LAS VEGAS -- Other computer manufacturers might think the Tablet PC is dead, but Asus has its own ideas.
At a press conference here at CES 2009, Asus showed a prototype version of the EeePC T91, a convertible tablet-style notebook. Its 8.9-inch swiveling screen folds up to expose a keyboard, like any other notebook or netbook -- but it can rotate around and folds back over the keys, turning the device into a tablet.
You know you want one.
Unlike other tablets, it is touch-sensitive, meaning you can use your finger (or fingers) to tap on icons, select text, and perform other mouse actions. You can also use an included stylus, if you prefer.
Also unlike other tablets, the T91 will weigh just 2.1 pounds. It will run on Intel's Atom Z520 processor, which means that the T91 will be relatively underpowered, like other netbooks.
It will likely be running a version of Linux, like other Eee PCs, and pricing will be low -- in line with other netbooks, Asus representatives are saying.
Bonus features include a TV tuner and GPS.
A related model, the T101, will have similar features (minus the TV tuner and GPS) but a larger, 10.1" swivel screen.
The T91 will be available around March 2009, and the T101 will follow shortly thereafter.
The company, which singlehandedly invented the ultra-cheap, ultra-light netbook category with the Eee PC, is betting on multitouch as the next big thing. And why not? Apple's iPhone has shown that a well-executed touch-screen interface can do a lot to make a computer so fun and easy to use that people cease to think of it as a computer.
In addition to its multitouch-capable tablets, Asus also showed off a prototype of a strange, two-brained computer with a secondary, 4.3-inch display embedded just below the keyboard.
In this prototype (no actual product is planned yet, Asus says), the mini display is also the computer's touchpad. And it has its own processor, which you can use without booting up the main computer -- so you can listen to music, check your calendar or check your email, all from this tiny, parasitic iPhone-like display embedded in the base of your notebook. The advantage that offers is that it will be instantly on (no boot time required) and it won't use much power.
The touchscreen computer can also be used to select a movie from your hard drive or DVD drive and then display it on the big screen, again without using the computer's main processor or going through a lengthy boot process.
Whether anyone will actually go for these strange hybrids is another question. But one thing's clear: Asus is not afraid of mixing things up a little.
Photos: Dylan Tweney / Wired.com
