Asus has revealed a number of new tablets and hybrid devices running Windows 8 at Computex 2012, chief among which is a range of notebooks with detachable touchscreen displays. The Transformer Book builds upon the same concept as the firm’s moderately popular Android tablets, the Transformer and Transformer Prime, except it runs a full blown version of Windows 8 powered by an x86 Intel Core i processor.
The device itself looks almost as thin and light as one of Asus’ Zenbook ultrabooks and comes in 11.6, 13 and 14-inch sizes. All three models will have an IPS display with a native 1920×1080 resolution. Inside the tablet portion is a choice of Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 “Ivy Bridge” processors and up to 4GB of RAM, while in notebook mode you also get the power of discrete graphics with an unspecified Nvidia chip.
Storage is provided by a combination of solid-state (SSD) and hard disk (HDD) drives, while ports are limited to a single micro-HDMI socket on the tablet, and a USB socket on the keyboard/dock. There are also front and rear-facing cameras available as well as wireless connectivity.
Asus made no mention of battery life but we don’t expect the Transformer Book to outclass ARM-based tablets in this front — at least not when working in tablet mode. There’s also no word on pricing or availability, unsurprisingly, since Windows 8 is not expected to launch until the fourth quarter of 2012.