ASUS Eee PC 900A specs leak out, reason for existence still a mystery

We're not even going to pretend to know what's going on with whoever's in charge of approving Eee models at ASUS, but maybe they just like rubber-stamping things, because that's really the only thing that explains the Eee 900A. The newest member of the overflowing Eee family, the 900A continues the mix-and-match product development trend -- it's basically a 901 in the case of 900, but with a crappier webcam (.3 megapixels) and no Bluetooth. Yep, same 1.6GHz Atom proc, 1GB of RAM and 8 or 16GB SSD as the 901, just in the case of the 900. Why would anyone want to spend €299 ($465) on this? Totally unclear -- just like the entire Eee PC lineup.

[Via jkkmobile]

[Dan Easton @ Aug 4th 2008 3:53AM]

Yet another Eeeeee PC 'story' by Engadget. Does anyone really care about these Eeeeeee PCs? Why is Engadget so obsessed by them? And why did Asus give them such a stupid name?

[matt @ Aug 4th 2008 6:25AM]

There are only articles so Engadget can stick the boot in...

[Steffen Jobbs @ Aug 4th 2008 8:07AM]

I, for one, will be extremely disappointed if I don't see at least one new Eee PC every week. I've gotten so used to checking out every new model and model designations with even the tiniest upgrade or new option. It my weekly way of telling that Asus is alive and thriving trying to satisfy all of it's customers. They're telling their customers, "We care about each and everyone of your needs."

I just need to ask them if they could add on a little retractable claw device that would function as a backscratcher. I'll bet if they had that option, it would sell like crazy. They might add it as an option for the 902C for an added cost of just $10.

My avatar is still waiting for a model with the banana holder. I jokingly told him it will be on the 905F model in a month or so. Damn chimp almost pulled my arm out of it's socket. Lower primates have a very poor sense of humor.

[neofolklore @ Aug 4th 2008 8:08AM]

iEEE = the summary of all engadget articles.

[Ryuken @ Aug 4th 2008 3:54AM]

Not everyone needs Bluetooth and a good webcam on their laptop. it's cheaper than the 901 so that's another reason why people would get this. What's Totally unclear is why you fail to notice a lower priced Eee is great.

[Pochi @ Aug 4th 2008 4:17AM]

Why do people feel the need to DEFEND some awful, confusing (yeah, point to charts and shit all you want, but this line is a God damn mess now), clusterfuck of a laptop line like it's their own?

This model is COMPLETELY unnecessary and is just one reason the Eee brand is never going to be truly competetive. I'm the last one to defend Apple, but Asus is obviously trying their own "i" line with this and missing the reason it is successful completely.

As soon as the big boys (in other words, Dell) dip their hands into this market, Asus with their dozens of models and configurations is going to be screwjobbed.

Asus = Asses.

[ryu @ Aug 4th 2008 4:28AM]

It's not COMPLETELY unnecessary, only a little bit. Sure, Asus should have made the Eee user configurable on their website but they didn't so this model is necessary for those who doesn't want to spend too much for the 901.

[Kald @ Aug 4th 2008 5:06AM]

"Sure, Asus should have made the Eee user configurable on their website but they didn't"

I disagree.

Mass production and dealing with e-tailers/retailers instead of end users is what Asus has been doing for years. Building a facility and hiring staff to customize and ship individual units out would probably drive up the price of the laptop. Huge e-/retailers are much more suited for dealing with end users.

[stefan @ Aug 4th 2008 3:55AM]

Could it be intel is planning on dropping the celeron CPU?

[matt @ Aug 4th 2008 6:27AM]

More than likely I would say, which would means that asus would not be able to supply the normal 900. Maybe engadget should do some research before laying into them.

[Shadyman @ Aug 4th 2008 6:35AM]

We could only hope.

[iHaXcess @ Aug 4th 2008 3:55AM]

First to fail~!

[v3xx @ Aug 4th 2008 3:56AM]

Eee....name....so....diluted...

