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ASUS says the Transformer Prime won't do 3G, time travel and lasers still on the table

Brian Heater — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:40:00 EST

ASUS gave you the Transformer Prime TF700T and a frosty injection of Ice Cream Sandwich -- what more could you possibly want? 3G on your convertible tablet? Listen, ASUS has needs, too. The company has rebuked reports that such a device would be heading our way in the first quarter of 2012 -- or at any point in the foreseeable future -- have been greatly exaggerated. According to a statement by the company, "no such product exists on its current roadmap" -- and keep in mind, that roadmap navigating comes after a GPS upgrade.

ASUS says the Transformer Prime won't do 3G, time travel and lasers still on the table originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer, Lenovo looking to release Tegra 3-equipped tablets in early 2012

Chris Barylick — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:28:00 EST

For now ASUS' Transformer Prime is the lonely king of the quad-core tablet hill, but as we'd heard a few weeks back, it looks like it'll have company soon enough. Insider sources have reported to DigiTimes that you'll be able to snag a nifty Android tablet with a quad-core GPU for between $459 and $599 in 2012. Acer and Lenovo are apparently set to target Apple's iPad tablet as well as ASUS with NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 GPU tablets running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in the first quarter of 2012. These sources also stated that since neither Acer nor Lenovo have a direct advantage over Apple or Amazon's tablet devices, they'd only be competing for about 10 to 15 percent of the total PC tablet market. And yes, there are mathematical formulas that prove that owning a reasonably priced tablet with a quad-core GPU does make you the coolest kid on the block.

Acer, Lenovo looking to release Tegra 3-equipped tablets in early 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Transformer Prime goes up for pre-order in North America, banks on your lust for Tegra 3

Joe Pollicino — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:48:00 EST

It's only been a few weeks since ASUS went official with it's Tegra 3-packing Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet. We knew the keyboard-dockable hybrid would available sometime this December, but now the Android 3.2 Honeycomb-running slate (later upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich) has just popped up for pre-order at various North American retailers. If you'll recall, inside of its Zenbook-esque shell you'll find a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front facer -- not to mention other goodies like a mini-HDMI port, USB 2.0 port and a SD card reader. Folks in the US can place their funds down for the 1.3-pound 10.1-incher with Amazon, B&H Photo, Tiger Direct and Best Buy, while those up in Canada can currently look to Future Shop for the privilege. Arriving in your choice amethyst gray or champagne gold with 32 or 64GB of storage, you'll find it priced at $500 and $600, respectively. So, if you want to ensure you're the first kid on the block with a quad-core slate, find your credit card, get Eee-xcited and hit the source link below.

ASUS Transformer Prime goes up for pre-order in North America, banks on your lust for Tegra 3 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS announces Ivy Bridge PCI-Express motherboards, for early early-adopters

Daniel Cooper — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:08:00 EST

If you get your jollies from things like procuring motherboards months before compatible chips are released, then boy have we some good news for you! ASUS is releasing three PCI-Express 3.0 enabled motherboards that are capable of handling Intel's souped-up Ivy Bridge chips when they debut next year. The company isn't in the business of giving its boards romantic names, so the three Z68-powered arrivals will be called P8Z68-Deluxe/GEN3, P8Z68-V Pro/GEN3 and P8Z68-V/GEN3. The whole lot will get two PCI-Express 3.0 slots, LucidLogix's Vertu graphics-switching and USB 3.0. They'll be available from October -- the Deluxe model will peel €230 ($310) from the rear of your pocket, while the V-pro commands a more modest €185 ($250) and the V an even lower €160 ($220). After the break, we've got a shot of the German spec list that those nice folks at TechConnect managed to snaffle. Go on, geek out -- we won't tell.

[Thanks, Alexandre]

Continue reading ASUS announces Ivy Bridge PCI-Express motherboards, for early early-adopters

ASUS announces Ivy Bridge PCI-Express motherboards, for early early-adopters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC X101 now available for pre-order at CDW and Amazon

Joseph Volpe — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:59:00 EST

We've been waiting for ASUS to launch its Eee PC X101 for the better part of a year, and it looks like the wait is almost over. The slim, MeeGo-running netbook has popped up on two online retailers' sites with price tags just above the company's promised $199 positioning. Despite earlier rumors of a July launch, the ultraportable has managed to slip through the cracks of summer, and most likely will debut this fall -- although, no official release has been mentioned. If you're eager to get your pre-order on for this single-core 1.33GHz Atom N435 netbook, you can snag it at Amazon for $227, or CDW for a more attractive $210. Those holding out hope for its pricier, Windows 7 brother -- the X101H -- will just have to sit this one out.

