ASUS loops all the way around with the Eee PC 701SD

Hey, you remember the Eee PC 701, right? The original netbook, before the category even had a name? The machine we all just called the Eee PC before ASUS booted out an insane array of lightly-differentiated models with a somewhat random naming scheme? Yeah, well, it's still around, even if the 901 has taken over as the Eee of choice, and if those slides from earlier are to be believed, it's getting a spec bump. Laptop says the new 701SD will get an Atom processor to go along with a minor case redesign, and come in a few flavors (of course): 701, 701SD, 701SD(30GB HD), 701SD-4G. Sadly, there isn't any info about pricing available, but with cheap netbooks headed toward $299 and below, here's hoping ASUS gives us a reason to love the 701 once again.

[K Nang @ Aug 1st 2008 7:00AM]

give me 1GB RAM, 8GB SSD, XP and 3G for under £200 and ill take one

[B @ Aug 1st 2008 8:56AM]

Don't Push it !

[Matt @ Aug 1st 2008 9:11AM]

Certainly sir, and where shall I deliver the free pony to?

[Marko @ Aug 1st 2008 11:25AM]

I have purchased eee 4g surf (701) for 200 euros + 2gbram&8gb shc for another 40euros + XP from mininova.... in Serbia
This is just around 200 pounds you've mentioned.
And it is beautiful!

[Dragonman @ Aug 2nd 2008 8:29AM]

If there was an eepc for $100 with only a Web Browser like firefox, docs, flash games, music, storage all Online. It would be a Perfect 10.

[^ Fusion Fuzo ^ @ Aug 1st 2008 6:58AM]

NICE

[phanbouy @ Aug 1st 2008 1:22PM]

yeah nice bezel... FOR ME TO POOP ON!

[anabouboula @ Aug 1st 2008 7:36AM]

FIST!

[Jhongerkong @ Aug 1st 2008 7:56AM]

FAL

[Khris @ Aug 1st 2008 8:46AM]

ROFLMAO!!!

[OneLove @ Aug 1st 2008 11:23AM]

...OF FURY!

[jvandervalk @ Aug 3rd 2008 5:20PM]

not only were you not first, you failed to spell it right. DEAR GOD YOU ARE F-ING STUPID!

[Beef Stallmer @ Aug 1st 2008 7:55AM]

Hurrah! The 4G 701 is still an amazingly useful mobile little wonder (especially with XP installed and 2Gb ram added). Bringing it back from the dead with an even lower pricetag would be the best thing ASUS has done in a long time!

[martin @ Aug 1st 2008 8:06AM]

we might be overwhelmed with so many netbooks, but imagine if a time traveller came from 2007 they'd be amazed and would never have heard of them. be like a cavman looking at tv

[Skyride @ Aug 1st 2008 10:37AM]

Lol ye. Im lost on netbooks. they aren't any good. I had a 701. It was good for a while but stopped suiting my needs so i just got a dell vostro 1400.

[ilh @ Aug 1st 2008 8:08AM]

"...before ASUS booted out an insane array of lightly-differentiated models with a somewhat random naming scheme"

Somewhat random? Up to now they've made more sense than most other computer naming schemes do.

[Cybergypsy @ Aug 1st 2008 8:50AM]

I have the 900 and love it!

[ShadowKain @ Aug 1st 2008 9:13AM]

THIS is the reason why the Eee was created, I hope they make it afforable becasue that was the whole damn point, a small afordable netbook, not 10 inch or higher model that is a bank-breaker. And yes I am smart enough to know most offerings from HP and the like are much more expensive in the 12 inch sub range, so don't yell at me there.

[Michael @ Aug 1st 2008 10:19AM]

Can you put regular notebook hard drives in these things? If so I think $250-300 and I'd probably pick one up with the new atom processor.

[Skyride @ Aug 1st 2008 10:38AM]

No way. Nothing close to enough physical space.

[Pizzicato @ Aug 1st 2008 10:34AM]

Claiming, again, that the Sylvania will cost 299 $ doesn’t make it any more true than it had been last time.

btw. In Germany the price for the 701 4G just dropped from 299 € to 220 €.

[DrXym @ Aug 1st 2008 12:10PM]

I've stuck Ubuntu onto my 701 and it works great. The tiny screen is an irritant but its tolerable for such a tiny and cheap laptop that I can take on holiday or on the train with me.

[phanbouy @ Aug 1st 2008 1:21PM]

The ol' reach around...

[Ryan Karolak @ Aug 1st 2008 1:33PM]

I love my 701. I hope ASUS ups the resolution on the screen though. In any case, I think it's great they're keeping on updating their 700-series. I was worried for a while they were going to eventually abandon the $400 and less market, which is where ASUS started and did superbly in with the 700/701 when it first came out.

[Wolfticket @ Aug 1st 2008 1:50PM]

I'm currently typing this in a hotel room on my old (6months?!) 701 4g. I've ditched the OS in favor of a heavyly n-lited windows xp and added an 8gb sd card.
It's still an awesome little machine. It does exactly what I want it to. I don't need a big screen or loads of storage. Just a little hardback book sized laptop that doesn't cost to much and lets me surf the web, type or do oter computery stuff where ever I go.
I think lots of people forget what netbooks are for. I would never use an eee as my soul computer, ut in it's place it is far more useful than a budget laptop.

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Aug 1st 2008 2:03PM]

So, the model with a 30gb HDD will be 1.8" or even smaller?

I still wish they could fit in a bigger screen, higher resolution, the size is perfect, I dislike how the 900, 901, 1001 kept getting bigger and bigger.

[Al @ Aug 1st 2008 6:37PM]

This looks perfect, but I just wish Asus could bring out a slightly larger screen model(7.8in? 8in?) the same exact size as the 700 series.

[bebop @ Aug 2nd 2008 4:44AM]

Checked out the 701 and the 901 today in the store. I felt the 701 is the sleeker, more attractive design. (I didn't appreciate how much tubbier the 901 is from just looking at the photos.) As a very simple mobile internet device, I don't even mind the small screen size too much. Since the midget keyboard is the same, and both seemed decently responsive running XP, the big issue is the screen resolution. Its hard to overemphasize how hopeless 800 pixels are when trying to read most web sites.