EEE
Latest
Asus' Eee PC 4G Surf now available to order
While you'll still have to wait a while to get your hands on a 10-inch Eee PC, you can now grab the 4G Surf version of the budget laptop, which will save you $50 over the standard model. Running $349 and apparently available only in Black for now (at least at Newegg.com), this one is largely identical to the non-Surf Eee PC, with the notable exception of a smaller battery that Asus says will give you about 2.8 hours of runtime (although Newegg's listing shows the same 3.5 hours as the regular model). You also apparently won't be able to upgrade the RAM beyond 512MB like you can with the standard Eee PC, and you'll have to make do without that 0.3 megapixel webcam. If that's still too pricey for you, you can always wait for the 2G Surf, which'll knock the price down to just $299.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The 10-inch Eee PC, hiding in plain sight?
Rumors of a 10-inch Eee PC continue to fly fast and furious, and as we were trying to piece together the various contradictory statements from Asus and other sources, we happened to notice these pictures from Computex that clearly show an Eee PC model "1001," encased in a slightly larger form factor with -- you guessed it -- a 10-inch screen. Now, all the other rumors we've heard involve stuffing that larger screen into the existing 7-inch 701 form factor, so this could be an entirely different branch of the Eee tree, but it's definitely interesting that Asus hasn't been talking about the 1001 much at all -- you'd think that it would at least rate a passing mention during the hoopla of the Eee launch, but we haven't heard a peep. Check some more pics -- including one of the entire Eee lineup at Computex including the 1001, at the read link.
Asus confirms the 8GB 10-inch Eee PC
Asus has been coyly hinting at a spec-bumped Eee PC for a while now, but it looks like the wink-and-nudge days are over -- German Asus spokesman Holger Schmidt said that an 8GB Eee PC with a 10-inch screen would ship in 2008, as well as that equally-rumored but far less sexy desktop Eee. See, sometimes dreams do come true.[Read link is in German]
How would you change Asus' Eee PC?
The Eee PC's journey from introduction to mass production hasn't been filled with too many surprises, and aside from the obligatory price / release date speculation, unexpected Russian review and even more chatter over the almighty pricetag, it's been a pretty smooth ride. Granted, everyone and their long lost cousin was buzzing about the potential of getting a fully-featured machine in their laps for under two bills, but as these things always seem to go, final figures (for individual consumers, at least) managed to creep up a fair bit. Price hikes or not, it didn't seem to matter much come launch day, as dear ole NewEgg managed to sell right out of its initial allotment, though we're left to wonder if it didn't really have a few more to go around. Regardless, just about everyone who managed to get ahold of Asus' little darling came away impressed, if not thoroughly pleased, with how much functionality was stuffed into a sub-$400, two-pound ultraportable. Of course, critics were not hesitant to admit that the bugger wasn't perfect, and we've all ideas that a number of you early adopters out there share similar sentiments. So without further ado, why not give the world a piece of your mind on the matter? How would you meliorate the Eee PC? Make it more functional, more fashionable or just (even) more affordable? Chime on in below with your recommendations for the Eee PC Rev. B -- it's not like we don't already know it's coming.
Black Eee PCs arriving soon
We're pretty fond of the Eee PC's current design, but for those of you looking for something a little more pro, Expansys and Directron are both listing the black version we saw a while back for a $20 markup. Expansys is listing ship time at 8 days, so if you're already used to waiting for a white one, it shouldn't be too bad.Read -- Expansys listingRead -- Directron listing[Via Coolest Gadgets]
NewEgg mistakenly ships out five Eee PCs for the price of one
Apparently, Asus' Eee PC is so small, even NewEgg's atypically quick fulfillment crew couldn't believe that five of these things could fit into a single cardboard shipping box, so they just decided to slap labels on entire cases and let 'em rip. Truth be told, there's no telling how nor why a number of users on the EeeUser.com forums were initially sent five machines for the price of one, but judging by a list of reports and even an accompanying picture, 'tis true. Supposedly, NewEgg caught on to what was happening and began turning shipments around before they were delivered, but rather than getting an apologetic call, credit towards a future purchase and a single overnighted laptop, some customers actually received all five. Granted, we're hearing that those in the latter camp were kind enough to let honesty prevail, but who knows how many lurkers are quietly slipping their newfound Eee PCs onto eBay as we speak. So, the question beckons: did any of you receive a whole lot of unexpected Eee PCs? Do tell.[Via DailyTech]
Asus Eee PC unboxed
Asus's Eee PC is clearly making a big splash, and now that units are starting to arrive in homes everywhere the inevitable unboxing photos are starting to arrive. We've already seen the guts of this little lappie, so now it's time to see some lucky punter open their own unit and splay the battery, mini-charger, and driver disks. Nothing particularly surprising here, but if you're waiting for your own unit to arrive or for stock to replenish, we know you won't be able to get enough of these pics.
