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ASUS Eee Pad coming soon?
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 delivers Eee PC T91MT to Amazon.com, completes world tour
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]
ASUS to launch 3G, WiMAX-equipped e-book readers by March, 2010?
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]
Asustek announces a 1.1 Teraflop, Tesla GPU powered supercomputer
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.
ASUS Designo MS Series is 16.5mm thin, venerates form over function
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.
ASUS debuting two ultrathin laptops with 45nm Intel Penryn chips next week?
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.
Video: Asus 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA to ship in Europe this month
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.
ASUS: "Our goal is to provide products that are better than Apple's"
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.
Acer to join the Moblin Linux bandwagon
Moblin -- the Intel lovin' Linux flavor we've heard so much about recently -- just got some major support from Acer, who plans on slapping it on laptops, desktop PCs, and its Aspire One nettops. According to PC World, a press conference held today saw a wide range of Moblin versions (including Suse, Xandros, Linpus, Red Flag, and Ubuntu Moblin) installed on netbooks from companies that included HP, Asustek, MSI, and Hasee Computer; MIDs by the likes of BenQ and Compal; and even an Eee Keyboard. Not too bad for an OS that wasn't even an OS when we first laid eyes on it, eh? We'll keep our eyes peeled for those machines from Acer. In the mean time, how about that Tony Hawk Ride? Man, that looks sweet.
Asus going big(ger) with 11.6-inch Eee PC later this month
If you like the idea of the little laptop that started it all, but need a little more workspace to keep your eyes from going all aesthenopia on ya, hold on to your wallets for a few more weeks. According to DigiTimes, ASUS is planning on releasing an 11.6-inch Eee by the end of the month, following up on its pledge made last year to do just that -- while simultaneously breaking Jerry Shen's promise to never surpass the 10-inch mark without creating a spin-off, "premium" netbook brand. But, with the 7-inchers relegated to their place in history, perhaps now the company has a little extra room on its production lines. No further information is available on the forthcoming model at this point, but we're hoping that new screen will get a few more pixels to fill out its new-found girth.
Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 to rock LiMo, launch in 1H 2009
We've been waiting on pins and needles for confirmation, but it looks like an all-too-vague Reuters report actually is referring to the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60. After a senior company official noted that a "Linux-based operating system" would be used in one of its two smartphones, we pinged Garmin directly to cut through the mystery and get down to the meat. What we were told was this: "The Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 has a proprietary Linux-based OS, and we're still working towards delivering the nüvifone G60 in the first half of 2009 in limited markets, which haven't been named yet." Of course, the tandem is quickly running out in months in that window, so we're pretty jazzed to be all up on top of an imminent release. Now, if only we knew where those patience pills made off to...[Via Boy Genius Report]
WSJ: Android being considered for HP netbook, Dell MID and smartphone
Sure, we've already seen Android pop up on the HP 2133 Mini-Note thanks to some intrepid DIYers, but now comes word from The Wall Street Journal that HP's got programmers looking into using the Google OS officially for an upcoming netbook. VP of the PC division Satjiv Chahil's quoted as saying they're in the process of assessing its capabilities, so don't get your hopes up anytime soon. Also mentioned is Asus, which we already knew about from back in February. Interestingly, the report states that Dell's been tweaking the software for use in multiple devices due out this year, including a MID and one of those long-rumored smartphones -- that is, assuming they make one that can tickle the carrier's fancy.Update: HP confirms that it is testing Android but "has made no decision yet whether to offer Android in products."[Via Unwired View]
ASUS execs said to be infighting, potentially launching competing brand
ASUS has been riding the Eee wave pretty high lately, and although things seem going pretty well for the powerhouse company, there might be some storm clouds in the distance -- Tweaktown's got a long piece translated from the Taiwan-only Business Today which hints at some exec-level infighting going on at the top. It's pretty in-depth stuff, but the main takeaway seems to be that ASUS's spinoff of its OEM manufacturing business as Pegatron ruffled a few feathers, leading Pegatron chairman Tung Tsu Hsien to apparently start thinking about launching his own consumer brand called PEGA Design to take on ASUS -- especially interesting since we just saw some Pegatron-branded netbooks and nettops. We'll see if any of this comes to pass -- we'd be pretty into another huge company cranking out wild ideas like the Eee keyboard.
