EeePc901
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TwitPic Find: Snow Leopard on a hackint0sh
What's better than pictures of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard in the wild? How about a snapshot of Snow Leopard running on a hackint0sh? While this could be a doctored photo, it does show a Eee PC 901 netbook with several windows open on the screen. In the About This Mac window are the magic characters "Build 10A432", which all good TUAW readers should recognize as the build number for the Golden Master of Snow Leopard. Click the Read More link to see the picture.
Modder adds Twitter / IRC / email LED to Eee PC, lives to tell the tale
You know, we were cruisin' the blogosphere the other day on our tricked out Eee PC, rocking our newly installed trackball, when we realized that we were enjoying ourselves so much that we had completely lost track of the time -- and the way that news moves around here, that's a very dangerous thing. Like, what if @spencerpratt got to the bottom of the moon landing hoax or the conspiracy to fluoridate our water and we totally missed the tweet? Well, we can thank our lucky stars that a certain Justblair has already given this some thought. With little more than an AtMel AtTiny45 microprocessor, a red / green / blue LED, and some programming chops, this guy has rigged a netbook with a little light that notifies the user when they get a new message in Thunderbird, Pidgin or Twitter. This is definitely not a project for beginners, but if you'd like to take a crack at it hit the read link for the whole low down. As for us, it's back to Loose Change: the Blooper Reel on Google Video. [Via Liliputing]
Shadowy modder gives Eee PC a risky back alley trackball implant
Remember that guy who uber-hacked his Eee PC with a GPS, Bluetooth, draft-n WiFi, FM transmitter, SDHC card reader, modem, USB hub, 2GB RAM? Well, we got one more for him. This enterprising gentleman, fed up with suffering through the three-finger scroll of his Eee PC 901, integrated the trackball of his Apple Mighty Mouse into the netbook's palm rest. Of course, this took some time and effort: in the end, the trackball leads had to be unsoldered from the mainboard, the trackball itself soldered to the mainboard, and the whole shebang installed under the surface of the netbook itself. But you know what? It works. That is, until the Mighty Mouse itself craps out -- as they have been known to do. Still, it's all in a day's work for a heroic modder. Right? Hit that read link for the step-by-step, but not before you peep the vid after the break.
Buffalo's external 32GB and 64GB SSDs can swap insides with your Eee PC's original drive
Sure, you could look at it as crass commercialism, but we choose to see the softer, gentler side of Buffalo in this act of kindness: buy a new SSD upgrade for your ASUS Eee PC 901-16G and Buffalo will toss in a free chassis to hold your existing 16GB drive. The 32GB and 64GB drives will run you $129 and $228, respectively, and actually ship inside the external drive -- you don't have to swap SSDs if you don't want to, but we like the option. We would, anyways, if we lived in Japan.[Via PortableMonkey]
ASUS' Eee PC 901 with 20GB SSD and 6-cell battery now just $268
An Eee PC costing $550 just 8 months ago is now selling for less than half that price from a trio of major on-line retailers. In an apparent across-the-board price cut, several SSD-based EEE PC 901 models have been slashed with your choice of Linux or XP. Most notable is the 8.9-inch netbook configured with a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, 20GB SSD, Linux, and 6-cell battery. Careful though: the European CeBIT show (an ASUS favorite event) is just days away and with it should come a few new Eee PC models running the latest Intel processors and chipsets. Consider yourselves warned. Hit the read link for the details.