[Thanks, Andrew]

ASUS Eee PC X101 now available for pre-order at CDW and Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS N55SF, N75SF multimedia laptops are back... in piano black

Daniel Cooper — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:21:00 EST

If your laptop spends more time spinning Netflix hits from yesteryear than yomping around campus, you'll probably love these new offerings from ASUS. It's launching the 15.6-inch N55SF and 17.3-inch N75SF laptops -- depending on budget, you can select an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 chip and a variety of displays that go up to 1920 x 1080 on the high-end units. Each model gets a HD webcam, instant-on (which picks up where you left off in under two seconds) and USB Charger+, a USB port powered directly from the battery for hasty, direct charging. The company is pushing these as multimedia machines, bundling in Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower tech and a standalone SonicMaster subwoofer as standard -- the latter isn't recommended for those frequenting the library, of course. 15-inchers will arrive later this month, with pricing to start at around €1,100 / $1,500; meanwhile, the larger ones will arrive in early October and begin closer to €1,350 / $1,800. Oh, and we've got some press shots to whet your appetite. They're below.

Gallery: ASUS N55SF and N75SF

ASUS N55SF, N75SF multimedia laptops are back... in piano black originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS' MeeGo-flavored Eee PC X101H goes under the FCC's knife

Christopher Trout — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:46:00 EST

Back when we introduced you to the MeeGo-packing ASUS Eee PC X101, we noted that its brother, the X101H, would also be available, albeit with Windows 7 onboard. Well, the X101H has just made its way through the FCC and it looks like ASUS has decided to ditch the brother-from-another-mother scheme, and offer the X101's chubbier -- it's 22mm thick compared to 17.6mm -- sibling with MeeGo, as well. Like it's svelte little bro, the X101H is expected to pack a single-core Intel Atom N435 processor, 1GB DDR3 RAM, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and a 10.1-inch WSVGA screen. If you like your netbooks with a little extra cushion, check out our gallery of teardown photos below, or hit the source link for a slew of FCC paperwork.

Gallery: ASUS Eee PC X101H FCC

ASUS' MeeGo-flavored Eee PC X101H goes under the FCC's knife originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC X101 product page goes live, still no release date

Joseph Volpe — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:05:00 EST

ASUS has gone and made its super svelte Eee PC X101 official with a dedicated product page live on its site. We'd already gotten our hands-on with the crimson-colored ultraportable, but now there's a whole list of specs to flesh out this 920g wonder. The MeeGo-running netbook's rocking a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display, 1.33 GHz Intel Atom N435 (or N455) processor, 8GB SSD, Bluetooth, WiFi, SDHC card support and USB 2.0. Oh, and did we mention this 17.6 millimeter thin beauty comes in three shades of awesome? That's right, when this $199 netbook finally hits retailers' shelves, you can also snag it in white and brown (a Zune homage, we presume). There's still no word on just when this slight badboy's going to be available, but at least you now have a place to go and drool in anticipation.

ASUS Eee PC X101 product page goes live, still no release date originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ultrabooks to start arriving in September, more expensive than expected

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:54:00 EST

Looks like those skinny Ultrabooks Intel was trying to sell us on at Computex will all be hitting the market at roughly the same time. Despite earlier suggestions that HP would beat ASUS's planned September launch, DigiTimes reports the Palo Alto company's Air competitor may not actually ship until as late as Q1 of 2012, thanks to LCD supply issues. Those problems scoring enough panels are also holding up similar systems from Acer and Dell. To make matters worse, it seems those promised sub $1,000 price points were a bit optimistic. ASUS told the Taipei Times that its UX line would only be able to hit such a price using slower Core i3 chips -- upgrading to a Core i5 and sticking in an SSD would push the price towards the $2,000 mark.

[Thanks, Marco]

Ultrabooks to start arriving in September, more expensive than expected originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slim ASUS Eee PC X101 to hit shelves next month

Terrence O'Brien — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:47:00 EST

That super thin Eee PC X101 that we manhandled back at Computex is just about ready to make its retail debut. Starting in July you'll be able to pick up one of these MeeGo-running crimson clamshells for $199 or, if you're a fan of desktop apps, Windows 7 versions (X101H) starting at $310. Inside the base model you'll find a 1.33GHz, single-core Atom N435, a six-cell battery, and a small SSD (probably of the 16GB variety). Unfortunately, the two most important details -- can it cut a cake and will it blend -- remain unanswered.

