Pegatron, perhaps unsurprisingly, opted to stick with Apple’s contract rather than that of ASUS. The OEM won iPhone construction contracts last year, and is apparently angling for iPad 3 contacts now. Zenbook production is expected to cease with Pegatron at the end of March, and switch over to either Compal or Wistron.

ASUS is said to be trying to keep news of Apple’s OEM machinations low-key, with a spokesperson only telling the paper that it always attempts to be flexible in its supply chain.

Pegatron was not responsible for the Zenbook design, which was supposedly carried out entirely in-house by ASUS’ own teams, and so Apple’s pressure is not believed to connected to any reusing of ideas on the OEM’s part. However, it’s suggested that this insistence on suppliers “choosing sides” between Apple contracts and those of other companies that fail to meet with Cupertino approval is not likely to end at the Zenbook.

[via DigiTimes]

To create the 7970 DirectCU II TOP, Asus used AMD’s reference design and built outwards, pairing a huge system of copper blades and pipes with two powered fans. Despite appearances, this card isn’t an all-in-one Crossfire solution: it’s running a single GPU under all that metal and plastic. The emphasis is on keeping the card running fast while also quiet, and Asus claims that its collection of active cooling creates and impressive 14 decibels less noise than the reference card.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Asus left out the power. The GPU is overclocked to 900Mhz and the 3GB of GDDR5 RAM operates at a frequency of 1,000Mhz – not the absolute fastest we’ve ever seen, but no slouch, either. In order to safely hold all those components together, the design uses a backplate not unlike the more ostentatious kind of CPU cooler. Two standard DVI connections and four DisplayPort connection hang out on the outward-facing portion of the card. Asus hasn’t announced a price or availability yet, but expect this one to be in the $580 range when it hits retail channels.

[via Hot Hardware]

The video you’re about to see shows both the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the ASUS Transformer Prime, each of them running Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich, each of them running this first public release of Chrome Beta. You’ll find the experiences to be very similar with slight changes in icons and text locations due to size of display, and the same ability to see other devices as well as pre-fetch data from webpages before they’re needed. Notice though the slight differences – the ability to use the voice recognition engine on the tablet and the same option not appearing on the phone.

You’ll find that the nicest looking (or perhaps just the most visually striking) feature is the tabs browser. As you hit the number next to your URL bar – or “Omnibox” as Google has taken to calling it – you’ll see several cards appear. These cards are you tabs, and they can be accessed by tapping, destroyed by swiping, and pushed apart or together – the coolness of this increased by your ability to turn on Tilt Scrolling. This appears to use gravity but actually uses your accelerometer in your device to make the cards appear to move on their own when you tilt your device.

Link Previewing is a feature that Google speaks about in their trailer for the browser but we’ve not encountered a use for thus far. It’s supposed to have links popping up in balloons, essentially, when they’d otherwise be hard to tap. Using these previews has been so off-and-on for us that we’ll wait to show it off in any real manner. Signing in works far better, it allowing you, again, to access the tabs you’ve been using on other machines with Chrome on the fly. Your Chrome iterations also learn from one another for smart URL completion, but watch out if you’re using your Transformer Prime and expect to be able to select one of these pre-typed selections with your arrow keys – that’s not yet integrated.

Another point of interest when comparing the two different sized versions here: Tilt Scrolling is an option for both, but there’s no card tabs in the tablet-based Chrome like there is in the smartphone-based Chrome. You can still push your tabs back and forth in a similar manner above your browser window, but they don’t slide exactly like the smartphone-based card tabs.

Bookmark syncing works between devices, and the whole experience is appearing already to be a much faster and more pleasing experience than the stock Android browser as it stands today. Check the gallery below for some benchmark results as we grab them, and don’t forget to download the browser for yourself. Chrome Beta is available on the Android Market right this minute for free, [download it instantly] for your Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and above device.

The first Transformers took on the code TF201 and TF101, this newest one coming up at TF300T. This could be set to out-do the Transformers currently on the market by having a slightly upgraded casing and the same quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor that the Transformer Prime has – but it’s not likely. Instead since this model looks so very similar to the original Transformer, we must expect that this is a new lower-end model that’ll replace the original Transformer in stores with slight upgrades here and there but nothing so advanced as the Prime.

This falls right in line with what we’ve heard from ASUS on their strategy with their Android tablets, one being the higher-end, that being the Prime, and the other staying with the original Transformer specifications for an everyman tablet. So look out for another radically inexpensive awesome tablet coming from ASUS in the coming months, folks, and don’t be surprised if it has Ice Cream Sandwich aboard when it comes out!

[via Blogee]

The Transformer Prime is Asus’s big attempt to gain momentum in the tablet race, and its major selling point is the ability to turn into what is essentially a fully functional laptop. It’s also making waves as the first tablet to get the ICS nod, but of course there are always risks to being the guinea pig.

Asus has acknowledged that a problem exists, and the company’s technical marketing manager Gary Key was quoted as saying that the team “hope[s] to have a fix available in early February.” This isn’t the first time we’ve seen ICS upgrades present a problem. The Nexus S stopped its update process, and although no one confirmed there were problems with the update file, those who did manage to upgrade experienced similar problems. The Galaxy Nexus, which comes pre-loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich, has not suffered a similar outcry.

[via The Verge]

Running along the bottom edge is “a set of what appear to be LEDs” the report continues. Insiders at Microsoft have supposedly confirmed that the modified netbooks are indeed official demo units, though the expectation is that – unlike the original Kinect for the Xbox 360 – Microsoft will not itself be building computers with Kinect baked in.

Instead, the company is expected to license the Kinect system as an add-on to Windows 8. Gaming is one possibility – especially as we already know Xbox LIVE will be integrated into the new desktop platform – but there are other options including hands-free multimedia navigation, easier control of an HTPC or new usability for the disabled.

Microsoft’s approach isn’t the only one we’ve seen looking to add different control methods to Windows 8. Tobii unveiled its Gaze system earlier this month, using eye-tracking cameras to add an extra dimension to traditional mouse and keyboard navigation. However, Tobii’s previous eye-tracking hardware has been considerably more expensive than a Kinect sensor, while Microsoft is also believed to be readying a second-gen version accurate enough to allow for lip-reading.

