However, the Asus Zenbook...might be perfect for work+home use.
(direct link to the family: http://zenbook.asus.com/zenbook/)
The insta-summary:
Full review at CNET:The good: The Asus Zenbook UX32VD has features usually missing from ultrabooks, including a 1080p display and Nvidia GPU.
The bad: The UX32VD is expensive, it's thicker and heavier than most ultrabooks, and it has a less-than-stellar touch pad.
The bottom line: With a Core i7 CPU, discrete graphics, and a full HD screen, the Asus Zenbook UX23VD is pretty close to being the ultrabook that has it all, but you'll pay for all those features.
http://www.cnet.com/laptops/asus-zenboo ... 07495.html
It's a work expense, and it's within my budget, so I don't mind the 'relatively expensive' part. I'll also probably be upgrading the memory to 8 gig later. I like the 500 gig hybrid drive over SSD, period. The graphics card, despite being low-end, appeals to me, which no other ultrabook class laptops really have. It's 3.3 pounds, which is slightly heavy for an ultrabook class ( the 13" macbook air is 3.0. The 14" Carbon X1 is also 3.0), but a lot smaller and more compact than a traditional laptop.
I can purchase it through TigerDirect, which would load it up with Win8 64 bit. I'm worried about that a little, but I still have a Win7 64bit license to use on it instead and wait another 6 to 8 months for Win8 to get a service pack.
My biggest concern is that it's 13", and not 14". At work, I dual-screen a landscape mode 24" and a portrait-mode 23". If I was going to use the laptop for an extended period of time, I'd assume I'd grab a spare monitor, but that's not going to be accessible on business trips. A 15" or 17" appeals to me for those reasons, but I thought an ultrabook-class laptop would make the most sense for day to day use at home.
Not sure why I'm posting here. I'm worried that in any of your efforts to turn my thinking to better options, I'll just end up being sour on whatever I choose, hehe. Ain't that the way it goes! I heavily considered the new 13" MacBook Pro (which my wife would _love_), but I don't think it makes the best sense for me.