ASUS teases something square and grey, will reveal its new device tomorrow (update: it’s a DVD writer)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Were we expecting any new hardware from ASUS? Items we’ve seen but have not shipped like the Qube and Transformer Book spring to mind immediately, but they’re not a direct match for this pic the company posted on its Google+ page earlier this evening (Update: we replaced it with the final pic.) It’s inviting any and all guesses as to what’s in store and promises a device reveal tomorrow, so your period of eager anticipation will be (thankfully) short lived. Judging by the comments it might not be anything we’ve gone hands-on with previously, but the image reveals that spun-metal aluminum look we’ve become familiar with on ASUS’ tablets and laptops lately. Beyond that, the oddly squarish aspect ratio draws immediate comparisons to the 3:2 Chromebook Pixel, but until it’s officially unveiled we’ll leave the rest of the random speculation up to you.
Update 1: The smart money so far is on its Varidrive media dock, which appears to match the dimensions and spun-metal look nicely — we’ll see what it really is tomorrow.
Update 2: Well, ASUS has relieved the overwhelming tension on its Google+ page by announcing a new… DVD writer. It does strongly resemble the aforementioned Varidrive dock with its spiral brushed aluminum look and the outfit claims it’s the world’s thinnest at 13mm. Check the second source below for the reveal.
Source: ASUS (Google+) (1), (2)
Not many of us have a need for a notebook or laptop dock these days, but that has not stopped Asus from rolling out what they call the Asus VariDrive USB 3.0 Laptop Dock. After all, with the growing number of Ultrabook users being a trend worldwide, the port replicator peripheral can be said to have made quite a comeback in terms of popularity. Laptop docks that are of the USB 3.0 variety seem to be the most appealing since they need not have to remain exclusive to a specific notebook model. Well, here we are with the Asus VariDrive USB 3.0 Laptop Dock that is powered by DisplayLink’s DL-3900 IC, bringing along with it an integrated 8x slot-loading DVD burner, a 3-port USB 3.0 hub; HDMI, VGA output; and gigabit Ethernet.