[via Electronista]

This update brings with it added support specifically for the ASUS Transformer Prime (recently also updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) as well as the slightly lesser known Medion Lifetab. Also included is added immersion haptic vibration feedback and improved controls for supported gamepads – which, if you’re using a Honeycomb or above, there is a vast abundance of. There’s a whole mess of technical fixes in the mix here and also the ability to install the game to your SD card – that’s just convenient!

There’s improved controls for those of you playing on the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY as well, and the Gamestop specific Wireless Game Controller is now fully supported. It’s time to update, ladies and gentlemen, and make sure not to do those crimes in front of the police! Finish it up and keep cracking until the next generation from RockStar – which is sure to come this year!

Also note: there are a few fakes out there today for this game, make sure you’re downloading the real authentic Grand Theft Auto III from Rockstar Games, Inc. — linked here in the Android Marketplace.

The build you’re seeing here is what you’ll get when you update your ASUS Transformer Prime to ICS, and the first thing you’ll see is that it’s not Vanilla. The way ASUS has worked with Android 4.0 is in a way that makes it NEARLY Vanilla, that is completely unmodified by the manufacturer, but they’ve done some cool changes themselves. They’ve not only done a good job in not taking too much out or adding too much back in in this build, and you’ll see right away that the system is slick as ever.

The icons for the basic built-in applications have been changed to Ice Cream Sandwich loveliness, and interfaces have been changed to several basic Google-built apps. None of the apps are all that different from what you’ve seen in our original Ice Cream Sandwich review save their size except for the camera app which has been modified to work with the tablet’s bigger form factor. Like Honeycomb you’ll see that both the lock when you wake the tablet up and the controls on the camera app are sitting on the far right, complete with circular controls for things like zooming in and out.

You wont find the same shutter speed you saw on the first ICS device out there, the Galaxy Nexus, simply because that’s a feature built into the device, not the software. Similarly you will not find the facial recognition screen unlock – we’re guessing this is because there’ve been so many problems surrounding the lock thus far that ASUS decided to hold off on it for now for their device here. The settings menu is updated to the full ICS experience, complete with “developer” controls – head to the Force GPU Rendering option for a lovely GPU treat.

Have a peek at the images above and below as well as the hands-on video to get a full look at this build, then feel free to ask any additional questions you’ve got about the system in the comments below. Additionally if there are any tests you’d like done on this tablet with this version of Android on it, ask and you shall receive!

This laptop has up to 750GB of hard drive space, support for up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and will connect along 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and gigabit Ethernet. Of course there’s also a single USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, and a USB/eSATA combo port. Inside you’ll find such business oriented gems as LoJack, BIOS password protection, and a fingerprint reader. The whole package comes with a magnesium alloy case and the contents are protected with an anti-shock hard drive.

So what we’ve got here is a 12-inch by 8.1-inch laptop that’s just 1.1-inch thick and made for your everyday consumer. It’s not flashy, and will certainly get the job done for masses of users across the nation and the world, and will be running Windows 7 Home, Professional, or Ultimate operating systems, your choice. The version with Windows 7 Home Premium and an Intel Core i7 processor will cost you between $922 and $999 USD, and you’ll be able to buy one starting immediately wherever fine computers are sold!

[via eeeepc.it]

That can be quickly rectified with some subsequent hacking, of course, getting you back on track with your unofficial modifications. Early feedback on the new GPS performance seems generally good, with owners reporting more satellite locks than previously, even when indoors.

Meanwhile, ASUS has a second solution in store, but it does require a whole new slate. The new, 1080p-capable Transformer Prime 700 Series has a redesigned rear panel which, ASUS reckons, improves not only GPS performance but that of wireless connectivity, including Bluetooth and WiFi. However the Prime 700 (aka TF700T) isn’t expected to go on sale for several months yet.

[via Android Community]

The accessory is called the MeMic, and it is specifically made to go along with the MeMo tablet. The point of the accessory is that it connects with the memo tablet and allows you to hold the much smaller and more handset-like device to your face for making and receiving calls. The MeMic connects to the tablet via Bluetooth.

We did briefly mention the MeMic in the hands-on story, but the details at CES were scant. This device will likely be one of the more popular accessories. At this point, we don’t know when the MeMic will launch or how much it will cost. I would bet the accessory would launch alongside the tablet in the next few months.

[via Pocketables]

“Once that is done” the social media team continued, “we will be able to push it out to you guys.” ASUS has already begun shipping versions of the newer Transformer Prime running Android 4.0 ICS natively, as well as offering an upgrade for existing Transformer Prime owners to get their Tegra 3 slate up to speed with the new version.

Although the Galaxy Nexus debuted ICS late last year, Android device manufacturers are generally still working on getting their existing range upgraded. So far there’s ASUS’ Prime that has been modified, but smartphones and other tablets remain works-in-progress. In fact, even new devices running Android 4.0 are thin on the ground; the bulk of the new smartphones announced at CES 2012 last week were still running Gingerbread.

[via Android Community]

The Rampage IV Formula uses a full ATX board to inlclude all the bells and whistles: second-generation Intel Core i7 support on the LGA 2011 standard, quad-channel DDR3 2400 RAM DIMM slots with a maximum of 32GB of memory, and support for up to four (count ‘em, four) Nvidia or ATI cards in SLI or CrossFireX configurations. As far as ports go, you get four USB 3.0 with an extra six USB 2.0 ports, the standard 5.1 audio interface, gigabit Ethernet, and two eSATA ports. For those of you who can’t let go of your IBM Model M Keyboard, a standard PS/2 jack lets you plug in older accessories. One USB port supports the new ROG Connect standard exclusive to Asus’ gaming boards, which allows you to manually adjust overclock settings from a second computer.

The Rampage IV Gene uses the smaller mATX standard for those who want to game on more compact hardware. This one only includes three PCI-e 16X slots, so the insanity of SLI or Crossfire is somewhat tempered. Otherwise you get the same processor and memory options, with two of the USB 3.0 ports on the back swapped out for USB 2.0. There’s only one eSATA port, but ROG Connect is still present in full force. Both boards feature an aggressive red-on-black color scheme, which manages to convey a serious vibe without some of the more ridiculous lights and props that we’ve seen on “1337 GAMR BOARDS!!!!!” lately.

Asus didn’t mention a price or release date for either motherboard, but you won’t have to wait long to find out – both should be available in the next week.

