It may sound like sheer insanity, but it's the right sort of crazy sauce if you ask us. ASUS is planning to make its
Fold / Unfold laptop concept into a for-reals product this year, with plans to ship by Q3. That seems pretty accelerated for something we've only seen in concept form, and something with such a new and interesting form factor -- Fold / Unfold's keyboard slides backwards as you open the display to maximize room for keys, trackpad and palm rest (video of the "folding" action is after the break). The concepts we've seen have also been suspiciously thin, so hopefully ASUS can pull this off without compromising this delicious form factor too terribly much. Sadly, that
dual-touchscreen concept is further out, there's currently no slated window for commercialization.
posted Mar 6th 2009 3:27PM
It still just looks like a binder with a keyboard in it.
Trapper-Keepbook
P-p-p-powerbook!
http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/
(pics at bottom of page)
Kamokazi: Good job ruining it for yourself ;)
It's about time! I was tired of being jealous of MBP users having such spacious mouse pads!
SWEET!
Yeah, it may be Sweet, but if Apple had come out with this, then it would have been "super amazing sweet".
Coming to think of it, why didn't Apple come out with this ? My little sister says that the reason is, that Apple simply copies other manufacturers and does not itself, Innovate. She is only eight, what would she know ?
She also said, after all Apple is simply an assembler. She said that the components that Apple assembles into their cases, are the same generic components being put into other machines at half the price. She said that Apple gouges its customers and preys upon their gullibility. She is only eight.
She also said that OSuX (as she calls it), is simply a UNIX OS with a modified Gnome interface. She said that it should be free. What would she know.
@kcboy....
fail. there is no 8 year old that knows (or cares) about such topics. furthermore, how many gadgets has she had time to dissassemble and compare assembly notes? maybe now you should teach her to type so she can make her way onto engadget, post, and let you go about your life, seeing as you have a hard time forming an opinion of your own. effort on blogging team work though.
hey, kccboy2004 - Apple rules.
@ Bryan...
Are you for real???? I don't think the 8 year old was.
The FAIL is on you.
@kccboy2004 -
Bringing Apple into a totally unrelated post? What are you, an Apple fanboy?
@Bryan Thornsberry....
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/23/nine-year-old-girl-is-youngest-person-to-become-microsoft-certif/3
don't assume the impossible.
Sounds to me like he's using his sister as a scapegoat in case his opinion gets shot down, didn't work though did it, lol.
That looks awesome
Yeah, but can it run Crysis?
Who knows, but it can fold and unfold..
You're not funny at all. That shit was maybe funny a year or two ago.
@Shmuck:
I'm not sure how much folding it could do. I don't think it will have a very powerful processor in such a tiny form factor. Though, I guess we already have enough free cycles floating out there to adequately fold proteins.
Seriously... I agree with neflow.
The least you could've done is reach for a folding@home pun.
hmmm... how about spects?...
Is it sturdy, can it survive being jostled around inside a backpack?
Can you adjust the monitor viewing angle in different lighting conditions?
Does it perform a real purpose? or does it exist simply for the sake of being different?
Best feature.
Cooling should be very nice and easy.
Yeah, who cares who it looks, that extra vent for cooling should take care of any problems having it in ur lap. On top of that the design allows extra palmspace, nice!
Didn't the OLD thinkpads have keyboards that folded/popped out? I think the 755 was the one that had it pop up. There was another which I don't remember the model that had the split keyboard that folded out.
Do you mean the IBM Thinkpad 701 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_keyboard
The ThinkPad 701.
The 701 is the butterfly keyboard one, correct. I was wrong, the 755 is not the one I was thinking of, but the 760ED. That one had the tilt keyboard on it.
Why is this considered an improvement? Am I missing something, because it looks as though that design adds nothing to the usability of the product...
It was originally designed to allow better airflow to the parts that are traditionally buried under the keyboard. This would be mean less fan usage and therefore less noise.
I like...
I really want that, minus the LED lighting.
you kidding me? i want it to constantly flash in rainbow colors!
I wonder how it will hold up under all the open and closes a lap top takes.
At first I thought the keyboard was removable when used at your desk...and I was all impressed. You gotta think that would be more useful, right?!
dribble dribble.
