Asus' long-awaited return to the computer-in-a-keyboard form factor which was so popular back in the days of the 8-bits has been delayed again - but it's for a good reason.
While the original specification of the Eee Keyboard was supposedly going to be available some time in May, Asus has stated that the novel device will now not be making its way into eager hands until the start of next year. According to The Register, this is due - in no small part - by a last-minute decision to swap the 5" resistive touchscreen panel located at the right-hand side of the keyboard with a capacitive version, allowing for better responsiveness and gesture support - although there's no mention of multi-touch support.
Another change to the design is that the keyboard will now ship with an external WiFi antenna, after Asus discovered that the metal body of the keyboard was shielding the internal antenna too much to get a decent signal. If you're still hoping for a neater version, fret not: Asus is also planning a cheaper, plastic-body edition of the Eee Keyboard which will return to the original design of a integrated antenna.
The original hardware specifications remain unchanged: an Atom 1.6GHz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of storage space. Asus has declined to confirm or deny any changes to the original price, which saw the standard edition likely to hit our shores just shy of £300.
Are you looking forward to the Eee Keyboard, or do you struggle to see the point in what is a glorified netbook with a tiny screen in an odd location? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
While the original specification of the Eee Keyboard was supposedly going to be available some time in May, Asus has stated that the novel device will now not be making its way into eager hands until the start of next year. According to The Register, this is due - in no small part - by a last-minute decision to swap the 5" resistive touchscreen panel located at the right-hand side of the keyboard with a capacitive version, allowing for better responsiveness and gesture support - although there's no mention of multi-touch support.
Another change to the design is that the keyboard will now ship with an external WiFi antenna, after Asus discovered that the metal body of the keyboard was shielding the internal antenna too much to get a decent signal. If you're still hoping for a neater version, fret not: Asus is also planning a cheaper, plastic-body edition of the Eee Keyboard which will return to the original design of a integrated antenna.
The original hardware specifications remain unchanged: an Atom 1.6GHz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 16 or 32GB of storage space. Asus has declined to confirm or deny any changes to the original price, which saw the standard edition likely to hit our shores just shy of £300.
Are you looking forward to the Eee Keyboard, or do you struggle to see the point in what is a glorified netbook with a tiny screen in an odd location? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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