Harsh Vaghela's Blog

Asus's chairman showed off its dual-booting Transformer Book Trio

The tech show in Taipei, Taiwan runs from Tuesday to Saturday.Other launches included the first PCs to feature Intel's new processor, codenamed Haswell.The event comes a week after researchers suggested PC sales were declining faster than had been thought.

Hybrid devices

Acer kicked off the announcements with news of an 8.1in tablet capable of running the full Windows 8 operating system.

The firm described the Iconia W3 as being the first device that lets Microsoft's desktop OS be used comfortably with "a single hand".

The Taiwanese company also announced a 5.7in Android handset which it called its "first phablet" - signifying a cross between a phone and a tablet.

The Liquid S1 offers slots for two Sim cards - allowing consumers to use it with both their business and personal accounts. However, its 720p resolution screen and a lack of 4G support may limit its appeal to buyers wanting a high-end device.

Asus - which is also based in Taipei - announced the Transformer Book Trio as the centrepiece of its news conference.

The device is marketed as a three-in-one device which can be used as a desktop, laptop or 11.6in tablet. Its key feature is that it can run both the Jelly Bean version of Google's Android OS and Windows 8.

The firm said users would be able to synchronise data between the platforms in order to enjoy a "smooth transition" between each mode.