Windows XP-powered Eee PC laptop: $400, April 9th

Sounds like we've finally got a price and a date for the XP powered Eee PC: $400, and April 9th. The hardware's identical to current-gen Eee PCs, though, so if you're happy with your little white lappy and are itching for XP you might try to pick up a license on eBay. Still, if all goes well for ASUS, they'll be selling 4x what they did the first time around, innit?

P.S. -If you are, for whatever reason, itching to read more about current hardware running the 7 year old OS, Laptop's got a hands-on. Nothing that wasn't already out there though.

[TheCow5 @ Mar 30th 2008 1:06PM]

Engadget, could you give us a chance to win one of the 13" versions. that would be very nice of you.

[zargon @ Mar 30th 2008 12:43PM]

I kind of want one, but I am not sure I can handle that small of a screen. 12" to 13" is the smallest I think I could go for my main laptop, which is what I am looking at since I am looking for a ultra portable.

[nonamo @ Mar 30th 2008 12:50PM]

Theres a load of 12/13" laptops out there.
Acer TravelMate 6292? (~$800)

[zargon @ Mar 30th 2008 1:13PM]

I know, I am actually looking at the X300, should be able to get a nice discount from work too. I just don't need the SDD version, especially for the price.

[Draaaainage! @ Mar 30th 2008 1:40PM]

"12" to 13" is the smallest I think I could go"

That's what she said.

[superfresh @ Mar 30th 2008 2:05PM]

Why was the photo switched? The original image showed the 9 inch screen.

[mushrooshi @ Mar 30th 2008 4:48PM]

I was at the HEB Plus (Yes, a grocery store), and they were selling Eees.

Id rather get the Eee than, say, a PSP2 or a new Nintendo handheld.

[Wolfticket @ Mar 30th 2008 5:35PM]

There are plenty of 12/13 inch 1-1.5kg laptops about, but expect to pay a hell of a lot more for them than an eee. For me the 7inch screen on my eee is absolutely fine for when I'm on the go. Indeed, the small footprint is actually handy when you have f-all legroom on cheapo transport.

[Fusion @ Mar 30th 2008 12:45PM]

how much will the new 9inch version cost with xp?

[JohnTitor @ Mar 30th 2008 1:25PM]

eeePC 9" price + Windows XP CD price
for now

[Zach @ Mar 30th 2008 2:45PM]

399 euros.

they have already said that in the beginning the 8gb will feature XP while the 12/20 will either have options or be limited to linux at least that's what i remember. could be wrong.

now, if your in america (like me) the answer is more then the cheapest of the full fledged laptops.
kind of pointless now. though still for the size i guess it's alright

[nonamo @ Mar 30th 2008 12:46PM]

For a minute then I thought they were releasing the 9" version in 10 days.
Damn you engadget... my heart skipped a few beats!

[Flashpoint @ Mar 31st 2008 12:00AM]

This thing offers more than the first computer I ever owned - a Pavilion 8570c - Pentium 3 450 mhz with 256 MB RAM (maximum) and a Geforce 2.

I got that computer over 7 years ago and it still works fine with Windows XP - I use it to copy DVD's.

I could get this Asus and use it to download and store illegal files from Limewire.

[Stupidiot @ Mar 30th 2008 12:53PM]

Please... Never say 'innit' again...
Just when I thought it had gone out of fashion with the chavs over here, too.

[Steve Jones @ Mar 30th 2008 2:22PM]

I have a feeling it was said in jest..!

[chris lewis @ Mar 30th 2008 1:01PM]

i think this sucks big time. instead of re-hashing an old (still vulnerable) os on great hardware. asus should´ve refined the open source os to take full advantage of itś platform.

[Rollins @ Mar 30th 2008 12:55PM]

So will the 4G with Linux drop in price, or will both the Windows and Linux versions cost the same?

[Dave @ Mar 30th 2008 12:58PM]

at this point you would think almost the same since xp is on its way out the door, which is sad because Vista is a resource hog :(. They should've just called vista "Windows XP Enhanced"

[Rollins @ Mar 30th 2008 1:00PM]

I figured it out!

The $400 XP unit is a 4G Surf, not a 4G. You can tell from the fact that it has a 4400mAh battery (and the smaller listed battery life to go with it). Thus, the unit is the same as Asus is selling for $350 with Linux. The RAM is probably non-upgradeable too, which is a shame given how much Windows apps can benefit from another 512mb.

