Dual-boot Asus TD300 tablet launch reportedly postponed due to Google pressure

Google doesn’t seem to be happy to be sharing a device with its rival Microsoft. Asus unveiled the Android- and Windows-booting Transformer Book Duet TD300 at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show or CES but hasn’t been able to launch the device since. Maximum PC cites a Digitimes report saying Google isn’t happy with the arrangement and has pressured Asus to postpone the release of the device. Microsoft doesn’t seem to be as adamant as Google when it comes to dual-boot devices. This might be because they would benefit more from the move than Google.

First look at the ASUS Transformer Book Duet TD300

We have some photos of the two-headed beast, a convertible notebook that runs both Windows 8.1 and Android 4.2.2  and which features an Intel Core i7 processor with Intel HD graphics and 4G DDR3L 1600 RAM, giving it performance that’s up to twice as fast as existing tablets powered by ARM processors. It also comes with a 13.3-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD IPS touchscreen display.

The Transformer Book Duet TD300 has 128GB of SSD storage that can be supplemented by a 64GB Micro SD card, while the keyboard dock houses up to a 1TB hard disk drive. The dock is also home to USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, a LAN port, and HDMI 1.4 output with 1080p support. In terms of connectivity, ASUS Transformer Book T300 has 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 with EDR. This really is an ambitious take on the convertible tablet/ultrabook.

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Photos by Alex Davies, shot on a Sony CyberShot RX10