Slim ASUS Eee PC X101 to hit shelves next month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for 'world's thinnest standard voltage i5'

Joe Pollicino — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:51:00 EST

ASUS first made that handsome slab of magnesium alloy on the left available to the US back in December, and now the ultra portable laptop will finally grace folks in the UK. If you'll recall, the 13.3-inch U36's stand out features include a svelte 19mm thickness, standard voltage i5 processor, NVIDIA Optimus graphics, and a USB 3.0 toggle (for an estimated 11.5 hour battery life). The hardware seems chunky now that we've played with the company's UX21 ultrathin, but with a price of £699 (just over $1,200) it's hard to complain much. If your palms are beginning to sweat in excitement, it's available at Micro Anvika today in your choice of black or silver, and should be at Comet by the end of the month. You'll find even more details in the PR that just so happens to be waiting after the break.

Continue reading ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for 'world's thinnest standard voltage i5'

ASUS U36 ultraportable laptop now available in UK, £699 for 'world's thinnest standard voltage i5' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS slipping Eee Pad Slider and Transformer 3G into UK hands this August

Joe Pollicino — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 04:32:00 EST

Oh, ASUS -- what a teaser. Especially when it comes to the release dates and exact prices of your latest keyboard-packing Eee Pad 10.1-inch Android tablets. The word remains mum regarding final pricing, but the company's UK division recently announced via its Facebook page that the Transformer 3G and Slider tabs will be available in the region during August; and sadly, that's about all. It'll be letting out more details on how to snag one just before they're out, and hopefully you'll get a chance to before they sell clean out. For now, you can re-skim our review of the UK Transformer and additional Slider coverage -- just think of it as a consolation prize.

ASUS slipping Eee Pad Slider and Transformer 3G into UK hands this August originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 04:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubuntu to hit Eee PCs, take on Microsoft

Sean Buckley — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:29:00 EST

Think ASUS netbooks threw Linux out the window? Think again: the Eee PC 1001PXD, 1011PX and 1015PX are about to get Ubuntu configurations. Harking back to when the famous netbook line launched running Xandros, these Ubuntu loaded machines could help Linux reach a larger audience. Canonical representatives are pitting the new netbooks against Windows-powered machines, telling The Inquirer that Ubuntu is competing with Microsoft, not other Linux distributions. That's quite a goliath you picked there, Ubuntu. Are a trio of Atom notebooks enough to win the war on Windows? Considering Dell abandoned their love of Linux over a year ago, we're guessing no.

Ubuntu to hit Eee PCs, take on Microsoft originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS 'PadFone' to be the final name of the phone-docking tablet?

Richard Lai — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:01:00 EST

PadFone. Well, as silly as it sounds, the name sure speaks for itself. Unearthed by our friends over at Pocketnow, this USPTO trademark document was filed by ASUS merely four days ago. Such timing suggests that this could very well be the final name of the company's eccentric "pad or phone" combo, which is to be unveiled at Computex next week. As expected, no specifics are detailed in this application, but it does mention "electronic pens for computer touch screens" -- possibly hinting that the PadFone will be compatible with N-Trig's DuoSense or similar stylus technology.

Alas, that's all we have for now until ASUS lifts the curtain on Monday, but let us point you to Notebook Italia's brilliant mock-up to quench your thirst for the time being -- we, too, suspect that the phone would slide onto the back of its companion tablet, hence the bump. That said, do bear in mind that this phone is already proven to be not as tacky looking, but is likely closer to a full-fledged Android handset. Anyhow, check out the artist's impressions after the break.

Update: Oh hey, remember Windows SideShow? Good times.

Continue reading ASUS 'PadFone' to be the final name of the phone-docking tablet?

ASUS 'PadFone' to be the final name of the phone-docking tablet? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate

Vlad Savov — Wed, 04 May 2011 04:56:00 EST

The Eee Pad Transformer may be wowing tablet lovers with its unbeatable price-to-features ratio today, but ASUS looks to have its sights set on even mightier devices for the future. DigTimes reports that the Taiwanese company is hard at work on a Tegra 3 tablet -- built around the spectacular Kal-El quad-core SOC that we saw demonstrated at MWC 2011 -- as well as another one running an Intel CPU. As far as the Intel slate is concerned, we're probably looking at the tablet-centric 1.5GHz Atom Z670, which promises 1080p playback and great battery life. You'll forgive us if we reserve our excitement for the Tegra 3-powered tablet, however, which should be able to churn through quite a few more pixels than regular old 1080p. There's no indication on when ASUS intends to deliver it, but NVIDIA's roadmap for devices with the quad-core chip expects to start appearing in August. Video of that awe-inspiring MWC demo follows after the break.

