BenQ has just unveiled a highly fashionable notebook to join the Joybook R series lineup. The new R45 ultra-portable computer is aimed at mobile users who pay great attention to fashion and design. BenQ's JoyBook R45 is an interesting blend of performance and looks, and is fully covered in a luxurious leather-like finish with special soft-touch coating.

The brown faux leather panel is meticulously blended with a high-quality bright aluminum trim with crimson pinstripes. The notebook's lid closes using a latchless design, while the function buttons (Wi-Fi and Power) are spring-loaded and give a nice tactile feedback when pushed.

Under the elegant bonnet, the manufacturer bundled state-of-the-art hardware for seamless performance for either day by day computing or when running multimedia applications. The notebook is powered by a 2.10 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and comes with the Nvidia GeForce 8400M G discrete graphics top offering.

The extra-bright 14.1-inch widescreen display features the manufacturer's UltraVivid patented technology, that puts out an extra-bright 200 nits. The display is also powered by the DBEF (Display Brilliance Enhancement Film) technology, able to deliver stunning, vibrant picture quality even in the brightly lit working environments. Also, the mobile powerhouse comes with a built-in 2-megapixel webcam for video-conferencing and instant messenger video chat.

The notebook can also serve as a fully-fledged multimedia center. Users can connect a secondary display using the HDMI digital interface with support for Digital Rights Management. BenQ included a set of stereo speakers (1.5W x 2) with smart noise suppression and echo cancellation technologies.

The extremely fashionable notebook will be released in China, Taiwan, S. East Asia and Russia in late April this year. However, there is no additional information regarding pricing or availability on other markets as of the moment of writing.