Exactly which products ASUS has in mind is unclear. The Transformer series currently consists of three models, the original Transformer - of which a 3G version already exists – and the Transformer Prime launched late last year, along with the new Transformer Prime 700 series with a 1080p-capable display and redesigned back cover for improved wireless performance, announced at CES last week.

However, with the success of both Transformer and Transformer Prime, more products in the series seems likely. ASUS also revealed the Eee Pad MeMo at CES, though it is not part of the Transformer series and, so far, there’s no sign of a 3G-enabled version.

Back in early December, ASUS Germany first broke the news that no UMTS/HSPA version of the Transformer Prime would be offered, claiming demand for 3G-enabled tablets was too low to make it worthwhile.

The Galaxy Note is what Samsung is placing in its own category, saying that it’s not exactly a tablet, yet not exactly a smartphone either. What it does amount to is a pretty neat little in-between complete with Gingerbread, a built-in stylus, and the promise of Ice Cream Sandwich early on in 2012. There’s currently a white as well as a black version, both to be released soon. Another device we’ve got to look forward to soon is the ASUS Padfone, this device having now gone through a couple of iterations since its first announcement and set to be officially unveiled for release at MWC 2012.

For readers there wasn’t one whole heck of a lot of differentiation to be made between the masses, but the Kyobo Mirasol eReader did catch our eye with its unique method of lighting, it’s logo reflecting the butterfly-like feature of the display. There was also the Jetbook Color eReader, a CES award winner, whose maker we got to sit down with and have a talk about.

As for the Windows 8 world, groups like Qualcomm and their S4 chip showed off what WILL be possible in just a few weeks or months. We’ve already also had a look at a developer tablet running Windows 8 inside 2011, but will be looking forward to the full real deal in early 2012.

The team at Acer came to the show swinging, it’s early Sunday showing of their newest Android-based Acer Iconia Tab showing us what it means to rock with a fabulously high definition display and the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core chip inside. They also re-showed a slightly less impressive tablet/laptop combo by the name of Iconia Tab W500, this showing us that they’ve more than likely got better concepts in the works for Windows 8, or we can hope! Toshiba brought with them a couple of slight upgrades from their already released line, one being the smaller version of the Thrive we’ve already reviewed in the Toshiba Thrive 7, bringing then the lovely thin and fully functional Toshiba Excite x10 as well for a real contender in 2012.

Then it was Asus all the way – bringing the fire with not one, not two, but three new tablets that all had a bump over not only their own previous models, but the competition as well. Not to be mistaken for one-another, Asus brought forth two 7-inch MeMO devices, one designated 171, the other called 370t. The first one, the Asus MeMO 171, is rolling out with a Qualcomm 8260 1.2GHz dual-core processor and Honeycomb, also bringing with it a built-in stylus for note-taking glory. The other device, the Asus MeMO 370t, is the real gem of the show as it’s got an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, comes out with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and costs a mere $249. That’s an industry changer, if you did not know.

NVIDIA then stole the show again with Asus’ upgraded Transformer Prime 700 series, complete with a massive display, updated casing, and a bump in the front-facing camera for fun. NVIDIA showed that the Prime (in either its first or second iteration) was capable of using the Tegra 3 processor to the fullest, running Skyrim via Splashtop, moving on to play the first multiplayer mobile shooter in a brand new upgraded version of Shadowgun for Tegra, and displaying the fact that it will be first with Ice Cream Sandwich, officially.

Look like a good showing to you? If you could have any one of these devices in your hands right now, which one would it be? Better yet, when these devices are released to the market, which one are you most likely to buy?

BONUS: Don’t forget the Fujitsu Arrows Tablet, complete with waterproofing, and the Pantech Element, an AT&T-bound tiny tablet with waterproofing as well!

Smartphones

We certainly saw our fair share of smartphones on the floor this time around, the major bulk of them running either Windows Phone Mango or a modified version of Android Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich. One of the more interesting devices was Huawei’s Ascend P1 S, it being the new thinnest phone on earth, and its slightly fatter brother the P1, both of them strikingly thin. Next there were a couple of excellent value propositions, it would seem, from Pantech, they showing off two of the six new devices running on AT&T’s LTE network that’ll be up to speed by late this year – the Pantech Element is a waterproof tablet that, when you buy it, you basically get the Pantech Burst smartphone for free. Sony Experia came correct with their new set of Xperia devices with big specs and gigantic cameras: the Xperia ion having a 12 megapixel camera and the Xperia S being the one teased for so long. For Android phones the winner would have to be the Lenovo Racer-A, aka the first device to be running Intel’s Medfield chip – winning not just because it looks like a quality phone, but because it does indeed hold that record. Intel’s entry into the mobile market is likely going to have the longest lasting effect on the mobile industry while all these other phones get replaced – that’s for sure.

As for Windows Phones I’ll have to call a tie until we can review these devices extensively because they’re both so lovely: the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan II. Both of these devices are bringing Windows Phone into the future, fighting head to head with the top guns at last.

BONUS: Since Samsung is insistent on saying this device is neither a smartphone or a tablet, here it is in the middle: the AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy Note. All of its awesome features remain in-tact, it having a Snapdragon processor instead of an Exynos, and it comes in white as well as black, your choice!

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Tablets

As with smartphones, we’ve got a lot to be excited about in the hardware side of things, not least of all with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2 for strength and touchability. As for future-looking devices, the newest iteration of the ASUS Padfone looked oddly enticing. There were also some lovely reader refreshes like the Kyobo Mirasol eReader with its unique form of lighting, it replicating the light bouncing off a butterfly. Windows 8 made a bit of a showing with groups like Qualcomm and their S4 chip showing the possibilities of a Windows 8 mobile world. Acer came back with a new iteration of the Acer Iconia Tab complete with a Tegra 3 quad-core chip. Toshiba made a showing with two devices you might find rather familiar, the smaller version of the Thrive in the Toshiba Thrive 7 and the Toshiba Excite x10, the latter being the one to keep an eye on through 2012.

Then there’s the big guns, both of them winners, both of them coming from no less than Asus and toting, again, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. First there was the undeniably inexpensively priced $249 7-inch quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich toting Asus MeMO 370t, a value we’re sure one whole heck of a lot of people will not be able to resist. Then there was the big showing of not only the Transformer Prime, but the Transformer Prime 700 series with its upgraded display and hardware. We saw the Prime running Skyrim via Splashtop, playing the first multiplayer mobile shooter in a new version of Shadowgun for Tegra, and all of it on Ice Cream Sandwich as the Transformer is now the world’s first Google-licensed Ice Cream Sandwich tablet.