The way the guy is handling it makes it seem really fragile to me.
Well, it is a prototype.
Personally, I'd rather see the butterfly keyboard make a comeback.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_keyboard
I personally like the OLPC2 prototype/concept/mockup
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/28/olpc-2-0-dual-touchscreen-mockup-surfaces-in-the-wild/
having two screens that are both multitouch, one is keyboard, one is desktop
and if apple picked it up it would be able to 'flip' based on it's
orientation.
that would be total WIN if someone made that
What is the point of that again? Wrist room? I've never had a problem with that using a MacBook.
That is because apple laptop don't included nunber keay.
Is the fortune-teller paper thingy next to it a new addon? If so, I'm sold!
Your favorite color is: Blue.
OK, looks beautiful, but what's the benefit?
Yeah, I guess I don't get it. I look at it and wonder "Why should we care?"
I guess I'm in this camp, too. I mean, it looks like it gives a MINOR improvement to the depth of the laptop, but that's about it. Who have you ever heard say "Oh man, my laptop is just too long?" Usually width is the bigger issue - I have seen the "butterfly keyboard" mentioned above, and it seems to me to yield a lot larger benefit. This just seems kinda gimmicky - you could probably charge an extra $200 for this relatively useless (other than aesthetic) enhancement.
Folding @ home... and wherever you go!
Asus are leading the way at the moment when it comes to products imo
this thing is stupid -- i can't wait to see all the keyboards flying off this thing
That is not a folding keyboard - it just slides. It's amazing there aren't more usage of existing good folding designs - the true folding keyboard innovations were:
1. IBM Thinkpad 601C aka "butterfly" :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_keyboard
2. Think Outside's "Stowaway" keyboard - best being gen. 2 resold as the "Palm Portable Keyboard"
http://www.dansdata.com/portkey.htm
That is a seriously cool form-factor. Although I am a pretty confirmed Mac guy, I would be tempted by that, IF it is as small as it seems it could be, AND as easy to use as it SHOULD be.
oops 701, not 601 - 'Michael' above had the model correct. It's rare there is any innovation anymore. Even if it never succeeds (i.e. the IBM thinkpad folio-design (i.e. Transnote) with paper and handwriting capture. It's nice to try new things. Have to give Asus credit for TRYING to think outside the box.
Can't really see what's so cool about this other than increased complexity with no real benefit.
When open, the keyboard is tilted and in a more ergonomic position.
my issue is that the screen can't be positioned in any other angles Dx wut if ur trying to look at it from the front so u want the screen at like 90 degrees
i totally agree. from the video it seems that this would have a set screen angle which will be a turn off to almost everyone. this is still a concept so hopefully this issue will be addressed in the final product.
dito. The screen is opened at a fixed angle and you won't be able to change it, else you won't be able to use your touchpad any longer. It also makes the whole notebook case more complex and more fragile. So I think it's just vaporware, a stupid design study, which looks interesting but is not useful, and it does not really give you that much more space on the palm rest.
It reminds me of the old IBM "butterfly" keyboard
I'll stick to my Aspire Gemstone Blue. Has everything I want and need in a Notebook.
Do you ever wish that Engadget would just block out the words "Apple" and "iPhone" on posts that have nothing to do with it? I mean people ***** about anything that either is or isn't made by Apple. Even on things that aren't even trying to compete with it
I still don't get this laptop.
It's okay, no one expected you to..............
That really looks awesome. I can't wait to see the real thing when it is manufactured.
That's pretty kick-ass looking. I think if this really kicks off, it could lead to production of laptops that cool much better than previous designs.
Looks great, the concept is that when open the laptop is stretched out, very short when folded.
Take a look Apple Fanbois this is called "innovation"
the manifestation of convolution
It doesn't seem to make it any thinner either, so it seems more gimmicky, than actually helping ergonomics.
where does ASUS get all their money to produce so many different models of laptops/netbooks?
Nice idea, but leaves a huge hole to the hinge end when closed=its going to be a bit more thick when closed.
Cool concept, but it looks like in it's current iteration the keyboard part would scratch and crunch on the the display. Nice way to improve airflow though. Hopefully they can get it built reliably and solid.
