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http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79_PRO/

ASUS SSD Caching 3X faster performance at a click

SSD Caching from ASUS is easier than ever. At 3X faster, this feature boosts system performance by using an installed SSD with no capacity limitations as a cache for frequently accessed data. Harness a combination of SSD-like performance and response and hard drive capacity with just one click, no rebooting needed and instant activation for complete ease of use, and even prevent data loss with included backup functionality.

This is NOT taxing the CPU, this is all hardware controller chip.

I haven't tried it out yet, but you pair any old SSD you want with any old HD you want, and voila.

The obvious selling point is that it is so easy.

Or the Asus Transformer http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/

Not "Or", I think ASUS are the one's driving innovation in this space. The EEE pc was a game changing concept that was pretty much subverted into something it wasn't. These Eee pads are certainly a refresh of the concept that includes a pad. I've found it to be a flexible design and I don't think Asus get the credit they deserve.

The concept of a "year of the Linux desktop" is changing to make the desktop irrelevant.

Or the Asus Transformer http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/

In 2009, I did the same search. Back then, HP was still making table PCs. A stylus-based tablet PC with onenote is a really good system for taking notes. It makes your handwriting searchable and it handles diagrams more cleanly than any regular laptop solution.

Now, with tablet PCs on the way out--HP doesn't even make them, last I checked--you could try a galaxy note, or the Eee Slate, though both of those options leave you without a keyboard.

Get one of these: http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/WL330N3G/. Hack OpenWrt to fit you needs, and flash the router with that. It's small and discrete enough to go unnoticed when set up and left somewhere, like behind a curtain, plugged into a forgotten Ethernet port in a wall somewhere. Power it with one of these: http://www.philips.co.in/c/cell-phone-accessories/universal-dlm2262_97/prd/.

Asus doesn't inexpensively license the technology to other board oems. Not sure how much of this is software and how much is hardware, but if there is a special USB-SCSI command set that is separate from plain SCSI then they will need to be open and supporting on that front for all OS's as well.

I came to say the same thing. Linux users can no longer buy Asus motherboards (at least not the budget boards) as the new integrated LAN card does not support the legacy Realtek drivers. Even Windows cannot get online with them until one installs the near 1 GiB "driver disk" with all its other unrelated junk. And before you tell me to just install a PCI LAN card, some models (including the one I bought) don't even have PCI slots!

I didn't mean to rant. But Asus can no longer be trusted as a supplier, so any technology that is Asus-only is DOA.

ASUS's version of UASP is not very new. They announced it late 2011 already here: http://event.asus.com/mb/2010/the_best_usb3_experience/The_UASP_For_USB3.0.htm The drivers it requires are from October 2011.

My old eeepc came preinstalled with some crappy linux distro. It had the same price and specs as the windows version except for larger hard drive. You can still see the Windows./Linux designation on their support site: http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&m=eee+pc+1000h/linux

In other words, you want an Asus Transformer?

(they will come in x86 and in larger sizes up to 14" later this year, for Win8)

I agree with you regarding Apple and software. Yes that is their marketing strategy. I'm an example, my feeling was that OEM SCO + apps was just under a grand. An Apple is way cheaper than a Sun workstations and I'm getting a steal getting a Unix that also runs a full business productivity suite. If it wasn't for Apple I'd probably be running some PIA VM windows / Linux solution that takes forever to setup. That being said, there are exceptions:

1) When apple was making G5s they were way cheaper than http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/p/index.html. For a short time Apple actually found itself being a player in supercomputing.

2) There are lots of Linux people who like the MBP as a laptop, Linus being an example. For example you can consider the recent rMBP as a top of the line Zenbook and the Zenbook is selling well. People like the very high resolution all SSD loaded with memory and fast processor in a thin form factor even if they hate OSX.

To which I say to you Asus Transformer. It's quite a bit better than an iPad on quite a lot of measures - faster, longer battery life, better build quality - and, with the addition of the clip-on keyboard, a useful replacement for a laptop for light office tasks and internet surfing. OK, it's more expensive than an iPad, but you're getting what you pay for.

