It's a fact that most home theaters are centered around a computer nowadays. Digital media is the future, not Blu-ray DVDs. With that being said, it isn't easy to find suitable living room computers to fill out that spot. Most are either tacky or cumbersome. A few are nice, but sometimes they are too costly. With computers getting smaller and smaller, we will be seeing something like the Asus Eee Keyboard PC quite soon. Read on to find out more.
[Photos: Mark Wilson/Gizmodo]
As reported by Gizmodo, the Asus presented this keyboard computer at this year's CES. It's actually a fully functional PC integrated into a keyboard. Initially, we thought that it was just a great looking keyboard, with a secondary touchscreen, but the reality is much more intriguing. Putting everything inside a keyboard is now possible with the way how computers are being reduced in size.
Imagine streaming media or interfacing with a few wireless HDs on your home network thanks to this keyboard PC. It just couldn't be a better solution, because all of us need a keyboard most of the time to input data into a computer. It's totally logical to think of it as the smallest solution, unless someone can fit a computer into a mouse. The Asus Eee Keyboard PC features wireless HDMI ports, a full-sized QWERTY keyboard, and a small touchscreen. Asus has been vague about processors, RAM, and other details like the release date, but something like this does seem quite possible if you think about it. With solid state drives, RAM computing, and laptop processors, this could be a reality later this year.
[via Gizmodo]
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it matches the new MacBooks too!
view FightTheFuture's profile
From what I understand, it can also connect wirelessly to mulitple monitors... the idea being you can take it to another room and use it on your TV, monitor, etc.. I am totally into this!
view Eric D M 's profile
i don't really see the point of this. just get a normal theater pc, and a wireless keyboard. having all those wired jacks on the back of the keyboard itself can only be a disadvantage.
view ricey's profile
Except you generally wouldn't need to plug anything into this keyboard PC other than a power cord, as it's fully wireless - including wireless video.
Wireless HDMI is coming, and it's going to change everything.
I'm betting the next-generation iMac will be a wireless keyboard-PC, maybe with a few minutes worth of battery backup, so you can unplug in one room and plug in in another without interrupting your work.
Eventually I expect to see devices like the iPhone come with wireless video, and probably replace PCs as we've known them. Your PC and phone would merge into a single device you carry everywhere. When you need to use it as a PC you'd sit down in front of a wireless monitor and use a wireless full-sized keyboard. When you want to use it as an entertainment device you'd sit down in front of your big screen TV and use the PC/phone as a remote control. You might also be able to play videogames using wireless controllers, like the Wiimote.
It is interesting to see these keyboard PCs, because they look very much like some of the earliest computer form factors, for machines like the Commodore 64, Atari 800XL, Sinclair QL and Atari ST. Everything old is new again . . .
view sunspot42's profile