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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 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 $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 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."
ASUS Eee PC T101MT review
A really good netvertible -- that's all we want. No, not just a netbook with a touchscreen, but a device with a combination of solid ergonomics and performance in clamshell mode that can swivel into a really responsive tablet. It doesn't seem like too much to ask for, right? And after being disappointed by the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, we really thought the $499 ASUS Eee PC T101MT -- with its multitouch screen, chiclet keyboard, and standard netbook organs -- could have been it. Keyword being could. But, as you may have guessed by now from our wistful tone, there are a few reasons this particular convertible netbook didn't turn out to be all peaches and cream. If you know what's good for you, you'll be hitting that read more link to find out what was this Eee lacking in our full review. %Gallery-91835%
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 1001PX has a thing for carbon-fiber, starts at $279
We won't detail our murderous wrath for glossy netbooks, but we will tell you that ASUS is on our good side today by striking the shiny lid on its newest 10-inch Eee PC 1001PX in exchange for a carbon fiber-like replacement. The little guy boasts the same specs as the budget Eee PC 1001P -- an Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive -- and will be available in the US in May. And if you had any doubt that ASUS is after Acer's throat in pricing, we're told that the Windows 7 Starter model will be priced at an aggressive $299, while the XP version will only set you back a cool $279. In typical ASUS form, we're hearing word of an Eee PC 1001PG that will fall into this same line, but will be equipped with 4G in most markets and possibly 3G and 4G stateside. Now, if only we had as much information about those brewing Eee Pads... %Gallery-89409%
ASUS Eee PC 1201PN and Eee Top 2010PNT with Ion 2 caught lounging around at CeBIT
You didn't think ASUS would let Acer be the only one with a next-generation Ion netbook, did you? While wandering around ASUS's CeBIT booth we couldn't help but notice some new Ion 2 systems, including the 12.1-inch Eee PC 1201PN. With an identical chassis to the 1201N that we reviewed a few months back, the 1201PN swaps out the Diamondville Atom for a new Pine Trail N450 processor and a discrete NVIDIA GPU. We couldn't figure out much more from the system properties, but the neighboring sign confirmed that Ion 2 would use NVIDIA's Optimus to switch between the discrete and integrated GPU. Around the corner we also stumbled into that Eee Top 2010PNT we heard about awhile back, and just as rumored it packs a dual-core Atom D510 processor along its "next generation Ion." Really more than anything we're looking forward to testing the HD performance and battery life of these new Ion systems, but until then we'll be stuck watching the video below of the 1201PN playing a 720p promo clip. %Gallery-86750%
ASUS Eee PC 1018P and 1016P quick hands-on
Come on, you had to know that one of our first stops at CeBIT was going to be the ASUS booth to see if we could get a glimpse at the leaked 10-inch Eee PC 1018P and 1016P. Though they will be officially announced at ASUS's press conference tomorrow we got some time to play around with the new aluminum netbooks, and they sure beat any of the plastic Eee PCs we've been groping for the past few years. The overall build quality feels great, and with the flush battery they are both seriously slim and light. We wish ASUS had equipped the systems with metal keyboards to match the expanded aluminum touchpads, but the plastic keys felt plenty sturdy under our fingers. As for specs, the placards claim that they will have the new Intel N470 processors (and some peculiar N455 and N475 CPU choices), 2GB of RAM and 10 hours of battery life. We're still trying to figure out the difference between the two models, but our guess is that the 1016P will have 3G, while the 1018P sticks just to WiFi. Also, no confirmation yet on that rumored USB 3.0, but until we find out more details at tomorrow's press conference we've got you covered with the hands-on pics and video below. %Gallery-86744%
ASUS Eee PC T101MT convertible gets handled twice (video)
What's better than one hands-on report to whet your appetite ahead of the release of a new gadget? Why, two of them, of course, and it's the convertible ASUS T101MT getting the stereo impressions. The machine has netbook specs (1.6GHz Atom N450 CPU, 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD, etc. etc.) combined with a 10.1-inch multitouch screen, which both of the sites giving early impressions rated poorly. Responsiveness is said to be less than stellar, and while one of these previewers was able to improve it with some extra calibration, precision near the top of the screen still sounds bad. Build quality looks good (for an Eee) and the form factor certainly looks nice, but we're losing a little faith in this entrant after watching the video below. Check it out for yourself and see what you think, but don't write it off just yet: these are still pre-production models and a little firmware magic could whip this tablet into shape before its release -- whenever that will be.
ASUS Eee PC 1018P, 1016P and 1015P prepping for a CeBIT debut
Looks like there won't be a shortage of new laptops and netbooks next week at CeBIT, and if Blogeee is to be believed ASUS will be showing up with at least three new 10.1-inch Eee PCs. The most exciting of the bunch seem to be the executive-aimed 1016P and 1018P, which will both apparently have an aluminum chassis and 14 hours of battery life. The .7-inch 1018P is said to be the thinnest netbook ASUS has ever created, and sport an integrated fingerprint reader and USB 3.0. Uh, USB 3.0 in a netbook? We don't see why not. Finally there's the 1015P, which seems to just be an refresh of the 1005PE with a matte display and a wider touchpad. It sounds triple E exciting, but we promise to find out more on these little guys next week when we are live in Deutschland.
