It’s a laptop, a tablet and an ultrabook at the same time, and when you think about it that way, you start to see why the new Asus ultrabook can do pretty much anything. Asus has certainly thought about everything when designing the Taichi 21 hybrid ultrabook, the most recent release from the company, which runs on Windows 8 and features two touchscreens.
Pre-orders for the ultrabook may have been delayed by Asus until mid to late December, but let’s take closer look at its features now.
It’s a tablet
The Taichi 21 has an outward facing screen with a Gorilla Glass surface that is usable while the laptop is closed. The monitor measures almost 12 inches across, making it just as big as the Surface or the Galaxy Note and bigger than the iPad. It also boasts a higher resolution than its competitors, with 1920 x 1080 high definition image capability. The touchscreen is scratch resistant and as sensitive as any other tablet on the market. Because it only weighs about twice as much as an iPad, it’s not too heavy to carry around comfortably.
It’s a laptop
The Asus Taichi is also meant to be used as a laptop, with a flip-open display on the opposite side of the touchscreen and a full keyboard underneath. When it’s open, users can shut off the outward facing monitor or leave it on for sharing, but both sides are touch-sensitive. Launched with Windows 8, the Taichi comes with Microsoft Office, Skype and the Asus Cloud drive for additional storage.
It’s an ultrabook
Supporting all these features is an Intel Core i7 driver and HD 4000 graphics card. Carrying only 4GB of memory and a diminutive hard drive, the Taichi is capable of high performance but is meant to be used in connection with the cloud. Its processor clocks in at 3.0GHz, meaning startup time and refresh rates on applications will be negligible in comparison to other laptops and tablets.
By combining the best facets of each kind of modern computing hardware, as well as the flexibility of current software and sharing trends, Asus laptops like the Taichi offer optimal performance and productivity without being cumbersome to carry.
What do you think of the new hybrid ultrabooks? Are they just a fad or are they here to stay?
