By Chris Nicholls
SYDNEY: Asus has revealed a new Minority Report-style gesture and touchscreen interface concept at the Computex show in Taiwan, backing up its numerous new ‘Eee’ products, which even extended to an Eee TV.
The interface, dubbed ‘VirtualReal’, uses a camera built in to the touchscreen to follow a user’s hand gestures and only activates when a person moves their hands in front of the screen.
Asus claimed the technology would “provide users with an alternative and unique form of computing operation” that would make computing “convenient and easy”.
No further details were available at time of publication, including possible launch date or price.
The VirtualReal came on top of a slew of new ‘Eee’ products, including the new nine-inch Eee PC 901, which uses a new design and processor to the 900 Series released in Australia recently, and the 10-inch 1000 model.
Neither model is expected to land in Australia for at least six months, but will go on sale in other markets later this year. Prices in Taiwan dollars show the 901 will start from US$550, while the 1000 series, available in both 40GB SSD and 80GB hard disc (a first for an Eee PC) models will range from US$625 to US$660.
The other Eee products at Computex included the Eee Stick, which appears very similar to the Nintendo Wii Nunchuk, and works with a wireless USB dongle to allow motion-sensor-based control of games, and the Eee Monitor and Eee TV.
The Eee Monitor, the existence of which Asus Australia national retail manager Emmanuele Silanesu alluded to when he spoke to Current.com.au last month, uses a 19- or 21-inch LCD touchscreen with a built-in TV tuner and is expected to sell in the US for approximately US$500 from September.
The Eee TV appears to be the most incongruous addition to the rapidly expanding ‘Eee’ lineup, with no specifications available, but images available suggested nothing other than a standard Asus-badged 42-inch LCD television.
Asus Australia also announced today a new distributor, EMPR Australia, for laptop and Eee PC accessories. Further informaiton can be obtained at http://asus.empr.com.au