Continue reading ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate

ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 04:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS works Sandy Bridge magic on thin-and-light U31E, U31SD, and U36SD

Terrence O'Brien — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:28:00 EST

It appears that ASUS is finally ready to show its line of thin-and-light machines some Sandy Bridge love. Swedish site Technytt claims to have the exclusive scoop on a trio of laptops -- the U31SD, U31E, and U36SD -- that will find their way to retail channels in late May. The U31SD is already showing up on the ASUS site, with the option of either a Core i5 2410M or Core i3 2310M , and a choice of Intel integrated graphics or a 1GB GeForce GT 520M card. All three 13.3-inch machines will reportedly have similar specs, though the U31E will supposedly lack a discrete graphics option. The U31SD tips the scales at a perfectly portable 3.9 pounds and it's safe to assume the U36SD will match up size-wise with the svelte U36JG, which is just 0.75-inches thick and weighs 3.5 pounds. There's no official word from ASUS regarding price or availability but, while you wait to get your paws on one, feast your eyes on the U31SD in the gallery below.

Gallery: ASUS U31SD

ASUS works Sandy Bridge magic on thin-and-light U31E, U31SD, and U36SD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neonode's zForce optical touchscreens hitting ASUS tablets later this year

Dana Wollman — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:09:00 EST

It's been over a year since Neonode coyly said some nameless "Asian companies" would use its multitouch zForce displays in future products. Now one of them, at least, is coming out of the woodwork -- ASUS said it plans to ship a "series of products" with these optical touchscreens later this year. What does this mean for consumers? Neonode's screens don't tack any additional layers on top of the touchscreen, making this line of 5 to 13-inch displays different from more common capacitive and resistive ones. The result, Neonode says, is thinner and -- one would hope -- more responsive screens. No word on when these products will hit (nor how creative ASUS will get with its designs), but feel to dig for details in the terse press release.

Continue reading Neonode's zForce optical touchscreens hitting ASUS tablets later this year

Neonode's zForce optical touchscreens hitting ASUS tablets later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to pronounce ASUS (video)

Richard Lai — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:38:00 EST

A-suh-ss? Ah-sue-ss? As-ses? Nope, all wrong. We've been informed by ASUS that its head honcho has recently set a new rule in an attempt to rid our frustration, so what used to be "Ah-seuss" is now "A-seuss" (or "Eh-SUS" according to Taiwanese phonetics, as pictured). The logic behind this? Apparently it's a direct chop from the pronunciation of "pegasus" -- the origin of the company's name -- which ironically seems to favor the former diction. Anyhow, let's not confuse ourselves any further and just study this lovely lady's video demo after the break.

Continue reading How to pronounce ASUS (video)

How to pronounce ASUS (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee Note EA-800 priced at $230, launching in Taiwan this week

Vlad Savov — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:19:00 EST

Woah, it was only last week that we finalized the naming scheme for ASUS's LCD-equipped note taker, yet today the company's announcing that it'll be available to buy this week in its native Taiwan. Even better news is the $230 price tag (NT$6,999), which makes the Eee Note quite the affordable little device. It's versatile too, thanks to a built-in camera and microphone for recording of notes and a 3.5mm headphone jack for playback. Running on Linux, the 8-inch tablet (1024 x 768 res) is said to be capable of 13.5 hours of uninterrupted use, which doesn't match the similarly monochromatic e-readers out there but is a decent compromise for the functionality on offer. Hong Kong should be the next market on its global tour, to be followed by Germany, Italy and Russia around the turn of the year and China and the US in Q1 of 2011.

ASUS Eee Note EA-800 priced at $230, launching in Taiwan this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee Note is the surprisingly sensible new name for the Eee Tablet

Vlad Savov — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:31:00 EST

Remember how confusing it was back in May when ASUS introduced a bunch of tablets it called Pads and a sort of digital notepad it called a Tablet? At least some of that messy naming scheme has now been rectified thanks to the merciful renaming of the Eee Tablet to the new Eee Note EA800 moniker. It's still the same 8-inch (768 x 1024) monochrome display, offering 64 levels of gray and 256 levels of pressure sensitivity, backed by 4GB of integrated storage, a 2 megapixel camera, voice recorder, and built-in stylus silo. WiFi is of course a given, and there's a microSD slot and a 3700mAh battery somewhere inside that matte black shell as well. If things do go to plan this time, we should be seeing plenty more of the Eee Note at January's CES. We're penciling it in already.