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Headphones / Earbuds

As always, there was a surplus of new headphones this year. Of them, our top three were InSound by Cygnett, the 5-minute Eeers Sonofit earbuds, and the HD700 from Sennheiser. The InSound had very decent ‘active’ noise cancellation and are extremely comfortable. Though easily portable, they are still not built as well as the Sennheisers. The HD 700 instead implements ‘passive’ noise cancellation, and offers a much cleaner, crisper sound. But at CES, people look for innovation – and that’s why Eers by Sonofit were the best headphones. With Eers, anyone can create a pair of custom-fit earbuds within minutes, all of it for a cool $300 USD.

BONUS: don’t forget the conceptual Parrot Zik by Starck and the wild contributions by Skullcandy in the Mix Master headphones.

- contributed by Sam Koutroulakis

Speakers

Though there were certainly one whole heck of a lot of speakers out there, we’ve decided to concentrate on the smaller world of portable speakers for all you mobile people out there. For that, there are a few gems that stick out. First there’s the SuperTooth Disco 2, an upgrade from the already great Disco 1 model, now with plenty of color and a vertical form factor. As for green representations, we had a talk with the makers of Eink who now bring us the Eton Rukus Solar powered boombox, so green it’s accented with the color green, imagine that! As for the tiniest speaker worth a peek at outside a smartphone, that was clearly the Harman JBL on-tour Micro, complete with Iron Man color scheme! The winner of our hearts in this category would have to be the high-blasting Altec Lansing 5000 series all-in-one speakers, these certainly commanding the hoards when it comes to all-in-one power.

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Laptops

Ultrabooks were the hot ticket for the computer side of CES this year, with every major brand introducing new models at or just before the show. While Toshiba’s Windows 8 prototype wowed us with software and the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga showed off some amazing innovation in form factor, the top prize goes to Dell’s more humble XPS 13. Far from Dell’s usual utilitarian design, the XPS 13 Ultrabook is downright stunning, with a combination aluminum-carbon fiber frame that’s 15% smaller than the MacBook Air. It manages to cram a 13-inch screen into a 12-inch body, and with 300 nits of brightness it should be a joy to use. With a Core i5 or i7 processor, an SSD drive, 4GB of RAM and eight hours of rated battery life, the XPS 13 will be a major contender when it becomes available.

- contributed by Michael Crider

Cameras

There were a few cameras at CES that caught our eye. Canon’s revived PowerShot Digital ELPH 520HS crams some amazingly powerful glass into its tiny body, and Liquid Image’s Xtreme Sports Cams brings some great new features into a growing market. But the obvious winner for the show wasn’t even announced at CES: Nikon’s new flagship, the D4. This monster DSLR sets the standard for its line going forward, with insane ISO capabilities and forward-looking support for QXD. But the real innovation is a major upgrade in video capabilities, with dynamic cropping on the sensor for “zoomed” shots even on prime lenses, and the ability to actively monitor audio and stream video over HDMI. The D4 may well be the benchmark when it comes to DSLR video recording, a segment that has nowhere to go but up. At $6,000 it’s a little on the pricey side, but pro photographers will pay any price for the best – and when it comes to high-definition video in a comfortable DSLR format, the Nikon D4 will give it to them.

- contributed by Michael Crider

Televisions

Televisions were one of the hottest categories at CES this year, but not because of size. Previous shows were all about who can get the biggest panel out, but this year image quality ruled. LG and Samsung both introduced 55-inch OLED TVs with incredibly thin, light bodies, stunning black levels and color reproduction that’s the best we’ve ever seen. The best television of CES is Samsung’s Super OLED HDTV – we’re giving it the top spot because the image displayed was just slightly more vivid than LG’s. It’s a close match, however, and LG has the edge (ba-dum TISH) on style thanks to its 4mm, 16-pound body. Sharp’s battery powered AQUOS Freestyle gets a third place nod, because it’s a handy idea that the market is ready for.

- contributed by Michael Crider

Automotive Concept

There were two stand-out contenders at CES 2012 for automotive concepts, Audi and Mercedes. While our main hands-on write-ups of these two titans are going to be published early next week, I can tell you this now: Audi brought some heavy fire with a setup called Audi connect that included all of their innovations of 2011 including voice commands and Google Earth integration and made it explode with a touch-sensitive dial and a setup newly powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core chipset. Mercedes, on the other hand, had several concepts including a very similar in-car screen setup, this time connected to an iPhone, a couple of gesture-activated door demonstrations, and a box inside which a completely gesture-intensive console was shown. Both companies will have massively impressive vehicles in the very near future, that’s for certain.

- contributed by Chris “Burnsy” Burns

Accessories

Here at CES a large focus is also on accessories for all the electronics announced, and while we saw plenty of impressive designs like the new Wrapsol anti-slip pads we’ve decided on one. Cygnett is known for constructing well built, quality cases for phones and tablets, not to mention their durable tablet stands. Since the mobile phone market has exploded everyone has a few cases to offer but Cygnett’s offerings were one of the most memorable. With simple designs that are actually easy to both get on AND off while still protecting the product they were our clear winner.

For a video rundown on a few cases from Cygnett including their new Icon Art series by artist Nathan Jurevicius be sure to check out our Insider Talk with Cygnett Creative Director Sophie Swann.

- Contributed by Cory Gunther

Mobile Carrier

When caught up in the mass of tech news here at CES, we often forget that a team’s mobile collaboration is only as good as the signal they’re running on. There isn’t one, but more like two obstacles a team requires of its carrier to perform at maximum efficiency. The first is consistency; a reliable data signal that will always be there when needed. The second is actual data strength. Processing videos and uploading images over a fast connection is essential if you plan on delivering the best CES coverage. And for both requirements, Verizon 4G LTE was unbeatable for CES 2012. With speeds of up to 14Mbps on the showroom floor and a consistent signal throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center, other carriers couldn’t come close.