I would have to dispute you on "build quality" of the Transformer series (short of the Infinity, which nobody has played with) being better than the iPad. I've played with the Prime and the Original, and read the reports of having multiple units sent back, GPS issues, etc. You cannot compare them to the fit and finish of an iPad, even a first gen.

The problem is that there is no innovation going on here on the Android side. The Android devices all are trying to be "Well it's no an iWhatever, but it's good enough and it's a bit cheaper".

To which I say to you Asus Transformer. It's quite a bit better than an iPad on quite a lot of measures - faster, longer battery life, better build quality - and, with the addition of the clip-on keyboard, a useful replacement for a laptop for light office tasks and internet surfing. OK, it's more expensive than an iPad, but you're getting what you pay for.

Yeah, because the hard plastics that have been traditionally used are so much better. And you of course don't mention WHY Aluminum is the WORST (not just a bad, but the WORST) material to use in a laptop.

Actually, the heat transference rate basically makes Aluminum laptops a toaster under medium load. The answer is advanced polycarbonates, magnesium-alloy shells, and other materials such as carbon fiber. At least they don't dent when you drop a feather on them.

No, they just crack and shatter. The MILLED aluminum body of a MacBook is not going to "dent when you drop a feather on [it]." That is reserved for the LOOK-ALIKE faux-unibody laptops, like my work-supplied Samsung RV511, which use Aluminum (I think) SHEET METAL in a desperate bid to LOOK like a MacBook, but without the quality...

And I don't know what you call "better build quality". Unibody Apple laptops are pretty much universally accepted as having the best build quality in the industry.

And ASUS having better build quality that Apple?!? That's a laugh riot!

No, Apple laptops are lauded by amateur review sites as having "good build quality" because these sites and journalists measure build quality by how much something flexes when you squeeze it. Asus is well known for making high-quality hardware.

I guess then EVERYBODY is an "amateur review site"; because that's who disagrees with you, and more importantly, agrees with me. MUST I drag out two fistfuls of "non-amateur" reviews?

From what I can tell, it's a Macbook Air ripoff through and through, but with a shitty TN panel (except for the one that costs as much, or MORE THAN an Air), and a dodgy trackpad, for not a whole lot less than an Air, and in the case of the one with an IPS panel, MORE. And as far as build quality goes, ask anyone who has owned an Asus laptop. By the way, if not Aluminum, what exactly is the Zenbook made of? Asus seems to think it's made of... wait for it...

ALUMINUM Which they explicitly say was the best material out of the many that they tried.

As I said, Asus usually makes great, quality products.

Re-read my damn comment; I recommended one of the magnesium-alloy notebooks, while detracting the deluded manufacturers who use it in their products. The only reason it's used in that way is because Apple, in their infinite margin-building exercise, was able to convince the world that abundant, shiny materials are 'high-end". They realized that they didn't really need to put good components in the box, because that's not what people look at. That's not what gets shown off in a coffee shop.

I guess then that Asus was deluded, too; since they chose ALUMINUM, not Mg, as the Zenbook's main material... And if you want to build "margin", the LAST thing you want to do is create an entirely-new (and EXPENSIVE!) way to make consumer electronics' cases (CNC Milling). Name ONE other manufacturer that has followed Apple's lead in the Unibody design. Wanna know why? Because it CUTS "margin" for a given price-point! In fact, if it wasn't for Apple's insane buying-power, making the commodity parts as cheap as possible, and their ability to create custom silicon wherever and whenever they need, THEY couldn't afford to do it, either. Think about it.

But unlike Apple, who MILLS the case out of a SOLID BLOCK of aluminum (a quite time-consuming and expensive process compared with stamping a body out of SHEET aluminum like Asus does), the Zenbook uses only enough aluminum to make it LOOK like a Macbook; but without the structural integrity o

Yeah, because the hard plastics that have been traditionally used are so much better. And you of course don't mention WHY Aluminum is the WORST (not just a bad, but the WORST) material to use in a laptop.

Actually, the heat transference rate basically makes Aluminum laptops a toaster under medium load. The answer is advanced polycarbonates, magnesium-alloy shells, and other materials such as carbon fiber. At least they don't dent when you drop a feather on them.

And I don't know what you call "better build quality". Unibody Apple laptops are pretty much universally accepted as having the best build quality in the industry.