Best Buy getting Asus Eee stock next week?
We've had a couple of tips from readers who were told by Best Buy that new stock of the Asus EEE PC is due to hit next week (November 11th.) Seems a little iffy for new stock to arrive on a Sunday but apparently the sales representatives showed the screen to one of our tipsters, and that date was on the screen. We're guessing that this is only referring to the 4GB model which Asus has released so far, too. If you're in the UK, you may have luck over at RM.co.uk, the official resellers of the miniBook over there: their online site says units are shipped within 3 days.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Forbes tells the tale of the Eee PC
Although it's just beginning to trickle out to consumers, it already looks like the Eee PC is going to be a hit -- and just like all potentially game-changing devices, the Eee has a backstory featuring fits of inspiration, handshake business deals, pressure-packed development, and, of course, some late interference from Microsoft. Forbes got the whole tale from Asustek CEO Jonney Shih and other executives, and it's good one: inspired by the interest in the OLPC, Jonney decided to develop an inexpensive laptop for adults, and Intel enthusiastically jumped onboard when it realized the market for all its Classmate PC tech could be much bigger than educational sales. A late offensive from Microsoft -- which realized that Asus was about to sell between three and six million Eees in the first year without Windows -- resulted in the option to boot XP, but Jonney still pushed to perfect the Linux build on the device, saying, "We want to create a revolution. We can't afford to put out a bad product." In the end, it seems like that Jobs-like push for perfection paid off, since we've yet to read a bad review of the Eee -- now if only Asus would ship a few more.
Eee PC review roundup
We've already seen Laptop Mag's breathless review of Asus' diminutive Eee PC, but now that the thing is finally trickling out to the masses, it's time to check in with the best of the rest -- and it seems like the tiny wonder is living up to all that advance hype. CNET UK found the Eee to be "stonking value for money," complaining only that the keyboard is slightly cramped -- an overall sentiment echoed by PC Magazine, which called the little bugger a "tremendous bargain for people with general-purpose computing needs who don't plan on running any sophisticated software." TrustedReviews was even more positive, saying the keyboard is fine and that the Eee is overall "refreshingly innovative and scandalously cheap." On top of all this praise, NotebookReview has already started hacking away at the Eee and characterized their experiences as demonstrating a "ton of potential." Cheap, fun, and versatile: it certainly seems like Asus has a winner on its hands here -- now if only they'd ship a few more of 'em.Read -- CNET (7.5 out of 10: "... a near perfect choice for a highly portable second or backup laptop.")Read -- PC Magazine (4 out of 5: "Ample software and a substantial feature set that's well worth the money")Read -- TrustedReviews (9 out of 10: "The natural successor to likes of the Psion Series 5 and netBook."Read -- NotebookReview Eee PC Tweak Guide ("This little machine was as powerful as notebooks four to five times its price.")[Thanks, Corinne and Jerry]
Asus' Eee PC up for pre-order... again
If you'll recall, Asus' Eee PC first went up for pre-order at NCIXUS just under a month ago, and merely days after the wee machine was exposed courtesy of a Russian review, here it is again on yet another e-tailer's website. The Eee PC 701 is holding down the high-end with 4GB of built-in storage and a $399.99 pricetag, while two versions of the Eee PC 700 are available at $259.99 and $299.99 price points. Interestingly, the website requires a $150 "non-refundable deposit" up front, and promises to only charge the balance once your laptop ships "in early October." Personally, we still wouldn't be so quick to put up a down payment just yet, but for the brave (and unfathomably impatient) ones out there, hit the read link to place your (pre)-order.[Via Laptoping]
Asus' Eee PC 701 exposed in Russian review
Well, would you take a look at this. Turns out, 3DNews somehow managed to get their palms around (and within) Asus' Eee PC 701 for a hands-on review. Granted, a heap of the writeup was a bit hard to grasp without understanding Russian (or being a master in deciphering broken translations), but we were able to notice that their sample unit boasted a 900MHz ULV Intel Celeron M processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, a seven-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, Ethernet, a 56k modem, and 802.11b/g. Additionally, the wee machine was even put through a series of benchmarks, so if you're interested in digging through an early review (or just want to brush up on your Russian), head on over to the read link -- but for those just yearning for a few more pics, they're posted after the break.