- contributed by Sam Koutroulakis

Our most used gear

When the topic of most used gear comes up it could mean anything based on what you did at CES. Some might just answer — my shoes. Obviously we used cameras just about every possible minute. Here at SlashGear we were busy looking for wall power outlets and churning out stories to share with our readers and have as a team came up with a final conclusion. When it comes to outright sheer production MacBook’s rule. When it comes to mobile production it’s actually the complete opposite and Android rules, with only one iPhone on our team with a whole hoard of Galaxy Nexus for the rest.

Apple’s Macbook Pro and Air gave our team most of the tools needed (not counting a few heavy cameras) and our Macs outnumbers PC laptops 6-to-1. When we change over to the mobile aspect it was completely the opposite and we had 2 iPhones compared to about 10 Android smartphones, and 4 LTE Android tablets. With large screens, big batteries and awesome wired/wireless tethering options with Verizon 4G LTE our Android phones were the clear choice — and winner.

- Contributed by Cory Gunther

CES 2012′s Top Innovation: No One

While there certainly have been some interesting bits here and there at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, nothing made us absolutely drop our collective jaws. You could take the winners from the categories above and choose your favorite, sure, but nothing blew us away to the point of saying it absolutely won the show. It seemed as though most companies came to the show as a matter of requirement rather than because they wanted to show off their biggest and best. Instead we’re hoping for quite a few individual showings throughout the year from manufacturers as it continues to be the thing to do when you want the most individual attention.

When Vincent Nguyen, SlashGear’s Editor in Chief, was asked what he thought represented CES this year, his response was simple “nothing.”

The fact that this isn’t the only time we’ve heard this response from not just our own staff, but many of the people we spoke with throughout the convention may well be the first indication that bigger shows like CES are on their way out – what do you think?

Successor to the much-loved Eee Pad Transformer, the 10.1-inch tablet also has WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS and twin cameras. ASUS says it delayed the UK launch so as to give retailers enough stock to clear their pre-orders, but that more units are expected “over the coming weeks.”

In the meantime, of course, ASUS has revealed the Transformer Prime 700 series, a variant on the original Prime but using a 1080p-capable 1920 x 1200 display and sporting a redesigned rear panel to boost wireless and GPS performance. The surprise reveal at CES this week has left some Prime early-adopters fuming, though ASUS doesn’t expect to have the Full HD version on the market for a few months yet.

So, grab a Transformer Prime now – complete with the Ice Cream Sandwich update – or hold off and pick up the 700 series version later in the year? Let us know what you plan to do in the comments.

HP experienced the greatest decline in US PC shipments, dropping 26.1 percent, followed by Acer with an 11.4 percent drop, Dell with 4.5 percent, and Toshiba with 2.2 percent. Overall, the US saw negative 5.9 percent growth based on data taken from the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2011. Despite this, HP maintained its number one spot with over 4 million in shipments followed by Dell and then Apple in third.

The worldwide PC shipment drop of 1.4 percent included a 16.2 percent decline from HP and an 18.4 percent decline from Acer. Lenovo and Asus rose with 23 percent and 20.5 percent, respectively, while Dell managed a 7.8 percent increase. Once again, HP retained the top spot.

Ultrabooks quietly crept in during the fourth quarter of 2011, but didn’t make much of an impact on PC sales. However, with the abundance of new ultrabooks popping up at this weeks CES show, 2012 will likely be a big year for this new crop of MacBook Air-inspired notebooks. However, Gartner expects PC shipments to be temporarily lowered in the first half of 2012 due to HDD shortages caused by the October 2011 floods in Thailand.

AT&T‘s cluster of LTE devices was perhaps the biggest single launch of the show, with the carrier hoping to flood our attention with more than a half-dozen 4G handsets. There are some stand-out phones in among the torrent, however: the HTC Titan II, for instance, packs a whopping 16-megapixel camera, while Nokia‘s much-anticipated Lumia 900 brings polycarbonate unibody style to the US and marks the start of the Finn’s North American re-entry.

Otherwise there’s the Pantech Burst and Samsung Exhilarate, both attempting to drag LTE to the entry-level, with a $50 apiece price tag. Sony ditched the Ericsson name and passé hardware with the Xperia ion, toting a 720p HD display and sizable 12-megapixel camera; both it and its European HSPA+ Xperia S pack NFC and the promise of ICS in Q2.

Finally, Samsung‘s Galaxy Note gets a new, AT&T LTE version, offering a compelling – if perhaps tricky to pocket – smartphone/tablet hybrid with useful digital ink input and a beautiful 1280 x 800 display. It’s a phone we’ve coveted in Europe and we’re curious to see how it does in the US.

Verizon had fewer devices than AT&T, but some eagerly awaited ones nonetheless. Motorola brought the DROID 4 to the party, an LTE-toting QWERTY Android slider, along with the DROID RAZR MAXX. The latter answers a common complaint of the original DROID RAZR of last year, meagre battery life on LTE, throwing a huge 3,300 mAh battery at the phone while still measuring just 8.9mm thick. Those looking for superlative displays have the LG Spectrum to look forward to, another LTE device but offering a 1280 x 720 IPS panel with iPhone 4S-besting pixel density.

T-Mobile USA had a much quieter show than either of the big boys, perhaps still licking its wounds and pondering the future now the AT&T acquisition has been ditched. The carrier had just one new device to announce, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, supporting HSPA+ and – as the name suggests – being another iteration on the Korean company’s familiar Galaxy S II.

Then there are the outliers and oddities. Lenovo opened the show with its S2, headed to China first with an encrypted kernel to keep your data secure and malware-free, while ViewSonic attempted to bridge the work and home worlds with its dual-SIM ViewPhone 3. Beyond their core conceit it proved tough to work up much enthusiasm around either device.

Easier to like has been the Huawei Ascend P1 S and P1, two phones that take dieting very seriously. The “S” prefix device is a mere 6.68mm thick, with what looks to be Galaxy S II “inspired” styling helping it take – for the moment at least – the title of world’s thinnest smartphone. Perhaps more interesting, they both run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, still something of a rarity (all of the previously mentioned handsets are still using Gingerbread).

ASUS‘ Padphone – back in its 2012 redux – is a lot chunkier than the Huawei, certainly, but arguably more useful. Like the Ascend phones it’s now running Ice Cream Sandwich, but of course the Padphone also gets a tablet chassis in which it can be docked for big-screen browsing and multimedia playback. ASUS reckons it’ll hit shelves in the spring, though still isn’t talking pricing.

