ASUS Launches Major New Consumer PC Range Battle Looms In Consumer Market
David Richards
01 Jun 2015
The Company said that they aim to compete head on with Lenovo and Acer in the Australian consumer PC market and that several Australian retailers have expressed interest in their new range.
Executives have also said that they will launch their new smartphone range in Australia.
The first product off the runway at their Comdex news conference was the new ASUS Zen AiO all-in-one that packs a 3D camera and speedy USB 3.1 and comes in two sizes 23.8-inch Zen AiO Z240IC and the 21.5-inch Zen AiO Z220IC. Both have a slim unibody shell made from a single block of anodized-aluminium and an edge-to-edge glass cover over the display.
The only problem is that a lot of consumers are today moving to 32″ monitors and this would be sensational as a 32″ all in one.
With the top end model you get a quad-core Core i7 Intel processor with 32GB of RAM, SSD storage and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M graphics card.
The Zen AiO will also feature the latest USB 3.1 Generation 2 ports — running twice as fast as USB 3.0, according to ASUS.
The 23.8-inch Zen AiO (Z240IC) also has 3D camera technology built in.
No pricing was announced.
Spec-wise you can configure this device with an Intel Core i7 with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, up to PCIe Gen 3 x 4 SSD and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M with 4GB of dedicated video memory.
Combining these with the machine’s 16-watt speakers (six drivers in total) you get a half decent sound system, however I would still prefer an attached Bluetooth speaker that has more grunt.
ASUS also revealed the ProArt PA329Q monitor, a 32-inch Ultra HD (3,840×2, 160-pixel) monitor aimed at the professional market. The monitor has a 16:9 aspect ratio IPS display with a wide 178-degree viewing the 32-inch monitor features a near-frameless design with a 178-degree viewing angle, and has a pixel density of 138PPI with over 8 million pixels and 10-bit display colour.
For consumers looking to use the PA329Q for video production, it also offers BT2020/DCI-P3 colour space. ASUS has mentioned that the monitor comes pre-calibrated, and that there’s an option to save your settings should you wish to use an aftermarket calibration tool.
The new ASUS Transformer Book T100HA replaces the T100 Windows 8 2-in-1 device. The new model will come preloaded with Windows 10 and feature the smaller, reversible USB Type-C port as seen in Apple’s 12-inch MacBook. The 8.45mm-thick, 580g tablet chassis is available in four colours, and the screen is 10.1 inches at 1280 x 800.
ASUS hasn’t said how much the T100HA will cost, the build is very much on the plasticky side. Still, the keyboard doesn’t feel too bad to type on, and the trackpad is better than seen on many other models in this class.
ASUS is claiming 14 hours of battery life for the T100HA, which runs on quad-core Intel Atom Cherry Trail X5 processors and 4GB of RAM.
Not mentioned during the press conference but on show were several new ASUS smart watches.
Like the Apple Watch, the ZenWatch 2 has a metal crown, which gives you “a new way to interact” with the Android Wear interface. It initially seemed as though this would work like the digital crown on Apple’s watch, however it turns out to simply be a power button with a fancy title. The ZenWatch 2 is, however, the first Android Wear smartwatch to offer a choice of sizes, letting you pick between a 49mm-tall stainless steel case (with an interchangeable 22mm strap) or a 45mm one (with an 18mm strap), echoing Apple’s 42mm and 38mm options.
Silver, gunmetal, or rose gold are the colour options for each case, and can be colour-matched with a stainless steel strap, similarly to Motorola’s Moto 360.
With the addition of brightly coloured rubber straps and a number of leather options – yes, khaki is included – ASUS offers a total of 18 different combinations of materials and colours for the ZenWatch 2. Plus, thanks to a partnership with Swarovski, there’s also “a gorgeous leather strap with an embossed diamond pattern and tastefully accented with Swarovski crystals.”
ASUS is using a new magnetic charging connector on the ZenWatch 2, which the company promises will “dramatically improve recharging times.”
The steel case is topped by a gently curved Gorilla Glass 3 surface, which provides protection for the AMOLED display within. On the software front, a new Watch Face Land app will let you create your own custom watch faces, and ASUS’ Remote Camera app has seen an update.
It puts the connected Android smartphone’s viewfinder on the watch and can now also switch between the front and rear cameras as well as zoom in and out. Every part of the ZenWatch software experience has been updated, says ASUS, but as with any Android Wear watch, the fundamental experience of using the device will mostly be the product of Android Wear itself.
The ZenWatch 2 runs the latest version of Android Wear, which was recently introduced with the LG Watch Urbane, however ASUS’ watch is still a long way from actually being released. ASUS tells us that it will reveal the full specs, pricing, and availability information during IFA in Berlin this September.
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