E-tailer offering up Asus' Eee PC for pre-ordering
We'll be straight with you: we wouldn't send a dime to this place just yet, but a strange e-tailer appears to be offering up three different Eee PC models for pre-order, with availability showing "1 to 2 weeks." A little digging has revealed that this webstore opened up shop this May, is registered to a Canadian address, and has very few reviews (positive or negative) from shoppers across the web. Of course, all signs thus far are pointing to shady, but the price points listed are actually right in line with rumors we heard just days ago. Ah well, hopefully this means that Asus' wee PC is headed our way sooner rather than later, but we'd certainly wait it out just a bit longer before taking the bait.[Thanks, Mike]UPDATE: Thanks to a few Canucks tuning in, we've learned that the master site -- NCIX.com -- is actually a "very reputable retailer in Canada." Fine by us, maybe this sign is more legitimate than previously assumed.
Asus' Eee PC possibly delayed
Granted, nothing was set in stone in regard to the Eee PC's release date, but those hoping to snag one before heading off to college may be out of luck. According to a user who inquired to Asus about the launch status of the diminutive machine here in the US, he was informed that current estimates show the device "hitting the market in mid-September to early-October." Unfortunately, the response also included the wee fact that specifications aren't yet "100-percent firm," and considering that the aforementioned dates are mere months away, that kind of uncertainty isn't exactly comforting.[Via Eee User, thanks Devon]
Asus' diminutive Eee PC 701 gets previewed
We had a hunch that a once over just wasn't enough time with Asus' oh-so-intriguing Eee PC 701, so we're quite pleased that the folks over at NotebookReview were able to get a little alone time with the mini-laptop and give us some food for thought. As expected, this decently spec'd (for the price, of course) machine booted into an Asus-customized flavor of Linux "in about ten seconds flat," while the entire shutdown procedure took about half of that. Once inside, they seemed quite impressed with the amount of built-in applications and responsiveness, and noted that enough software was included to "definitely serve all of your basic needs." Of course, the understandably scrunched keyboard "took some getting used to," and although the display wasn't jaw-dropping, it served the purpose. Best of all, they were able to snag quite a few shots of the wee device, so be sure and give their writeup a look if you could potentially see this thing in your future.[Thanks, Patrick L.]
Asus' new Eee PC 701 joins the laptop-lite fray with a bang
Asus and Intel seem to be bridging the gap between the fairly humanitarian efforts of the OLPC project and their own Classmate PC efforts, and the recent rash of mini-laptop attempts such as Palm's Foleo and VIA's NanoBook. Specs and launch plans aren't entirely nailed down, but this new Eee PC line has quite a bit going for it, even as crowded as this market is getting. The 7-inch ultraportable is based on an unnamed Intel chipset, and runs regular Windows XP or Linux without a problem, but really shines in its "easy" mode that strips things down to a barebones OS mainly for internet browsing (sound familiar, Foleo?). Asus didn't even leave Palm alone with its Wii comparisons either, stating that the Eee name, which stands for "easy to learn, easy to play, easy to work," also conveniently conjures images of the Wii game console, which is known for being novice-friendly. The Eee line will kick things off with the Eee PC 701, which will sport 802.11b/g WiFi, Ethernet and a modem for connectivity, along with a webcam, 512MB of RAM and a 4, 8 or 16GB flash drive for speedy, reliable storage. The real kicker is that prices for the 2 pound laptop are supposed to start as low as $200, and the Intel / Asus duo won't be aiming this at massive governmental purchases, but instead will be offering it to consumers through traditional retail channels.[Via HardwareZone]
