ASUS Eee PC 1215N to ship in the US at the end of August
By Joanna Stern 
posted July 9th 2010 3:06AM
posted July 9th 2010 3:06AM
With the NVIDIA Ion 2-powered Acer Aspire One 532g falling by the wayside and the ASUS Eee PC 1201PN hitting the market sans NVIDIA Optimus, all eyes are on the ASUS Eee PC 1215N to be the true Ion 2 machine. Well, super-charged netbook fans, we've got good news: the 12-inch laptop, which has a 1.8GHz dual-core Atom D525 CPU and NVIDIA's Optimus to intelligently switch between discrete and integrated graphics, will ship in the US around August 23. And while an MSRP hasn't been set in stone, we're told "it should be below $500." Sure, a glance at the calender will reveal that you won't get your mitts on this bad boy for at least 40 days, but we're confident you'll find something to pass the time.
i am digging that spec list. any word on the battery?
@kojo87
I read that the battery life is supposed to be about 7 hours.
The almost perfect lappy ( better only if it had 1600x900 screen )
Welldone Asus, now get distributing !
damn, after countless sleepless nights, trying to decide which netbook to get, i told myself that between the 1215n and 1218p, i'd get which ever was released first. but now that this is announced, the 1218p can't be too far around the corner right? right? maybe i can wait for that one now.... right?
damn i need to get help, i much be like tech masochist or something..
Specs:
Why the hell are there no factory installed SSD options on netbooks anymore?
@rancho1
I'd say it's because;
1. they can't fit both an ssd and a regular hdd inside that small form factor
2. an ssd big enough to act as more than just a boot drive would completely wreck their affordability.
Just my thoughts. There's probably more to it than that, but, those are probably the main reasons (outside of inter-business bs and profit seeking)
Wow! What a machine.
@Jkeaney
FINALLY. A release date on this thing. Thanks Joanna. Now the only question is will ASUS leak another model with more attractive specs and leave me waiting for another three or four months...
@Luke
Yep, it's about time. But sadly too late for me. I got tired of waiting and ordered the M11x a couple weeks ago. Cost twice as much as this, but googling for a couple of weeks got me $334 in discounts so it was reasonable. This won't come close to the performance of an i7 with 335 graphics, but it'll have better battery life and weigh a lot less, which is perfect for a netbook. Well done, Asus.
the price point of $500 is great.
also would means that the 1015N will be less than $500 as well.
Another Atom? I can't keep up anymore. I want it anyway.
is it really necessary to make netbooks more powerful every month?.. the fact is that most people use them only for browsing internet and writing in word.. Not talking about battery life..that's what they should care about
@ujolenin
I'm with you for the most part, ujolenin. I still love my eeePC 701 (the original 7" netbook). Does what it says on the tin - mobile email and internet. Hook it up to my Nexus One hotspot etc. However, it can't handle youtube videos without an overclock, and can't do the 720p ones at all.
Mainly though, I would like to be able to hook it up to the TV in the lounge to stream hi-def and BBC iPlayer HD.
I can't justify the cost of a fixed machine (i.e. nettop) sat under the TV permanently, but I can stretch to a slightly more expensive replacement for my existing eeePC.
@ujolenin Ah but maybe its a secret plan to make Netbook processors more powerful than than standard processors. And than one day some body will be like "Hey I"m going to try and run Itunes, Word, Goggle Chrome with 20+ Tabs, CS5 , and Crysis warhead at full setting" and than Bam! It will work and he will be like "Wow I only paid $500 for this, damn". Ok probably not.
lol
This is without a doubt, the king of netbooks.
1.8 dual core processor
ION 2
NVIDIA OPTIMUS
Chiclet keyboard
Matte under keyboard
less than $500
Privacy webcam toggle
....wow. I love it. I hope I have the cash...
@TareG
Is the lid also Matte?
@DocDoom
Yep! Lid is matte. Here's a more detailed look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sAfW8193Ws
@TareG
What is a "privacy webcam toggle?"
@Dafrety It's a physical switch to turn on and off the webcam. It's all in the youtube video.
@Dafrety It's basically a piece of plastic that'll slide over the webcam, so you don't feel like someone might be watching you with a hidden program (like say, your evil school's IT department and administration, ahem).
I think it's a great idea actually since I'm always a little bit creeped out by webcams.
This is still old-school x86 technology. I want one of the new smartbooks with an ARM processor, Android OS, plus 3G network connectivity.
@IT expert
No, you don't. You don't want Android on a netbook, not yet. Why?