And ASUS having better build quality that Apple?!? That's a laugh riot!
 

No, Apple laptops are lauded by amateur review sites as having "good build quality" because these sites and journalists measure build quality by how much something flexes when you squeeze it.
Asus is well known for making high-quality hardware.

From what I can tell, it's a Macbook Air ripoff through and through, but with a shitty TN panel (except for the one that costs as much, or MORE THAN an Air), and a dodgy trackpad, for not a whole lot less than an Air, and in the case of the one with an IPS panel, MORE. And as far as build quality goes, ask anyone who has owned an Asus laptop. By the way, if not Aluminum, what exactly is the Zenbook made of? Asus seems to think it's made of... wait for it...

ALUMINUM Which they explicitly say was the best material out of the many that they tried.
 

As I said, Asus usually makes great, quality products.

Re-read my damn comment; I recommended one of the magnesium-alloy notebooks, while detracting the deluded manufacturers who use it in their products. The only reason it's used in that way is because Apple, in their infinite margin-building exercise, was able to convince the world that abundant, shiny materials are 'high-end". They realized that they didn't really need to put good components in the box, because that's not what people look at. That's not what gets shown off in a coffee shop.

But unlike Apple, who MILLS the case out of a SOLID BLOCK of aluminum (a quite time-consuming and expensive process compared with stamping a body out of SHEET aluminum like Asus does), the Zenbook uses only enough aluminum to make it LOOK like a Macbook; but without the structural integrity of a one-piece chassis.

Is the Zenbook's aluminum any thinner or thicker than the Macbook's?

Idiot. Try not to LIE so badly next time.

Typical macfag.

Get the Asus Zenbook. Better specs than a Macbook Air, at the same price and with a bit better build quality, to boot. Otherwise, ThinkPad ultrabook. Aluminum's the worst material to use in a laptop, anyway.

Yeah, because the hard plastics that have been traditionally used are so much better. And you of course don't mention WHY Aluminum is the WORST (not just a bad, but the WORST) material to use in a laptop.

And I don't know what you call "better build quality". Unibody Apple laptops are pretty much universally accepted as having the best build quality in the industry.

And ASUS having better build quality that Apple?!? That's a laugh riot!

From what I can tell, it's a Macbook Air ripoff through and through, but with a shitty TN panel (except for the one that costs as much, or MORE THAN an Air), and a dodgy trackpad, for not a whole lot less than an Air, and in the case of the one with an IPS panel, MORE. And as far as build quality goes, ask anyone who has owned an Asus laptop. By the way, if not Aluminum, what exactly is the Zenbook made of? Asus seems to think it's made of... wait for it...

ALUMINUM Which they explicitly say was the best material out of the many that they tried.

But unlike Apple, who MILLS the case out of a SOLID BLOCK of aluminum (a quite time-consuming and expensive process compared with stamping a body out of SHEET aluminum like Asus does), the Zenbook uses only enough aluminum to make it LOOK like a Macbook; but without the structural integrity of a one-piece chassis.

Idiot. Try not to LIE so badly next time.

Get one of these ------ http://usa.asus.com/Eee/Eee_PC/Eee_PC_1001PX_Seashell/#overview ------- its cheap, light (1300 grams), 9 hour battery life. I have one that I use to write a 400 page book when I'm on the go. Its very usable. As for your Raspberry + Project idea... It will give you nothing but problems, problems, problems... ----

it's all hardware controller, no tax on the cpu or os

i haven't tried it out yet, i want to though:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79_PRO/

ASUS SSD Caching
3X faster performance at a click
SSD Caching from ASUS is easier than ever. At 3X faster, this feature boosts system performance by using an installed SSD with no capacity limitations as a cache for frequently accessed data. Harness a combination of SSD-like performance and response and hard drive capacity with just one click, no rebooting needed and instant activation for complete ease of use, and even prevent data loss with included backup functionality.

Asus video phone

That's nice, but I have Skype on my Android and a couple of buddies who do as well, and we just video chat that way. Bonus is that i don't even need phone service as the device has wi-fi, all I need is an AP.

Asus video phone

Warning it's based on avaiability in the french market, but since this is quite similar today it should still be helpful.
The site is called www.rue-montgallet.com after the name of a popular street with lots of geek friendly shops.

