Eee Keyboard Details Released

Details on the new Eee keyboard, previously held secret during the FCC filing, have now been made available. You can now take a look at the innards and a full spec sheet detailing exactly what is being promised. "Beneath the 5-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touch panel (with stylus) we'll be getting Windows XP Home running on an Intel Atom N270, 945GSE / ICH7-M chipset with Broadcom AV-VD905 video decoder, 1GB of DDR2 memory, either 16GB or 32GB of flash storage, 4-hour battery, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI and VGA outputs, integrated stereo speakers and mic, 3x USB, headphone and mic jacks, and external WiFi / UWB antenna. The Eee Keyboard's on-board Ultra-Wideband (UWB) throws 720p content to your TV within a 5-meter range (10-meters for non-video transmissions) via a UWB receiver packing 2x USB ports, another mini-USB port, audio out, and HDMI."

Re:Don't bother

[ickleberry]

Yep. Asus brought Linux into the mainstream with the Eee 70x series 'netbooks' (as much as I hate that term, 'tiny laptop' is better) and promptly stabbed it in the back.

Wow, it's my TRS-80 Color Computer 2!

[ClayJar]

My very first computer was a TRS-80 Color Computer 2. It was basically a computer in a keyboard that I connected to the TV. Now, decades later, I will soon be able to buy a computer built into a keyboard that will display on my TV.

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV)

Of course, if this can handle "HD" YouTube, Netflix streaming, and other online sources, it might actually be worth looking into as an alternative to building my own low-power box for the TV. At least worth keeping an eye open, I suppose.

Re:Mechanica Stress and Spilt Milk?

[NotBornYesterday]

Not quite. There is a tiny niche product called a laptop that not only combines keyboard and computer in one, but the display too. Really poor design.

What would you use this for?

[Unoti]

Sorry, my creativity is running a little dry here. Why would I want this? Is the idea to keep this by the couch and use it as my living room computer, and run video off it to my TV wirelessly with UWB?

XP?

[clang_jangle]

Just the other day there was a story about how MS was refusing to patch a vulnerability in XP's ssh implementation (ISTR it was particularly bad for paypal users). Plus we've all heard the crowing about 7 being good to go on netbooks (though as someone who's been testing the RC for work, I do find that one a bit hard to believe -- it's still bloaty and takes more resources than the average netbook can provide). Yet MS is going to continue to push XP for the EEE? I'm confused... Is this their acknowledgement that win7 is not fit for netbooks? Then shouldn't they be patching the problems in XP, if they're going to keep pushing it?

Re:Mechanica Stress and Spilt Milk?

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear some of them laptops have greater than 800 x 480, too. They even have the display above the keyboard -- not off to one side.

Re:What would you use this for?

[Chickan]

Basically yes, use it to play your cartoons or movies of choice, while checking your email. I'll stick to my mythbox personally though. Screen is too small to be useful without hooking it up to your TV, and if you are doing that its main advantage is size alone.

Re:ITS 2009

[wed128]

sorry to feed the troll...but i'd like to hear an alternative?

too many outputs

[viridari]

The computer should just be a small non-descript box in the entertainment center rack. The keyboard/touchpad should operate without cables, on commodity AA rechargeable batteries. I know this thing has some wireless capabilities but the ports on there are pretty useless to me. Put the expensive stuff in the rack, and let me have a cheap disposable keyboard/pointer on the table where it's likely to have beer or coffee spilled on it from guests.

Good choice going with SSD

[BikeHelmet]

I don't know about you, but my HTPC's wireless keyboard gets beat around and dropped quite a bit. I wouldn't want to subject an HDD to that.

My personal feelings... I question the usefulness of this over a dedicated Ion box with a wireless keyboard.

Re:Don't bother

[Anonymous Coward]

Would it have been better if they had just not bothered with Linux at all?

Seriously, all you people do is whine.

Re:Don't bother

[Anonymous Coward]

Would it have been better if they had just not bothered with Linux at all?

Seriously, all you people do is whine.

I am posting anonumously to preserve my spent mod points in this article. Why is this a troll? It is a valid question. Asus tried with Linux and the hand of MS smacked them across the face for it and they relented. Do they not deserve some praise or at the very least some sort of acknowledgement that they even tried to begin with? I am sure Asus would be happy to continue to sell the Linux versions because there is a customer base with demand and very little cost to Asus to meet that demand. You all make it sound like Asus did this because they were playing a sick joke on everyone.

Re:Major obvious flaw

[TeknoHog]

Correction: this is built for people who use the touchpad with their right hand. (I am right handed, but I mouse on the left, so I can keep my right hand on the keyboard. Or penis, depending on the situation.)

Moblin

[SmallFurryCreature]

Windows is the easy option BUT MS puts all sorts of restrictions on it, it is the reason Intel is pushing Moblin, so that powerfull netbooks can be made without the cost of Vista/7

The incentive is that 90% (statistic pulled out of my ass) of the customers just want something they are familiar with.

A shop isn't going to stock 1 linux netbook for 9 windows netbooks, unsure of wether it will ever sell it. It is just simpler to ship 100% windows boxes knowing that large group of Linux fans will simply wipe windows because they are used to it.

We can only hope that MS shoots itself in the foot with its insane restrictions on netbooks forcing manufacturers that want to push the envolope to either pay the premium for Vista/7 or be out performed by companies that do dare to go linux.

Google linux netbooks, those companies are out there. The few and the brave. Buy from them, it is a called voting with your dollars.

Re:XP?

[cenc]

If you figure out how to do it, Please post. It would finally be a secure connection to pay pal I can trust. Now if I could just trust pay pal.