Modder crafts homemade 12-cell battery for Eee, doubles stock battery life, grows unsightly hump
Remember the Eee 901 "hammerhead edition," the extra-wide monstrosity that offered 10 cells of goodness in one less than aesthetic package? Welcome to that accessory's homebrew cousin, the creation of a modder by the name of TenaciousDre who stole eight batteries from an old laptop and wired them up to the existing four-cell battery, creating a 12-cell shrink-wrapped bulge to protrude less than majestically from the back of his Eee. The good news is 12 to 15 hours of life with the laptop set on its most frugal settings; the bad news is a 12 hour re-charge time and a useless battery gauge that reads zero percent despite eight hours of juice remaining. We have seen uglier examples of excess in the computing world before, but would probably rather carry around a second (and third) battery than have to explain this tumor to every passer-by at Starbucks. [Via Portable Monkey]
Aftermarket 10-cell battery creates Eee PC 901: Hammerhead Edition
Like aftermarket batteries do ya? Just keep this picture in mind danger-boy when you're ordering a 10-cell, 13,000mAh Li-ion battery from eBay for your Eee PC 901. Also available in black to match the depths of your shame for turning your ultra-portable into a semi-luggable. One more for grins after the break.[Via jkkmobile]
Eee PC 901GO with faster SSD and a bigger battery surfaces in France
The Eee PC 901 has always been the sweet spot model in ASUS's alphabet soup of a netbook line, and the 901GO launched today in France makes it even more desirable with a larger 8700mAh battery and a faster 16GB SSD capable of 50MB/s writes and 87MB/s reads. Of course, you can get the same 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and 8.9-inch screen in the 900A for $280, so the new 901GO's €399 ($505) pricetag seems perhaps a bit much, but the cutting edge ain't a cheap place to live, kids.[Via Electronista]
Russian Eee PC 901 looks good in skin-tight leather
We were all ready to whip out utilize a series of stereotypical cultural allusions when we saw pictures of a leather-clad Eee PC 901 show up on a German site -- only to have our hopes dashed when it turned out to actually be a Russian laptop under there. So, this entry will be entirely free of references to bondage and guys named Dieter, focusing only on what looks to be a very tastefully modified netbook. Nikussan at the Eee-PC.ru forums is responsible for this project, dubbed "Operation Anti-Gloss" (that's "O????????? ????????????" if you dig Cyrillic). He indicated that stretching and gluing this skin on the device wasn't too difficult, the only real issue being the fine trimming required to get it to latch. The finish is perhaps not quite as seamless as Asus's various official leather offerings, but we'd totally rock one at the local S&M club Starbucks.[Via Eee PC News]
Touch-screen kit for Aspire One and Eee PC 900/901 hits eBay, no soldering required
You know you've made it when your little-laptops-that-could sit atop a market-share big enough to support third-party device-hackery like this. It's "easy," it's "fun," it's a solder-less DIY touch-screen kit made specifically for the Acer Aspire One and Eee PC 900/901 netbooks. The 4-wire, resistive panel display with Mac, Linux, and Windows drivers sure looks easy enough to install. But we'll wait for the reviews to see just how well the $96 panel (a cool 25% of the netbook's price) performs under day-to-day use, thankyouverymuch. We've got our Windows 7 pre-beta ready just in case.[Thanks, Joe L.]
3G-enabled Archos 5 and Eee PC 901 announced by French wireless carrier SFR
You don't see a lot of PMPs or netbooks out there with carrier branding, but both the Archos 5 and the Eee PC have gotten themselves 3G-enabled recently, and French wireless company SFR isn't wasting any time with the silkscreen machine -- it's just announced subsidized versions of both. The Archos 5 3G+ comes dressed in sharp new black suit and features a smaller 30GB drive to go with its integrated 3G modem and custom SFR menu items -- you're looking at €249 ($320) with a monthly data fee of €19 ($24) for existing SFR customers or €24 ($30) for new subs. More or less the same deal with the Eee 901: you're getting the familiar 1.6GHz Atom with 1GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD, and an integrated 3G modem for €279 ($358) with €29 ($37) / €34 ($43) monthly contract fees. Hopefully we'll see some Stateside carriers pick up on this trend soon, eh?Read - Archos 5 3G+Read - Eee PC 901
ASUS doles out gold and blue Eee PCs
With the introduction of the well-received N10, we thought maybe -- just maybe -- ASUS was moving beyond its disgusting obsession with mutilating the Eee brand. Instead, we're now faced with fresh hues of two old faces: the blue 901A and the gilded 900A. Looks as if all the internals have remained the same, though there's no indication what kind of premium (if any) you'll have to pay for your color of choice.[Thanks, Sascha]
ASUS takes Eee PC 901 for an HSUPA data ride
If you like the Eee PC 901 then you're going to love this. ASUS just announced an integrated HSUPA option for its 8.9-inch netbook. When coupled with that 7.5-hour (rated) 6-cell battery you'll have ample time to try and locate a carrier "in many destinations around the world" capable of delivering 7.2Mbps down and 2Mbps up -- ASUS doesn't say but we're sure it'll step down to older WWAN coverage as required. Available in October (just missing the September launch rumor) for an undisclosed price on undisclosed frequencies.[Thanks, Michael A,]