Finally Intel, a company that has been talking about entering the smartphone market for several years, but is only now looking like it’s building any sort of momentum. The freshly announced Atom Z2460 Medfield processor, along with deals with Motorola and Lenovo, should result in some actual handset launches by the end of the year, each running Android, with talk of tablets also making an eventual appearance.

Lenovo stopped by to demonstrate its Racer-A Atom reference design, an impressive 4.5-inch smartphone with a 1280 x 720 display, 8-megapixel camera, HSPA+ and a 1.6GHz dual-core processor. There may be a few tweaks to the aesthetics, but for the moment this is likely to be one of the devices Lenovo brings to market in the second half of this year. We’ll have to wait until then to find out whether Intel’s long-standing battery issues have been ironed out with Medfield.

Tempted by any of these smartphones? Or are you waiting for Mobile World Congress next month, to see what HTC and others have in store for 2012? Let us know in the comments!

This device is, if you did not know, tow in one, allowing you the ability to “enlarge your screen size on the go”, transitioning between your tablet (or your pad, as it were) and your phone with great ease. You’ve got one storage location, one SIM card, and the ability to charge your phone with your pad. This device is set to be the only real effort in the industry today to provide both a smartphone and a tablet together in one package literally – and a strange package it is.

Have a peek at what we’re able to see here – not one whole heck of a lot, but compared to the first iteration of this package, a definite improvement in aesthetics. This device now seems relatively slim for what it is and isn’t that hard on the eyes on the whole, either. Will you buy in to the idea that you’ll be able to use both a tablet and a phone interchangeably come later this spring?

This device has 1GB of low-power DDR2 memory inside and is 400g weight in total – the entire device is 200 x 118 x 12.95 mm and feels nice to hold with smooth sides all around. Storage inside is also eMMC 16GB and comes with 8GB of lifetime ASUS WebStorage. The battery inside is a massive 4400 mAh which ASUS says will give you 8.5 hours of video playback, and the whole device can be used as a mobile phone if you like.

One of the things sitting aside the tablet that we didn’t really address in the hands-on video is the MeMIC Bluetooth headset that’ll allow you to listen to music, place calls, and make texts when connected to your tablet here with bluetooth. There’s also a pen tool that fits in the silver section of the tablet that slides in and out easily, its tip a capacitive compatible nub which works with whatever capacitive device you happen to have with you — best used with the screenshot art button that sits at the bottom of the display near your other Android buttons – this shown in the video as well.

We’ve got hands-on looks at each of the ASUS tablets revealed and/or re-revealed this week, including but not limited to the two MeMO tablets, Transformer 700 series, and the Padfone – though that’s just an eyes-on, to be fair. Check them all out in the timeline below!

This device runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box and totes the fabulous NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. Have a peek at our full review of the Transformer Prime to see what this device packs aside from the panel, it also an IPS display meaning its so bright that it’ll bust your eyeballs out. The best example we’ve got of this happening is Shadowgun running here at native resolution, that being WUXGA Full HD 1920 x 1200 – powerful!

NOTE here that the device is likely simply going to be marketed as the Transformer 700 Series instead of the TF700 or TF700T you’ve heard of in the past.

Additional features that we dont go too far into in the hands-on video are SuperNote app – this allowing you to take screenshots and insert photos, videos, and audio recordings along with maps and more to take all the inclusive notes you could ever want. The camera on the back is still that powerful 8 megapixel shooter with LED flash, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, and F/2.4 aperture. Audio is provided by ASUS SonicMaster technology too – it’s no less than deliciously soundtastic.

This device is also likely the second Android tablet to be certified by Google to be running Ice Cream Sandwich, the first being the Transformer Prime we’ve already got a full review of – announced this week to be the first certified slate, that is. On the back of this MeMO 370T you’ll find an 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus, and on the front is the cool 178 degree viewing angle toting IPS panel.

Have a peek at how this device looks held in our hands and tapped out through a few processes, and note that the screenshot function you’re checking out in the video also works with a capacitive pen as its cousin, the MeMO 171 does as well. We’re expecting this device to be release early in Q1 for, again, the undeniable price of $249 – neat!

While the specifications matter a lot, we’ve got the best of the best right here in the price: a 7-inch tablet that runs the newest version of Android WITHOUT a bunch of junk over the top (you know who you are) and all of it for cheap! This tablet is the next generation of cheap tablet and it’s not junk like the rest – it’s top of the line. Everything we’ve seen Tegra 3 do in the past, this device does it to. That includes playing multiplayer Shadowgun.

The folks at NVIDIA have come correct with their offering today, and ASUS is high fiving them all the way. Does this look like the masterpiece you’ve been looking for, Android lovers? We’ll certainly be enjoying reviewing it soon! Until then – we’ll be bringing you some hands-on pics and video this week!

Also note here in the timeline that we’ve seen the name “MeMO” before in a few different form factors – ASUS do you have more MeMOs up your sleeve? We’ll find out soon!

There’s also either 16GB or 32GB of internal memory, GPS, a digital compass and g-sensor, gyroscope and proximity sensor. Connectivity includes microUSB, a microSD card slot, microHDMI, a headphones socket and a SIM card slot for 3G-enabled variants of the MeMO ME370T.

Battery life is estimated at 8.5hrs of video playback from the 4,400mAh battery, and the whole thing measures 7.8 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches and 14.2 oz. You may recognize the MeMO from its previous public launches, but this time around it has lost the glasses-free 3D display but gained Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The ASUS Eee Pad MeMO ME370T will go on sale in Q2 2012, pricing to be confirmed.

The front-facing camera now runs at 2-megapixels, instead of 1.3, and the rear panel has been redesigned to enhance WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS performance. Still, the TF700T should fit into the same keyboard/battery dock as the existing Transformer Prime. Otherwise it’s the same Tegra 3 1.3GHz quadcore, with WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and microHDMI connectivity along with a microSD card reader.

The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF700T will go on sale in North America in Q2, priced at $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB model. We can’t imagine early-adopters of the existing Prime are going to be too happy, frankly.

We’re working on getting images of the new TF700T, and will update when we have them. For more on the Transformer Prime overall, check out our full review.

That’s good news for existing Transformer and Slider owners, who have been looking on enviously from the sidelines as Transformer Prime owners were reassured their shiny new slates would get Ice Cream Sandwich imminently. ASUS is also preparing a bootloader unlock tool for the Prime, though using it will void your warranty on the tablet.

