Video: hands-on with ASUS' Eee Keyboard at Computex

We first caught sight of ASUS' totally weird Eee Keyboard -- a full PC with an Intel Atom N270 CPU built in -- way back at CES in January. Well, our friends at Engadget Chinese have laid hands on it at Computex, and it's looking a bit different than what we expected... and a whole lot more awesome. The 5-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen display/trackpad on the right side of the keyboard, is, as it turns out, running a standalone version of XP, and serves as the shortcut screen to most of the included software -- including Skype, MSN, and music playback controls. Our friends found the touchscreen to work extremely well, and though we don't know anything rock solid about pricing or availability yet (we hear it will launch by the end of June, we do know that it will come in two flavors -- wired and and UWB wireless -- with the wireless version housing a battery which gets about two hours of use before needing a charge. There's a video (in Chinese) showing this badboy off after the break. Hit the read link for a full gallery of photos.

[timberspine @ Jun 4th 2009 8:02PM]

what fun!

was it really necessary to have all those *fun suffixes? jeez!

[astrodemoniac @ Jun 5th 2009 4:17AM]

I wonder if it's any fun o_0

[hey @ Jun 4th 2009 8:04PM]

我爱！！！！

[Willie Ha @ Jun 4th 2009 9:29PM]

我也爱!!!

[Evangelion @ Jun 4th 2009 9:34PM]

¿ʇɐɥʍ ʇıɐʍ

[alo8a @ Jun 5th 2009 9:57AM]

This is what they said: I love, and I also love... according to Google ;-)

http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en#zh-CN|en|%E6%88%91%E4%B9%9F%E7%88%B1!!!

[Christian @ Jun 4th 2009 8:05PM]

IB4DFUN

[Rakar @ Jun 4th 2009 8:11PM]

Looks fun

[Templarian @ Jun 4th 2009 8:34PM]

+1 Exactly what I think most of us were thinking.

[-Tj- @ Jun 4th 2009 8:14PM]

I wonder if this could be used as a cheap, compact server machine? I suppose till we hear about price, "cheap" may or may not be the correct term...

[Alden @ Jun 4th 2009 8:51PM]

I'm hoping it's cheap to use it exactly as you described. Toss that thing in the entertainment center, put Linux on it and use it as a music/video server that you can administer remotely or directly.

[molecule-eye @ Jun 5th 2009 5:38AM]

It's gonna be pretty much USELESS as an entertainment server if it's using the usual Intel chipset, which it is. Nice keyboard though!

[AndrewNoNumbers @ Jun 4th 2009 8:16PM]

Imagine if you could just rip out that screen part. Would be one hell of a WinXP MID.

[Eleazar @ Jun 4th 2009 8:44PM]

Now that would be fun!

fun fun fun

[nzo @ Jun 4th 2009 8:26PM]

Sweet, I think we're living in the future now.

[HZ @ Jun 4th 2009 8:29PM]

And here we have the first product of a new ASUS series, meet the "EeeKeyboard Fun", of the "Eee Fun" Series!.

[HZ @ Jun 4th 2009 8:30PM]

* "EeeFun Keyboard"

lol

[Gabe @ Jun 4th 2009 8:34PM]

Does it have HDMI out?

[Ghatid @ Jun 4th 2009 8:36PM]

Engadget needs to hire some better Chinese Engadget employees. The photo gallery they have is quite insufficient. There are no pictures at all of the hardware, just the software shortcuts (which makes the thing look like an iPod or something)

[Ghatid @ Jun 4th 2009 8:38PM]

Can we edit engadget comments?

Yea, it looks like it does. Take a look at the video at 54secs. There seems to be an HDMI right next to the VGA. I would hope they had HDMI if they want to plug it into a giant TV.

[Willie Ha @ Jun 4th 2009 9:28PM]

not only are the images bad, but the guy that was in the video was like he was completely clueless about computers

[Ghatid @ Jun 4th 2009 8:34PM]

From my understanding (this is coming from an ABC), the smaller screen doesn't actually work as the main screen. It only has the shortcuts. For example, in the video, they clicked on IE and it showed up on the big monitor. I don't think you can use the small screen on its own.

Why do Chinese people like to repeat things so much? The last thing the guy says is, '800x6...800x480, 800x480, 800x480...thank you."

[3rdman @ Jun 4th 2009 9:32PM]

First time was he said it wrong, it wasn't 600, the second was someone correcting him, the third was him saying it, and the fourth was just him repeating it. He said it an extra 1 time...and it had nothing to do with him being Chinese.

[3Djesus @ Jun 5th 2009 12:40AM]

They do it just to irritate guys like you.