[Epola @ Aug 4th 2008 4:00AM]

Asus is so overpriced these days, look at what the guys at www.impulseglobal.com are offering. Their similar spec laptops are cheaper!

[Kald @ Aug 4th 2008 4:14AM]

impulse global: 400mhz, 7" screen, 128mb ram, 1gb drive, 2100mAh battery
Asus eee 900a: 1600mhz, 8.9" screen, 1024mb ram, 16gb drive, 4400mAh battery

Those are similar?

[Kald @ Aug 4th 2008 4:17AM]

Misread your post. I see the other "coming soon" laptop there with...

1ghz via, 7" screen, 512mb ram, up to 16gb memory, unknown battery

under $200 and coming soon.

Really though, I feel 10x better buying a laptop from an established brand like Asus and am willing to pay a 'mac premium' for it.

[Pochi @ Aug 4th 2008 4:19AM]

Fail, Epola. Major fail.

[who? @ Aug 4th 2008 4:06AM]

iDon't care.

[Zach @ Aug 4th 2008 6:29PM]

you'reVeryobnoxious

[Kald @ Aug 4th 2008 4:09AM]

At $15 more expensive than the 900 and $135 cheaper than the 901 it's a pretty fair price for the Atom upgrade. Some people prefer the matte finish of the 900 to the new glossy finish of the 901 (me included), and others don't need bluetooth or wireless-n or a good webcam. It's the same thing stat wise as the 900 with a(n arguably) better processor for $15 more. 900 with an Atom, 900A, that's pretty logical.

I don't see why people are taking issue with this.

[bot @ Aug 4th 2008 4:13AM]

"Why would anyone want to spend €299 ($465) on this? Totally unclear -- just like the entire Eee PC lineup."

Because Asus is the only company offering some of the lightest and well equipped netbooks? The Wind, Aspire One, and M912 all have big nagging problems such as non-replacable RAM, no or little SSD option, and weight. Some of us are comparing the pricing to other ultra portables in the market which run over $1000 and not to the magical $200 pricepoint that no one has been able to match. Although, funny enough, the 700 Surf models are the closest.

[albert @ Aug 4th 2008 4:52AM]

We need to do like what they did in Harvey Birdman with all the unnecessary duplicates. We need to copy an 'enemy' brand and set them upon each other to destroy each other.

[joe @ Aug 4th 2008 4:59AM]

you know what else is totally unclear? Engadget's reason for continuously spewing up articles about the Eee PC even though they think it's a waste of time. Clearly they have nothing else better to do.

[J. Baker @ Aug 4th 2008 5:32AM]

What a dismissive write-up. Real professional.

[MC7447A @ Aug 4th 2008 5:59AM]

"Why would anyone want to spend €299 ($465) on this?"

Because it's €100 less than the Eee 901?

I don't see why so many people feel the need to whine with every Eee related posting. Asus releases many different models for people who want different things. People want an Atom instead of a Celeron, so they release the 901/1000 with extra goodies. Then people complain about the high price and Asus releases a cheaper Atom version that cuts some features and people are complaining again.

It seems the only thing that will stop people complaining is Asus releasing everything with all features under the sun for the price of the 701. No wait, then people would still be complaining that Asus doesn't hand them out for free and that they get so confused by the multiple models. I guess Asus should only sell the one model that the complainer wants, and nothing else.

[matt @ Aug 4th 2008 6:30AM]

He speaks the truth

[^ Fusion Fuzo ^ @ Aug 4th 2008 6:02AM]

I MENT $399 AND $445, sorry

[^ Fusion Fuzo ^ @ Aug 4th 2008 6:02AM]

I MENT $399 AND $445, sorry

[Hugh Lunnon @ Aug 4th 2008 6:15AM]

reason for so many models? they don't offer customisation, and just sell direct to high street/web stores. What's the issue? granted they could maybe name them a bit better, but given you can probably have 10^10 combinations of a lenovo t62, how is a choice of 20 really killing anything? And how is it diluting the brand - 'eeepc' is still very much the 'hover' of netbooks - adding an extra 5 to the range doesn't change this. It dilutes the value of a '901' but if punters are buying a 900 instead, why would asus care?

poor, bias reporting once again engadget. 1/10

[Jamma @ Aug 4th 2008 6:34AM]

$299? seriously?

