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CES 2009: Asus Eee Keyboard could be a HTPC in the shape of a, um, keyboard

By | January 15, 2009, 5:34pm PST

Summary: The universe of Asus Eee products will soon be expanding to include a keyboard housing an integrated computer that could serve as a home theater PC. How? Well, the Asus Eee Keyboard is going to be equipped with wireless HDMI, which not only means you can use your HDTV as your monitor without physically connecting [...]

Asus Eee Keyboard

The universe of Asus Eee products will soon be expanding to include a keyboard housing an integrated computer that could serve as a home theater PC. How? Well, the Asus Eee Keyboard is going to be equipped with wireless HDMI, which not only means you can use your HDTV as your monitor without physically connecting the two, but it could also beam media files you have stored on the device’s built-in solid state drive.

The two-pound PC-in-a-keyboard, based around Intel’s ubiquitous Atom processor, comes with a 5-inch touchscreen display that will come with a library of widgets you can access; the prototype shown at CES was also running Windows XP. The device also has built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, a pair of USB ports, a multi-format memory-card reader, integrated speakers, and HDMI and VGA outputs.

Some specs still remain a mystery, including the amount of storage and RAM the Eee Keyboard will ship with. Pricing has also not been revealed. However, an Asus rep has told me the company is “targeting a Q2 release,” so this doesn’t appear to be vaporware, folks.

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Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist.

Disclosure

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist; currently, all work that Sean does is on a contractural basis. Sean has also written corporate communications documents for CA.

Sean does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.

Biography

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy started his tech writing career at ZDNet nearly a decade ago. He then spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. He received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. from the University of Southern California.

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RE: CES 2009: Asus Eee Keyboard could be a HTPC in the shape of a, um, keyboard
madrucke@... 3rd Mar 2009
Now this I could use... Especially if it costs in the neighborhood of a Bluetooth Keyboard as my Wireless Keyboards won't run from across the room to my DVR-PC!

Hope they include WPA and it's successor!

Mike Sr.
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At first glance...
bricar2 19th Jan 2009
...it looks like they took an Apple aluminum keyboard and grafted their computer onto it.
I truly wish they would at least offer a price guesstimate. I would definitely buy one (but I think it is going to be a bit pricey out of the gate.
I think that is amazing. I would definitely consider one depending on price and what wireless HDMI receiver costed on the HDTV end, but unfortunately I just bought the parts to build a custom HTPC with all the sales over the holidays... It might be in versino 2 or 3 by the time I am ready for an "upgrade" depending on what next... I think adding Bluetooth with AD2P would be the cherry on the top for wireless stereo headphones and potentially a Skype / VOIP headset for calls through your computer - and you'd be right there to pause the movie to take the call... Asus, just after impressing me with the EEE box and the Express Gate "BIOS OS" you've done it again!
how to connect the monitor without cables ?
Now this I could use... Especially if it costs in the neighborhood of a Bluetooth Keyboard as my Wireless Keyboards won't run from across the room to my DVR-PC!

Hope they include WPA and it's successor!

Mike Sr.

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