You try http://www.rue-montgallet.com/prix/comparer,portables,700,1,1,1,782=lt1.5,802=10173,1501=23351,min=700,max=1400
I preselected : less than 1.5kg (trust me your sister will be happier with something not too heavy), 1366x768 as requested (i would personally choose a screen size and then try to maximise the definition, I personally have this resolution on my laptop and wish it would be somewhat "taller", i also selected SSD and put the price in the range 700 to 1400€ so that is 1000 to 2000$ (since it includes IVA (sales tax) your price will probably be cheaper so you can splurge on options).

It yields 8 machines 4 Asus 2 HP and 2 Toshiba, I own a Toshiba and am reasonably happy with it, but I would probably choose the Asus which is quite cool looking and since Asus is really it's own ODM it can afford to provide more feature for the price.
I would avoid the i7 unless she really needs it (but then she would probably also need a faster GPU) since it really sucks the battery dry in no time
nb: If you would put in a slighty higher resolution it would have yielded the Asus zenbook UX31 series, which really looks cool
http://usa.asus.com/Notebooks/Superior_Mobility/ASUS_ZENBOOK_UX31E/#specifications
And still fairly cheap. see http://ixsoft.de/cgi-bin/web_store.cgi?ref=Products/de/ASRY009VHW.html (for pre installed Linux version, but in German, so just teasing :-))

Good luck

Agreed but luckily someone has come up with a nice screen protector.

Asus gives you the option to use BitTorrent (labelled 'P2P' on their site) to distribute large files.

The great opportunity for Linux on the desktop was a decade ago. Back when Windows 95 sucked, Windows XP was late, and Windows 2000 cost several hundred dollars. That's when it could have happened. It didn't.

There was a second chance when the netbooks came in. But that, too, was botched. For a moment, it looked like the future of computing was a $99 Linux netbook in a bubble pack at WalMart. This terrified the industry. The EeePC Linux was badly broken, especially in the networking area. Microsoft frantically revived XP, and then, with the cooperation of the PC industry, tried to destroy the netbook industry. Companies which also produced PCs were told they'd lose their Microsoft volume discount if they sold a Linux netbook. Hence, the "Asus recommends Windows 7" branding. Similar pressure was applied to dealers. You can buy low cost Linux netbooks from suppliers in Shenzen right now, but try to find one at a US retailer. (The current ASUS EeePC 1001, at $200, which is a quite capable little computer. was supposed to be a Linux machine. It's only available with Windows 7.)

In that case, an iPad is a PC, but it's a very expensive ($895) PC that stops working after four years. One could buy two Transformer tablets for that price.

Just a pen and paper. No other device can keep up

Until a month ago, I'd have agreed, but since then I've had the opportunity to use my Asus Transformer along with SuperNote. It's easily the best note-taking device I've used, and beats pen and paper because you can seamlessly use electronic recording, keyboard and touch.
http://campuslife.asus.com/index/4839/the-future-of-note-taking-how-supernote-works/

Of course we won't know anything for sure until Asus releases the product details.

Here
With powerful and higher standard processors using either the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Krait Dual-core(4G/3G) or the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 T33 Quad-core (Wi-Fi) CPU with 1GB ram,

It would seem the Wifi version gets the Tegra3, and the 3G/LTE version gets the S4 Krait.

I agree; the Transformer Prime is an interesting example here, though, since it does have a keyboard dock accessory with integrated trackpad, extra keyboard, and USB host port, which holds the tablet itself like the screen on a laptop (hence the name "Transformer" - it's a major feature of that tablet). The hardware has the potential to be something closer to an Android netbook, although the software isn't there yet. LibreOffice is supposed to be coming to tablets, but I don't see a port of Eclipse any time soon. What with Ubuntu for Android coming out, that kind of future might not be so far away though.

ASUS does this with their ExpressGate feature. http://expressgate.asus.com/

I'm honestly unable to understand what you mean by this phrase and parenthetical explanation. What is a "real Tablet PC" capable of that an iPad is not?

I have a distinct feeling you're speaking from ignorance (rather than just outright trolling) but I am curious if there is a difference you (or others) care to share.