ASUS Eee PC 901 falls to a cool $500
For reasons unknown, netbook manufacturers (on the whole, at least) have been asking ridiculous sums of money for their wares, but now that the novelty of the sector is wearing off, we're seeing those figures start to head south. Following in Acer's footsteps, ASUS has evidently lowered the entry price for its Fine Ebony / Pearl White Eee PC 901 to $499.99. Yep, that's the one with an 8.9-inch display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 12GB SSD and a 6-cell battery. So, is that low enough for you, or are you waiting for the Buy 1 Get 1 offer that may never come?[Thanks, Nathanael]
Limited Edition Eee PC 901 and 1000H ready to candy-coat Korean hearts
After suffering a presumed Jolly Rancher infestation, ASUS is prepped to loose these artificially flavored Eee PCs onto Korea. Available for pre-order now, the limited edition "pink" (hey, that's what they say) and Jell-O green Eee PC 901 and Eee PC 1000H ship on the 22nd of August for an undetermined price. Hmmm, blood-red snowflakes and glo-stick mistletoe? Feels like Christmas in our very own Eee PC hell. %Gallery-29469%[Via Akihabara News]
ASUS points finger at Intel over lack of Eee PC 901s in the UK
As if we needed any further developments to muddy the Eee PC waters, it seems that there's a curious lack of Linux-based Eee PC 901s available at stores in the UK at the moment, and ASUS is apparently laying the blame squarely at Intel, not Microsoft. As Register Hardware points out, that word comes after some speculation that Microsoft may have pressured ASUS to push the Windows XP-based Eee PCs more heavily, but an ASUS spokesperson insists that the company produces Linux and XP-based systems in equal amounts. The spokesperson adds, however, that Intel hasn't been able to supply enough Atom processors to allow ASUS to keep up its pace, which seems to suggest that the Linux-based 901s are harder to find simply because they're sold out. It looks like folks in the UK won't have to wait too much longer to get their Linux-fueled netbook fix, however, with some unspecified suppliers now pointing to increased availability in late July.
Eee PC 901 and 1000 to ship in US on July 8?
We've gotten just about as much info on the Eee PC 901 and 1000 as we can handle, but we've been missing that most important piece of data until now: a US release date. That might be about to change, though, as ASUS's pre-sales department has apparently been telling people that the 901 and 1000 will ship on July 8th. Of course, that's not a firm commitment, and ship dates have been known to slip, but if you've been waiting to cold-cock that piggy bank, well, let the countdown begin.
Eee PC 901 dismantled, broadband solder points found
ASUS's Eee PC 901 has been unboxed, examined, pictured, tested, and now to end it all, it has been completely dismantled by a curious writer at bit-tech. They didn't find anything terribly unusual, but highlights include a monitor-diameter 802.11n antenna, the all-important SSD module (not soldered to allow for upgrades), internal fan, an IDE3 slot, and solder points labeled "3GCard" which you can interpret as you wish (we'll give you two guesses). Finally, they found a mysterious button that doesn't seem to do much of anything. So there you have it: The Eee PC 901 has officially been pillaged. Hit the read link for some exposed silicon.
ASUS Eee PC 901 priced, reviewed
We now have official US pricing for ASUS' new Eee PC lineup. The Eee PC 901 nabs a $599 MSRP for both Linux and Windows XP versions. The pricing for the 1000 and 1000H models is a bit more fluid (read: could change) but is currently pegged at $699 for an Eee PC 1000 (Linux or Windows XP) and $649 for the Windows XP 1000H (H, as in hard disk drive). We'll have to wait and see how that pricing works out for them with MSI's $399 Wind coming later this summer (the $499 XP version in a few days) along side Acer's $400 Aspire One. Oh, and then there's that pesky Dell E-series said to be starting at $299 by the time they ship in August or September. For now you can check the full reviews, which, as you'd expect, see the evolutionary jumps made by the Eee PC 901 universally commended -- especially the 6-cell, 6600mAh battery. Laptop managed to eke-out 4.38-hours (Stuff, well over 5-hours) of life with WiFi turned on -- well short of the 7.8-hours listed by ASUS but much better than previous Eees. Both reviews share our concern: price.Read -- US PricingRead -- Laptop reviewRead -- Stuff review
Eee PC 901 gets unboxed and examined
ASUS's new Eee PC 901 has already gone before the cameras at Computex, but if you're the type that's just not satisfied 'till you something unboxed you may want to head on over to Laptop Magazine, which has not only done the usual honors but provided a few initial impressions as well. On the whole, they seem to think it's a worthwhile upgrade, with the extra keys across the top a particularly welcome addition, although they did have some slight problems with the keyboard, which they ultimately wound up prying off in order to fix. Hit up the link below for the full batch of pics.
