-ray discs.

On the right are two more USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, a wireless switch and audio (SPDIF out, headphone out and microphone in) connectors.

The rear hold a unique AV/S-Video input (to be used with an RCA adapter), HDMI, eSATA, VGA out, modem and RJ-45 LAN port. All you need to connect to almost any display devices.

 

You've got the bass from the mini-subwoofer below the laptop!

A 5200mAh 8 cell battery

The lid popped!

Core 2 Duo T9300 Processor

Touted with 1TB drive space support, the M70s actually comes with space for an additional 2.5" hard drive. The unit that came to us came equipped with a single 320gb HDD, explaining the void.

Opening up the M70S reveals a brilliant 17-inch widescreen display, running at a resolution of 1920x1200. We managed to procure some movies (Fantastic 4 and sequel to be exact) and the M70S has no problem showing the amazing details and sharpness at full screen mode. There was also no lag observed during the movie playback and the audio quality was pretty good, with the 4 point speakers and a subwoofer onboard. 

The ASUS M70S shows above average performance for the FutureMark PCMark Vantage Professional benchmark tests at 1024x768 settings. 

The M70S scored 177 minutes for BAPCo MobileMark 2007 Battery Life Ratings on a single charge, which is quite good for a multimedia notebook PC.

An overview of the devices offered by this machine.

Conclusion

The ASUS M70S is a great multimedia desktop replacement with good performance and features. With the BD-ROM drive, 17-inch Full HD display and integrated Altec Lansing speakers, you can fully enjoy the latest Blu-ray movies and game fantastically.

On a side note, the replacement M70Vr is tentatively scheduled to be launched in July. The M70Vr is is priced from S$2,998 (GST Included), and comes with the following basic specifications:

MONTEVINA Platform Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz (L2: 3MB, FSB: 1066MHz)

2x2048MB (DDR2 800)

320GB SATA (5400rpm) + TPM

17.1-inch WUXGA (Full HD 1920x1200) screen

ATI Radeon HD 3470 (w/256MB dedicated RAM)

DVD-S-Multi + Built-in Hybrid TV Tuner

Kedron ABGN (M2), Gigabit LAN

Vista Home Premium