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ASUS Eee PC 1015PW 'Sirocco' was not worth the fuss (video)
Egads, ASUS, has it really come to this? The company synonymous with netbooks needs to seriously rethink its product strategy if it believes that its Eee PC "Sirocco" truly deserved a teaser and launch event -- two marketing ploys typically reserved for items of high consumer interest. Turns out that its "making waves" tag line was (as we feared) just a coat of texturized purple, gold, or pink paint applied to the company's otherwise bland 10.1-inch Eee PC 1015PEM netbook that runs Windows 7 Starter on a dual-core Atom N550 CPU. An embarrassing slab of meh in the age of Fusion. Even worse, we already saw the "new" Eee PC 1015PW announced in some official capacity back in October. Apparently, when you offer over 30 models of 10-inch Eee PCs this is the only way to get any attention. Click through for a quick video overview shot behind closed doors at CES by our friends over at NewGadgets. Otherwise hit up Mobile + Notebook who've been burdened with bringing you the live coverage of something that's already happened.
Asus teases Eee PC Sirocco, promises to make more waves than a VW coupe
We're still catching up on sleep after leaving CES, but ASUS is tireless, winding up for another product release, something new it calls the Eee PC Sirocco. We have nothing to go by at this point other than the teaser image above, which promises this new product is going to be "making waves" when it is released. This metaphorical euphemism could mean anything from a revolutionary new architecture that will sweep across the industry to another netbook with some funny textures on it. If forced to bet we'd put more money on the latter than the former but, as we mentioned, we simply aren't in Vegas any more and so won't be engaging in such shenanigans.
ASUS EP121, EP102, EP101, and EP71 tablets get diagramed in latest teaser
Haven't had enough CES titillation yet? Good. ASUS has apparently been up to some mischief overnight in uploading and then pulling a new version of its teaser video from a week ago, though this time it also included explicit product names attached to some quite informative diagrams. It looks to be the full family of upcoming CES tablets, with the EP121 touting stylus input and a wireless keyboard, the EP102 showing that there will indeed be a slider in ASUS' Pad family, and the EP101 looking like, well, a laptop. There's also a media-centric EP71, whose proportions make it seem likely to be a sort of oversized PMP. Skip past the break for a closer look at them all and don't forget to grace our comments with your theory as to why ASUS feels compelled to have such a segmented product offering.
ASUS Eee Note is the surprisingly sensible new name for the Eee Tablet
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.
ASUS Eee PC 1015T now on sale, complete with AMD V105 CPU
So, the mystery's solved. If you'll recall, we spotted ASUS' Eee PC 1015T sittin' pretty at Computex, but considering that the OS was wiped by the time we got to it, we were left to take the placard's word for it when it came to specifications. Now, B&H has begun to offer this bad boy here in the States, with $349.99 nabbing you a 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB (5400RPM) hard drive, ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 4250, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit panel, inbuilt webcam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 Starter and a six-cell battery. All told, it rings up at 2.8 pounds and should last anywhere between three and six hours on a full charge, but we're guessing real-world performance will swing towards the former. It's available right now in blue, black and white, and if you're looking for a way to stick it to Intel's sluggish Atom line, here it is.
ASUS finally ships Lamborghini Eee PC VX6, but mind that gas guzzler tax
It was introduced way back in June, but it looks as if ASUS has just now gotten its ducks in a row with regard to this speedster. The 12.1-inch Lamborghini Eee PC VX6 is now shipping across the pond, offering an Intel Atom D525 processor, NVIDIA Optimus graphics and Bang & Olufsen audio. It's available from a host of retailers for £499 ($798), and there's precisely zero doubt that you'll be buying one. Because, you know -- nothing goes together quite like bargain basement hardware and elitist branding, right? Bonus vid is after the break, if you're so inclined. Update: B&H has this guy for sale in America for $673! Thanks, Roland!
ASUS Eee PC 1015PN gets official, will do 1080p in a pinch
It was rumored back in August for a September release and, though it did miss that by a full month, we're definite believers of "Better late than never." The ASUS 1015PN is officially the newest entry in the Eee PC family with its 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 LCD, a dual-core Atom N550 processor, 1GB of RAM, 250GB of platter-based storage, and, perhaps most importantly, NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics that won't put a hurting on your battery life thanks to Optimus switching tech. That means an estimated 9.5 hours of longevity on a charge so long as you don't spend your time pumping out reams of legally acquired full HD test footage. If all that sounds good you can order yours right now for around $429.
ASUS prepping Eee PC 1015PN/PEM versions with new dual-core Atom
When Intel released the details on its dual-core, mobile Atom N550 processor earlier this week ASUS was one of the first to raise its hand with a netbook sporting the new CPU. Well, now we've got a few more details on the forthcoming Eee PC and unsurprisingly -- as it is coming from ASUS -- there appears to be a couple of different versions. The first is the 1015PEM, and according to TechInStyle, the small lappie will be powered by the new 1.5GHz N550 CPU, support up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and be €349 ($440 US) when it hits the market. However, we've also heard from ASUS's North American team of the 1015PN, which will add NVIDIA's Ion 2 platform to the mix and be landing stateside in September. Sounds like it could be one of the most powerful 10-inch netbooks to ever grace the planet, but unfortunately we don't have the exact specs and pricing on the latter one as of yet. Of course, as soon as we find out or see it hit Amazon we'll be reporting back. Update: ASUS has gone and made the 1015PEM official. Well, it did for a while, page seems to have been yanked. See the Notebook Italia coverage for confirmation of the specs.