Am I the only one who finds this a stupid idea? The laptop loses its rigidity, and what is basically achieved could just as easily been achieved with an under the keyboard extendable touchpad/hand rest thingy. I'm sorry but it just looks more like a gimmick rather than a feature.
Although i love the design a lot, and imo looks like a laptop from the future, i believe that will miss lot's of ports and the various card readers found in other laptops. Hopefully ASUS will think to make an accessory that will solve this problem.
I would like a nice number pad on the bottom right, that would be cool
The most unpractical and unreliable design yet
@Kccboy2004:
Tell your damn little sister that Apple started the home computer market and that they have around 30 billion in the bank. Oh, also tell her little ass that Apple has their own fucking OS unlike the CHEAPO PC she has that can't wipe it's ass if MS isn't there to do it for them.
See, a lot of you were born late to the game. The average pc is nothing but a commodity box. It is ubiquitous,and powered by MS's OS. And most of all they are cheap to make. No effort is made to do much but put a name on it. All the parts can be fund at your overseas ODM. The company gives MS a cut for selling their OS(not to mention they have to put MS on their keyboard and on the box and everywhere on the computer to let people know that this pc would not see the light of day if MS's penis wasn't in it) and there you go. Look in pc magazine or computer shopper. Them fucking beige boxes are everywhere. Cheap cheap cheap. And that's why YOU have one. I have a unibody Macbook. It is worth every dime.
Apple is a different beast in that they build most of their swag from the ground up. But most important, they power their own computers with an in house OS. They take time making sure they turn out an incredible product. And they have the heritage to only introduce an update to their computer line just a few times a year. Who in the biz does that? In the end, the cost pays for itself. Ask your boys over at Dell or HP to get them a Jonathan Ive design team(in house), in house programmers etc.
Enough said.
Yeah, PC's are for CHEAPOS!
I, for one, refuse to buy a computer which can't wipe its own ass, and I always make sure that my computers are covered in Steve Jobs' semen (none of that "Microsoft Penis" crap for me!)
Seriously makes me wonder what exactly Apple does to their customers...
I never understood apple fandom.
Even after I myself got a macbook, it just feels like a basic unix machine with a really shiny interface and sleek body design.
I am pissed that I can't get it to run Ubuntu or Backtrack too.
Shame on you Apple! Not letting me choose what OS I want to put in my sexy machine!
@megapenguinx
I take it your macbook is pre intel? If not, you shouldn't have any problem running those OSs
@ terry
Dude, you'll never win this argument. Everything is viewed differently by everybody. Every element of both platforms can be viewed as both positive and negative depending on the needs and opinions of the person making the observation.
I love my Mac, and couldn't use anything other than OSX, I personally think it is far superior to Windows, but that doesn't mean I can't understand why someone would be content with Windows and a beige box, even if that makes me cringe.
This world is filled with too many different people for everybody to agree on everything, but wouldn't it be a boring world if it wasn't and they did?
that is damn cool. amazed at how thing it is too. ASUS is certainly pumping some cash into their notebook division.
I wonder how long the battery lasts.....
Would not having fans (I think that's what I got from the original post) affect battery life at all?
I've been trying to figure out what they're trying to do here. Yes, the keyboard is at a more ergonomic angle, but only if you're sitting in a specific position relative to the laptop. The sheer amount of different table and chair heights makes the ability to sit in the correct position every time impossible. Just try standing up and using this laptop, you can no longer see the keys or the screen properly as it no longer has an adjustable angle.
i like it, but i wonder if this will burn off my fingertips instead of my lap lol. just a thought
Am i the only person that see's this concept is a complete rip off of psions series 5 sliding mechanism - i say this purely as they gear up to take on the world of netbook, now another of there ideas is being ripped off - pantent dispute any1???????
Honestly, the more moving parts the greater the chance something breaks. Or how about any number of things that could get caught in the sliding keyboard, jamming it or just getting stuck. I like the concept and the fact Asus is pushing something new out there, but how successful will this really be remains to be seen.
Old tech. The IBM PC Convertible did this back in the late 80's (I had mine in 1989). Both the keyboard and a pair of 3.5 inch floppy drives folded away when you closed the screen.