Asus has announced their new Transformer Book Trio, a single device that can be used as a three-in-one notebook, desktop computer and tablet at Computex 2013. Unlike other models that have claimed to be able to do something similar, this one seems to finally have the hardware to back it up.
It comes with two processors, a Core i7 Haswell CPU and a 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 Clover Trail+. Compatibility issues have been bypassed through an integration of two different operating systems: Windows 8 for using it as a computer or notebook, and Android Jelly Bean for mobile use as a tablet.
Other specs include a 1920×1080, 11.6” screen that can be mounted on a PC dock and used as a display, a full keyboard for easy use, a 750GB hard drive when docked and 64GB SSD when used as a tablet.
The Transformer Book Trio is a good example of how different brands (in this case Microsoft, Google and Asus) are coming together to form innovative products. It could be a sign of things to come, as further companies choose to band together on certain projects, even as they compete on others.
Certainly, the partnership between Microsoft and Asus seems to be more positive than that of the tech giant and Acer, which has reportedly been frosty and tense despite their collaboration on the Iconia W3. Perhaps that is why Asus has managed to come up with a much more compelling new product.
In any case, the creation of a device that manages to be portable, non-portable and dually operational in such a complete way, all at once, is a breath of fresh air. Just the two operating systems and two processors shows it is something shiny and new. Even the docks, which will be offered as optional accessories, are pretty cool. One will reportedly have up a 1 TB of storage and more than 30 hours of battery life per full charge.
Of course, the big question is going to be the price. How much will something like this cost? Asus isn’t saying. Even guessing isn’t easy, because it is hard to define the Transformer Book Trio. Is it a tablet? A computer? A notebook? How do you estimate the price when something is all three, and each would be quoted differently?
Source: The Verge
