3-in-1 hybrid from Asus runs on Android plus Windows 8
04 Jun 2013
Asus continues to innovate beyond different form factors, with its latest device packing as many different experiences as could be squeezed into a single machine. The company engineers has come out with the Transformer Book Trio, a three-in-one desktop / laptop / tablet hybrid running both Android and Windows 8.
The tablet section, featuring an 11.6-inch display with a 1080p resolution, runs Google Android when it's being used on its own, and can be docked with a keyboard to be transformed into a Windows 8 laptop. However, if you'd ather continue with Android, the Google OS is just a press of a hotkey away. This also works with the tablet connected to an external monitor, where the Transformer Book Trio morphs into a desktop computer.
Impressive as it is, what is noteworthy is that Asus has not compromised on the specs either, and has given each of its operating systems its own processor. Windows 8 runs on Intel Core i7, while a second, Intel Atom Z2580 chip takes care of Android.
According to commentators Asus could have got around this by installing Windows RT on the Book Trio, but it has chosen to go along with full version of Windows 8, which was commendable.
The dual operating system configuration would mean users would have access to apps from Google Play, and the Windows Store, which was good considering the 1TB hard drive, plus 64GB of flash memory too.
According to industry experts, the Transformer Book Trio would no doubt be expensive due to the latest Intel processor as also the dual nature of the hardware. James Kendrick notes in ZDNet that the configuration worked out to essentially to two full systems in one and it was unlikely one of them would be free, they say.
Though some say this dual system was a new category, Lenovo did this back in 2010 with its U1 hybrid, he recalls.
The U1 debuted before Android, and Lenovo put its Skylight UI, a special Linux variant, to run the tablet.