Asus readies slim multimedia PC-in-a-keyboard

Atom-based Eee includes mini-LCD touch screen everyplace numeric keypad would be
Taiwan’s AsusTek CPU Inc. ahead of schedule this summer plans to launch the nearly all radical component of its well-liked Eee family of elfin PCs, a round CD laptop enclosed in a smooth piano that includes a 5-in. LCD touch screen.
With its 800-by-480 steadfastness screen, the slim, aluminum-encased Eee piano PC can be old as stand-alone computer. But Asus expects generally users of the Wi-Fi enabled workstation to hook it up to an outer observer or television, creation it possible for people to briefly good turn any screen in the mansion addicted to a Web surfing locate or multimedia center.

Originally announced at the International CES parade in January, the 2-lb. Asus Keyboard PC was plus on parade at the CeBIT trade put under somebody’s nose in advance this month, according to a five-minute YouTube film posted this week by thingamabob blog UMPCportal.com. Asus Chairman Jonney Shih so they say said at CeBIT that the the ivories PC will be successful in June.

Asus traditional the netbook market in the drop of 2007 when it introduced its original Eee PC. Since then, it has launched a varied variety of Eee netbook models, as attractively as net-top baby desktop PCs such as its Mac Mini-like Eee Box and its Eee Top, a touch-screen all-in-one PC in addition to an LCD monitor.

The baby grand PC is Asus’ generally innovative donation in the net-top, or little desktop PC, category. Like its netbook and net-top Eees, the piano PC will be powered by an Intel Atom N270 1.6-GHz processor. It will come by way of 1GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of solid-state disk storage.

It hope against hope run Windows XP Home text and will happen including 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless connectivity. It sports wide, total keys with the aim of are similar to persons on Apple Inc.’s MacBook Pro, and it appears — judging starting UMPCportal.com’s tape — to be gifted to run emphatically on battery power, be keen on a pad computer.

As it did with its new 7-in. LCD Eee netbook, Asus has produced a user line optimized for the baby grand PC’s insignificant onboard screen. Called EeeFun, it features icons with the aim of are so fat to facilitate even sausage-fingered users can urge them.

nonetheless optimized for Web surfing, the Keyboard PC in addition factory as a media hub PC, allowing users to keep an eye on movies on home-theater-style TVs or listen in to music. Users might as well prefer to add an external DVD urge via a USB port, or stream videotape on or after a household server or network-attached take via the piano PC’s Wi-Fi. The grand piano PC’s consequences will reportedly flinch at about $400 for the model with VGA connectivity and level up to $600 for one that can wirelessly unite to HDMI televisions.
via : computerworld.com