Several of the documents hidden from our anxious eyes during the
FCC filing have now gone public. Not only can you visually inspect its innards, the feds have also laid bare the full spec sheet for the ASUS
Eee Keyboard model EK1542. Beneath the 5-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touch panel (with stylus) we'll be getting Windows XP Home running on an Intel Atom N270, 945GSE / ICH7-M chipset with Broadcom AV-VD905 video decoder, 1GB of DDR2 memory, either 16GB or 32GB of flash storage, 4-hour battery, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI and VGA outputs, integrated stereo speakers and mic, 3x USB, headphone and mic jacks, and external WiFi / UWB antenna. The Eee Keyboard's on-board Ultra-Wideband (UWB) throws 720p content to your TV within a 5-meter range (10-meters for non-video transmissions) via a UWB receiver packing 2x USB ports, another mini-USB port, audio out, and HDMI. You can even connect to two external monitors at the same time using UWB and either VGA or HDMI cable. Now all we need is a final date and price... ASUS?
[Via
EeePC.it]
posted October 12th 2009 7:44AM
It's nice and all but for the price, I'm not sure I'll ever buy one.
Besides, the bezel on that thing looks like a full fledge notebook from 2001.
Seeing that no price has been announced, I'm sure you won't.
yeah, how much is it again?
What about left handers?
I feel cheated.
i sort of agree. why is engadget so obsessed with this product? why would anyone want this? its a computer in a keyboard. its not as if you are saving any space, you are still going to need a monitor. you might as well get a legitimate all-in-one if you are really that concerned with ditching the brain. its basically a crummy netbook that you cant actually take anywhere and i think its silly.
Just out of curiosity, how would this do versus something like Apple TV or a Mac Mini? Let's say it costs $600, just for the sake of argument.
This is a completely different device. So you can't really compare them.
It's a very very cool KeyPC (has that name been coined yet?).. But I'm still trying to figure out would use it.
FAIL.
THE WHOLE CONCEPT IS FILLED WITH FAIL.
said sony about the wii.
Yes?
-- Asus
Are you there?
-Engadget
we want this because?
You ask for everyone, how?
Because we want this?
I'm not sure four hours of battery life are enough.
We'll you have to be within 5 meters from your tv, so I'm sure there's a power socket within range. Besides, I doubt this is good for gaming and such where you'll be on for hours at a time. It's better suited for web surfing (if you can even read the tv), and possibly typing.
It's a shame that the screen is for a stylus.
All us lefties are either going to have to move it every time we use the screen, or just not bother.
Long live the Commodore 64!
That thing has Atari DNA to be sure.
Nah, I'm thinking Commodore DNA
Given the way both companies engineers went back and forth that's not that suprising
Think of it as an All-in-One with any monitor you want? I mean I'm sure this thing will be competent for any basic tasks you'd want to run.
Does it come with free reversi?
I wonder how much this thing weighs? I suspect its tank like...
1.1 kg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/10/eee-keyboard-fcc-specs.jpg
throw an Ion on that sumbitch and I'm sold.
Nice to see confirmation that it has a supplementary video decoder, pity that the UWB is limited to 720p.
Why would anyone want the PC integrated into their keyboard, thus requiring an HDMI cable for reliable HD output? Seems like a non-starter.
Ion and 1080p on the Wireless HD and I'd buy one today.
Does it support 1080p on the hdmi output atleast? Whats the max length you can run an hdmi cable w/o needing to get into repeaters and such??
how expensive would another UWB receiver be for a TV? interesting application
it'd be nice if you could leave the keyboard on 24/7 running torrents, etc and then have a switch or something that could switch it to controlling your main computer...
I would be rather easy to Use this to control your main computer using Synergy [1]. Intend to do so.
I'm considering getting this as a replacement for my PDA and Netbook, a single device instead of two.
The Touch screen would provide a nice PDA style interface, much like a Palm.
The Full Keyboard makes it usable for taking notes in meetings or Classes (even with only the small 5" screen, think MemoPad on a Palm).
Paired with one of the newer Micro Projectors [2] and this is also a handy presentation system.
