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News Asus Eee keyboard could be out in May

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by CardJoe, 4 Mar 2009.

  1. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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  2. Blademrk

    Blademrk Why so serious?

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    I like the look of this.
    at first glance I thought it was an ipod touch.
     
  3. Angleus

    Angleus What's a Dremel?

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    Its a cool idea but I think a little bit pricey for what it does, interesting to see the wireless hdmi stuff though
     
  4. Bauul

    Bauul Sir Bongaminge

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    That looks really lovely actually. The wireless HDMI is a brilliant addition.
     
  5. Jamie

    Jamie ex-Bit-Tech code junkie

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    Wireless HDMI sounds like a lot of hassle to me.
     
  6. p3n

    p3n What's a Dremel?

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    Why on earth have the 'brains' in the keyboard? Crazy.
     
  7. kylew

    kylew What's a Dremel?

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    Yeah, all that plugging in and unplugging you'll have to do when you want to move to an other room, oh wait...
     
  8. kylew

    kylew What's a Dremel?

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    It's essentially an uncommon form-factor laptop without the screen.

    I think it looks great, though I doubt I'd ever get one as for the amount you'd spend on it you could get quite a nice and powerful HTPC. I know power isn't the point of an HTPC but for the same or only a bit extra you may as well in my opinion.
     
  9. ChaosDefinesOrder

    ChaosDefinesOrder Vapourmodder

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    Possibly the most important question w.r.t the wireless HDMI is what is the range like? Can you be sat at the optimal viewing distance from the screen with the keyboard on your lap and still get proper HD images?

    The keyboard itself looks great - the multi-function screen thingy on the right is a good idea - could be used as a trackpad, or VFD etc...
     
  10. Diosjenin

    Diosjenin Thinker, Tweaker, Et Cetera

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    Atom CPU... hmm. If it can play back 1080p (a potentially big 'if,' since it doesn't have Ion), I'd almost consider picking one up for my main rig.

    32GB of storage isn't enough for an HTPC (IMO), and wiring it to an external hard drive kind of defeats the concept. But hook it up correctly to your regular PC and this serves basically an identical function to the VIA Artigo - plus some HD playback capability and a nifty touchscreen, and hopefully sans the Artigo's noisy fan.
     
    Last edited: 4 Mar 2009
  11. Fod

    Fod what is the cheesecake?

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    with the right software, and an IR distributor, this would make a killer home theatre controller, and competes pricewise. you don't wanna know how much those marantz/philips programmable remotes are :-/
     
  12. D3s3rt_F0x

    D3s3rt_F0x What's a Dremel?

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    If that could play 1080p would be legendary, no gaming on it but who cares for that price and something thats going to be as quiet and sveltte as that and wont look out of place in a living room.
     
  13. RinSewand

    RinSewand What's a Dremel?

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    That looks fantastic...

    As it's got wireless I don't think the lack of storage should be too much of an issue, that coupled with a low powered fileserver and you're sorted. Wonder what the battery life will be like though with all that wireless going on?

    RwD
     
  14. Skiddywinks

    Skiddywinks Minimodder

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    The extra cost for the wirless HDMI is a bit steep IMO. However, having your HTPC on your lap whilst watching a film on your TV 6 or 7 feet away does sound sweet.

    I do have a question though; I'm not too knowledgable about HTPC's, so I am wondering how powerful this is going to be? Are the parts up to the task of decoding 1080p etc? Is it going to work like an Ion?
     
  15. Diosjenin

    Diosjenin Thinker, Tweaker, Et Cetera

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    That's one of the bigger questions at the moment. The only place I saw that had hard specs said it ran off the Intel 945 chipset, but I don't remember how dated that was, and even now the specs are still subject to some level of change. I personally don't much care if it's Ion or not provided it can decode 1080p.
     
  16. knyghtryda

    knyghtryda What's a Dremel?

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    Give it wireless N and 1080p playback and you've got the ultimate HTPC frontend. Just stick the big honking storage on the network somewhere and stream it to the machine.
     
  17. Nicb

    Nicb Let's discuss among ourselves

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    Sounds like it would be good for the kitchen or visitors at the house that need to get on for a bit.
     
  18. BlackDiamond

    BlackDiamond What's a Dremel?

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    I think that a milder version of this has the potential to replace the standard Dell/HP/etc. boxes you see in offices used for word processing/email/web browsing.
    It needs less power (from the outlet), takes less space than a typical case (even a slim one) and looks "cute" - i can already hear all the secretaries in the world going "Oooh!" when they see it for the first time.
     
  19. pimlicosound

    pimlicosound What's a Dremel?

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    My MSI Wind on Atom and Intel 945 chipset on Windows XP struggles to play even 540p video. I wouldn't hold much hope for 1080p, unless you're a big fan of slideshows.
     
  20. nicae

    nicae What's a Dremel?

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    You're basically swapping the EeePC's screen for the HDMI and side-screen.
    Maybe I'm better of with a normal EeePC with HDMI output? That way I could carry it around as a laptop as well.
     
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