You know, netbooks are cool and all. They’re cheap; they’re portable. But you know what I really wish you could do with them? Stick them on the fridge next to grocery list and the kids’ artwork. Enter the Always Innovating Touch Book.
Not only does this netbook have a detachable keyboard which lets you use the machine as a touchscreen tablet, but the tablet also has strong magnets built into it which LiveJournal user Adric discovered lets you stick the Touch Book to your refrigerator!
As I mentioned yesterday, the Touch Book has begun shipping and we’re starting to see unboxing photos appear across the interwebs. Adric has posted a whole slew of photos including a closer look at the stylus, magnets, power supply, and the innards of the keyboard. When you remove the tablet from the keyboard you can open up the tablet in order to access several internal USB ports. This lets you add USB modules for additional storage, wireless connectivity, or other functions. You can check out an image of Touch Book with its top off after the break.
On the down side, Adric says the tablet is a bit heavy and that the keyboard doesn’t counterbalance the weight very well, which can cause the netbook to tip over easily. The machine is also a bit heavy for the included magnets, and eventually will slide down your refrigerator or file cabinet. But it’s still a pretty neat trick.
Meanwhile, Stephen Feger, who posted the first unboxing photos yesterday has a few more to show today.
Update: UMPC Portal has some more impressions. In general, it doesn’t look good. The hardware is reportedly pretty rough around the edges. You can read more about the Touch Book in the Liliputing Product Database.
from what they are saying at https://innovatingtouch.com it sounds like the SW is still pretty beta…
hard to run performance benchmarks when everything keeps crashing! 😉
Hopefully that will get ironed out soon and we can get a feel for how this device stacks up.
A couple of quick corrections. That inside-the-case pic is inside the tablet. The only thing under the keyboard is a big battery. The magnets are meant to be detachable and used on the outside of the case. Adric had his on the inside, which may have caused the slippage.
Also, according to Always Innovating, the stylus is a bonus for the first batch. It won’t be showing up in later shipments.