Asus launches ET2300 All-in-One for Windows 8

While PC users across the globe will be complaining bitterly about the Windows 8 interface change, there's no doubt that it will work wonders for tablet and other touch screen users. Asus already has a brand new product ready for your special touch. KitGuru gives its dirty fingers a good clean with a citrous-flavoured KFC moist tissue.

While the ET2300 All-in-One PC Series doesn't quite have the catchiness of iPad or Transformer, it does come armed with a 23″ full HD display and a Core i7 processor. Which is a nice touch. Well, actually, the screen supports 10 touch. Perfect, if you just happen to have that many fingers.

The design team at Asus are really focusing on sensory experience of Windows 8 computing in the 21st century, which is why they have included a top-of-the-line cinematic surround sound audio system – complete with sub-woofer. The actual effect of being surrounded by audio, in this model, has been developed especially by a team at Asus called ‘Golden Ear' (sounds more like the leader of Watership Down to us).

Now you have that 1080p screen and decent audio, you're likely to attract attention, but how easy is the experience of using the ET2300 to share?  Well, thanks to a 178 degree super-wide-view screen, even those among your friends to come to your video party late, will be able to enjoy good picture quality from the periphery. Nice.

Even though the ET2300 includes a 3rd Generation Intel Core i7 processor, there is still the option of getting a 1GB or 2GB nVidia GT630M for an improved experience with gaming or other graphically demanding tasks which the native HD2500/4000 engine might not be able to cope with.

Asus has also included WiDi. Nope, it's not a Samaritans App – but rather a way to connect your ET2300's graphical output to a TV or other device. For those of you who prefer wires and speed, there's also a pair of Thunderbolt connections – alongside 4x USB3 ports.

They say that giving is better than receiving and, with the ET2300, you can check the validity of that statement yourself – seeing as it comes with an HDMI input to allow you to use the 23″ HD screen for your phone/console output.

Overall, it looks like Asus has compiled a very solid specification – now we just need to assess price & availability. If the Taiwanese giant can get good stock levels into the channel, with a competitive price for the entry level version, then it can achieve strong sales for Xmas – which will drive future development.

KitGuru says: At the recent T3 awards, there was a category for ‘Technology Brand of the Year'. Alongside Sony, Apple and Samsung, Asus was the only PC component brand included in the voting. Products like the ET2300 will help Asus stake a claim for high-street retailer space in the future. It's a very competitive market, but the rewards for getting it right could be huge for Asus.

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