Continue reading ASUS Eee Note is the surprisingly sensible new name for the Eee Tablet

ASUS Eee Note is the surprisingly sensible new name for the Eee Tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Acer and ASUS netbooks not coming until the middle of August, says Digitimes report

Laura June — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:42:00 EST

ASUS's newest netbooks may just be hitting the US market, but Digitimes is reporting that both Acer and ASUS are currently in somewhat of a holding pattern in regards to their new mini-laptops. The report says that both companies are holding off on releasing new netbooks until current inventory is depleted, and demand has built up for new models. Though the reasoning is hazy, it does seem this has something to do with holding off until Intel releases its dual core Atom N550 CPU during the third quarter as the price delta between it and the weaker N455 / N475 processors isn't much. That would actually make a lot of sense considering most -- including us -- would certainly opt for faster netbooks with the dual-core action over the same old single core Atoms we've grown tired of. Either way, this would mark somewhat of a new strategy for the companies, which have, in the past, often added new models so quickly that choosing between them could be difficult. All we can say is, we shall see.

New Acer and ASUS netbooks not coming until the middle of August, says Digitimes report originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple CDMA iPhone 4 rumor given new wings

Thomas Ricker — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:41:00 EST

With the iPad unicorn now slain, what other beast can DigiTimes shackle its rumor mongering machine to? How about Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology (and inspiration for the ASUS company name) galloping forth with promises of a CDMA iPhone. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, Pegatron (ASUStek's OEM manufacturing arm) will begin shipping a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 from its Shanghai plants to Apple in Q4. Right, just in time for the holiday shopping season and perfectly aligned with Apple's annual September iPod event... you know, should Apple want to announce a deal with Verizon.

Apple CDMA iPhone 4 rumor given new wings originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS CEO: netbooks will outsell tablets, Eee Pad to run 'Microsoft software'

Joanna Stern — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:05:00 EST

ASUS CEO Jerry Shen sure is making the rounds this week talking up the company's upcoming entry into the tablet arena, but before giving up some more Eee Pad details he clarified that he doesn't anticipate tablet sales surpassing that of netbooks. The latter category is for personal computing while tablets are based on consuming content and Cloud computing. Shen said something similar when we spoke with him at CeBIT, but this time he also added that without Apple the tablet category would have been slower to ramp up. We'd say he's on the money with that one, but still he plans to launch an Eee tablet in early June at Computex. And though he mentioned there being a few versions, he revealed the "first phase will use Microsoft software." We don't know if that means the tablet will be Intel powered and run Windows 7, or pack a Tegra 2 processor and boot some version of Windows CE like we saw at CES. Regardless of what happens, we'd say Microsoft's happy to hear this all after this week's news.

ASUS CEO: netbooks will outsell tablets, Eee Pad to run 'Microsoft software' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Eee Pad to debut in June, could ship as early as July

Joseph L. Flatley — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:37:00 EST

We have more details on that impending Eee Pad for y'inz. Interested? Of course you are! Speaking at a conference in Taiwan, Asustek Computer chairman Jerry Shen recently announced that the device will get its official introduction at Computex 2010, the first week of June. With any luck, the thing will hit retail channels the third quarter of this year -- possibly as early as July, a DigiTimes' source reports. Shen said that the device is meant to be all the things that the iPad is not: expect Google Android, USB, an integrated webcam, and Flash, for starters. The aforementioned source went on to state that, after wireless provider subsidies are taken into effect, the thing should cost around $15,000-16,000 TD (or about $480-510).

Android Eee Pad to debut in June, could ship as early as July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS CEO talks tablets, smartbooks and Windows Phone 7 Series phones

Joanna Stern — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST

Ever wonder about the man behind the insane amount of ASUS products we cover? We do too, which is why we jumped at the chance to sit down with ASUS CEO Jerry Shen here at CeBIT. Our lengthy discussion covered just about everything you can imagine, but we've clipped some of the highlights together for you in the video below. We're particularly taken with his excitement over Windows Phone 7 and his disinterest in the smartbook category. As for that EeePad or future tablet? You'll have to watch to find out...

