Computex

This statue is the first thing you see when you enter the Taiwan International Convention Center (or TICC for short)

The Acer Iconia W510 boasts a battery life of up to 18 hours and can be used in productivity mode (with a detachable keyboard dock) or in presentation mode (by rotating the tablet 295 degrees).

The 27-inch Acer Aspire 7600U has a screen that supports 64-point multitouch, can be placed at any angle from 0 to 90 degrees, and can swivel at all four sides when laid flat.

Unlike the 7600U, the 5600U can't lay flat. Still, it can tilt to any angle from 30 to 85 degrees, and is attractive and ergonomic in its design.

A look at three Thunderbolt controllers, all of which Intel is demonstrating, are smaller than a dollar coin.

A collection of Thunderbolt cables. Expect to see some changes to the current offerings, including lower prices and longer optical cables, in the second half of 2012.

Thunderbolt ports are about to become ubiquitous features on motherboards; here's a handful at Intel's Thunderbolt press event that already have them.

Just a glimpse at some of the Thunderbolt devices currently available for PC or Mac.

Journalists from all over the world wait for the Computex press conference to start.

Gigabyte is well known for its heavy-duty components, but the company makes gaming laptops, too. Here are a few it was showcasing at the opening press conference.

Tired of black PC cases and peripherals? Thermaltake has gone all white with this collection—even all the way down to the mouse pad.

If you're interested in a seriously retro look for your stylii, the replaceable tips of the O!tool Stylus-R might be just what you've been looking for.

Computex begins in less than 24 hours, and there's still a bit of work to do on exhibition hall 1 at the Taiwan World Trade Center...

Asus Chairman Jonney Shih takes to the stage to deliver he's company's inaugural press conference.

Shih runs into a slight problem while demonstrating some Windows 8 functionality for hundreds of onlookers.

Jonney Shih demonstrates the signature feature of the Asus Transformer Book: how it changes from a notebook to a tablet when you remove the screen.

One screen not enough for you? The Asus Taichi has two: one on each side of its lid.

Another, closer-up look at the Taichi, by far the star of Asus' press conference.

The entrance to the Taipei International Convention Center, one of the main venues for Computex 2012.

Remember that photo I took yesterday of the TICC not even remotely ready for the show to start? Here's what it looks like today, less than 24 hours later. We all know things move quickly in the technology world, but apparently that includes trade show construction, too.

A set of uniquely designed speakers at the Alljack Boutique booth in TICC.

Thomas M. Kilroy, Intel's senior vice president and general manager of the Sales and Marketing Group, in the middle of his keynote address. Stationed on the shelves behind him are dozens of ultrabook models, demonstrating just how seriously Intel takes the platform it inaugurated at Computex 2011.

During Thomas M. Kilroy's keynote, one of the video screens switched to display this "augmented reality" dissection of an ultrabook's components.

Asus Chairman Jonney Shih showed up during Thomas M. Kilroy's keynote to further sing the praises of his company's Transformer Book, which is a tablet and an ultrabook in one easily detachable package.

A couple of the colorful characters I encountered while walking around the TICC.

The TICC is a big place. Here's a look at just how big it is, taken from the second floor.

A glimpse inside the second-floor press room at the TICC.

Many exhibitor meetings are held in the Grand Hyatt, which is just adjacent to the TICC—so many, in fact, that Computex posts directories to help you find the companies you're looking for. Here's a glimpse of the hotel's luxurious lobby.

MSI demonstrated the Slider S20 tablet, which has a built-in a keyboard that slides beneath it.

The MSI Slider S20 tablet with keyboard revealed.

During a special briefing at Computex, Intel showed PCMag this reference version of an ultrabook that you can't buy anywhere.

Intel demonstrated to PCMag how WiDi technology doesn't just work with laptops, but can also work with cell phones equipped with Intel hardware. This game of Angry Birds Space was streamed live from an Intel smartphone reference design to the HDTV, just as shown here.

AMD Ultrathin Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of AMD's Global BUsiness Units, holds up an ultrathin notebook using one of AMD's newly announced E-Series Accelerated Processing Units (or APUs).

AMD President and CEO Rory Read was caught here during one of many excited moments during his address in the AMD press conference at Computex.

Seven Computex showgirls show off ultrathin laptops from AMD's many manufacturing partners.

This jar was the "party favor" AMD gave attendees at its Computex press conference Wednesday.

At the Gigabyte Booth in the World Trade Center, a showgirl hands out brochures while onlookers crowd around the company's hot new products.

Gigabyte augments its collection of live showgirls with these two of the more cardboard variety, who are armed with a little bit of Facebook lingo.

Gigabyte showed off its extensive collection of consumer motherboards at its booth.

Gigabyte's cases aren't well known in the U.S. yet, but that could be changing; the component manufacturer has plans to bring them to America soon.

