Asus Eee PC now out in "Galaxy Black"

While the original white of Asus's Eee PC is no slouch in the looks department, we're finding the stylings of this "Galaxy Black" version all the more irresistable -- maybe it's just because the screen bezel doesn't look quite as dramatic this way. The new color was revealed about a week ago, but the good news is that the black version is receiving zero mark-up in price, instead of the rumored $20. Taking notes, Apple? Oh, and if black still doesn't do it for you, the 2G Surf is just around the corner.

[Thanks, Wael]

[nate @ Nov 15th 2007 11:04AM]

it's pretty

[loci @ Nov 15th 2007 2:32PM]

so much better then the white

[Bombaclaat @ Nov 15th 2007 11:04AM]

nice looking. now give us 64GB.

[Wolfticket @ Nov 15th 2007 11:08AM]

For free?

[lassi @ Nov 15th 2007 11:15AM]

64gb of solid state would cost.. hmm. more than the rest of the computer?

just buy a 60gb second hand ipod and glue it to the back of the screen and attach with usb.

[Joe @ Nov 15th 2007 12:26PM]

Nope, no IDE. You'll need to stick to daisy chaining 32 Gig USB drives.

[turn_self_off @ Nov 15th 2007 5:31PM]

i think that one can soon get a 16GB ssd that would fit in the mini-pcie slot. i recall reading about sandisk having something like that in the pipeline.

[nonamo @ Nov 15th 2007 11:14AM]

Whats the big deal over this Eee? Am i missing something? It's just a sub-notebook with a SSD instead of a hard drive :S

[jrc @ Nov 15th 2007 11:33AM]

It's cheap, other sub-notebooks are usually high dollar plus they force M$ on you. I have plenty of extra XP cd keys from old computers, sick of buying new ones.

[Jamie Marsden @ Nov 15th 2007 11:28AM]

The big deal is that it is pretty much the very first of its kind - it is a whole new product market. Whilst there are UMPCs available, they do not have proper integrated keyboards and are vastly expensive. The same is true of the Nokia 800 and similar.

This is special because it is eminently affordable and does everything you want whilst on the move.

I bought my black eee from Tottenham Court Road (London) on Monday, and love it. I have put Ubuntu 7.10 on it, and it runs compiz fusion brilliantly. I use it around university, and for taking notes in lectures. It is not my primary computer, but means that when I am at uni, I don't have to break my back lugging an Acer around all day.

[CosterMonger @ Nov 15th 2007 1:03PM]

@ Jamie Marsden

"and it runs compiz fusion brilliantly"

is it smooth.
is it beautiful.
does it... wobble?

can it run a NES emulator? http://www.zophar.net/unix/nes.html
how about SNES?

black... no pointless markup {black macbook}...
must... wait... for... ten inch screen... or price drop...

[James Baker @ Nov 15th 2007 1:31PM]

@CosterMonger

Yes, it runs both NES and SNES perfectly, although you have to tell snes9x to run sound at 44.1KHz or 22KHz - the sound chip doesn't like 32KHz output.

I pushed 2 simultaneous snes9x instances perfectly, the 3rd instance started bringing the choppy.

I'd say performance is acceptable. :)

[CosterMonger @ Nov 15th 2007 9:45PM]

@ James Baker

thanks for the info :)
I can look forward to running my old school collection on the go
[yells death cry: "RCR forever!!!"]

is the emulation while compiz fusion is running?
either way... pretty sweet

[CosterMonger @ Nov 16th 2007 12:15AM]

Xubuntu with Compiz fusion running on Eeepc 701, sick {as in good}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzzhEs9XGuE&feature=related

Snes Emulator on the Asus EEE playing Final Fantasy 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faYN6Q45syo

[Travis @ Nov 15th 2007 11:33AM]

@Jamie Marsden

How did you get Gutsy on there without an optical drive? I love the looks and idea of the EEE but the default OS looks like something that was made by V-Tech - if you can put other Linux OS's on there then maybe I will pick one up come tax return season (just around the corner!)

[Hax Or @ Nov 15th 2007 12:00PM]

Tax Return??