Continue reading ASUS CEO talks tablets, smartbooks and Windows Phone 7 Series phones

ASUS CEO talks tablets, smartbooks and Windows Phone 7 Series phones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS planning a 'killer product' for June, Eee Pad noise grows louder

Vlad Savov — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:22:00 EST

ASUS CEO Jonney Shih has been speaking on the subject of the now finalized Pegatron spin-off and delivered a couple of teasing tidbits of info about the company's future direction. Naturally, most interest will be piqued by the "killer product" he has said is coming in June, but Jonney also mentions his company's intent to be "another Apple" -- only with a focus on open source -- and he specifically points out ARM and Google as a preferred hardware / software combination, while obviously not ruling out Wintel offerings where the market demands it. Taken as a whole, his words mesh perfectly with what we've heard of the Eee Pad so far, namely that it'll be powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 (which utilizes ARM CPUs), probably run Android, and arrive in early June. We still don't know whether that sub-$500 price will hold, but it's good to put a bit of CEO-level meat on those rumor bones anyway.

ASUS planning a 'killer product' for June, Eee Pad noise grows louder originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS N82 and N61 join the USB 3.0 laptop party

Vlad Savov — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:43:00 EST

We're kind of starting to figure out ASUS' naming scheme -- E is for Easy, and N is for eNtertainment, jolly good. In other self-evident news, Engadget Chinese is the place to go if you want the lowdown on happenings in China and its nearby states. Joining HP's Envy 15 in the USB 3.0-sporting ranks will soon be the familiar 16-inch ASUS N61 and the seemingly brand spanking new N82 14-incher. See the galleries below for the eye candy, but keep it here for specs. Core i5 and i7 CPUs will populate the role of orchestrator inside, while ATI and NVIDIA discrete graphics options will also be made available when these make their imminent Taiwan debut. In live demonstrations, the one USB 3.0 port (yes, you only get one) was shown to be three times as fast as USB 2.0, so not quite reaching its theoretical superiority, but hardly an unwelcome improvement. Let's hope for quick global distribution following the Taiwanese launch, which is slated for the middle of this month.

Gallery: ASUS N82

Gallery: ASUS N61

ASUS N82 and N61 join the USB 3.0 laptop party originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS considering closing divisions responsible for LCDs, Eee Stick?

Donald Melanson — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:07:00 EST

ASUS has seen its share of restructuring over the years, and it looks like it could be about to go through another fairly significant shake-up -- at least if some of the leads DigiTimes has picked up actually pan out. The first (and seemingly more likely) of those is that the company is supposedly considering shutting down its division that builds "opto-mechatronics products" like the Eee Stick, which itself was formed from the remnants of the company's old optical drive department, and has reportedly already seen its size shrink from one hundred team members to just twenty. Potentially even bigger than that, however, is talk that ASUS might possibly be thinking about getting out of the LCD business. Not surprisingly, however, there's even less hard evidence for that -- just some word that the division is facing "fierce competition" that's inflicting some losses. For its part, ASUS is flatly denying that it's considering any such shutdowns -- and don't worry about the Eee PC, it seems that ASUS is actually increasing its investment in that division to develop more Pine Trail-based netbooks.

ASUS considering closing divisions responsible for LCDs, Eee Stick? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer, Asustek working on custom 3G phones for China?

Laura June — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:31:00 EST

If the sources that Digitimes is reporting are correct, then China can expect to see a few more customized, 3G phones in the coming year. The sources are saying that both Acer and Asustek are planning models for 2010, and that Acer is working with China Mobile and China Unicom to produce TD-SCDMA and WCDMA models while Asustek is reportedly set to release a China-specific Garmin-Asus branded handset for both carriers in 2010 as well. Now, keep in mind of course that none of this has been confirmed by either company as of yet, but the move certainly wouldn't surprise us, either.

Acer, Asustek working on custom 3G phones for China? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 1201N review

Joanna Stern — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:10:00 EST

Six months ago netbooks all had 10-inch displays, fairly cramped keyboards, and couldn't manage to play a 1080p video even if they trained with the best of marathoners. The world's a lot different now: the King of Pop has passed away, the unemployment rate has dropped, and netbook manufacturers have realized 11- and 12-inch displays provide a more comfortable experience -- especially when paired with more powerful hardware that adds multimedia prowess.

We'll stop there with the Netbook 101, but looking at the past is necessary in realizing what a game-changer the ASUS Eee PC 1201N really is. The 1201N's dual-core Intel Atom processor, NVIDIA Ion graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium, and 2GB of RAM make it the most powerful netbook to ever grace the purchase pages of Amazon. But does the $500 machine fix all the issues and frustrations we've ever had with netbooks when put to the test? Can it make us forget about cramped keyboards, strained eyes and sluggish video performance? Find out in our full review.

