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ASUS Eee PC 1215N review
About nine months ago ASUS released its 12.1-inch Eee PC 1201N to much fanfare. It was the first "netbook" to pack NVIDIA's Ion platform and a desktop-class Atom processor. Translation: it absolutely wrecked regular netbooks (and even other Ion netbooks) on the graphics and performance battlefield. Indeed, the 1201N blurred the lines between netbook and regular laptop, but we ultimately knocked it fairly hard for not lasting longer than 2.5 hours on a charge -- it was dubbed a "netbook" of course. Our apologies for the brief history lesson, but it's actually quite important in understanding why ASUS' second generation of the 1201N is such a big deal. The 1215N has a Pine Trail 1.8GHz dual-core Atom D525 processor and NVIDIA's Ion 2 with Optimus, which no longer requires the GPU to be running the entire time and saves battery power. The $500 rig (though we're seeing it on sale for as much as $599) is still on the pricey side for a "netbook," but promises 1080p playback, seven hours of battery life and a 250GB hard drive. So, does the 1215N correct all the wrongs of the 1201N and live up to the "netbook powerhouse" title that ASUS has given it? And more importantly can it compete with some of the newer thin and light laptops, like the Dell Inspiron M101z? We found out, and we're assuming you want to as well in our full review after the break.
ASUS Eee PC 1215N to ship in the US at the end of August
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.
ASUS Eee PC 1215N with NVIDIA Ion and dual-core Atom D525 is a netbook powerhouse
The phrase "netbook powerhouse" would typically be considered an oxymoron. That was before ASUS announced its Eee PC 1215N bumpin' a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom D525 processor with NVIDIA Optimus to intelligently switch between its NVIDIA Ion discrete and integrated graphics. That means it'll cut through 1080p video without any problem when displayed on the 12-inch 1,366 x 768 pixel display or out to an HDTV via the included HDMI jack. Other specs include Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11n WiFi, integrated webcam with lens cover, choice of 250GB or 320GB hard disk drives augmented by 500GB of ASUS WebStorage, and pass-through USB to charge connected devices like cellphones when the Eee is powered off. Sorry, no mention of battery performance, price, or availability on this so-called netbook.
First wave of Ion 2 ASUS Eee PC 1201PNs lack NVIDIA Optimus
Well, this is sad. While we told you earlier this week that the Ion 2-powered ASUS Eee PC 1201PN wouldn't be arriving until late May, a number of European sites have gotten early review samples of the 12-inch "netbook" -- if you choose to call it that -- and have discovered that it doesn't use NVIDIA's Optimus automatic graphics switching technology. That's right, instead we're told by NVIDIA that the discrete GeForce 201M GPU runs continuously and Intel's integrated chip is never used -- a configuration which sounds like it'll absolutely kill the battery life on this machine. According to Hardware Zone, ASUS made this choice aiming to be the first to market with the next generation of Ion, but an Optimus version of the ASUS Eee PC 1201PN will be ready later this quarter. It also appears that an Eee PC 1215N with both Ion 2 and Optimus is floating around, but we haven't confirmed what's going on with that. We're sorry if we confused you even more, but we'll be keeping our eyes out for the early reviews of the 1201PN to see if our predicted two hours of battery life is on the mark. Update: The 1201PN cannot be updated with firmware to enable Optimus -- the hardware isn't there for the automatic switching.