You let the government borrow your money interest-free? That's hilarious.

[Jamie Marsden @ Nov 15th 2007 12:26PM]

I may have cheated and...used an optical drive *looks guilty*. It will happily boot from a usb optical drive. If you really want to do it hardcore though, there is a walkthrough in the wiki on eeeuser.com that tells you how to install from a flash drive.

[Travis Kline @ Nov 15th 2007 12:32PM]

I have a kid so I get a pretty noce tax return each year. Thanks Jamie - I will check out the wiki for more info.

[spam_from_engadget @ Nov 15th 2007 12:56PM]

I think I read that it will network-boot using PXE. Most BIOSes have this capability. If you already have a Linux box on your network, and you have some idea about DHCP, it's not at all difficult to set up.

[Edge @ Nov 15th 2007 11:35AM]

I ordered an eeePC from Best Buy the day they became available "for order" and I'm still in the holding pattern of "back-ordered." I can't wait to get my hands on this thing! If they do begin to start taking orders for the black one, I may have to cancel my order for the white and go for the black one instead. It's much better looking in black, IMHO.

[Dave Skaggs @ Nov 15th 2007 12:25PM]

Your first mistake was ordering something from Best Buy. I once ordered a DVD set from them and three weeks later I was told it was backordered...Skip Best Buy, stick with Newegg all the way!

[D3R3K @ Nov 15th 2007 1:29PM]

Hurry up and cancel your order from Best Buy. 1st of all, Best Buy will charge you tax, and they will offer you some bullshit product service or replacement plan. The EEE comes with a 2 yr warranty through ASUS.
Check out www.excaliberpc.com! I got my laptop from them recently and their service is top notch. They will respond to your questions ASAP and call you to let you know about your order.

[JohnTitor @ Nov 15th 2007 11:35AM]

does it come with Mario Galaxy?

[Alan Partridge @ Nov 15th 2007 11:36AM]

I want a 10" black one!






(Thats what she said etc)

[MacroEQ @ Nov 15th 2007 11:56AM]

Knowing Eee, Knowing You.

I also want the 10" version to come out, but we all know that Asus will want to maximise it's sales of the 7" version first so it will naturally quash any rumours of the 10" impending release.

[MJ @ Nov 15th 2007 2:06PM]

Asus has already confirmed the 10" model:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/14/asus-confirms-the-8gb-10-inch-eee-pc/

[Josh @ Nov 15th 2007 11:43AM]

You've got some newegg on your asus.

[justlikejsh @ Nov 15th 2007 11:43AM]

Well it seems like newegg has them and i want one. is it possible to upgrade the memory and ssd?

[bethel03 @ Nov 15th 2007 11:46AM]

Memory: yes
SSD: no (external drives only)

[cobb @ Nov 15th 2007 11:50AM]

get rid of those stupid speakers and make the screen fill out the whole front. That makes more sense to me, the screen is too small for me to buy it.

[Chebwa @ Nov 15th 2007 11:55AM]

Is anyone out there actually excited about this thing knowing full well that a 10" model is right around the corner?

[Juaquin @ Nov 15th 2007 1:29PM]

Yes. I would like a small 7-inch form factor, and the 7 inch will be cheaper anyways. For me, it will be used only to take notes in class and such (I have a desktop and 17" gaming laptop for other needs), so I just need something cheap, small, and light. This fits the bill perfectly - straight to my christmas list it goes.

[Chebwa @ Nov 15th 2007 1:31PM]

I don't know, it seems to me like if a 10" is coming (and a new model in April, too), that very, very soon these 7" originals will be dropping in price or getting some upgrades.

[Juaquin @ Nov 15th 2007 1:45PM]

I doubt they'll be upgrading them, given that there are already 4 models of the 7 inch planned. They may drop in price a bit, but not a significant amount to worry about (considering they're only $400 as it is). If you're always waiting for the next upgrade around the corner with computers, you'll never actually buy one.