Gallery: ASUS Eee PC 1201N Review

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1201N review

ASUS Eee PC 1201N review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS says EeeBots are coming, inevitably running Android OS

Vlad Savov — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:09:00 EST

We've seen humanoid bots ranging from the cute to the downright insane with none of them ever coming close to commercial viability, but stick an Eee in front of their name and all bets are off. ASUS, the company that started the seemingly unlikely netbook revolution (sorry, FIC), is about to apply its golden touch to the field of consumer-friendly robotics. Intended to serve as an educational tool for young children to interact with, the EeeBot will be driven by a modified version of the aptly titled Android OS and ASUS is said to be hard at work developing a content and services ecosystem around the hardware. Teased technologies include voice, video and navigation abilities, but we'll have to wait a while before we see any of it since production won't begin for another two years.

ASUS says EeeBots are coming, inevitably running Android OS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asustek to spin off motherboard and GPU business under Pegatron brand

Vlad Savov — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST

Asustek has informed the Taiwanese Stock Exchange that it will completely spin off its motherboard and graphics card subsidiary, Pegatron, in July 2010. The split is driven by the parent company's desire to continue its competition against the likes of HP and Dell under the ASUS brandname, while still collecting ODM and motherboard orders from those same companies for its manufacturing business. For its part, the newly self-governing Pegatron will be expected to advance the ASRock brand up from its current entry-level position and into the mainstream. We don't know how well that's going to go down, but at least the mobo market will be primed to embrace a new name after the heartbreak of losing old stalwarts like Abit and now ASUS.

[Thanks, Mack S]

Asustek to spin off motherboard and GPU business under Pegatron brand originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee Pad coming soon?

Vlad Savov — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:22:00 EST

ASUS is said to be quietly working on the launch of a new pad device, between four and seven inches in diagonal breadth, which should offer a combination of MID and tablet PC capabilities. That's the short, sweet and uncorroborated whole of what we know so far, though we might reasonably expect to see some variant of the Eee PC Touch UI making an appearance. For an indication of what to expect from an ASUS touchscreen device, you can check out our T91 review right here, and the comments are the place to unload all your wild and wacky theories about just what might be inside an Eee Pad. Get to it.

ASUS Eee Pad coming soon? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS delivers Eee PC T91MT to Amazon.com, completes world tour

Richard Lai — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:11:00 EST

It was only two weeks ago when the ASUS T91MT -- the first-ever Windows 7 convertible netbook -- dropped by Amazon's German site, and now the Eastern wind from Taiwan has finally reached US soil. Amazon.com buyers are offered pretty much the same configuration as their European counterpart: Intel Atom Z520, 8.9-inch multitouch swivel screen, 1GB RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium. While there's only one color option available for now, those who're cool with white will be spoiled with a 32GB SSD -- twice as much as the German version yet $200 cheaper. Any students out there going to pick one of these up for some improved note-taking before Christmas exams?

[Thanks, Bernard]

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

ASUS delivers Eee PC T91MT to Amazon.com, completes world tour originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS to launch 3G, WiMAX-equipped e-book readers by March, 2010?

Donald Melanson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:02:00 EST

We've already heard some talk that ASUS might possibly be launching an e-book reader before the end of the year that may or may not be the world's cheapest, and it looks like some unnamed execs at the company have now dropped a few more details on the matter. While it's all still far from official, CENS reports that ASUS' e-book reader could hit both American and European carriers by March, 2010, and that it'll include both 3G and WiMAX versions (plus WiFi, naturally), but presumably not a version with both 3G and WiMAX. As previously rumored, the e-book reader is also said to have a larger than usual 9-inch screen, and those same unnamed execs reportedly say its price will be "competitive" with the Kindle and Sony's e-readers.

[Via SlashGear]

Filed under: Handhelds

ASUS to launch 3G, WiMAX-equipped e-book readers by March, 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asustek announces a 1.1 Teraflop, Tesla GPU powered supercomputer

Joseph L. Flatley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:18:00 EST

Some of us love nothing more than a portable and convenient netbook -- something that Asustek knows all too well -- but how about those of us who need real computing power? To that end, Taipei's choice for all things ultraportable has just announced its very own 1.1 Teraflop supercomputer. Dubbed the ESC 1000, this (albeit large) desktop-sized machine sports a 3.33GHz Intel LGA1366 Xeon W3580 microprocessor and three CUDA-based Tesla C1060 GPUs, the likes of which we last saw in Dell's Precision "personal supercomputer" line. Shipping with 24GB of DDR3 DRAM (1333MHz) and a 500GB SATA II hard drive, the machine is said to have a cost structure of $14,519 over five years. We're guessing that you'll be able to both surf the net and watch HD quality video on the thing, although you probably won't be taking it along with you to Crazy Mocha any time soon. According to a company spokesperson, this thing is ready to ship now, although a launch date and street price have yet to be determined. One more pic after the break.

