Eee PC 701 prototype UMPC mod spotted, photographed, lusted after
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Feb 5th 2009 6:06PM
posted Feb 5th 2009 6:06PM
If you ask us (and you did) all signs seem to be pointing towards an Eee-branded UMPC at some point in the near future. Clearly there is some interest in such a beast, and we've definitely heard some chatter, and now we've got several delectable pics of an Eee PC 701 prototype with more than a passing resemblance to the Origami -- including those telltale keys. According to X-Gadget, the thing weighs 1.68 pounds (as opposed to over 2 pounds for the venerable netbook) and comes complete with a stylus. There's no word yet on a release date, or whether or not the thing will ever swing into production, but we'll keep our eyes peeled. In the meantime, be sure to check out the gallery below.
Update: Looks like this is just a prototype of a case mod based on the Eee PC, not a prototype of a new ASUS product. Thanks, Andy!
[Via Portable Monkey]
Update: Looks like this is just a prototype of a case mod based on the Eee PC, not a prototype of a new ASUS product. Thanks, Andy!
[Via Portable Monkey]
cool...this could be an upgrade to my eee 2g Surf...love eee's and ASUS products...just hope its not overpriced (over 350$)
Me wants it, my precious...
What is the point to get a UMPC if it's as big as a netbook?
Agreed, make it a bit more portable please. But it is just using the 701s chassis, they were in a hurry to make this so I hope that a retail product if made will be more portable and less bezel.
Not only that, but what exactly do I use if for? The absence of a physical keyboard makes it near useless for anything other than inputting characters into an address bar. All the touch screen and the pen is useful for is basic drawing and surfing. There better be a leg in the back for the device to stand and be tilted for movies and what not.
Other than that I can't say I'm thrilled about the product at all, especially with all that bulk.
If you dont have a real keyboard at least get an on-screen keyboard thats worth a damn.
Comfort has a solid product we use in a cadaver lab (you could imagine why we dont use real keyboards) that is extremely configurable and even has specific layouts for UMPCs.
http://www.comfort-software.com/on-screen-keyboard.html
THIS!
That doesnt look very big to me and for practical computing we cant all be toting around iphones. I think this is approaching the appropriate compromise between functionality and portability
It looks a little like the Qualcomm netbook prototype powered by (the not-vaporware-any-longer) Snapdragon: http://www.xhibitingblog.com/2008/12/the-qbook/
Alas, this baby doesn't seem to have 3G or GPS...
Good thing this is just a prototype, that thing is horrendous looking.
agreed.
We know... but its a prototype. And in black it would be less ugly by half. But I agree with you... this would not sell very well. They need to make it a bit more elegant.
I'm not sure if it's even a prototype. With my limited knowledge of the Japanese language, it seems to be just a mod that the maker joked about asking manufacturers to consider mass-producing.
If you look at the asus T91 or T101H, it is a tablet and it can easily turn into a better looking and more usable form factor than the one pictured above...
Maybe its a failed prototype...
?
with a 8" screen it would already have less bezel.
Delicious.....
Yuck!
Since when did geek-mods indicate an impending release?
I appreciate the mod, but it was done by just done by some dude. It's not like this is from Asus.
You have to be pretty desperate to lust over something as fugly as this is.
Man, that thing is fughly!
Are you sure this is a legit ASUS product?
It looks like some modder stashed a EEE into a case.
In that bezel there's aboundant place for a keyboard (or two) , but the best solution is the one found in smartphone: just add a slide out k-board.
In a device of that size I would pretend an optical drive too, my Vaio TT has got an excellent one and this thing is at least as big.
I don't know why, but after all these interesting case designs over the years, I'm kind of yearning for a beige box.
Engadget's lusting for some pretty fugly hardware there...
I mean, your mom's not much better but I still wouldn't hit that.
If it were just a tad bit thinner and had just a bit less bezel, then I would buy it for kicks if for nothing else.
I think I'll keep my 701 just the way it is for now lol. Maybe I'll end up getting the T91 though.
Bezel's fine for me... More room to cram in some mods :) GPS, extra storage, etc.
I think this is not Asus prototype.
I've seen something like this on eeeuser.com forum.
Its actually a custom faceplate made by a member of the forum. You can buy the custom faceplate in the forum to change your eeepc into an umpc.
While it doesn't look as beautiful as "real" UMPC, i think it is a fair trade. Think of this, grab second hand eee pc 700 for less than 200$, buy the kits, then, install Ubuntu Netbook Remix on it.Voila, you have bellow 500$ umpc.
the link
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=53437&p=1
http://www.aeeeris.com/
updated..
Warning - the guy who sale the custom faceplate on eeeuser.com forum seems runaway with everyones money. Think again if you want to order it.
WHY would I want this instead of a T91 or T101 tablet netbook?
Ooh, cool. I could use a really affordable touch-screen netbook (UMPC, same difference), and Eee usually wins the pricing category. Keyboard, shmeeboard, I'll buy a USB one.
However, it has a kind of old-school flair and I don't really like old-school. This probably isn't the final, though.
wow. thats realy fugly.
i'll take my msi wind w/touchscreen mod :)
http://www.youtube.com/seamonkey420
Really wants to see the new products of next year,
how can they keep updating + redesign + create laptops all the time ?
want
delectable, ass-ugly; tomato, tomahto