[k99goran @ Mar 30th 2008 1:19PM]

So essentially you trade the web camera and extra battery capacity for Windows XP Home edition. I think that makes sense in terms of pricing. I do have two questions though:
1. Will this be a clean Windows install, or will we see demo versions of Norton Anti-virus and other bloat?
2. Is the operating system installed on an SD card? That would effectively disable the SD reader.

[Dan @ Mar 31st 2008 7:20AM]

>>LG-CU920

The official specs list a camera

[Zap @ Mar 30th 2008 12:57PM]

Bummer...a step in the wrong direction, IMO.

Linux made this laptop great, it pushed Linux into the mainstream. Allow Advance Mode w/o a hack would have been ideal.

[fred @ Mar 30th 2008 1:41PM]

Because choice sucks!

These devices are supposed to be vehicles for Linux promotion not device to be used by however the user sees fit.

[Draaaainage! @ Mar 30th 2008 1:47PM]

Linux has not been pushed into the mainstream? Where do people get the information to make this assumption?

Linux (all distros) comprises 0.65% of all desktops / laptops accessing the interwebs. That is less than 1%. I would hardly call this mainstream.

[Draaaainage! @ Mar 30th 2008 1:48PM]

err, that should read "Linux has been pushed into the mainstream?"

[zargon @ Mar 30th 2008 1:53PM]

Would you be more comfortable with being pushed into the mainstream?

I have heard a lot more buzz about linux from family, friends and co-workers, more so than I had 10, 5 and even 2 years ago.

My parents have been moved to Ubuntu since their aging desktop become more work than it was worth to reload the entire OS and re-setup everything. There was a slight learning curve for them, but they are content and can do everything they did before and their computer runs much better.

[Rov @ Mar 30th 2008 8:24PM]

fred
If the playing field was even, and all PC came with a choice Linux and Windows, then I'd have no problem with Asus doing the same here, but Linux has to fight for get itself installed on PC, and when it does, I like to see it do well. Asus has done great with the EEE PC, with Linux. And I think it was helping Linux gain mindshare(not a ton of market share)

Draaaainage!
Its not in the mainstream, but the Asus EEE PC seems like a great computer to push it there, with a desktop line coming soon, low priced, very portable Linux running machines could show the world how great Linux can be

[k99goran @ Mar 30th 2008 2:23PM]

"Because choice sucks!"

Most of the time, "choice" means choosing between one version of preloaded Windows, and another slightly more expensive though identical looking version of preloaded Windows.

I think you are both being a bit hypocritical here. Linux users don't like it when they are not given preloaded Linux as an option, and Windows users never complain about choice when all computers are preloaded with Windows.

I like the idea of providing more options, I do however hope that regardless of what operating system they ship with it they remember that the EEE-PC gained its popularity as a cheap, light laptop/UMPC loaded with great free software, not as a $700 somewhat heavy run-of-the-mill computer preloaded with trialware.

[ssuk @ Mar 30th 2008 3:45PM]

There's a reason why Linux isn't main-stream. Most computer users are dumb, and they need their hand held to double click an .exe to install something, let alone having to go through the terminal to do something similar.

[ethana2 @ Mar 30th 2008 5:16PM]

"click an .exe to install something"

FAIL

Windows is not an OS fit for use by human beings. I happen to use one that is.

[Hammond X @ Mar 30th 2008 11:49PM]

I used to have a Pontiac LeMans that I built into a pretty impressive street machine. Even though it was fast, and the amount of skill it took to drive that thing straight down the road and, more importantly, to stop at a destination, was impressive, I sure enjoyed it when I finally graduated to a tight, powerful new car w/an automatic that actually allowed me a free hand to light a cigarette or use the turn signal. And I didn’t feel a bit insecure that it was so easy to use.
I learned to use a computer using MS-DOS. Now I use Windows XP. I didn't buy a computer to impress anyone with how smart or skillfull I was. It's a tool, and I want it to be as easy to use as possible. I still go to the DOS screen every now and then, if I want to check something out or if I’m feeling nostalgic, but I don’t have to deal w/that [syntax error] or [invalid parameter] message anymore if I don’t want to. And it doesn’t bother me a bit. If I'm "dumb" because I prefer easy, so be it.
I'll leave Linux to the "smart" people.

[ManekiNeko @ Mar 31st 2008 2:19AM]

"I learned to use a computer using MS-DOS. Now I use Windows XP. I didn't buy a computer to impress anyone with how smart or skillfull I was. It's a tool..."