His statement is a bit inflammatory and opinionated, but he's right about Tablet PCs being something different: they are a distinct type of system intended to cover both tablet and notebook use cases in a single device. A 'pure' tablet like the iPad or various Android ones is a different class of device that tends to be used for a different use case.

"Tablet PC" refers to hybrid convertible notebooks, which can be used as either a normal notebook (with keyboard) or as a tablet, usually with a wacom digitiser, by rotating the screen on its hinge and then closing the notebook. Due to the design, they're bulkier than a pure tablet but more flexible, and the existence of a proper digital pen instead of a stylus is useful for many due to things like improved accuracy, pressure sensitivity, buttons on the pen, etc.

Fujitsu and Lenovo are, as far as I know, the primary makers of these types of systems (example: Fujitsu Lifebook), though Asus also made a low-end one in its EeePC line, the Eee PC T101.

It also usually implies x86 architecture with Windows (or Linux), but that is more of a user expectation; the devices are primarily defined by the hybrid design, not by their OS or software. If the Axiotron Modbook didn't remove the keyboard as part of the conversion process it would probably be considered a TabletPC as well.

Some tablets are starting to blur the distinction, however, such as Lenovo's Thinkpad Tablet, which is an Android touch-based tablet that also has optional parts that make it act more like a TabletPC. Specifically, a pressure-sensitive digital pen (by N-trig) and a keyboard case that plugs into its USB port and turns the device into something more akin to a netbook. Another example is the Asus Eee Pad Transformer", which acts as a keyboard/

(For what it's worth, I have the TPT and love having an android device with a stylus. Haven't gotten the keyboard folio, and I'm not sure I even want it. I have a notebook for that.)

Now if you could jail brake it and install Android 4.0 I might consider it for the specs. I have to hand to Apple, they do look damn good.

If what you want is a high-res screen, wait a few months - ICS tablets are coming in 1920x1080. Granted, not as high as this baby, but high enough for all practical purposes - Apple really only needs that crazy DPI because they want to be able to 2x-upscale existing iPad apps (just as it was with iPhone 4).

Specifically, I'd wait out for the next Transformer from Asus - by most accounts, it'll be much like Prime, which is already thinner and lighter than iPad 2 while looking mostly similar, except with fixed Wi-Fi reception and 1080p screen.

Add a keyboard. Do it Zaurus Clamshell style where it folds into a tablet or it folds into a netbook type form factor and the screen flips around so the keyboard/touch screen can fold against one another for protection when storing/carrying. Yes, it's no longer strictly a tablet. That's why it's better for getting real work done. ... No, you don't have to make it big/heavy/clumsy to do this. ... I want the ability to pair up a mouse. I don't want the requirement to do so. It should be just as usable as any pure tablet with the keyboard folded under. I would slide out the keyboard and/or pair up the mouse only when I want to do something special where the tablet interface just doesn't cut it.

Have you seen this? It's not exactly like you describe - it can't fold keyboard completely back, you have to undock it - but otherwise it's pretty close. Even better in some ways, since dock is not wireless and shares its batteries with tablet via the connector, lets you plug in USB mice rather than just Bluetooth, and has an integrated trackpad so you don't even need a mouse.

What Microsoft has to do to make people sit up and take notice is produce a version of Microsoft Office with an appropriately tablet oriented UI. Since an office app is at best marginal without a keyboard, someone needs to manufacture a decently thin and light tablet with a an optional wireless keyboard. That should be an affordable addition. Bluetooth keyboards for iPads are dirt cheap; I bought my wife one that snaps over her iPad2 to double as a protective case for something like $35.

The moment you add a keyboard, it really becomes a laptop rather than tablet, so a full-fledged Office with tablet-oriented (read: touch) UI is not particularly meaningful. What's needed is tablet UI for tasks that are more common in touch mode - reading documents, selecting & marking text, simple adjustments - that kind of thing. But keep it the way it is for use with keyboard.

Also, I don't see the point in having a wireless keyboard that snaps to case. It's much better to have a connector on the tablet which docks into the keyboard - that way, they share the batteries, too, and you don't need to fudge around with turning the keyboard on and off, just dock it and it's ready to go (and the tablet can adjust UI when so docked).