“We’ll post an update on what changes it’ll make to your Eee Pads nex week,” ASUS’ support team has said, “and hopefully an ETA for the firmware update.” There’s also the possibility of some ICS-running Transformers at CES this coming week, so we’ll be keeping out eyes peeled.

[via AndroidPolice - Thanks Sam!]

ASUS had disappointed many by announcing back in November that it had no plans – at launch, at least – for a 3G variant of the Tegra 3-based Transformer Prime. The company’s German division then reiterated that last month, claiming that no UMTS/HSPA model was incoming.

All that seems to have changed in the intervening weeks, however, with the Transformer Prime 3G now expected to debut at the end of Q1 this year. There’s no word on what type of wireless it will support – whether GSM/UMTS or CDMA/EVDO – or indeed if there will be a 4G version with LTE or WiMAX, but a more powerful GPS module is also promised to address concerns around location services.

CES 2012 will bring a 7-inch tablet – potentially this leaked model – and a 10-inch “high resolution” model, according to ASUS’ Samson Hu, while two further 10-inch models will drop in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, ASUS has a 150-strong team working on its Windows 8 model, though we’re a little confused as to the mention of ARM chipsets given Microsoft is believed not to have the Windows 8 on ARM build of the OS ready until mid-2013.

We’ll hopefully know more next week as the Las Vegas show kicks off in earnest.

What ASUS has done here is to keep the security measures they’ve been pressured to add thus far in place while still offering those hardcore enough to mess with the guts of the device the ability to do so. This should very well make all the folks in all the sectors as happy as possible. As ASUS says, “the demand in the modding community” was high enough, thusly the bonds have been broken!

“Regarding the bootloader, the reason we chose to lock it is due to content providers’ requirement for DRM client devices to be as secure as possible. ASUS supports Google DRM in order to provide users with a high quality video rental experience. Also, based on our experience, users who choose to root their devices risk breaking the system completely. However, we know there is demand in the modding community to have an unlocked bootloader. Therefore, ASUS is developing an unlock tool for that community. Please do note that if you choose to unlock your device, the ASUS warranty will be void, and Google video rental will also be unavailable because the device will be no longer protected by security mechanism.” – ASUS

Next, for the update to Ice Cream Sandwich, and I must remind you this appears to be the first place a high-end tablet will be getting said update, the update will be coming starting on the 12th of January – that’s quick! Read: this wont necessarily come to you, the owner of a brand new Transformer Prime THAT DAY, but the update will start then:

“ASUS has been working hard to make the highly anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich available on the Transformer Prime, and today, we have good news for you. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich FOTA worldwide update for the Transformer Prime will start from Jan 12th, 2012. Thank you for your patience and support through this process. ” – ASUS

Sound alright? We’re as pumped up as you are!

[via ASUS]

ASUS Italy’s statement attempts to address the battery concerns some have voiced about the Transformer Prime, as well as the GPS issues and the bootloader, though the machine translation leaves things unclear. Problems experienced in overseas Primes “will not affect the units” offered in Italy, it’s suggested, with “battery life [in] line with what was promised.” As for GPS, ASUS Italy argues that the Prime was never intended to be a personal navigator, and so the absence of a dedicated GPS chip isn’t too great a limitation.

Bootloader access, however, is the most controversial part, with ASUS Italy seeming to say that owners should appreciate the lock-down as it has been done for their own good. “The product is guaranteed as it is” the statement says. “Different firmware altering the basic functionality of the product or push the hardware beyond the standard frequencies will void your warranty and may threaten the reliability and proper functioning of the product itself.”

We’ll wait to see what ASUS US says next about the Prime situation, though we’re not sure whether the company’s suggestion that would-be owners “relax” comes across as reassuring or patronizing.

“We see that there was a bit ‘choppy sea of questions about some “hot”. We talk about issues with Prime. It is called the root block. About First it should be noted that the product is not yet available on our territory. So the problems that some (we want to emphasize) users have complained will not affect the units deployed overseas on our territory. Battery life is line with what was promised. Obviously, this parameter depends strongly on the conditions of use and maximum range is always referred to use “light” with all the energy saving features active. On the GPS is wrong to compare a product like Prime to a smartphone. First, because smartphones using 3G connectivity to download the table with the position of the satellites and then more quickly identify the satellites. What you can do even Prime WiFi, but only when it is connected. Secondly, because Prime does not come as Car Navigator, nor do we imagine that users will use it while walking the streets of the city, looking for a street or a shop. For those things are just smartphones. Finally speech root: our position in this regard is simple. The product is guaranteed as it is. Different firmware altering the basic functionality of the product or push the hardware beyond the standard frequencies will void your warranty and may threaten the reliability and proper functioning of the product itself. Basically to respond to some posts on the bulletin board: we do not delete the “post uncomfortable” because we do not have anything to hide. Delete spam, misinformation and the news is not official. Keep them on the bulletin board would be to confirm their content. But it is not. It is incorrect that a user who attends board ASUS Italy will find us to be informed instead of misinformation. We hope with this post that I made ​​clear the misunderstanding.
The staff ASUS Italy”

[via Android Community and via Notebook Italia]

Still, it’s unclear whether ASUS intends to bring two devices – the 7-inch MeMo and the 7-inch tablet shown above – to CES, or whether one of the models has been cancelled altogether. The Eee Pad MeMo was originally launched as a glasses-free 3D slate, then apparently faced the axe after delays, and most recently was said to be arriving, sans-3D, early in 2012 running Ice Cream Sandwich.

Whether this image is the final design, a fake or some render midway through the creative process is unclear. The docking port on the bottom edge might suggest that a netbook-style keyboard-dock is out of the question – on the 10-inch Transformer and Transformer Prime the connector is on the long edge – though ASUS might have a more typical dock such as Samsung offers, without the folding hinge and into which the 7-inch model docks vertically.

We won’t know for sure until next week, when CES 2012 kicks off in earnest. SlashGear will be there to bring you all the news.

[via Android Community]

That significantly undermines the Transformer Prime’s appeal among the Android modding community, which relies on an unlocked bootloader to be able to try out tweaked and modified versions of the core OS. Locking it down is a strategy often seen in Android smartphones, with carriers hoping to prevent modification of devices with 3G/4G radios on their networks, but is generally less common on WiFi-only gadgets such as the Prime.