ASUS gets official with swivel-screen multitouch Eee PC T101MT
Thanks to the oh-so-revealing pages of the FCC, we already knew that ASUS had yet another multitouch-enabled Eee PC in the works, but there's just nothing quite like the satisfaction of seeing an official portal launched to celebrate the reality of being. The Eee PC T101MT is a swivel-screen netvertible that packs a 10.1-inch resistive multitouch display (1,024 x 600), Windows 7, up to 2GB of DDR2 memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 160GB or 320GB hard drive, 0.3 megapixel webcam and a 6.5 hour battery. You'll also get a VGA output, a trio of USB 2.0 sockets, Ethernet audio in / out, an SD / SDHC / SDXC card reader (nice!) 500GB of internet-accessible ASUS WebStorage and your choice of white or black. Per usual, there's nary of a mention of a price or release date just yet, but you can check out what fun awaits you in the demonstration video just past the break. %Gallery-85452%
ASUS Eee PC 1008P (Seashell) review
What do you do if your netbooks are starting to look so last season? Well if you're ASUS, you hire a leading industrial designer like Karim Rashid to revamp it, of course. The Eee PC 1008P's snazzy new design and removable battery certainly caught our eye at CES, but now so is its $499 pricetag. Positioned as a designer netbook, the 1008P is a mixed bag of specs -- it has got the now-typical Intel Atom N450 processor, boasts 2GB of RAM and larger 320GB hard drive, as well as a disappointingly small three-cell battery. So, are the 1008P's slimmer body and eye-catching design enough to make you shell out $100 more than the typical netbook? And how does the the smaller capacity battery compare to the $380 Eee PC 1005PE's that lasts for eight hours on a charge? Follow on past the break for some answers. %Gallery-84682%
ASUS' Congo-based Eee PC 1201T pops up on Amazon's German portal
Tired of waiting for the Eee PC 1201T to ship? Impatient, aren't we? We've been wondering about the status of this here netbook since it came to light last November, and now it looks like the Germans are about to get a real, live taste of AMD's Congo platform. Boasting a 1.6GHz MV40 CPU, the same look and feel that we've grown accustomed to on Eee PC netbooks, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, ATI HD3200 GPU and Windows 7 on the OS front, this is certainly one of the more unique machines in the sea of Atomized "me-toos." The pain? €399 ($560), and the first batch is expected to ship out tomorrow. Here's hoping the price dips somewhat when it makes its Stateside debut.
ASUS' Ion 2-based Eee PC to launch in April
Rather than mongering yet another rumor, DigiTimes is apparently reporting as fact that an Ion 2-powered Eee PC will launch in April. It's also expected to host a 12-inch display if we're reading this report correctly. That NVIDIA boost is welcome news since the Pine Trail-only bump given to its Eee PC 1005PE didn't offer much in the way of performance improvements and still can't handle YouTube video in HD. While no direct prices were given, Atom N450-based Eees are expected to drop in price to NT$14,000 (about $439) in Q2 after ASUS depletes its stock of legacy N270- and N280-based Atom netbooks. DigiTimes also notes that its 10-inch Eee PC T101 convertible touchscreen tablet (the T101MT presumably) will launch in late February along with a 12-inch Eee PC built around AMD's Congo.
ASUS Eee PC 1005PEG includes WiMAX for those lucky enough to live near a signal
Apparently we weren't the only one's enjoying some Clear speeds down in Vegas, the 10.1-inch ASUS Eee PC 1005PEG was riding the 4G waves too. Other than its WiMAX support, the Eee PC 1005PEG has the same specs as the recently-reviewed 1005PE, including a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive. If the 10005PEG can manage the same 8-hours of video playback as the 1005PE we'll welcome the WiMAX-enabled lappie with open arms to the growing family of Pine Trail netbooks.
ASUS gets official with Eee PC 1008P Seashell: available in hot pink and coffee brown (updated: with video!)
Make no mistake, we've seen an Eee PC 1008 before -- but this whole "P" thing is just getting official today at CES. It's the same machine we saw leaked a few weeks back, and thankfully for those who dig the whole "vivacious" scene, it'll be available in both hot pink and coffee brown. Designed by Karim Rashid, ASUS' latest netbook gets powered by Intel's new Atom N450 processor and features a 10.1-inch display, Windows 7 Home Premium, 1GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11n WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1, 1.3 megapixel camera, a 3-cell removable battery and a 2.5 pound chassis. We'll keep you posted on a price and release, but for now, have a gander at the press shots below. Update: We nabbed a quick hands-on and took a video of the new removable battery, check it below. %Gallery-81556% %Gallery-81563%
ASUS Eee PC 1001P brings its seashell design, Atom N450 to Amazon's US listings
First Germany, and now the States. ASUS's 10.1-inch, Pine Trail-equipped Eee PC Seashell 1001P has popped up on Amazon's US retail listings. Same Intel Atom N450 processor we saw before. $300 gets you Windows XP and a 160GB HDD, while $350 nets Windows 7 and 250GB of storage. Color options are black, pink, blue, and white, and as for release date? Still M.I.A., but we're hopeful this week offers a few tech news goodies.
ASUS considering closing divisions responsible for LCDs, Eee Stick?
ASUS has seen its share of restructuring over the years, and it looks like it could be about to go through another fairly significant shake-up -- at least if some of the leads DigiTimes has picked up actually pan out. The first (and seemingly more likely) of those is that the company is supposedly considering shutting down its division that builds "opto-mechatronics products" like the Eee Stick, which itself was formed from the remnants of the company's old optical drive department, and has reportedly already seen its size shrink from one hundred team members to just twenty. Potentially even bigger than that, however, is talk that ASUS might possibly be thinking about getting out of the LCD business. Not surprisingly, however, there's even less hard evidence for that -- just some word that the division is facing "fierce competition" that's inflicting some losses. For its part, ASUS is flatly denying that it's considering any such shutdowns -- and don't worry about the Eee PC, it seems that ASUS is actually increasing its investment in that division to develop more Pine Trail-based netbooks.
