ASUS' Ion-packing Eee PC 1201N gets official, gets handled (video)
By Tim Stevens 
posted November 19th 2009 6:51AM
posted November 19th 2009 6:51AM
[Thanks, John B]
posted November 19th 2009 6:51AM
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@Conceyted
I would go for the UL30vt, just because it looks damn sexy compared to any Eee PC
@Conceyted
I was definitely on the 1201n bandwagon until I found out about the UL30Vt. Screen size was not an issue with me. 13.3" is just fine. If you want something smaller, go with the 1201n. The 1201n will probably be a little lighter due to the smaller battery and smaller form factor (although the UL30Vt is thinner) I'm definitely going to the the UL30Vt. It came down to a faster processor and better dedicated graphics, and the price difference wasn't an issue for me, but at $499 the 1201n is at a very nice price point. So I guess it really does just come down to how much you want to spend.
@Cyrs
Unfortunately the US version of the UL30Vt will be all black. probably glossy. the brushed aluminum is going to a different market. I think the European market. boo... I would have liked the brushed aluminum. oh well... I'm waiting with CC in hand for the UL30Vt anyway.
@Panhandle Good news on the black UL30Vt, if you look at the UL80Vt it is all black and keeps the brushed aluminum casing. Therefore, you can rest assured that the UL30Vt will simply be black brushed aluminum and not glossy plastic! :)
Yes it is.
http://sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/26613-ASUS-UL80Vt-vs-ASUS-UL30A-vs-MacBook-Pro-13-vs-Paper-Letter
Although the Macbook Air is tapered so it looks a lot thinner than it actually is.
Fuck. Just realised thats a comparison with the Macbook Pro. There go my dreams of a cheap superthin :,( I wish Dell had some sense with the Adamo and didnt build a machine that is a full 500 dollars more than the Air, who the hell is gonna buy it...
Still, have you seen how thin the Macbook Pro is? Still a very sleek and thin size for Asus to have gotten to. And the specs on graphics make the Macbook look much less appealing.
Its really thin for a fully powered laptop with a DVD drive yeah, but you'd think Asus could do better with a drive-less laptop thats pretty underpowered. It's my firm belief that any PC maker could make a laptop like the Air, but without the luxurious aluminium unibody and general premium Apple puts on its prices could sell for
sell it for a thousand dollars or less. Especially in these days of Atom and Ion.
I was interested before, but now I am not seeing as it is just one giant ball of gloss.
12in, ION, dual-core Atom 330, GPU powered flash, 499$ can't go wrong
and on another note PLZ!!! engadget fix the fonts
What I don't get is why the lower end Eee gets discreet graphics, HDMI out and Bluetooth which are lacking from the higher end UL20.
Besides that awesome specs for a netbook, just with the advent of ULV I don't see a reason to go for a $500 atom when you can get a ULV based machine, of same weight/dimensions for a few more $ - actually at the moment the UL20 minus the $75 amazon certificate comes out for less than $500.
Last point is that quoted b.life for this is 5hours whereas for the UL20 is 7.5. ASUS has been pretty accurate with its quotations so not sure why less battery for the atom, can't be the ION only.
@Alexis Its because the CULV units have crap graphics while the atom based units are getting equipped the ION.
The advantages of the Atom seem to be fewer and fewer these days, especially with the new CULV processors out.
I bought the Dell Inspiron 11z, when I was in the market for a netbook, and I gotta say I'm really impressed with the processing power (I took the $75 upgrade from the Celeron CULV to the Pentium CULV, for what it's worth). It's actually an improvement over the Dell Latitude D420, which had a Core DUo and I was using as a netbook. I also owned a Lenovo S10 netbook (with Atom) and the thing was dog slow.
The lower battery life is probably due to the Ion though. Most CULV notebooks are anchored to the Intel 4500HD graphics the same way the Atom used to be anchored to the Intel 945GMA in the beginning.
Sorry, but this netbook still needs to be $399. Then I'm interested. ION should give you more power at the same price, not at a 25% price premium. Too many notebook options at $500.
@David S
I completely agree $500 for a netbook is too much. Hell you can buy a bare bones laptop with a lot more power for this much.
netbook should always = cheapest option
@Mitchell No you can't. Once again the ION graphics are not matched on low end notebooks. I have an HP Mini 311 and it performs much better than low end notebooks in the same price range.
Too bad this isn't out yet, I was shopping for a Ion netbook and got me the Lenovo S12 delivered this morning with similar specs to this Eee Pc 1201N.
I had to stop the video when the hands came out. yikes
@A.D. Money I didn't know I could tell so much from just fingers and wrists ...
Needs a matte screen and I would probably buy one
Love to see a head-to-head with the msi Wind 230 (it's logical competitor ... again).
Sorry, I mean "its".
