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ASUS Eee PC 1005PR shipping to some customers with disabled Broadcom Crystal HD chip?
We've definitely had some hit-or-miss experiences with the Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator chip in various Atom-powered netbooks, but it sounds like some Eee PC 1005PR buyers are having a different sort of bad day entirely, as ASUS is apparently shipping some systems without the chip disabled or otherwise not installed. That's at least the word according to several reviews on Amazon, and ASUS is apparently directing people to return the machines for a refund or replacement. We'd recommend holding off for a tick if you were in the market, and if you've already thrown down the cash, well, now might be a good time to double-check that Device Manager. Update: ASUS tells us it's looking into the matter, and that company reps are actively contacting users with issues to sort things out. We'll let you know if we hear anything else.
ASUS Eee PC 1005PR up for pre-order: $400 for your own HD savvy netbook
We had a hunch that ASUS' Eee PC 1005PR would come in at under $400, and sure enough, that's exactly where it has landed here on US soil. A month and change after its introduction, the 10.1-inch netbook -- along with its Broadcom Crystal HD chip, 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU and 1,366 x 768 panel -- is now up for pre-order at Amazon. Frankly, it's one of the better specced machines that we've seen at this level, though the claimed 11 hours of battery life does feel a bit too good to be true. At any rate, you can claim your spot in line right now by parting with $399.99, but there's still no clear word on when it'll ship. Shouldn't be too awfully long now, though.
ASUS Eee PC 1005PR packs Broadcom Crystal HD and high-res screen
Today in Tales from ASUS we bring you the story of the 10.1-inch Eee PC 1005PR. While we didn't catch this one hiding out in the overflowing CeBIT booth, it appears big A has gone and swapped out the screen on the 1005PE for one with a 1366 x 768-resolution and tucked a Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator inside, which means the little lappie should be able to handle some YouTube HD (at least after you download 10.1 Beta 3). Nothing special apart from that, as it's standard netbook down the line: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450, 1GB of RAM, and 320GB hard drive. No word on pricing or availability, but we're guessing it'll probably come in at under $400, like the Dell Mini 10 and HP Mini 210. It may not be a bad deal in the end, but we're still holding out for the Ion 2-equipped 1201PN and for ASUS to someday slow down the frenetic pace of Eee PC iteration.
