ASUS Transformer Book shows sudden sign of life: 13-inch Core i5 model coming to Japan this week

The Transformer Book's entry into the world has been hampered by a couple of things: high pre-order prices for the Core i7 version, plus a degree of forgetfulness with respect to actually coming to market. News out of Japan hints at both of those hold-ups being overcome, however, with a cheaper Core i5 version officially due to arrive this week with a 119,800 price tag (that's $1,280 in a currency conversion, though a US price would very likely be less.) The Windows 8 hybrid will be known as the "TransBook" in the streets and alleys of Tokyo and will include a 1080p 13.3-inch touchscreen display, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD and microSD expansion all housed in the 950 gram tablet. Hooking up to the keyboard dock will double that weight but provide an additional 500GB HDD, a full-sized SD card slot, two USB 3.0 ports, more video-out options and an extra hour of battery life (six hours instead of five). The Core i7 version will also be available in Japan by the end of March for around $350 extra, with similar basic credentials and the addition of MS Office. Assuming the Transformer Book ever moseys on over to our manor, we'll be sure to submit it to a review. In the meantime, you'll find full specs in the machine-translated PR after the break.

Gallery: ASUS Transformer Book hands-on

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, ASUS

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Via: Engadget Japanese