[1]: http://code.google.com/p/synergy-plus/
[2]: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/06/video-microvisions-laser-based-show-wx-pico-projector-shines-a/
@ SRSullivan:
Okay, the Synergy thing pretty much sold me on it... I said in an older article that this and a pico projector just need to go together... Almost enough so that I would love to see a later version have a built-in pico projector option (seems they're putting little projectors in everything right now.)
I see this being useful for presentations when paired with a normal projector, or as a note-taking computer for business or school, and with that program you linked to, it could work as the main keyboard for a desktop as well, no need to worry about the capabilities of the UWB.
I'm thinking of buying one just to applaud a company for actually thinking well and truly outside the box and giving us a product which has seemingly been designed to function for a modern purpose.
Waiting impatiently to see reviews and prices.
If it works as advertised and is priced aggressively then I predict by next christmas every other major company will be making wireless keyboard pcs by the droves... and ASUS will have single-handedly redefined the modern personal computer sector AGAIN in a scant several years.
Outside the box? How old ARE you? Because this is such a rip of the Commodore 64, it's not even funny
Well old enough to remember a 64 I assure you.
..and the Tandy Color Computer....
..and the ti99 ...
...and others too.
Who do you see building such units today even though they are an obvious pathway to the convergence of the TV and computer monitor that everyone is always on about?
....em.... nobody of any importance in the market... that's who.
So... yeah.... it is well outside the box of what is currently being done.
Err... this isnt a laptop - so put thumb screws on the VGA socket! Those things don't take too much to get knocked out!
Hackintosh anyone?
been waiting for something like this for a long time - I've missed the sinclair, vic-20, commodore 64, and amiga 500.
the UWB receiver is the icing on the cake.
I'd like to add that kids will definitely love it.
If they take more than ten days to release this, they'll have to modify it first. This only has XP, but Win7 is released on the 22nd and XP goes bye-bye. (About time, too.)
Set up the touchscreen as a SideShow device and move your desktop gadgets there. Oh, and double the memory, which I'd want even for XP.
This was posted on Engadget German like a month ago. Get with the times!
I like this. Would love to have this on my couch to play games(MAME, etc) & quick email checking.
Okay ... file this one under the category of "yeah, you CAN build it, but why??" This is one BUTT-UGLY device. I can't imagine curling up on the couch with this lap-warmer. Yuck!
It's an interesting concept to be sure, but whatever it's marketing to be, there are already better solutions. As a Media PC? Apple's already done this more intelligently by putting the computer into the reciever (negating the need for the UWB). Hell, any media PC with a wireless keyboard and/or mouse is an easier setup, although the touchpad+keyboard in one unit is a good idea. As a portable computer? Hello, laptops? In fact, why not market the UWB antenna as an attachment + receiver for current laptops to stream video to their TV? I know plenty of people who work on their laptops (i.e. netsurf) while watching TV from the couch.
(@Kinger) I'd call it the KEeeBoard, but why is the touchpad transparent? Apart from additional manufacturing costs, it doesn't add anything useful to the device.
If I understand you correctly:
The Touchpad is also a touch screen (LCD).
That's one of the neat Feature of the Device. (Think Palm Touch Screen)
It may seem Transparent in the Title Image, but that's just the blue backdrop reflecting off it.
Thus proving once again that Asus is the only PC maker out there that still has the balls to try out a new form-factor.
I sort of want this.
If only the touchscreen was in the middle of the keyboard, rather than awkwardly tacked on to the side. The way it's set up now you more or less have to have an external display.
For touch typists, a split keyboard wouldn't be much of an issue, and it would be lefty or righty friendly.
I've wanted one since the beginning. Right now I often run an HTPC to watch Hulu Desktop and Boxee while I use a notebook several feet away. If I'm not distracting myself from TV by working or browsing, this is a great device that'll allow me to get Gmail and run Facebook/Twitter/other widgets. Plus it'll be low power consumption, which is a big plus. Conceivably, I'd also be interested in ASUS marketing the UWB device as a standalone product.