The Envision i50s is an add-on pack for your iPhone that turns it into a projector. Its cost: more than $200.

In its suite at the Grand Hyatt, Corsair displayed some eye-popping performance results from a RAIDed pair of its new Neutron GTX solid-state drives.

Corsair's Dominator Platinum RAM is precisely tuned for extra-fast performance, has an elaborate heat-spreading system, and is armed with light bars you can swap out for different colors (white is shown here, beneath the metal bar on the top of the DIMM). It's also Compatible with Corsair Link, so you can monitor its temperature via software.

Corsair calls its new AX1200i the most advanced power supply in the world. It allows programmable Over Current Protection and enables tighter voltage regulation, and you can monitor is performance, efficiency, and temperature right from your desktop with Corsair Link.

How much thought do you give to the chassis fans you install? Corsair has designed several different varieties for specific tasks and noise levels, and they're available in three colors to help you better coordinate the inside of your computer's case.

At its Component Night party at the Japanese fusion restaurant Dozoizakay, MSI offered this demonstration of its motherboards' overclockability. The Z77 MPower board is loaded with an Intel Core i7-3770K CPU cooled by a Thermaltake Contac 29 BP, a GTX 670 Power Edition video card (from MSI, of course), 8GB of Patriot Division 2 RAM, a Patriot Wildfire solid-state drive, and an 800-watt Thermaltake power supply.

Even Ubuntu, the popular free Linux distribution from British company Canonical, has a booth at Computex 2012.

Vending machines seem like an ideal use for transparent display technology, as these Computex visitors demonstrate.

Two Asus showgirls pose purposefully outside the company's booth at the Nangang Exhibition Center.

Asus' Maximus V Extreme motherboard, introduced at Computex, is shown here with four Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 video cards installed.

This case, utilizing Asus' TUF line of motherboards (specifically the Z77 Sabertooth), was designed by Dewayne "Americanfreak" Carel, and is based on the Hummer.

You've heard of case mods, but motherboard mods? Each of these Asus Sabertooth Z77 motherborads has received a striking new military-style design.

The new S-Series Ultrabook from Asus has an extremely thin 21mm chassis, resumes from sleep in two seconds, and uses Intel's latest third-generation Core i7 processors and the Nvidia GeForce GT 600 GPU.

Thermaltake's $800 Level 10 case is one of the most striking you can find. In white, it's even more eye-catching.

Three elaborate mods of Asus' popular Armor case design.

Leave it to Thermaltake to arm its showgirls with giant inflatable swords.

Rosewill's Armor Evolution is a deceptively large ATX mid-tower case that offers a lot of extra room from front to back. It also accommodates extra fans in the top and side panels by installing them within raised grilles.

Need a case capable of housing up to ten 3.5-inch drives at once? The Rosweill Throne can do it.

Even most hard-core DIYers would have trouble building a system that would require a 1,600-watt power supply. But if that's what they need, the Rosewill Hercules can deliver it. (Assuming their home electrical circuits are up to the challenge.)

That's not an enthusiast PC, this is an enthusiast PC: with two CPUs, four Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 video cards, and four mechanical keyboards. (It still would have trouble maxing out the 1,600-watt power supply, however.)

Everyone is connected at the Acer booth.

This team from component company ASRock is overclocking an Intel Core i7-3770K CPU to a stunning 6.6GHz and an AMD Radeon HD 7970 card to 1,600MHz. Yes, using liquid nitrogen. How would you do it?

Housed inside an ultra-small Zbox chassis, this highly portable gaming computer uses an Intel Core i7 CPU and the H77 Express Chipset. There's no room for a discrete video card, however.

You can always count on Lian Li to create innovative case designs. Here's an example. And look: real steam!

Intel's showgirls show off the newest ultrabooks using the company's processing technologies.

Apotop won the prize for the most unusual spokespeople on the show floor. But please don't ask us what these jesters have to do with a memory company!

An outside view of Nangang Exhibition Center, the second of Computex 2012's venues.

Thermaltake held its annual party at Marquee, an American-style bar across the street from Taipei 101. It seemed like a fitting way for PCMag to end its tenure at Computex 2012.

Located near the entrance was this heavily modded version of Thermaltake's Level 10 GT case. Notice the multiple different colors of lighting, the elaborate NZXT fan controller installed in the 5.25-inch bays, and the digital display on the front panel.

It was never explained exactly why a (male) Thermaltake employee was walking around dressed as Mona Lisa—the painting, obviously, not the actual woman—but at least it made for a good photo.

Thermaltake CEO Kenny Lin addressed the crowd at his company's big media party.

PCMag concluded its trip to Computex 2012 with this nighttime shot of one of the host city's most iconic buildings, Taipei 101, at 1,670 feet the third tallest building in the world (and 420 feet taller than the Empire State Building).