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Japanese DIYer shows ASUS how not to make an Eee Tablet PC
ASUS hinted at some alternative Eee form factors in the Spring of last year, but it's a Japanese modder that's showing the company exactly how it shouldn't approach an Eee-branded tablet PC. It's a touch tough to understand exactly what's going on, but here's what is (partially) clear: the hack job took around ten hours to complete, and the outer edges are inexplicably covered in aluminum foil. It's encased in some sort of transparent housing -- which we suppose is pretty nifty for showing off the internals -- and the retrofitted touchpanel provides the tasty tablet functionality. Apparently this guy spent around ¥11,000 ($128) over and above the cost of the Eee PC in order to construct the final result pictured above -- the question is: was it really worth it? [Via Fashion Funky, thanks Bob]
ASUS offers up branded keyboard / mouse combo, remote for Eee Box
If your Eee Box experience is lacking something that you can't quite put your finger on, we're 85.32% sure we know what'll fill that void. According to Eee PC News, ASUS is gearing up to ship an Eee-branded wireless keyboard / mouse combo in both black and white motifs, and if that's still not enough Eee to cure your fever, the multi-function remote should handle those media center duties with ease. There's no mention of a price or release date, so we suppose you should assume these are completely fictional until proven otherwise.
ASUS Eee Box B204 / B206 grows an HDMI port, handles high-def material
Man, talk about maturing early. ASUS' Eee Box just hit the shelves here in America a few months back, and now the company is already pushing out a pair of successors. Both the Eee Box B204 and B206 retain the same overall design and processor (1.6GHz Intel Atom N270), but you will find a 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3400 GPU to complement the 1GB of RAM, 160GB SATA II hard drive, multicard reader, 802.11n WiFi, Windows XP Home, 10GB of online Eee Storage, gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, DVI connector and the freshly added HDMI socket. The B204 trumps the B206 (weird, right?) with the inclusion of Bluetooth and a built-in battery that acts as a UPS in case of power failure. We've already seen just how decently the B202 could handle 1080p playback; it's just that much easier with a dedicated HDMI port. As is par for the course with ASUS, there's nary a mention of price / availability.
ASUS finally details ET1602 / ET1603 Eee Top all-in-one PCs
If you've paid any attention to the release cycle of ASUS' Eee Top, you'd have noticed by now that things have been done in quite the unorthodox way. Although we've already learned most everything we need to know from buyers in global markets, ASUS has finally seen fit to do us English-speaking folk a solid and host up official detail sites for both the ET1602 and ET1603. Both rigs boast a 15.6-inch touchscreen LCD, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB 5,400RPM hard drive, 1.3-megapixel webcam, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, a pair of stereo speakers, two USB 2.0 ports, a multicard reader, audio in / out and a swank carry handle for lugging it around. The only difference between the two flavors is the GPU; the ET1602 includes an integrated graphics set, while the ET1603 packs a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450. Per usual, ASUS isn't dishing out any further pricing / release deets, but most everything else you could ever want to know (about the pair, not life or taxes) is just a click or two away.[Via I4U News]Read - Eee Top ET1602 Read - Eee Top ET1603
Aspire One shipments on pace to beat Eee PC
Acer's Aspire One has been somewhat overlooked in the face of a relentless barrage of Eee PCs and other netbooks, but slow and steady tends to win the race -- Acer says it's on track to ship six million machines this year, which is ahead of ASUS's target of five million Eees. Acer's mostly pulled into the lead due to its size and ability to push the Aspire One globally, while ASUS (which less than half the revenue) has been building the Eee market by market. Of course, that doesn't mean ASUS is going down without a fight -- we've already seen some aggressive ads, and Acer doesn't have anything to match machines like the S101. Looks like the netbook market is starting to get heated -- it'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out over the next few months.
ASUS Eee PC S101 reviewed: sexy, but not worth the premium
We already knew ASUS' Eee PC S101 had it going on when it came to design, but how did it hold up under the stresses of everyday use? The critics over at Laptop Mag took the fashionable netbook into their testing lair, and while it was deemed "gorgeous and strikingly thin," users who opt for this one must be willing to "make some trade-offs in the name of fashion." For starters, the $699 machine shares almost all of the same internal components as the $449 Eee PC 1000H, so you'll have to fall awfully hard for the looks in order to justify the delta. Generally speaking, the palm rest and keyboard were both praised, but the critics did find the Shift key to be "awkwardly placed". In the end, there wasn't much here to discuss outside of cosmetic differences, and while this crew couldn't place its highest recommendations on the pricey S101, those with deeper pockets may certainly feel otherwise.
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
Video: ASUS Eee Top gets touched, chatted about
We haven't heard too much about ASUS' all-in-one touchscreen PC on this side of the drink, but folks overseas are apparently having a field day with it. For your eyes only comes a hands-on / impressions vid showing off the user interface, the design and the overall touchability of the so-called Eee Top. Not too many surprises are in store, but you've got to watch for the accent if nothing else. It's after the break, of course.
Eee PC turns one year old, slides under the $300 barrier to celebrate
You wouldn't know it by the vast array of spin-offs and iterations, but the Eee PC has only just now turned one year old and, whether by coincidence or design, it's also now finally dropped under the ever-elusive $300 mark. That doesn't come in the form of that rumored new sub-$300 model, however, but rather an existing Eee PC 900A that's now available from Best Buy for $299.99. Not that we're complaining, as this particular model packs an 8.9-inch display compared to the 7-incher on the 701SDX spotted yesterday, along with a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB or RAM, a 4GB SSD, and Linux pre-installed. Now, about that $200 Eee PC.Read - jkOnTheRun, "Asus breaks sub-$300 price barrier with Eee PC 900A at Best Buy"Read - Laptop, "Happy Birthday Eee PC!"