ASUS EeePC T101H tablet netbook peeked at CES
ASUS had us so dazzled yesterday with the announcement of Eee PC T91 and and the S121 that we nearly didn't notice this guy -- the T91's bigger sidekick -- hiding in the "unannounced but still very much here" pile. There's precious little in the way of info, specs or anything else, but we know it's got a 10-inch display, and it's a very, very dapper tablet.
ASUS' 12-inch bamboo laptop gets a price
ASUS may have been beaten to the punch by a few other companies and their bamboo-ensconced offerings, but it looks like it's now getting its first bamboo laptop out the door at long last, and it's taken the opportunity to finally get official with a price. Apparently, the first few 12-inch models will go on sale at Taiwan's IT Month exhibition on Saturday, where they'll run NT$59,900, or just over $1,800. Unfortunately, it's not clear exactly which configuration that'll get you, but, judging from the last word out of ASUS, even the base config seems to be pretty capable.
ASUS said to be launching Android handset in first half of '09
We'd already heard that ASUS had been invited to join the Open Handset Alliance, and DigiTimes is now reporting that the company is, in fact, planning to launch an Android-based handset -- go figure. That phone, some unnamed company sources say, will roll out sometime in the first half of 2009 (we're guessing late first half), and could possibly be released in Taiwan first under ASUS' own brand before making its way overseas in the form of different "customized models" for various clients. Of course, any other details are non-existent at this point, but those same sources did also note that ASUS will be phasing out its use of the Ericsson Mobile Platform (or EMP) in its phones in favor of handset platforms from Qualcomm and Marvell, which is interesting insofar as that both Qualcomm and Marvell are members of the OHA, while Ericsson is not.
ASUS N Series: at long last, a laptop with a built in 'Air Ionizer'
Yesterday we finally got our hands on the N10 non-netbook, and today we'll be taking a look at the rest of the N Series lineup. There's a little something for everybody here, from the mobility-minded N10 to the higher-end N50. The models include Express Gate, and we're looking forward to finding out if the Super Hybrid Engine power management is all it's cracked up to be. All N Series models also include the SmartLogon facial recognition system (for those of you who are too busy to type a password), but so far the N50 is the only ASUS offering with a built in "Air Ionizer." Check out each machine in detail after the break.[Thanks, Kunal]
Google invites ASUS to join Open Handset Alliance
We're not sure if its recent spate of handset announcements had anything to do with it or not, but it looks like Google has now asked ASUS to join the Open Handset Alliance, an invitation that we're assuming ASUS expected to accept (or else we probably wouldn't be hearing about it). Apparently, Google is interested in working with ASUS due to its "brand recognition worldwide," although neither party seems to be making any sort of official comments just yet. Knowing ASUS, however, we're sure it'll find some way to work its Eee brand into the picture before all is said and done. Eee Phone, anyone?[Via VentureBeat, thanks Michael Y]
ASUS Eee PC 900HD hits the FCC, reveals little
Hey, remember when the Eee PC was announced, and everyone got all hot and bothered, and we couldn't wait for it to ship, and we couldn't wait to get it into our hands? Then remember how ASUS created so many annoying variations that it became almost impossible to pay attention? Well, pay attention -- the Eee PC 900HD has hit the FCC. Excited? Yeah, we thought so. Hit the read link to see what the label and undercarriage of your new supposedly-hard-drive-equipped netbook look like, and feel free to browse some SAR reports while you're there. Of course, this reveals nothing about the actual hardware save for the fact that this bottom casing is different from previous models, so... that's one thing.[Via jkkmobile]
Atom processors still in short supply?
It's been mostly hugs and cupcakes for Intel's Atom processors lately -- they're apparently selling like hotcakes, and they're the stars of the Intel Developer Conference this week. But although Intel was confidently predicting that supply would meet demand by next month, it sounds like Atoms might still be hard to come by -- PC World quotes an unnamed ASUS exec as saying there's a "serious shortage" of the chips, leading the PC manufacturer to turn to Celeron chips to meet demand. Intel reps are sticking to the party line and saying that the supply issue will be resolved by the end of the third quarter, but we'll see how it goes -- something tells us ASUS isn't helping itself out too much by cranking out an endless string of Atom-based Eee PCs, either.