And why the hell does this not use DDR3?
I'm not sure why this is a better deal than my Acer 1810T with 4GB RAM, 320 HD, and Dual Core ULV processor for $599.
This is good but the sweet spot will be next year to see if they add a "Pineview D510"(most likely N450) and bundle it up w/ Ion 2.
Here's to wishful thinking
DAMNIT Why did I buy the EEE PC 1005HA?
CRAP
Ditto on the glossy hate but I am loving it none the less...
So close to Pineview... I think I'll wait.
And one should get this over a base dual core Asus 1410 is? Besides the fact this has the aging ION gpu vs the intel 4500HD which can't do much other than play HD video. A dual core Atom doesn't seem like it improve much over a regular atom.
Why a glossy screen and why is there no white version?
This is great news, especially the pricing. The 1201N will be a clear performance winner vs the Acer 1410 (not Asus!). According to reviews at Lilliputing, the 1410 still struggles with Windows 7 and with Hulu videos. Expect the 1201N to be smooth as butter on all Hi-Def sources, including the new Flash 10.1. Personally, I prefer the 12.1" screen to the 11.6" on the 1410. As far as the upcoming Pineview platform, the graphics will be integrated onto the same chip as the CPU, so there will be no other external graphics card used with that...Intel's way of cutting out Nvidia in the future. No telling how good that platform will be with the various Hi-Def sources. Ion2 will be great, but I wouldn't expect that for another year. In the meantime, the 1201N is the machine to beat!
I don't think this will be very successful. There's a lot of CULV ultraportables out there that will outperform this on both CPU speed (correct me if I'm wrong) and battery life (considering the 330 has no speedstep or other power saving features), and at the same price point. I just don't see a future for these bulked up netbooks. If Nvidia made the ION platform for CULV processors instead, it'd be a dream come true.
I just checked on amazon.ca
the UL30Vt is CAD979.00!!!!! (i think 853USD on amazon.com)
and the 1201N is listed as CAD539.99 on ncix.ca (cant find US pricing, so roughly estimating 505USD)
worth the price??
@lex0083 I'm not sure where you're seeing the Ul30vt for sale because I just checked amazong.com and .ca and there was everything for sale but the 30vt. If I'm mistaken I hope someone posts a link :)
@umm yeah... i made a mistake... i was reading it through my phone and read the 80 as 30.
my bad... i was trying to edit my comment but didn't know how to.
To expensive...when it gets like 100 dollars cheaper it will be alright.
Only a 6 cell battery? The battery life is probably going to be horrible. I think the Mini 311 is probably a better deal over all.
The release date for this is December 21
I called cdw and this is the date they gave me.
oh man, my head is hurting now! (-_-)
i was really looking foreword to buy this laptop UNTIL i found out that ion 2 would be released pretty soon...what do you guys suggest? i mean, i don't want to buy this laptop one day and then a week later ion 2 is out and all of sudden this laptop which is AMAZING will no longer be on par.
is there any sort of trade-in option? or is it better off to just wait a little while longer till january for ion 2 based products...i need some wisdom and guidance! :]
So, I'm in a bind. What is the best 11.6" / 12.1" netbook out there for someone who's main goals are
-Battery Life (I love the 11 hours on 1005HA, just, 10 inches is a bit small)
-Must be an N Family Proc. (I'm looking at you 1101HA)
-Comfortable Typing (AKA. Biggest Keyboard Possible)
-Resolution of at least 1366x768 (No 1024x600)
And yeah, that's about it.
It's just for taking notes, watching the occasional (non HD) video, and surfing the web.
I need the processor so that I don't regret getting a slower one should my needs change, and yeah...
Suggestions?
http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/7633
Interesting that this is reported to have a Atom 330 (Dual Core) CPU in it after Intel isn't allowing 330 to be in netbooks because of heat problems:
Link: http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/7633
I'd gladly pay $699 for this laptop if it weighed LESS than 3 pounds and had a 10 hour battery.
GLADLY!
Also - BOO for Gloss, wtf asus.. you should know better by now
@Yoav Oh, and you can keep your Windows 7, if I want it, I'll get it myself. GIVE ME LINUX!
Where's the real info - what LAN, Wifi and Audio chips are used? Someone's gonna want to pop OSX on it!!
I'm so excited!
Here's a question, I travel, and i like to game once in a while... Anyone got any insight into wether I should buy this when and if it ever gets released, or should I go ahead and get a maxed out HP Mini 311? Thw whole ION thing's the main draw, but for a little gaming and some HD playback, would the 330 dual processor and 3gb of DDR2 of the Eee suffice, or would the 280 single core with 3gb of DDR3 on the HP do a better job..Or should I just sack both and go for somthing completely different but in the same price range?
now if only the made a tablet version of this one