In the UK it's £269 for an Eee 900, that's over $540!!

[Shadyman @ Aug 4th 2008 6:38AM]

Not surprising.

[STrRedWolf @ Aug 4th 2008 7:11AM]

Strangely enough, the 701 is quite useful for quick browsing, checking Gmail, and other basic web access. I was planning on getting the 901 as soon as the Linux shipments were settling out, but the 900A matching the 701's look for not much more than the 701 back when it was released makes me want to save the $100 I would of put to the 901.

[Baz @ Aug 4th 2008 8:11AM]

Re: "...Totally unclear -- just like the entire Eee PC lineup..."

Umm, a little unfair (and disingenuous) for Engadget to comment like this - for it was this site that gushed so liberally about the original Eee and some of its larger-screen kin.

That said, it is true that ASUS has lost its way with its weekly release of yet another Eee and, in doing so, the creator of this consumer market is losing ground to others that seem to have a clue.
ASUS would have done better to limit its models to 2 - 3 models with set specs and to spend its time actually fixing the issues that have haunted the product since its inception (locking 3rd Party programs in the OS partition, hopeless and unstable patches/updates/upgrades via its Synaptic Manager, sporadic reported wi-fi connectivity issues and patchy build quality in its more recently produced models), rather than bunging out a model a week at a price premium others are able to match or beat with fewer issues.

[ShadowKain @ Aug 4th 2008 9:07AM]

I can see now how they handle their weekly meetings: drunk chimps that throw darts at a collage of specs for an Eee model...

[avester @ Aug 4th 2008 9:49AM]

Who cares about the amount of models, it's just like WW2, Nazis made vehicles for every purpose, and the Commies made one for a lot of purposes.

Still they both killed eachother pretty badly.


Choose a model from 30 options that fits you best, and if you find that too confusing (8gb SSD or 80gb HDD OH GOOOOD WHAT DO THOSE MEAN?!?!? SO CONFUSING WHY YOU MADE ME THE OPTION TO CHOOSE!?!??!?!?!ONEONE!?!), you are better off not browsing a technology blog at all.

[ShadowKain @ Aug 4th 2008 10:05AM]

Wow really!?!?!? 3.99?????!?

*hits joo with stupid stick*

[AndyG @ Aug 4th 2008 7:24PM]

Is there any place I can go and actually see an Eee PC?

They list Costco on their website but the guy working there in the computer dept. acted like I was crazy when I mentioned these small laptops - he'd never heard of them.

Don't see them at Best Buy, Circuit City or anywhere. Are we expected to buy these things sight unseen?

[joe blow @ Aug 5th 2008 12:03AM]

Do you guys do the press for Paris & Britney too? Because we're a little burnt out on them too.

[ChopperCharles @ Aug 20th 2008 11:19PM]

Err.... I have absolutely ZERO use for bluetooth or any kind of built in webcam. I have a usb mouse and no desire for anyone else on this earth to see my ugly mug. If I can save a hundred bucks over the 901 and still get 7 hours of battery life and all the other cool features, I'm on that like a porn star on skank.

Charles.

[gunnar-eee @ Aug 25th 2008 2:41PM]

Wonderful !

The 901 is a big mistake in that it has a BIGGER case and is more HEAVY.
The whole point with the 900 is the dimensions/weight and the thicker case of the 901 just wont have me buy one.

Here comes the life saviour for 900 enthusiasts. We can get rid of the troublesome Celeron processor
which drains batteries too fast, and instead get most of the features of the 900 PLUS the Atom processor.
That should make the 900A a most compelling variant. Rest assured we will soon see people replace the 0.3 MP camera of their 900A with the 1.3 MP of the 900. Since these laptops are so easy to modify people can end up with pretty much what they want. The Atom CPU inside the 900 is a true enabler.