So a tablet version of office, running on a tablet with a wireless keyboard, would still be a little awkward. I think that could be fixed by having a scroll wheel type control on the keyboard, and some kind of on-screen feedback widget that would pop up in response to show you how far you are scrolling into a document.

The trick is to add a regular laptop trackpad to the keyboard, and enable the OS to use it. It's more convenient than touch when you're using a separate keyboard, anyway, because your hands need to travel less than they do with touch only, and you don't get "gorilla arm" from using it a lot. It also gives you more precision in selecting text etc, something which still remains rather tedious on today's tablets.

To sum it up, what's needed is Asus Transformer, running Windows 8 with Office 15.

Not a desktop.

Go find me a motherboard or graphics card that don't have the logo. Go on, do it. I doubt you can.

First try:
http://www.evga.com/products/pdf/270-WS-W555.pdf

Second try:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79_DELUXE/#overview

Hmm... Third try:
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4046

Can you find a motherboard that actually has the logo?

Agreed. Asus was getting really close to what I wanted in a tablet when they released the Eee Note. Then the iPad came out and killed any consumer interest in any other niche products.

Asus made similar product http://us.estore.asus.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=4001 in cooperation with PrimeSense (the makers of the 3D sensing chip inside Kinect).
At the time of release, the price of Asus Xtion ($300) was much higher then the price of Kinect.
The new pricing tag on Kinect hints that its real price was much lower than it should be - most certainly due to Microsoft's pricing strategy in Xbox vs PS3 battle.

They are 3 different things that server 3 different needs. It's ridiculous to even imagine that you could combine them into one device given the consumer technology right now. Maybe in 20 years, when it's commonplace to sport a holographic projector on a phone, or screens can be unfolded and folded at a whim, then perhaps the tablet and phone can be combined into one (satisfying the needs that a personal computer satisfies would require significant advances in input technology).

A jack of all trades does nothing well at all. That seems to describe the Windows (Mobile and Desktop) strategy right now.

I agree with you. It's ridiculous to even imagine that you could combine them into one device given the consumer technology right now.

However, the phone can be connected to a dock so that:
b) Can be used as a tablet: see the Asus Pad Fone http://event.asus.com/mobile/padfone/
c) Can be used as a computer: Motorola Atrix has a dock with HDMI port and USB port.
d) Can be used as a game console. Let's compare the specs of an iphone s against a xbox 360:
    * RAM Memory: xbox360 512MB RAM. iphone 4s 512MB RAM
    * Triangles/sec: xbox 360 500 Million. iphone 4s 68 MPolygon/s.
    * Filtered Texture Fetch: xbox 360 8.0 Billion Texels/sec. iphone 4s 1000 MTexels/s

iphone A5 cpu is manufactured using a 45nm process. intel is producing its Ivy Bridge processors using a 22nm process right now (see http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ivy-bridge-processor-release-22nm-3d-transistor,13753.html: "CEO Paul Otellini confirmed that Ivy Bridge 22 nm processor volume production has already begun, which is a rather significant achievement as there have been apparently no major hiccups in the implementation of its 3D transistor technology")

Of course, the next xbox will be more powerful than any smartphone, but think about having current xbox 360 games in your smartphone in 2013 or 2014.

sources:
* Xbox 360 http://www.pvcmuseum.com/games/vs/ps3-vs-xbox-360-gpu-specs.htm
* iphone 4s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_A5

http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Slate_EP121/ I love mine.

A tablet can be conveniently held in one hand while sitting in a comfortable posture. Depending on what you're doing, it may be convenient (e.g. it is very convenient for reading).

But yes, this is not a sufficiently strong argument to justify replacing a notebook with a tablet - as there are more situations in which the former is more comfortable. I think the future is where both devices converge, so that you get the convenience of both form factors. And that future is already here.

That was my thought too, but according to this chart the E-350 is pretty much on par with D525. The AMD designs feature a nice Radeon chip though. By the way there's an E-350 based Eee Box already available...I would actually like to own one.

Try the Asus Eee Note. You can do eBooks, handwriting and sketching: http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Note/Eee_Note_EA800/ . I've been planning to buy one myself, but it is still not available in this part of the world.

