Netbook inside wireless keyboard = Asus EeeKeyboard PC
Always looking for new ways to connect users with PCs, the inventive minds at Asus have packed the guts from a Netbook/Nettop Atom-based PC into a wireless keyboard.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Always looking for new ways to connect users with PCs, the inventive minds at Asus have packed the guts from a Netbook/Nettop Atom-based PC into a wireless keyboard.
The result, called the EeeKeyboard PC, has a built-in 5-inch multitouch secondary display and connects wirelessly to a nearby display. Asus calls this technology "Eee WiCast wireless HDMI," and it sounds very similar to wireless display tech we've been seeing from other tech companies (more on that later in the week).
Asus says its wireless display technology is virtually latency free and ideal for gaming and multimedia use (Atom CPU aside), although our hands-on experience with similar technologies has been somewhat laggier, and we'll have to wait until we can run through some hands-on tests to pass judgment.
The built-in secondary display screen (with an 800x480-pixel resolution) is especially interesting, as it can be used to launch apps, control media player software, or as a touch pad for your main display.
The system specs are fairly standard for a Netbook-level system, including an Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, either 16GB or 32GB of SSD hard-drive space, and Windows XP (although we're a little surprised the listed specs don't include the newer Atom N450 and Windows 7). Asus claims the included rechargeable battery will run for about 4 hours at a time.
No pricing or availability yet, but we're eager to check one of these out in person.
Update: Asus now says $499 and sometime in Q1 2010 for this product.