Asus reveals the easily upgradeable VivoPC and Windows 8 optimized VivoMouse

By Andy Boxall June 3, 2013

The innovative hardware just kept on coming during Asus’ Computex 2013 press conference, and just before the firm announced the Transformer Book Trio, it talked about the VivoPC and the VivoMouse. These two are clearly designed to be used together, as the VivoPC is ideally suited as a home theater PC, and the wireless VivoMouse has been designed to make navigating Windows 8 a breeze.

Asus’ VivoPC is small and stylish, measuring a mere 56mm tall, with a footprint that’s apparently smaller than, “A sheet of A4 paper.” As it turns out, it’s much smaller, as it’s 190mm square. The VivoPC’s precise specifications are hard to come by at the moment, but we do know it’s Intel powered, and comes with an integrated Intel HD graphics card, plus that it has six USB ports, two of which are USB 2.0, and the other four are USB 3.0.

The VivoPC runs Windows 8 and thanks to a removable top, the hardware is easily upgradeable in the future, as inside is a drive bay with space for either a 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA hard drive. The memory slots are also accessible at this point, although Asus hasn’t stated how much RAM the VivoPC comes with as standard. A pair of stereo SonicMaster speakers are built into the case, plus the PC has 802.11ac Wi-Fi support.

Asus VivoMouse

As for the VivoMouse, it really doesn’t look like any mouse we’ve seen before. The flat, ergonomic shape enables one-handed use, and control of the circular touchpad which recognizes Windows 8 gestures. Alternatively, it can be used as a regular optical mouse if you’d prefer, a feature which sums up Asus’ love of providing as many different options as possible to its users.

Asus will release the VivoPC and VivoMouse after the summer, but there’s no information on where it’ll do so, how much either will cost, or if the pair will be packaged together. As always, we’ll update you when we know more.

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Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Computing

Asus reveals Transformer T300 Chi, which is almost thin enough to cut cheese

asus reveals transformer t300 chi specs gpu price release date book

Last week, Asus revealed a pair of teaser videos for a product that put an emphasis on thinness. One of the videos also tipped an amalgamation of a smartphone, tablet and a laptop, which left us utterly confused. Earlier today, Asus ended the mystery, with the Taiwanese company officially unveiling the Transformer Book T300 Chi.
While all the specifications are not known to this point, what we do know is that the T300 Chi will include a next-generation Intel processor, likely to be the company's 5th-generation Broadwell processors, which are due out later this year. The processor will be backed up by either 2GB or 4GB of RAM. Powered by either Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Pro, the T300 Chi's claim to fame is not just its wafer-thin profile, but also its 12.5-inch 2560 x 1480 display. The T300 will include an integrated Intel GPU.

Speaking of that wafer-thin profile, Asus refers to the tablet portion of the T300 as the world's thinnest, measuring 7.5mm. Even when combined with the keyboard, the T300 Chi is still quite thin at just 14.3mm. While Asus says the detachable is still in development, Asus says it is "extremely light, I was almost questioning if I could be holding a tablet."
Here's another intriguing aspect to the Transformer Book T300: Asus' product page indicates that the device will run "Windows 8.1 or other editions available." Could that mean Windows 8.1 with Bing? This is a version of the OS that will be provided strictly for OEMs and, because it will be cheaper, will allow them to price their hardware lower.
No specific release date was given, though Asus said the T300 Chi will be out later in 2014. Given the late 2015 release window for Intel's Broadwell processors, a late 2014 release for the T300 Chi sounds just about right. However, pricing information is not yet available.

Computing

Asus teases a new ‘thin’ hybrid device that will be revealed at Computex 2014

asus teases new thin device will revealed computex 2014 teaser

Teasers of any kind --whether they're for movies, TV shows, video games, or tech-- can be awfully exciting. However, to make them enticing and juicy, they have to be done right. With that in mind, we can't wait for next week, because Asus has something new in store. However, we're pretty confused as to what it/they could be, which just adds to our excitement.
Asus has released a pair of Computex 2014 teaser videos on YouTube. The first one, entitled "The Next Incredible Thing," is a clip of a man writing "The next incredible thing" on a piece of white paper. Once he finishes writing, the "thin" portion of "thing" lights up, and then shatters into multiple bits of luminousness. Okay, so this device will stress thin-ness. Got it. It's the second teaser that really throws us for a loop though.
Asus' other Computex 2014 teaser video is called "What will it blend?" It features a man wearing a lab coat, with a tablet, a notebook, and a smartphone on a table surrounding a blender. The engineer (we're presuming he's playing one here, at least) then proceeds to place each device into a blender, which suggests that Asus may release something that combines all three devices into one.
A laptop-smartphone-tablet hybrid? Consider us officially stumped. Asus of course has a history of melding product types, its PadFone smartphone/tablet combination just representing one example. However, by tossing a laptop into the second clip, and mixing it with two mobile devices, its hard for us to figure what Asus is up to.
We reached out to Asus to see if they'll offer any comments about their teasers. If we hear from them, we'll let you know what they tell us.
Asus will be revealing their mystery product on June 2, 2 a.m EST. In case you're wondering what the deal is with the weird time, the presentation will be taking place in Taipei, just hours before Computex 2014 officially kicks off on June 3.
In the meantime, feel free to check out both teaser clips below, which are courtesy of YouTube.

Computing

Asus ViVoPC specs revealed, can hold up to 16GB of RAM

If you were scouring deep into Computex 2013 coverage last week, you may recall catching a glimpse at a new miniature creation from Asus. We got a quick sneak peek at the Asus ViVoPC, but the company kept most things concerning its device shrouded in mystery. We knew what the little guy looked like, but we had no idea what to expect in terms of specifications and upgrades. Thankfully, we now have a better picture of the ViVo's internal hardware, thanks to a spec sheet popping up on the Asus website.
The heart of the ViVoPC is an Intel processor. The spec sheet doesn't really specify what type of Intel processor, but it's possible we will see a brand new Haswell integrated. The board comes complete with two DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM slots that are capable of housing up to 16GB of system memory. The spec sheet reveals that you'll have an option when it comes to storage, either and SSD or an HDD, and the graphics controller is classified as "Intel HD Integrated graphics" (on-board). The ViVoPC is 802.11ac ready, and includes Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
There are a lot of ports here, including three USB3, four USB2, one HDMI, one VGA, three audio jacks, one SPDIF out, and one LAN (RJ45). Asus has also included a specialized set of what it calls "Sonic Master" speakers. The Asus ViVoPC mini is reportedly Windows 8 ready. Dimensions were also revealed, showcasing a square white-topped casing and measuring in at 190 mm (length) by 190 mm (width) by 56.2 mm (height). The casing also features a sliding quick release top that will give you immediate access to the ViVo's hard drive bay and memory slots.
Unfortunately, that's all the information we've managed to milk from Asus so far. We still have no idea how much the device will cost or when we can expect to see it hit store shelves. Stay tuned and we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.