And I'm sure the same could be said of Ethana2.

I've been using computers for a long, long time, since Linus Torvalds was playing with a VIC-20. And I'll tell you, we've come a long way in the twenty five years since that system was still on the market. Windows reflects this with an interface that's easy to use. Linux is still stuck in the 80's with an archaic, cryptic, and counterintuitive design. Elitist nerds who think that "frustrating" and "versatile" are synonyms are quick to give that design undeserved praise, but the reality is that Linux makes things that SHOULD be easy in the 21st century needlessly aggravating.

I bought an Asus EEE with Linux installed on it. After weeks of fighting with the operating system, trying to install stubborn programs, and typing data into a dated command line, I gave up and installed Windows XP instead. Now, everything works. Games and emulators run more smoothly, and the interface is comfortably familiar instead of strange and inscrutable. The EEE is an all-around better machine with Windows XP, and even Asus knows it... it's reflected in their sales projections.

[Ajousa @ Mar 30th 2008 12:58PM]

???The picture on the main page shows the Eeeeee with 8.9" but the Eeeeee XP version is 7"???
When the big one is comming??
Crazy guys...

[void @ Mar 30th 2008 1:40PM]

I doubt very much that there will be a 7" EeePC with XP pre-installed. XP simply isn't cut out for the low screen resolution. That's one of the reasons for the 9" model with a higher resolution.

[Ryan Block @ Mar 30th 2008 1:41PM]

Fair enough, just used that image to get the point across. Will swap it out.

[Derek @ Mar 30th 2008 5:33PM]

Wow.. Ryan's comment isn't Highest Ranked! Quite an odd occurrence...

[rv @ Mar 30th 2008 10:10PM]

"When the big one is comming??"
Thats what she said.

[Dan @ Mar 31st 2008 5:11AM]

>Void

This whole article is about the 7in XP Eee PC.

[Dan @ Mar 31st 2008 7:15AM]

>Void

This whole article is about the 7in XP Eee PC.

[N30 G30 @ Mar 30th 2008 1:01PM]

I was hoping these computers stay with Linux on them. Hopefully no one takes this the wrong way. I love Windows XP and I enjoy using Linux. I just thought this would be the PC that would lead people to Linux, the PC that evens out the operating system playing field.

[Greg Ramsaran @ Mar 30th 2008 1:09PM]

you say 7 year old like it's a bad thing..

[Mike @ Mar 30th 2008 4:07PM]

I like my operating systems like I like my women: seven years old.

Anyway, if we're going to call XP that old, shouldn't we hold OS X to the same standards? That came out in 2001 and the code base is still largely the same. It's like we're completely ignoring the service packs.

[rodsky @ Mar 30th 2008 1:15PM]

staying with linux = selling about 1/10th of what they could
remember these things are supposed to be practical and XP is still champ at that

[zargon @ Mar 30th 2008 1:30PM]

Linux is perfectly fine for what these laptops are meant for, simple computing and surfing the internet. Plus it allows for it to be complete customized and streamlined for the hardware.

[N30 G30 @ Mar 30th 2008 1:48PM]

People aren't used to Linux but it is in no way less functional than any other operating system if it has the right drivers.

[Peter D @ Mar 30th 2008 1:28PM]

I am on my eee PC right now and loving it, still using the original OS, with some minor tweaks, but I could really see why people would be attracted to an XP version, despite the fact that XP will be dead in a short amount of time (too bad, Vista takes WAY to much to run on this thing)

--P.S. These eeePC's are really only for secondary computer use, if this is your main, then I feel sorry for you.

[pscs @ Mar 30th 2008 1:40PM]

I'd like to buy one of these... just need a light laptop on the go. Like this one. Size doesn't matter, but it's the weight. Of course, I can also buy the MBair, but that's 10x of what this is.... OS, doesn't matter. It's ultra portable, so as long as the usual web related apps work then it's fine.

[David @ Mar 30th 2008 1:45PM]

according to the RM site (the UK brand) there will be a higher spec with windows in May:
http://www.rm.com/primary/products/product.asp?cref=PD1030046

...well higher than my 4G/512mb...and at a remarkably reasonable price

[N30 G30 @ Mar 30th 2008 1:50PM]

That picture looks like the laptop wasn't properly setup so the resolution size stayed in the center.

[mcatrage @ Mar 30th 2008 2:23PM]

No thats the whole screen the surrounding area isn't a screen.