ASUS Fold to be Produced

ASUS will turn its conceptual Fold/Unfold notebook into a production system later this year, the company's chief Jerry Shen said today. First shown at CES and now at CeBIT, the prototype was originally thought to be just a technology demo but, after a Shen interview with TechRadar, is now known to be in formal development for a summer release window. Its actual specifications haven't yet been disclosed.

The Fold/Unfold was consciously designed with the MacBook Air's ultra-thin tapered design in mind but earns its name from a unique design that automatically lifts and angles the keyboard when the notebook opens. Making the change not only puts the keyboard in a more ergonomic position but also separates it from the main body of the system; this lets ASUS cool the internal components more effectively without hurting the user.

Additionally, Shen made clear that a user-submitted, dual-touchscreen notebook concept from its WePC site is likely to become a production system but will take longer. The submission showed a system using only multi-touch displays that would let owners either use it like a conventional notebook, a single oversized display for media playback, or an e-book reader.

By Electronista Staff