Asus Taichi hybrid laptop certified by FCC

Asus Taichi
The Asus Taichi may be on its way after passing through FCC certification

Earlier this year Asus revealed the Taichi, a hybrid device which combined the functionality of a laptop with the simplicity of a tablet.

Unlike other hybrid devices, the Taichi is much more than just a keyboard dock for a tablet.

When closed, the Asus Taichi resembles an ordinary Windows 8 tablet. However, upon opening the device, an entire second screen and keyboard are revealed.

At the time of its unveiling during IFA 2012, TechRadar was skeptical Asus would ever actually release the Taichi.

It looks like the doubt was unfounded, as the Asus Taichi has just passed its FCC certification.

Coming out alongside Windows 8?

The Asus Taichi will come in both 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch sizes, and the convertible device will include an Ivy Bridge Core i7 processor and 4GB of RAM.

Though Asus still hasn't declared an official release date for the Taichi, we learned the price of the hybrid would start at $1,299 (UK £808, AU $1,270) in September.

Amazon currently lists the Asus Taichi as arriving on Oct. 26, which would put the launch day-and-date with Windows 8.

Regardless of whether or not that date ends up panning out, it's highly unlikely Asus would release the Taichi before that date since its OS wouldn't be available until that Friday.

TechRadar has reached out to Asus, and will update this story when and if a request for comment is returned.

Via Engadget, FCC, Amazon