1) You want to be able to open many windows together.
2) Windows programs and games are just unrivaled.
@TareG
Yeah you´ve got a point there, but I myself wouldn`t mind a cortex A9 12-13 inch smartbook running Ubuntu 10.07...
Probably won´t be made by any of the big manufacturers since it would cut into their laptop sales but still, one can dream:)
Throw in a Pixel Qi screen aswell and you will probably have 10+ hours batterylife in a sub 1 kg package with excellent performance and pretty great graphics, it won´t be enough for everyone but I would buy one day 1 for sure...
Hopefully possible within a year or so...
@Jkeaney
FINALLY. A release date on this thing. Thanks Joanna. Now the only question is will ASUS leak another model with more attractive specs and leave me waiting for another three or four months...
As long as this amazing computer has Bluetooth 3.0, USB 3.0, HDMI out and the many other advanced specs touted, it is future proofed for the next year or so. (I just would like to see Instant On features built into the computer's ROM, bios & a Windows 8 operating system, but that is too much to hope for--sleep mode will have to suffice.)
If this computer is under 4 lbs, I think I have found my next computer -- and suprisingly, it is not a tablet. -- JohnH_in_OKC
@JohnHinOKC
oops, surprisingly is the correct spelling
I'm going to place my order now.
@lnm4444
Where might one do that?
@Luke
You can pre-order the 1215n now (as of 3 August) from www.excaliberpc.com, my favorite Asus dealer and I can recommend them for service and price.
The price is US$499 (Black) and specs shown below:
ASUS Eee PC 1215N Intel Atom D525 (1.80GHz) Processor and NVIDIA ION Graphics, 12.1" WXGA (1366x768) LED Display, 2GB DDR3 Memory, 250GB Hard Drive, 2 x USB 3.0 Ports, High-speed 802.11n & Bluetooth 3.0, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Preloaded.
I will be placing my order shortly. ETA: Aug 31, 2010
Warranty: 1 Year (Global)
Does anyone know of a UK release date or if it will come out under a different name?
any word on the illusive 1218?
@Ioannis its basically the same with probably worse wifi reception due to plastic vs aluminium case.
I'm stickin with plastic
@doutorpiranha Not sure about specs (little is known about the 1218), but design wise they are different. The 1218 has all the ports at the back and has a thinner profile. I don't have a basis to judge on WiFi reception, other than MacBooks are doing fine in that area. I prefer metal.
this is just awesome...
@skyblaze
it totally amazing, i wish i didn't have three laptops and a macbook already. damn you engadget, i miss the days of ignorant bliss.
@wolfticket II
Haha, you one upped me by a Macbook... I have 2 laptops and a netbook... but I'm relieving that to my mom to replace her aging (and memory deficient) HP Mini. Getting this'll have to wait since I'm about to get myself an electric guitar though... the one I want easily costs twice as much as this :P
My GF needs a new laptop for grad school. Will this run MS Office 2010 smoothly?
@New Guy 1
Office will easily run smoothly on this.
@New Guy 1 YES
Drat! I was going to pick up an Asus over TN's "tax-free" weekend...wish this was available in time.
I can't say it enough times. ASUS better have fixed the over heating problems.
I expected it to be closer to $600, so this is good news.
Very nice indeed.
Anybody got a link to a benchmark that compares this dual core 1.8 GHz Atom to Core 2 Solo processors? I couldn't find anything solid (only benchmarks comparing to older Atoms). I ask because the Solo beat out earlier dual core Atoms performance-wise and is also still pretty great on power consumption - not quite as good as the Atoms in that regard but my Solo based lappy was just over $400 and gets me 6 hours+ on a charge. So good enough on power and has better performance than the generations of Atom based units when it came out (last year). I'd upgrade if the performance is now better, otherwise no Atom for me.
@SHoe
Just found benchmarks and the new Atoms clearly beat the pants of off the Core 2 Solos now. I guess its time to start shopping...
@SHoe What is important to remember is that the "Core 2" Family of Centrino processors and "Atom" family of Centrino processors are basically Cousins, 2x removed. And as such each offer their own + and -
So this thing has a dual core processor...does it hyperthread, like all the other atoms?
If so...this is a
QUAD
CORE
NETBOOK.
Let that sink in for a minute.
@ChaosEntity
Uh, what?
@ChaosEntity
No, if it has HT, it's still a dual-core. It just can do four threads.
Ok, why the hell is all my test on Engadget showing up as weird symbols when I type?!