The folks at Engadget managed to score a series of pictures that seems to give out ASUS' intention to step further into the territory of USB 3.0 connectivity. After HP announced that its Envy 15 laptop was getting upgraded to the next-generation interface, ASUS is outfitting two models of its own with the high-speed bus. The models that will sport the new connectivity capability are the ASUS N61 and ASUS N82 notebook PCs.

The N61 has a screen size of 16 inches, whereas the N82 measures only 14 inches. They are powered by the latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 central processing units (CPUs) and will provide end-users with the option of adding an ATI or NVIDIA graphics card to the mix, in case the capabilities of the integrated graphics don't meet their needs or tastes. The photos scored by the Engadget team clearly show the existence of a built-in USB 3.0 port on the side of the laptops, which means that consumers will be able to toy with their external storage devices much more easily.

The USB 3.0 interface has a maximum data-transfer rate that is ten times better than that enabled by the USB 2.0. The next-generation ports also feature more power over bus, which means there will be less to no need of additional AC adapters for operating external storage units. These are, of course, the theoretical limits of the new technology. Practically, the live demonstration of the USB 3.0 featured in ASUS' two notebooks only reached three times the data rate of USB 2.0, but it is still a welcome improvement.

Engadget reveals that the actual product launch will occur, in Taiwan, sometime around the middle of the ongoing month, though it is unclear when the laptops will make it to other regions. Unfortunately, there is no word on what price tags the N61 and N82 USB 3.0-enabled notebook PCs will carry.