When you build off of GPL software you're legally obligated to release the modifications, so yeah, Google releasing a significant portion of Android is not "extra" it is the minimum required by law.

Only if you distribute binaries, which Google never did. Of course, the manufacturers did release binaries, so they did distribute the GPL'ed code from their websites. For example, you could always find Honeycomb's kernel code on the ASUS website.

That's not to say they did not also release some code they did not strictly have to, but since they had promised to do so, changing their mind at this stage would have been willfully misleading consumers and partners.

But they weren't obligated to promise it in the first place.

Give me a big tablet, between 12 - 21 inches.
Give me a tablet that runs windows.
Give me a tablet that has a stylus, and turns off automatically touch display once the stylus goes out of it's enclosure.
Give me that, for less than 700 (would pay up to 1000 for a 21")

Let me clear one thing: I own an iPad. i wont replace it with an android tablet, and I doubt any potential iPad consumer will change it's mind towards an android tablet.

Artists, though, may still find an iPad problematic because finger drawing is... not cool, and I dont want to wear a glove, and the thing is too small to do proper art.
I also want to use my current art software for windows, photoshop included.

Asus, ironically, has something close Link, but its too expensive. They want 1050 for a 12" tablet. I'm tempted, but the price is just too high.

I want a tablet that will do things that Apple will just not aim for. Stop trying to sell android tablets to people that want iPads and start making tablets for people that want more than just an iPad!

, they have zero future vision, just trying to redo what apple has already done

I've no idea why you think that this was the point of my post. In any case, can you tell me how this is "redoing what apple has already done"? Can you point me at a similar Apple product?

Toshiba had windows laptop/table hybrids 7 or 8 years ago (the screen rotates, then you close it). Check out the toshiba portage m400 (not sure if it's still available) or ASUS R1F.

I've been using the ASUS (yeah I know, shut up) RT-N16 with DD-WRT installed and have been really pleased.

http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/RTN16/#specifications

It is/was actually a top recommended DD-WRT device. It's also cheap.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320038

Specs:
http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/RTN16/#specifications

The reason why I hope it catches on is that it might encourage tablet hardware designers to start seriously considering adding some kind of hardware keyboard to their devices.

The device that you want has been on the market for several months now.

Now we only need to get software that can properly use it. Honeycomb itself actually supports trackpad (and USB/bluetooth mice) and displays a mouse pointer that you can move around and interact using it. They've also updated their APIs to provide more fine-grained mouse events - hover, for example, distinct buttons, and so on. The stock OS itself is also somewhat keyboard-aware in that you can do Ctrl+X/C/V in text fields, tab between controls, and so on.

Problem is third-party apps which, for the most part, completely ignore this - especially mouse, which they treat just as a touch device - no hover etc, and layout is of course all touch-optimized first and foremost. About the only exception I can think of is one RDP/VNC client which properly tracks and propagates mouse movement.

But yeah, I'd kill for a Transformer-like device with Win8. Preferably x86, too, so that old software can run if needed - if ARM version gets 16 hours of juice with dock attached (and I know that it does from personal experience), then Intel one should get 12-13 even with current CPUs, and I can live with that.

Perhaps someone will make a killing with a low cost docking station.

Asus are hoping you're right.
http://event.asus.com/mobile/padfone/

With that and a quiet laptop hard drive and fanless power supply, it's finally truly possible to build a completely silent (from 3 feet or so) small form-factor machine that doesn't perform like 5-year-old hardware.

In theory, theory is the same as practice. Ironically enough, however:
Noise emanating from E35M1-I motherboard when the CPU cycles between C0/C1 states

Several others have reported this issue on this motherboard and on certain ASUS laptops. FAIL. In a quiet room, the whiny squeal can be heard several meters away and emanates from underneath the large heatsink. The sound in question is actually more annoying than a fan, which seems further ironic.

Oh, and don't neglect to notice that there is extremely poor Linux support for the onboard thermal sensors, and the situation will likely never improve because ASUS is actively blocking this:
Linux drivers for motherboard sensors?

One might imagine that functional support for environmental sensors (ie. CPU and motherboard temps) might be important for a system that is being run passively.