ASUS' 9-inch Eee PC, now with living pixels!
By Paul Miller 
posted March 4th 2008 6:20AM
posted March 4th 2008 6:20AM
posted March 4th 2008 6:20AM
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Magic. The screen was the most offputting thing for me, but this one looks more usable for things like browsing the internet.
Wish this had been around October last year, when I was looking for a laptop for uni. Plumped for a Macbook instead.
It's like they took the only thing wrong with the EeePC, listened to their would-be customers, and fixed it! It's nice to see a company that actually gives people what they want (unlike what Apple did with the MBA).
...and I think you mean "plunked".
Dunno. I'm now officially "tempted" but the low resolution is still a little offputting. Similar sized displays from Fuji can hit 1280/are much, much sharper. Still, might be usable with Opera's scaling zoom.
yoyo -> the screen resolution is very appropriate given the screen dimensions. I dont know if your used to seeing screens of this size, but Im thinking that, unless a very cheaply build lcd was used, that the image will be as clear as any.
I meant plumped. Oh, and yoyo, I'm sure that any more pixel density would be difficult for some users, unless all the apps were reworked.
My apologies - I had no idea that "plump" could be used interchangeably with "plunk" as a verb. However, in this context, I do believe plunk is more common.
no , i think plumped is more common.
to plump=to choose e.g. i plumped for a macbook.
to plunk=to add e.g. i plunked a 50gb harddrive into my pc
In the states, we would say plunked or plopped. 'Plunk' is the sound of dropping something in the toilet, such as your money being spent on an overhyped, overpriced laptop; 'plop' is the sound of dropping your ass onto the salvaged vinyl couch in your mom's basement. 'Plump' isn't a sound at all, it's what happens to your body from spending all day in front of the computer.
I'm curious where Liam and sinjinn are from cuz I've never heard "plumped" here in the US (California).
it's a british term...at least...
Yeah, in Britain we say "plump for something".
What processor does this thing have, is it the same as the previous EEE?
Have they beefed up the graphics at all?
I expect the specs will be similar to the old one, except the GMA 950 might have been swapped out for an X3100. A little better. Again, this was an upgrade the macs got just after I bought mine. Not that big a deal.
Clicked on the wrong reply box. My response is below. Sorry.
Okay, third try. If this goes wrong again, it's the comments system, not me.
Right. "replying to ArcticFox". Good. I think I clicked the wrong button, my reply is below.
DEAR GOD WHY??
Awesome. Now...this, or XPS 1330? I know, totally different, but both small enough for Uni use. I could play TF2 on XPS...but I'm also paying around £300 extra for that privilege. Doh :(
The XPS is a fully fledged computer you can use as your main computer while at uni. The eee, despite the larger screen, is still a secondary light-weight web-browsing computer. It's perfect for my sister at uni - all she does is use openoffice, surf the web, listen to music and chat on MSN. If you only store your music on an MP3 player, then you only need 8GB of SSD. I'd find it too limiting for anything particularly techy (photo processing, downloading files etc). Each to their own, but because you're posting on engadget, I'd recommend an XPS1330.
Neither; Asus W7S.
I'm surprised by how more beautiful and high-end it looks without the ugly black border around the screen. Thankfully Asus has also upped the resolution, this is such an instant buy. Any idea when it hits the retailers in the UK??
LOL @ Deez
grrrrrrrr
holy crap!! now this is sexy :)
and thank god on the screen resolution....
LOL @ Liam
Dammit
Fantastic! Now we're talking. 1024x600 is good enough for proper browsing and you still get all the original Eee love (tiny form-factor, decent battery life, no moving parts, etc.). And being able to pre-order it with XP makes it just that much more available to folks who are daunted by mucking with the OS.
Well done, Asus...kudos!
wonder what the price is gonna be on this bad boy...
$399/€399
In squids (£)?
€399 = £305.5
Deez, it will most likely be between £225 and £275
@Lance
ORLY? where you hear that from?
everyone and their mother knows asus saying 399 euro = roughly 600 (god please. no.)
if its 600, i ain't shelling the money. don't get greedy now asus or i'll start calling you jackasus
399 pounds? or is it euro
if pounds, then 600$ (could swear it was, but everyone says something different.)
if euros, ehh.. its 1.25$ roughly per euro so.. bout 500$?
if so, like i said, a bunch of jackasus if you ask me.
@ Deez
Squids. Lawl.
Yes, I know you mean quids. I only trade in beaver pelts, though. Conversion rate is something like $1 = PB 5. Inflation's a bitch.
@Zach
Err... I don't quite know how to say this... but... €399 is actually more than $600...
http://www.google.com/search?q=399+euro+to+usd
I'll be getting one of these straight away!
If this thing can run WoW...*slobber*
With a bit of work, the 7 inch one can run WoW. Not very well, of course, but it looked playable for soloing.
just remember to stay out of Shattrah and IF
if its still £200 ($400) like the eeepc then i'll buy
I'll have to wait for more info to come out on the HP 2133 before I decide on which one to get.
I'm still waiting for *ANY* Eee PC version to arrive here in Portugal :(
Anyway, when these 8.9 inch models become available I'll get one *ONLY* if I can get it with linux pre-installed, otherwise maybe I'll wait a bit more for a similar MAC and maybe install ubuntu 8.04 dual-boot with MacOS.
Since the MacBook Air was released emphasizing the benefits of a full-sized screen, it'll be a long time until you see a Mac that's this small.
keep it at 400€ and one will be coming this way :D
The only reason I never got the 7 incher was the resolution - it's the same as my nokia n800 and a damned sight less portable. With the bump to 1024 I'll definitely be getting one (bank balance depending). The fact that it's less fugly is even better :)
Nice.
But, if as reported earlier by Engadget, its cost will be closer to $600, its priced itself well outside of the 'sweet spot' that the original 4G enjoys.
Closer in price to a 'real' notebook, but with the limited specs expected in the eeePC, the 9" seems to be relying less on its capabilities and more on the enthusiasm of those already with an eeePC to upgrade.
ASUS would do better to spend their time and money not on 're-designing the wheel' but rather, to better develop their Support and the software available of the current eeePC, which has been seriously lacking so far.
who is gonna upgrade a computer they only bought a couple of months ago?
Ask any Apple'ite.
;-)
Meanwhile, if this isn't due out till mid-2008, that's means the original will be nearly 9 months old. Practically geriatric in tech time....
I'm with you here, I am in the market for a new ultraportable right now, and I have been looking at pickup up a used X32/X41. However, if this guy is like the original $399, its a wrap. If they start pushing the price up closer to the $500-600 range, I will have to bow out and go for a used Xseries.
Would love to have one, but I have to be a bit more practivaly about something I will used daily for pecking on blogs and browsing.
I believe engadget previously said it was going to be $399 for the 12gig version. I might have read that wrong. Either way, I would pay around $500 for a 12gig 9" in a heartbeat.