ASUS Eee PC 1018P and 1015PE review
You'd think after running into ASUS's next generation Eee PC 1018P and 1015PE over five months ago at CeBIT, our excitement may have waned for the stylish netbooks. Oh, but it's actually the opposite, and when the brand new netbooks arrived last week, we grabbed the X-Acto knife (safely, of course) and eagerly unboxed them to see if the aluminum clad little laptops were as svelte as we'd remembered them. Sure, the $350 1018P and 1015PE have standard netbook internals (an Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 Starter), but without a doubt they're some of the best quality netbooks ASUS has made in quite a while. Hit that read more link for an in-depth look at these two, and to see if they're all we had hoped for and more. %Gallery-97985% %Gallery-97986%
ASUS Eee PC 1015T strolls into Computex with AMD V105... we think
So, here's the thing -- there's no denying that the Eee PC 1015T, based on model name alone, is brand new and heretofore unknown. But what's really under the hood? As the story goes, this here machine was spotted lurking in the rear of ASUS' Computex booth, complete with a placard that informed us of its 10.1-inch glossy display (1,024 x 600), AMD V105 processor, an ATI Radeon HD 4200 series GPU, room for 4GB of DDR3 memory, 250/320/500GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth 3.0, a 6-cell battery and a few color options. But strangely enough, it seems as if the hard drive had been completely wiped, with only a brief boot-up screen informing us that this machine was an engineering release meant not for public use, and that NVIDIA parts were within. Hmm. In all honesty, we're guessing that ASUS simply had to rush this particular unit out to make it before the show's start, but we wouldn't go placing bets either way -- for all we know, the final version will get outfitted with a Core i5, Ion 2, inbuilt WiMAX and a Vmedia drive. Yeah, a Vmedia drive.%Gallery-94442%
ASUS Eee Tablet preview
Alright, stick with us here. For some reason, ASUS decided it best to name its freshest e-reader the Eee Tablet, while its downright magical tablet goes by Eee Pad. Got all that? Good. The Eee Tablet (again, not to be confused with the Eee Pad tablet) is half e-reader, half note taker, and it's an interesting twist on a played product category. We took a few precious minutes to experiment with the device here on the Computex show floor, and overall, we like what we're seeing. Gone is the painfully slow E-Ink page refresh that Kindle owners are so accustomed to, with this particular LCD proving deliciously quick at changing screens. The only hang-up comes when you attempt to flip through too many pages, too fast -- we managed to harness a loading wheel on two occasions, both of which took around six or eight seconds to vanish and the next page to finally appear. We also confirmed that the screen only works with the included stylus, much like pen-enabled Wacom tablets. That said, the bundled stylus was perfectly weighted, and the Eee Tablet responded well to our doodling. Speaking of weight, the model shown here in Taipei was shockingly heavy (at least iPad-level heavy), while the 10-inch EP101TC was markedly less hefty. Enough chatter -- have a look at our hands-on video just past the break. %Gallery-93961%
ASUS Eee PC 1215 with Ion receives Optimus and USB 3.0 augmentation (video)
When we found out that the Ion 2-packing Eee PC 1201PNs lacked NVIDIA Optimus tech for switching graphics hardware on the fly, well, it was a bit of a bummer to say the least. But, ASUS is at least fixing its successor, the Eee PC 1215. It's largely the same machine as the 1201, packing a dual-core Atom D510 processor and Ion graphics to complement the onboard graphics. This one, though, will have the Optimus hardware to switch betwixt the two, saving battery life all the while. The case has also been subtly refreshed but, most interestingly, ASUS saw fit to throw in a pair of USB 3.0 ports, their cerulean insides shining like beacons to guide us toward the future of high-speed file transfers. We're not sure when the 1215 is destined to hit retail and make the 1201PN obsolete, nor how much of a premium it will cost when it does, but there are plenty more pictures of the thing and even a few benchmarks at the source link. Update: We've got a video of some hot benchmarking action after the break.
ASUS Eee PC R101 surfaces in Deutschland with Atom N450, carbon fiber flair
It ain't the first Eee PC we've seen with a carbon fiber finish, and if the second one in as many months is any indication, we get the feeling we could see quite a few more of these surface at Computex in just a few weeks. The latest netbook from ASUS has found itself plastered on a German e-tailer's website, with the R101 proudly boasting a 1.66GHz Atom N450 processor, 250GB hard drive, a 10.1-inch LCD, native 1,024 x 600 resolution, Intel's GMA 3150 graphics and a battery that's good for 9.5 hours (if you use it sparingly, we're sure). The only other nugget we're made aware of is the €299 ($379) price tag, but it's pretty obvious we won't be treated to a chiclet keyboard and a trackpad bar with a split in the middle. Fiddlesticks.
