Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/04/asus_eee_keyboard_launched/
Asus Eee Keyboard launched
With some interesting tweaks
Posted in Hardware, 4th May 2010 09:54 GMT
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Asus' Eee Keyboard - a full netbook built into a keyboard chassis - has been demo'd time after time by the manufacturer and now, more than a year after it was first seen [1], the computer may actually be coming to market.
You can see our video of the product here [2].
This weekend, Asus formally announced the machine in its native Taiwan.
The problem: the Eee's spec doesn't appear to have been updated in the intervening months.
The CPU, according to Asus, is Intel's now old Atom N270, the chipset the equally past-its-prime 945GSE. It comes with Windows XP Home.
Still, there are innovations: the Eee Keyboard now connects to a monitor by an ultrawideband (UWB) wireless link. Presumably, Asus bundles a dongle for the other end of the connection. If not, the 425 x 145 x 10-24mm Keyboard has HDMI to fall back on. A Broadcom video decoder has been built in to augment the weak integrated graphics.
The unit also sports a 5in, 480 x 800 multi-touch control panel for launching favourite apps and such. And the main key array is now backlit.
The Keyboard incorporates 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, Gigabit Ethernet and three USB 2.0 ports for connectivity, and Asus has built in a four-hour battery for usage away from a desk.
Alas there's no word yet on UK availability or pricing. ®