Asus Transformer Book Duet
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The Transformer Book Duet TD300, was a 13.3 inch
tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being comput ...
that was developed by Asus. The device used two
operating systems An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also inc ...
interchangeably:
Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 is a release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and broadly released for retail sale on October 17, 2013, about a year after the retail release of its pre ...
by
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
, and
Android 4.1 Android Jelly Bean, or Android 4.1 is the codename given to the tenth version of the Android mobile operating system developed by Google, spanning three major point releases (versions 4.1 through 4.3.1). Among the devices that run Android 4.1 t ...
by
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
. The device featured a tablet screen and a detachable
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
. The device was reported to be cancelled due to opposition from both Google and Microsoft in mid-March, 2014.


Design

The tablet portion of the Transformer Book Duet is thick with a 13.3 inch
touch screen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...
available in 1366×768 or 1920×1080 resolution. The back of the screen is a rubberized black plastic, with the volume and power buttons embedded at the top right of the lid. It has a detachable black
chiclet keyboard A chiclet keyboard or island-style keyboard is a computer keyboard with keys that form an array of small, flat rectangular or lozenge-shaped rubber or plastic keys that look like erasers or "Chiclets", a brand of chewing gum manufactured in the s ...
with a key to switch between Windows and Android. The interchangeability of Android and Windows, coupled with the ability to switch between tablet and
ultrabook Ultrabook is a marketing term, originated and trademarked by Intel, for a category of high-end laptop computers. They were originally marketed as featuring ultra thin form factor and light weight design without compromising battery life or perf ...
form-factors have led some news sources to call the Transformer Book Duet a "four-in-one device". Switching between the two operating systems takes about four seconds, according to Asus Chairman Jonney Shih. The computer has an
Intel Core i7 The following is a list of Intel Core i7 brand microprocessors. Introduced in 2008, the Core i7 line of microprocessors are intended to be used by high-end users. Desktop processors Nehalem microarchitecture (1st generation) "Bloomfield" ...
processor, and 4GB of
RAM Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * Ra ...
. The tablet itself has a 128 GB
solid state drive A solid-state drive (SSD) is a solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data Persistence (computer science), persistently, typically using flash memory, and functioning as secondary storage in the Computer ...
, and the keyboard adds 1 TB of
hard drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...
storage. The computer also features various ports including HDMI, LAN, one USB 3.0, and two USB 2.0. Daniel Griffiths of
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
noted that this is not the first time Asus has experimented with "hybrid" devices. Asus has also developed the
Eee PC The ASUS Eee PC is a netbook computer line from Asus, and a part of the ASUS Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a lightweight, Linux-based operating system, solid-state drive (S ...
, a laptop with a 7-inch display; and more recently, the PadFone, a smartphone marketed with companion tablet dock and keyboard dock accessories intended to improve functionality and battery life.


Reception

Since its announcement at the
Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...
on January 6, 2014, the Transformer Book Duet has received a high degree of media attention from technology magazines and other mainstream news sources. Vlad Savov of
The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...
said that the Transformer Book Duet would work better as either a 10 or 11 inch device, rather than a 13-inch device, because Android "already struggles to fully capitalize on the real estate on screens of that size." Joel Santo Domingo of
PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...
said that the Transformer Book Duet is helpful for any consumer or business-person who needs to use both operating systems.


Industry objection

In March 2014, ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' reported that because
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
and
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
had both implemented policies which effectively ban the certification of devices which dual-boot both Android and Windows, the Transformer Book Duet would be cancelled, and Asus would pull its similar all-in-one desktops from the market. Both companies had reportedly objected to the concept of dual-OS devices of this nature as early as January 2014. Prior to CES, an analyst believed that Microsoft was discouraging manufacturers from releasing such devices because they would dilute Windows 8 and
Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design la ...
's software ecosystem (which Microsoft was reportedly planning to unify). He also speculated that Microsoft would penalize OEMs by forfeiting discounts on Windows licenses and refusing to provide them with financing for marketing. Additionally, even though Android is an open source operating system that is freely available, Google's application suite is proprietary, and can only be licensed for devices which are approved by the company. This would prevent such devices from including access to
Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android (operating sys ...
, Android's primary
application store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...
.


See also

*
Samsung Ativ Q The Samsung Ativ Q was a 13.3-inch convertible laptop to be manufactured by Samsung. Unveiled at a ''Samsung Premiere'' event on June 20, 2013, the tablet was to run Windows 8, but also shipped with software that also allowed it to run the Android ...


References

{{Asus Tablet computers Android (operating system) devices Vaporware