[Max @ Nov 15th 2007 11:57AM]

Mines just been shipped! Only 3-5 days to wait now.
Does anyone know if the advanced mode of the OS is still on there, or how to get it, because I have been looking at the manuals, and can't see it anywhere. (Mines white btw)

[Jamie Marsden @ Nov 15th 2007 12:28PM]

Have a look on eeeuser.com wiki. The advanced mode is hidden, but still perfectly available for the trouble of a minute or so of work with the terminal.

[Thomas @ Nov 15th 2007 3:17PM]

This article will answer all your questions on accessing all the features included with the Eee and more: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/eee-pc-review.ars

[Hax Or @ Nov 15th 2007 12:00PM]

My Nintendo DS with R4 runs Linux.

Touchscreen, IRC, Web Browser, great games... And a lot lighter and smaller than this.

Sorry, the EEEPC is just too old school (aka Big, Clunky, over-priced).

[Chebwa @ Nov 15th 2007 12:06PM]

A Nintendo DS running Linux is in no way comparable to an Eee PC. At all.

Stop being ridiculous and looking for ways to show off your super elite DS hacking skills.

[Hax Or @ Nov 15th 2007 12:37PM]

You aren't addressing any of my comments. The EEEPC is pathetic.

Good try though.

[Argot @ Nov 15th 2007 12:43PM]

Somthing is pathetic here, but it aint the Eee.

[Chebwa @ Nov 15th 2007 12:58PM]

Well, let's see...

The DS uses a tiny, tiny touch screen for text input. The Eee PC features a nice, standard keyboard. This makes the Eee PC obviously preferable for typing papers, taking notes, or bringing to meetings. Haul your Nintendo DS into class and do some note taking, see how that turns out. You'll look like an ass and get nothing done.

The screen on the Eee PC is significantly larger than that of the DS. You can do serious web browsing on it, not the lame, gimped, struggling browsing you're doing on that DS.

The Eee PC can run a variety of operating systems, including Windows. The ports (USB especially) give it the capability of a normal laptop in nearly every regard.

Oh, and the DS is like, 100mhz. I think it's even less, like 60something. And it has 4MB of RAM.

Yeah, that's just like the Eee PC. Give me a break.

[Michael @ Nov 15th 2007 1:02PM]

@ Hax Or:

The individual you were addressing was probably ignoring you because you were being a moron. Just a guess.

A Nintendo DS is obviously smaller than an Eee PC. But seeing as how nobody would want to sit squinting at two 3" screens all day tapping at tiny letters, the Eee PC is obviously superior.

Futhermore, a traditional 13"-14.1" laptop costs easily triple what the Eee PC costs. Who needs a DVD burner, 128MB GPU, and 1.8GHz C2D proc just for the convenience of running Windows to take notes in class? Not me, for one.

I'll wait until the 10" White Eee PC Model 1001 becomes available, and plunk down my hard-earned cash for something truly useful, affordable, and portable.

[brian.m.jones @ Nov 15th 2007 12:13PM]

Does it come with a restore disc? First thing I'm gonna want to do is slap Ubuntu on it but I will probably want to be able to restore it at some point.

[James Baker @ Nov 15th 2007 1:34PM]

Yes it does, although I believe the OS image is actually on a hidden partition.
I might be wrong, about that, but I do know it does include a CD and a method of restoring it back to factory defaults, including the OS.

[Wilder.K.Wight @ Nov 15th 2007 12:31PM]

Must... Resist... Black...

Damn it. I was trying to get through the holidays without buying something for myself. Now I'm severely tempted to be a selfish prat and get one of these.

[Ben Jacobs @ Nov 15th 2007 12:40PM]

There is a simple hack on eeeforum to activate the advanced mode--I guess it is KDE linux and I love this thing. I have 14" averatec, but this is a great travel computer and I can log into my remote desktop connection at work for all of my windows needs.

Ben

[DSeaver @ Nov 15th 2007 12:43PM]

Now release the 4G surf, and I'm in. I have no need for the webcam, and would like to save the money

[Andrew @ Nov 15th 2007 7:29PM]

I'm with you on that... the 4G surf looks just right.

[jason @ Nov 15th 2007 1:20PM]

Anyone know the OS on this? Does it run a standard OS like XP or Ubuntu? Would like to write about it at http://www.openjason.com

jason