At first glance of the Asus Taichi 21, what comes to mind is ‘breathtaking’.
We’ve seen a variety of ultrabooks since the launch of Windows 8 last fall, but nothing like the ASUS Taichi Ultrabook
This ladies and gentlemen, is a first of its species, it’s a wonder. Different from members of a similar genus like the Lenovo Yoga which allows you to flip its screen from almost all angles, this can be termed as a two-in-one product. Boasting an 11-inch normal screen, it comes with a second screen on the back of the lid. The metamorphosis from ultrabook to tablet takes a sec, upon closing the lid, or by use of the swap button. And when you leave the clamshell open, the second screen can be used for presentation purposes to a party sitting across from you.
This ladies and gentlemen, is a first of its species, it’s a wonder. Different from members of a similar genus like the Lenovo Yoga which allows you to flip its screen from almost all angles, this can be termed as a two-in-one product. Boasting an 11-inch normal screen, it comes with a second screen on the back of the lid. The metamorphosis from ultrabook to tablet takes a sec, upon closing the lid, or by use of the swap button. And when you leave the clamshell open, the second screen can be used for presentation purposes to a party sitting across from you.
It comes with other goodies such as 1080p resolution on the twin displays, and top-of-the-range Bang and Olufsen speakers. The Asus Taichi 21 will set you back $1,000-plus but is it worth it? Let’s delve deeper and the verdict will be yours to make.
The Taichi 21’s defining feature is neither its keyboard or mouse nor the audio. Rather, on top of the 11.6” 1920 x 1080 resolution non-glossy finish IPS panel display you observe when its open, it also gives you another 11.6” 1080p IPS touch screen on top of the lid.
It’s covered in gorilla glass (scratch-resistant) and offers tracking for the 10-finger touch and an N-trig digital pen as well. The keyboard has the display-swapping Taichi button that does the magic. However, the interior display does not offer touch-functionality like the exterior one. As such, during regular use you’ll use the keyboard and mouse to maneuver your way through Windows 8.
The digital pen provides for improved experience, offering fine cursor control as well as an intuitive alternative for those of us interested in drawing or utilizing the handwriting-friendly apps or Windows’ baked in handwriting recognition.
The twin displays can be used concurrently, first as a mirrored display like pointed out earlier, or even independently. Just an example, albeit an odd one, to show you the magnitude to which you can stretch the Taichi 21. One person can work with the laptop regularly on one side with another person surfing the web on the touch screen on the other side. Intriguing? Sure. But not without its downsides given that the two screens run using Windows extended display that treats them not as the back-to-back monitors that they are but as a pair of side-by-side displays. Asus should have done better on this one.
Other Features
The Asus Taichi 21 runs on a Windows 8 platform with an inbuilt Intel Core i7 3517U or i5 3317U processors and inside is an impressive DDR3 1600 MHz SDRAM, onboard 4GB memory. Other manufacturer specifications are as listed:
Display-11.6" 16:9 Full HD (1920x1080) *1
Graphics-Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000
Interface-audio jack
Two USB 3.0 ports
One micro HDMI slot
A docking connector
Mini VGA Port
Powerful Bang & Olufsen speakers.
The Taichi 21 is fairly light with maximum weight of 1.25 kg. The edges sit the physical controls like power, volume and switching displays. These controls would normally be located on the keyboard and have been incorporated on the side for use in tablet mode.
You can connect to the Web or an outside device wirelessly, via Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band Wi-Fi as well as WiDi 2.0 (Intel). You also have the option to do it via adapters that switch mini VGA to full-size or USB to Ethernet.
The Taichi 21 also comes complete with a few sensors that are not present in your normal laptop. These include the gyroscope, e-compass, accelerometer as well as an ambient light sensor. It is also outfitted with two cameras for photo snapping and video chat, with a 720p webcam resting just above the regular laptop display and the second 5MP with autofocus on the tablet side.
The SSD (solid-state hard drive) provides for faster performance than the conventional spinning hard drives, built for faster boot-time and near-instant wake times.
Applications
A few other extra programs come with the package. These include the more useful Asus Tutor for Taichi, offering tutorials for all the Taichi 21’s unique display modes and Windows 8 settings and functions, as well as the Asus Taichi Essentials which is just but a succinct slideshow with three images exemplifying the device’s features.
Other programs that come preloaded include Skype, Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and the interesting SuperNote which allows you to take notes in your own handwriting, just to mention a few.
Strengths
The dual-screen design is simply outstanding.
Bright colorful displays.
Supports pen input.
Powerful sound.
Very portable, thanks to the tablet design.
Drawbacks
One of the major drawbacks of the Asus Taichi 21 is its short battery life that will prompt you to have your power cable for plugging every few hours.
The gorilla glass may keep scratches away but it smudges a lot.
Laptop screen lacks touch functionality.
There’s no slot for SD card.
Thick bezel for main display.
Despite the drawbacks associated with the Taichi 21, let’s give credit to Asus for taking the innovative stab at the odd design problems of today. Some may criticize it but it’s just a few more years to refine it and it certainly will be a compelling hybrid. The innovative concept can be termed as well ahead of its time. Bet Asus can gladly live with this. Or what is your verdict? Sound off in the comment section below.
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