It’s possible that, even if ASUS decides not to unlock its bootloader, hackers could nonetheless figure out a workaround. The various levels of security offered in Tegra-based devices are already known, though it will depend on how ASUS has implemented its block.

A decision on that likely won’t be reached until ASUS has seen the extent of owner frustration, with suggestions that if users become more vocal about unlocked bootloaders being must-have features then the company might backtrack as others have before it. More on the Transformer Prime in our full review.

[via Al Sutton and via Laurent Mallet]

Hinges are low-profile and integrated, the keyboard keeps the popular chiclet design and it seems ASUS is still looking to push multiple color options, at least going by the above render. It’s a more grown-up look, than the somewhat toy-like previous stylings of most netbooks, though the biggest question still remains around performance.

ASUS demonstrated a number of Cedar Trail prototypes at Computex, and the first model to use the new processors is believed to be the Eee PC Flare 1225C, a variant of the 12-inch AMD Brazos based model announced last week. 10-inch options, the Eee PC Flare 1025 series, are also expected.

The MS-100 is a compact stereo speaker powered completely by a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port. It features a minimalist cone design that houses large 54mm speaker drivers that can generate up to 93 dB of sound with less than 3% distortion, providing rich highs and full low tones. It works right out of the box without additional software when used with a Windows Vista or Windows 7 machine.

The HS-W1 is a wireless USB headset offers natural comfort through large 70mm leather earpads and provides crisp clear sound through 40mm tuned drivers with a built-in equalizer. The 2.4 GHz wireless technology transmits CD quality sound from a small USB dongle to the headset. It also allows up to twice the distance compared to Bluetooth wireless technology.

The headset also comes with a noise filtering microphone, on-ear volume controls, and a folding design that fits into a touring case for easy traveling. The build-in rechargeable battery is rated for 8 hours. Pricing and availability for the two new USB audio devices have not been announced yet.

[via TweakTown]

Shih believes that the ASUS Transformer Prime tablet will be especially popular with consumers because of its unique physical keyboard hardware. The detachable keyboard design is patent pending and the company plans to continue optimizing the technology.

Furthermore, ASUS plans to introduce new Transformer tablets next year that run the Windows 8 platform. Shih believes that with Windows 8, tablets will be able to address both consumers’ “data consumption” and “data creation” needs.

[via BGR]

“Hasbro continues to aggressively protect its brands and products” the company said in a statement, “and the specific actions we are taking today against ASUS underscores yet again Hasbro’s willingness to pursue companies who misappropriate our intellectual property for their own financial gain.” ASUS is yet to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles, US last week.

The game company actually holds the trademark for “Transformers Prime” which covers “toy action figures; toy vehicles; toy robots covertible [sic] into other visual toy forms; board games; parlor games.” That’s among various other combinations of “Transformer” the company could call upon to demonstrate its existing use of the term.

ASUS’ tablet, meanwhile, earned its title because of its clever removable battery dock, turning a Tegra 3 slate into a notebook replacement as well as adding extra battery power. Check out our full review for all the details.

[Image credit: Toybin]

The original Transformer is now just £299 for the 16GB model, slate-only, while the 16GB bundle with the keyboard dock is now £399. The 32GB Transformer – again, slate-only, is now £349. Promotional pricing will last until December 30.

For most, though, the lure of the Prime will be too much to ignore. The 10.1-inch tablet has a high-quality IPS+ display, WiFi a/b/g/n, quadcore NVIDIA processor, an 8-megapixel main camera with 1080p Full HD video recording, and of course that special dual-battery capability. The internal battery on the Prime is rated for 12hrs alone, but the keyboard-dock adds a further 6hrs to that.

An Ice Cream Sandwich update will be pushed out OTA shortly, ASUS says. More details on the Transformer Prime in the full SlashGear review.

The Transformer Prime currently runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb, with only the Galaxy Nexus – fresh to Verizon today - getting Google’s latest platform so far, at least officially. Android 4.0 brings with it an improved UI, better multitasking control and many other improvements; there are more details in our Ice Cream Sandwich review.

ASUS Italy also confirmed that it would only be offering a WiFi version of the Transformer Prime, rather than WiFi + 3G model, just like ASUS Germany before it. Android smartphones and other handsets are generally capable of WiFi tethering, the company suggests, and so the market for a 3G-enabled slate is minimal.

More on the ASUS Transformer Prime in the full SlashGear review.

[via Electronista]

Apparently online retailer NCIX sold out of the Prime and after canceling multiple orders a few rumors came out that their response was ASUS had delayed the hotly anticipated tablet due to WiFi issues. Here at SlashGear we’ve already had extensive time with the Prime and you can see our in-depth review here. At no point did our unit experience any WiFi issues. After reaching out to our sources from ASUS here is what they had to say in response:

We are trying to confirm who released this statement and for what purpose right now. At this point, we still show to be on schedule to start shipments the week of 12/19. I will provide an update once I have additional information.”

Obviously there is some room for this story to develop further based on that official response but at this point the ASUS Transformer Prime is on schedule and should be available right on time — December 19th. When we get any additional news we will be sure to update with the latest.

ASUS is no stranger to convertible notebooks, having experimented with several netbook-style touchscreen models in 2009 and 2010. Most recent was the Eee PC T101MT, back in mid-2010, preceded by a smaller version, the T91, in 2009, mounting a touchscreen LCD panel on a swiveling, rotating hinge so that it could be used as a regular netbook but also, when folded flat, as a chunky slate.

Those early attempts relied on low-powered Intel Atom processors, however, and lacked the raw grunt to compete with the true tablets of the day. Then, of course, Apple launched the iPad in early 2010, and the consumer tablet market took off, with products making any use of a stylus being seen as the preserve of enterprise and vertical users.

With its Ultrabook convertible, however, along with touch-friendly Windows 8, ASUS is obviously hoping to catch the eye of people wanting a portable device with the option of easier text entry. Earlier this week, rumors from the touchscreen display supply chain indicated a number of super-slim panels were sampling ahead of 2012 product launches.

Intel has apparently been working with OEMs on a number of design ideas for convertibles using Ivy Bridge chips, and Microsoft is known to be keen to emphasize the touch advances in Windows 8. The new ASUS is expected to make its debut at Computex Taipei in early June 2012.