ASUS has just officially announced their new TAICHI mobile computer which they are branding as both an Ultrabook and a Tablet. What differentiates this device is that it contains two 1080p touchscreens on either side of the laptop lid. When the lid is closed it is a tablet, when the lid is open it is a standard Ultrabook with a monitor facing away from the user.
The real difficulty is explaining use cases for potential buyers. Having done some high school teaching in the past the first usage which comes to mind is creating surveys and quizzes without a projector. Since a simple bar chart tends to have larger details it should be quite visible even on an 11.6” display. If you are teacher who tends to do a lot of “clicker” demonstrations it might be particularly useful as you would be able to modify the question on your screen and show the answer on the reverse.
In terms of a regular laptop it has quite a few nice features: Core i5 or i7 processor, an actual Intel HD 4000 GPU, USB3.0 for practically full-speed external drives, and a 128 or 256GB SSD. It is expected to have 5 hours of battery life when browsing the internet wirelessly. I am satisfied with 4GB of RAM but frankly these days it would be good to get a little more.
Prices start at $1,299 and go up to $1,599 for the i7 with a 256GB SSD. Availability starts November.
ASUS Announces TAICHI — an Incredible Fusion of Notebook and Tablet
with Innovative Dual-Screen Design
TAICHI switches seamlessly between slim multi-touch tablet and fully featured
Ultrabook™ simply by lifting a finger, for unparalleled mobile flexibility
New York City, United States (October 23, 2012) — ASUS, a global leader in the new digital era, today announces TAICHI, a sleek and stylish Ultrabook™ with an innovative back-to-back dual-screen design for unparalleled mobile flexibility. TAICHI features a powerful Intel® Core™ processor and two back-to-back Full HD screens for sharing information in exciting new ways, all in a slender profile that tapers to a mere 3mm and weighs just 1.25kg.
Notebook and tablet in one single, stunning design
With a unique dual-display design and stunning black-mirror finish, ASUS TAICHI™ combines the best features of both multi-touch tablet and Ultrabook™— and switches seamlessly between the two simply by lifting a finger. Lid open, TAICHI is a powerful Ultrabook™ with a Full HD screen, backlit keyboard and large multi-touch touchpad for making light work of demanding productivity tasks. Lid closed, TAICHI becomes a lightweight tablet with a Full HD multi-touch screen, for easy and intuitive use on the move.
Dual screens for exciting new ways to share information
TAICHI’s back-to-back dual-screens can be used both simultaneously and independently for exciting new ways to share information, enjoy multimedia and work with apps. With the lid open and both screens upright, TAICHI can share a presentation or movie to an audience on both sides, removing the need for a bulky projector or clumsy external display. IPS display technology also ensures a brilliant image on both screens, with extremely accurate colour reproduction and 178° wide viewing angle for outstanding clarity. TAICHI also features a stylus for pinpoint precision with productivity and creative apps.
High-end specification with incredible sound
ASUS TAICHI™ features a powerful Intel® Core™ i7 or i5 processor with 4GB memory, Intel® HD 4000 graphics and a choice of blazingly fast 128GB or 256GB SSD storage. Dual-band Wi-Fi with Intel® WiDi and Bluetooth 4.0 offer high-performance wireless connectivity, while two USB 3.0 ports provide full support for the latest high-speed external storage devices and rapid mobile device recharging.
ASUS SonicMaster technology, developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®, delivers astonishing sound quality on TAICHI with all kinds of listening material. TAICHI also features a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with 1080p Full HD video recording and second 720p HD video camera, a noise-suppressing array microphone for crystal-clear video chat in challenging environments and up to 5 hours’ battery life (measured with Wi-Fi web browsing).
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AVAILABILITY, PRICING & SPECIFICATIONS
ASUS TAICHI will be available from November 2012 in selected markets from authorized ASUS resellers. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information about unit availability and specifications including TAICHI 31.
TAICHI 21 |
TAICHI 21 |
TAICHI 21 |
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Full specifications are available at taichi.asus.com
About ASUS
ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning, motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 3,886 awards in 2011 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 11,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 3,100 engineers. Company revenue for 2011 was approximately US$11.9 billion.
Looks like another niche
Looks like another niche market idea at a boutique price for essentially an over-featured tablet. Unless you are in a small meeting room, you’re not going to use an 11.6″ screen.
I’m a working professional who does those sorts of meetings- and I don’t get it.