Continue reading Asustek announces a 1.1 Teraflop, Tesla GPU powered supercomputer

Filed under: Desktops

Asustek announces a 1.1 Teraflop, Tesla GPU powered supercomputer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Designo MS Series is 16.5mm thin, venerates form over function

Vlad Savov — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:19:00 EST

Imagine yourself a dozen years ago, inhabiting the age of the CRT monitor, where a depth of 16.5 centimeters was considered a space-saving solution. Now open your eyes, breathe in the fresh air of modernity, and gaze upon ASUS's new line of 16.5mm deep monitors with the admiration they deserve. Coming out with no less than five models ranging from 23.6 to 20 inches -- MS246, MS236, MS226, MS227 and MS202 -- ASUS has strapped touch-sensitive buttons to 2ms response panels with 250 nits of brightness, and a 50,000:1 dynamic (boo!) contrast ratio. The top three models feature Full HD resolution and HDMI, while the 22-inch MS227 makes do with 1680 x 1050 and the MS202 gets downgraded to a 5ms response time and 1600 x 900 resolution. Prices aren't yet available, but the read link contains all the painfully exhaustive details you might need.

Filed under: Displays

ASUS Designo MS Series is 16.5mm thin, venerates form over function originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS debuting two ultrathin laptops with 45nm Intel Penryn chips next week?

Ross Miller — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:23:00 EST

Those 45nm Intel Celeron 743 and SU2300 CPUs we've been seeing on spreadsheets and roadmaps may have found themselves a home with ASUS, if this DigiTimes report has any weight to it. According to the outlet, two new ultrathin portables powered by the aforementioned processors are set to launch on September 7th, with the first markets to get shipments being Taiwan, China, and Europe. Details are scarce beyond that and there's no mention of price, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the $700 mark up to maybe even $1,000. Other sources say MSI and Acer will be making announcements of their own ultrathin laptops not too long after. September 7th is mighty soon, so part of us wonders if "launch" here is simply an unveiling, but in either case if there is something going on in a week, we can't imagine we'll get through the next few days without new factoids trickling out in the open.

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS debuting two ultrathin laptops with 45nm Intel Penryn chips next week? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Asus 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA to ship in Europe this month

Joseph L. Flatley — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:59:00 EST

We caught wind of this one way back in May, and even got to see the mythical beast in the flesh at Computex, and now Netbook Italia is reporting that Asus' Eee PC 1101HA, the hulking 11.6-inch notebook, will be shipping in Europe at the end of the month for €399 (that's roughly $560). Part of the Seashell family, this guy will be available in black or white, and packs a 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z520, Intel GMA graphics, 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard disk, and Windows XP. We've also seen a 3G version of this bad boy, but we're not sure when or where that one will see the light of day. Check out the hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Asus 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA to ship in Europe this month

Filed under: Laptops

Video: Asus 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA to ship in Europe this month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS: "Our goal is to provide products that are better than Apple's"

Nilay Patel — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:44:00 EST

ASUS might have launched the netbook era with the original Eee PC and followed up on that with wave after wave of successfully more innovative designs like the Seashell, but that's not enough for vice chairman Jonathan Tsang, who says the company's goal is "to provide products that are better than Apple's." No pulling punches here! According to Tsang, ASUS spends very little on marketing, instead preferring to spend the majority of its budget in engineering products so innovative consumers are forced to take notice. We don't know if that strategy will actually work -- especially since true competition with Apple would have to involve software, not just hardware -- but we will say that it's clear ASUS is doing everything it can to drive the industry forward, not just lying back and copying rivals like MSI and Acer. That's all thought-provoking enough, but there's more: Tsang also says ASUS has a motion-controlled game console that provides better tracking than the Wii sitting on the shelf because content deals are "complicated." Same with an ebook reader. "We don't have the chicken, so cannot have the egg." Well damn -- and we really like eggs, too. Hit the read link for the full interview.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

ASUS: "Our goal is to provide products that are better than Apple's" originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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