ASUS EeeKeyboard shipping out now
The saga, dear friends, is at an end. After making it to pre-order status last month, the EeeKeyboard is at long last ready for public consumption. Lest you've forgotten, this truly all-in-one pc comes with an Atom N270 inside, a gig of RAM, and old reliable Windows XP Home to keep you company. A 5-inch 800 x 480 multitouch display is supported by a Broadcom Crystal HD chip for decoding of high-def video, UWB connectivity to wirelessly stream to a nearby HDTV, and a battery that promises four hours of autonomous use. Yours for only $599. [Thanks, Joe F.]
ASUS Eee PC 1218 said to be Ion-based, more laptops coming May 13th
We'd already gotten a good look at ASUS' forthcoming Eee PC 1218 courtesy of the Red Dot design awards, and DigiTimes is now reporting one of its key details: that it will indeed be Ion-based (we'd presume Ion 2, but that still remains unclear). What's more, the site has also offered some more confirmation of ASUS' Eee PC 1015 / 1215, and says that ASUS will also be launching some new laptops on May 13th, including some bamboo-covered models and some "multimedia-enhanced models." In other ASUS news, the site also has a few choice quotes from the always talkative ASUS CEO Jerry Shen, who repeated his assertion that netbooks will continue to outsell tablets, and further went on to get specific and say that ASUS expects to sell between seven and eight million Eee PCs in 2010, which would bring its global netbook market share to 20%. [Thanks, Sal]
ASUS ships Eee Top ET2010 all-in-one in the UK
And just like that, ASUS' 20-inch Eee Top ET2010 is leaving the docks in the UK. This here machine made its official debut back in late March, but at the time, the company dished no details surrounding price or release. Fast forward to now, and we're told that the sleek all-in-one -- complete with an AMD Athlon II CPU, 1GB or 2GB of RAM, a DVD drive and a total depth of just one inch -- is now shipping across the pond. The multitouch version gets going at £619.99, which means it should start to land on American shores shortly for around $600 to $700. Here's hoping, right? %Gallery-92272%
ASUS ships $400 Eee PC Seashell 1005PR, complete with Broadcom Crystal HD chip
You've waited long enough, and now it's finally time for you to treat yourself to the HD-savvy netbook you've been craving. You deserve it. You really do. Motivational speeches aside, ASUS would sure love for you to feel that way, as the company's Eee PC Seashell 1005PR has finally departed the "coming soon" stage -- according to ASUS, anyway. Amazon's product page still indicates that stock is incoming, but it seems as if the 10.1-inch machine should be filtering out to various sales channels as we speak. In case you've forgotten, $399.99 nets you an Intel Atom N450 processor, 250GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a battery good for "11 hours" of life, a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel and Broadcom's Crystal HD accelerator. Kind of sells itself, no?
ASUS EeeKeyboard gets really, really official
It's already gone up for pre-order and been unboxed, but ASUS has only just now really, officially "launched" its EeeKeyboard, completing a long, strange journey that began way back at CES 2009. Since then, we've seen the keyboard PC get a June launch date, run Moblin, get an August launch date, get gutted, hit the FCC, get an October launch date, hit the FCC again, get a capacitive touchscreen upgrade, get a price and a February launch date, get delayed, lose a space, and get a late-April launch date before now finally launching... in May. Thanks for the memories, ASUS. [Thanks, Sal]
ASUS Eee PC 1218 trades veil of secrecy for popular design award
Well, will you look at that. In its haste to proclaim itself winner of a 2010 Red Dot design award, ASUS has inadvertently or perhaps intentionally announced the brand-new netbook that received it -- the Eee PC 1218. She's a beaut, too, with a slim, one-piece aluminum shell that evokes the MacBook Air but still packs a substantial number of expansion ports. There aren't any hard specs quite yet, but the above shot shows it'll come with a webcam and chiclet keyboard, and in a second pic after the break we can make out three USB sockets, Ethernet, VGA, a pair of 3.5mm audio jacks and an HDMI port -- the last of which possibly suggests a dedicated GPU (here's hoping an Ion 2) for HD video playback. Oh, and lest we forget, ASUS says it's also got a soft-touch plastic underside, for all you coffee-swilling, netbook-slinging butterfingers out there. No word on pricing or availability.
ASUS Eee PC 1015P netbook hits the FCC
We already managed to go hands-on with ASUS' Eee PC 1015P netbook at CeBIT back in March, but the company has been relatively quiet about it since then, and hasn't even offered so much as a hint of a release date. It looks like that could now be coming sooner rather than later, however, as the netbook has just passed through the FCC and left with its seal of approval. In case you missed it, the netbook itself is part of ASUS' Seashell line, and packs a 10.1-inch screen, an Atom N450 processor and, perhaps most notably, a promised 14 hours of battery life -- keyword "promised."
