14 DAY TRIAL // We have covered the Vivobook series of ultraportable notebooks from ASUS individually, but the company has actually released the entirety of its Windows 8 product collection.
We've actually written about more or less every device and product line that the company put together, except, perhaps, the All-in-One PC.
Called ET2300, it has a 23-inch display (1920 x 1080 pixels) and a double-hinge design that lets it act as a desktop and multitouch table of sorts.
This appears to be a very popular design nowadays. Since Windows 8 is optimized for multitouch input, touchscreens are being built into everything, which means that even large monitors, HDTVs and, in this case, all-in-one systems are getting them.
And since it is tiresome to hold one's arms outstretched for long periods of time, the decision was made to give AiO systems the ability to lay flat on their backs.
Just how often this feature will be used is left to buyer’s discretion, of course.
At any rate, in addition to this otherwise unremarkable PC (not counting WiDi wireless streaming), ASUS officially launched the VivoTab tablet series, the Transformer Book detachable notebooks (basically high-end tablets with docks), the Zenbook ultrabook series and, of course, the Taichi.
Pre-orders for the Taichi started a week ago. The notebook has two screens, but that is as far as the similarities go between it and other multi-display notebooks.
Long story short, the second LCD is on the lid of the laptop, back-to-back with the regular one. It removes the need for some fancy twister hinge or sliding mechanism.
Online stores should be accepting orders for all of these products, or will start doing so within a few days. As for prices, we doubt they will be any more encouraging than the ones HP chose. Despite everything analysts and consumers have said, Windows 8 products are and will continue to be very expensive.