[Willie Ha @ Jun 4th 2009 9:28PM]

...why does he have to ask the guy over and over where the music is located? he started by saying its all a computer... and then why does he have to explain that this is a home-brew version of XP?
OMG the guy is like REALLY???

[Mitch @ Jun 4th 2009 9:39PM]

For a second there I thought that was ASUSs take on an iPod Touch on a metal table. Look at that deliciously thin bezel. MMmmm

[k2001 @ Jun 4th 2009 10:03PM]

Let me just sum it up the first ee keyboard they show is wireless. It required you to connect the an adapter( the black L shape thingy) to the eee keyboard and a receiver to the monitor. Must icon are shortcuts so pc is require. It sound like it only will come with ssd

[JohnTech @ Jun 5th 2009 12:10AM]

Neat proof-of-concept but it's useless from a practical standpoint if you're going to run a normal OS on it.

[superhobo @ Jun 5th 2009 6:32AM]

You're supposed to connect it to a monitor/HDTV. It has Wireless HDMI...or something.

[3Djesus @ Jun 5th 2009 12:34AM]

So now I need two operating systems?

[Noah Sanchez @ Jun 9th 2009 6:30PM]

This is extremily beastly

[Cunthor @ Jun 5th 2009 2:37AM]

They need to get rid of that mouse pointer from the screen, and add a biometric fingerprint reader. Win.

[streel007 @ Jun 5th 2009 3:12AM]

I would definatly buy this IF...

you could also use the keyboard to control another machine at the same time, kinda like have a built in switch so this could be your usb keyboard for your main computer, but then be able to do some more cool stuff

[Winston @ Jun 5th 2009 4:21AM]

Just to clear up what the video says: You see small subsections at the bottom. According to the presenter, you can use the last 2 subsections on the small touchscreen itself, ie EeeFun and Settings section. EeeFun section includes IE, MSN and Skype which he emphasises, you can use on the small touchscreen without the big HDMI LCD that you hook the keyboard up onto. However, given that you have a big screen in front of you, it's unlikely you will wanna use the touchscreen for IE. MSN and Skype IMs are a nice touch.

Also, the part about the music is with regards to another gadget that the interviewer is thinking of, where the music is located outside the machine. Here, the presenter emphasises that the machine has 32GB space, allowing for music to be stored onboard like any PCs. Most likely SSD if it's 32GB.

Would definitely love to have this at home as my main desktop in the living room in front of a big LCD. Then again, if Asus can fit that keyboard with a Ion mainboard, that would be a must have. 1080p graphics and HD screen, yummmmmmmm *drool*

[nick @ Jun 5th 2009 4:35AM]

On engadget China, you don't see everyone hating each other in the comments

[bublik @ Jun 5th 2009 4:40AM]

eee useless and eee stupid = eee fuuuun =)

[molecule-eye @ Jun 5th 2009 5:32AM]

The side screen is gimicky and mostly useless. It'll also drive the cost of the thing up, so what the hell? My balls itch.

[Andreas @ Jun 5th 2009 9:19AM]

Well, it seems like it could be used to go on IM networks and play music without actually plugging a screen in, which seems quite handy.

[superhobo @ Jun 5th 2009 6:36AM]

Price?

[richb93 @ Jun 5th 2009 8:00AM]

Now I want to see someone mod an ION based netbook into a Commodore 64 case!

[Andreas @ Jun 5th 2009 9:18AM]

.. Did he say "Windows Happy"?

[MusashiBaka @ Jun 5th 2009 9:25AM]

It's great... unless your left handed :(

[Quikboy @ Jun 5th 2009 9:37AM]

Asus needs to remember that this is 2009, and MSN Messenger is now Windows Live Messenger (or WLM). How hard is this for people to get?

[GingerFox @ Jun 5th 2009 10:29AM]

IE fun, someone must be confused

[iKurt 5D @ Jun 5th 2009 1:22PM]

It looks like a blatant ripoff of Apple's keyboards.

[Omar Khafagy @ Jun 6th 2009 10:58AM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiclet_keyboard

Please read.

[skatermarvin @ Jun 9th 2009 5:12PM]

this thing will kill the start menu!!!

[bobkaka @ Jun 6th 2009 2:04AM]

They should have two versions.

EeeFun: Ion without side-screen
EeeFunner: Ion with side-screen

But knowing Asus the'll probably have

EeeFun: GMA without sidescreen
EeeFun-HE: GMA with sidescreen
Eee SoMuchFun Seashell: Ion without sidescreen
Eee SoMuchFun Seashell H: Ion with sidescreen and bigger harddrive and at this point, the price is approaching a macbook,

and then of course WeNotSureItsEee Fun HE : with extended battery and a wider screen

[z33 @ Jun 6th 2009 7:05AM]

太牛逼了！