Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Asus Takes Another Stab at Revolutionizing Netbook Market

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the betting-on-the-design-team dept.

Perhaps most well known for their netbook innovations with the Eee PC, Asus is at it again with their latest rollout at CeBIT Germany. The "Waveface Light," a new concept laptop, can be used as a conventional laptop or converted to a tablet by removing the keyboard and opening it to a completely flat position. Sounds like either a stroke of genius or a "small widget broke and now it's worthless" design issue.

18 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. You can't really revolutionise the netbook market by CdBee · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Anything sufficiently different to be radical (in either a good or bad way) won't be considered a netbook.

    --
    I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
  2. Interesting... by wernercd · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Thing looks remarkable. If it works as advertised, the main thing I'd want to know is what operating system runs on it?

    1. Re:Interesting... by sammyF70 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      First it will run with a completely user-unfriendly Linux distribution (Linpus, I'm looking at you!), then people will complain about it, Asus will increase the specs and the price massively and will only sell the Win7 edition. The few who bought the original edition will tell everybody that they tried Linux and that it's complete crap without trying some *real* distro, and websites around the world will laud the new win7 edition as much better, and a proof that Linux is not fit for the desktop. Apple will then show off their new product (the iBalls) which will have less feature than anything else, will be so locked it won't be of any use whatsoever, but will have shiny glossy metal, and everyone will announce the death of the Wave Light Devices.

      been there, done that

      --
      "DRM is like the Ford Pinto: it's a smooth ride, right up the point at which it explodes and ruins your day."-C.Doctorow
    2. Re:Interesting... by Nemyst · · Score: 4, Informative

      The original EEE PC ran Xandros, which was arguably a very bad decision...

  3. Just remove the pc! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The "Waveface Light," a new concept laptop can be used as a conventional laptop or converted to a tablet by removing the pc and opening it to a completely flat position.

    run that by me again

    1. Re:Just remove the pc! by Haxamanish · · Score: 4, Informative

      TFA reads: remove the keyboard.
      From the pictures it even seems the screen can be rolled up when the keyboard has been removed.

  4. Re:Indeed. by TheKidWho · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Umm, get a $399 ION netbook problem solved?

  5. Always Innovating by FlyingBishop · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So they've ripped off the Always Innovating Tablet and are calling it their idea?

    And somehow I don't think the Always Innovating tablet was the first.

  6. Re:Indeed. by qoncept · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Right now an engineer at Intel is slapping his forehead and saying, out loud, "Why didn't I think of that? We should have been trying to make faster chips that use less power all along!"

    --
    Whale
  7. It is flexible. Bendable to be precise. by denzacar · · Score: 3, Informative

    See the videos below:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTmzBsx6p_I

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceHb98Ri4BE

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  8. Re:Indeed. by EdZ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So, you don't actually want a netbook (a cheap, low powered laptop for surfing the web), you just want a regular small laptop? Buy a regular small laptop then.

  9. !new by lkcl · · Score: 2, Informative

    it's an innovative "new" concept, that has been shipping for several months, in the form of the http://alwaysinnovating.com/ touchbook

  10. Re:Indeed. by Dishevel · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The problem is that net books can game. They can play old low powered games. New games are by nature designed to push limits on desktops. Netbooks by nature are not going to be able to run these games. Some laptops may be able to run some of the newest stuff at lower resolutions and with some eye candy turned down. Netbooks are minimalist by nature. Move on.

    --
    Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
  11. Re:Operating system by mrclisdue · · Score: 2, Funny

    I believe this has been attempted many times in the past, but when the users fire up their netbooks a few times only to find that everything still *just works*, and that there's no malware, there are no viruses, no unpatched or delay-patched exploits, they freak and ask for their *windows* back.

    Being users finally "in control" of their systems only speeds up their return to lemminghood.

    The revolution happened long ago - it's the self-professed Windows experts who've become immovable.

    cheers,

  12. Lenovo has something similar... by Drethon · · Score: 2, Informative

    Though no screen under the keyboard (if I understood the ASUS article right). http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/01/04/lenovos-u1-is-a-netbook-with-removable-tablet/

  13. Re:Design priming function by AP31R0N · · Score: 2, Insightful

    My sarcasmometer must be on the fritz. Did you mean this to be funny?

    --
    Utilizing the synergization of benchmark e-solutions to pre-workaround action items!
  14. Re:Indeed. by mcmonkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow. There's a gamer who really loves Civ IV.

  15. Re:Indeed. by hclewk · · Score: 2, Funny

    Net books are designed to be just powerful enough to surf the inter net . If you make them more powerful, they are no longer netbooks. What you are asking for is akin to wanting to meet a 5' 6" midget.