ASUS all-in-one touchscreen PC up for pre-order... in the UK
Oh sure, there's absolutely no viable reason for ASUS to slap an Eee moniker on this all-in-one desktop, but it's there, so we just couldn't resist the mention. Now that we're beyond that, this touchscreen-based desktop -- which was peeked way back in June -- is finally showing signs of life courtesy of a formal pre-order page hosted up at Play.com. The all white machine packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, 15.6-inch LCD, Windows XP Home, a 1.3-megapixel camera, built-in stereo speakers, WiFi, a slew of ports and an integrated graphics set. The current release date is set for November 20th, though we wouldn't bet the farm on that or anything. At any rate, those unable to resist can plunk down £399.99 ($685) right now and look forward to free delivery in just over a month.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Eee PC news: touchscreens, bumps to dual-core Atoms, sub-$300 model
We've seen tons of Eees modded with touchscreens, and it looks like ASUS is taking the hint -- it's saying that it expects to launch touch-enabled Eee PCs next year, as long rumored. It's not clear whether the new models will run XP or a special Linux build, but we'll find out soon enough, since the company plans to show them off at CES in January. Unsurprisingly, we should also be seeing dual-core Atom 330 chips make their way into the Eee line as soon as they're available in quantity, but the best piece of news is probably that ASUS will be getting aggressive on price with a sub-$300 Eee. Now just wrap all that up in the S101's case and we're all set -- that would be just about perfect.[Via Electronista]
Super Talent caters to Eee PC with new 16/32/64GB SSDs
Though not the first SSDs we've seen looking for homes specifically in netbooks, Super Talent is hoping to make an even bigger splash with its latest trio and their bite-sized prices. Merely days after causing us all to drool with a sub-$300 128GB drive, the firm has revealed a trifecta of mini PCIe SSDs designed "explicitly for the ASUS Eee PC." The units are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors, each with 40MB/sec maximum read speeds and 15MB/sec maximum write rates. The trio is expected to hit mass production next month, and they'll only cost you $53, $79 and $149 in order of mention.[Via jkOnTheRun]
Press shots and first review of ASUS' sexy Eee PC S101
You've already seen just how sexy ASUS' Eee PC S101 is in person (save for that heinous brown motif), but now you can take a peek at just how luscious this slim slab of computing prowess looks in the eyes of a press photographer. And if you're worried about real-world use, an early review puts those fears completely to bed. Critics found the machine to be absolutely stunning (a real shock, we know), and on the performance end, they were generally pleased. Of note, it did long for integrated WWAN and a tinier price tag, but we suppose you can't have everything. Speaking of which, we're seeing a €599 ($816) price tag for the European model, which clearly includes a premium for the aforementioned overall hotness.Read - Press shotsRead - Review
ASUS' Eee PC S101 gets hands-on treatment, release details
Anxious to get your claws around an Eee PC that looks -- amazingly -- nothing like an Eee PC? Feast your eyes on the S101, which was recently toyed with by our brethren over at Engadget Chinese. We must say, this here piece of machinery looks mighty fine save for that not-at-all appealing brown coat, but we suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all. As for launch dates (pricing should range between $699 and $799), we're hearing that the Asia-Pacific realm could see it as early as tomorrow, while Europe will get it in around a fortnight and North America sometime later this month. Oh, and if you're in that latter region, you better bite early -- just 1,000 of 'em will be made available here initially.
Eee PC modded by Intel engineers to boot in five seconds
Sure, we've seen projects like SplashTop boot a stripped Linux build quickly, but Intel engineers at the recent Linux Plumbers Conference took things a little farther last Thursday, starting up modified versions of Fedora and Intel's own Moblin Linux on an SSD-equipped Eee PC in just five seconds. That's all the way to an idle CPU and disk, not cheating and starting a window manager while background services thrash in the background, mind you -- and it's fast enough that the splash screen was removed from both distros. The changes are being sent back to the Moblin and Fedora trunks, but if you're curious, a detailed overview of the changes awaits at the read link.[Via SlashGear]
ASUS makes Eee PC S101 official, 904HA images leak out
Just when we think things can't get any worse for the Eee's bedraggled reputation as a brand, along comes ASUS with a subtle deviation to give us some much needed hope. The "fashion-friendly" S101 ($699 to $799), which will ship in brown (seriously?), champagne and graphite hues, and feature a 10.2-inch WSVGA LED-backlit display, an SSD up to 64GB in size, 4-in-1 flash card reader, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, a VGA output, three USB 2.0 ports, 0.3-megapixel webcam and a multi-touch trackpad. In related news, we've got the remarkably heinous 904HA (shown after the break), which inexplicably comes in puke green and lollipop red (or black, phew), and includes a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, 6-cell battery and a $399.99 price tag. You're stoked, aren't you?Read - Eee PC S101Read - Eee PC 904HA; via EeePCNews
Eee marketing getting adorably bitchy
When every company out there is cranking out the same 10-inch 1.6GHz Atom netbook, there aren't many ways to make your product stand out: the obvious trick is to go low on price, but ASUS isn't messing with its profit margins. Instead, it's apparently going negative in the most adorable way possible -- check this hit piece on the Acer Aspire One. If all these frowny faces are to be believed, using the Aspire One will basically be awkward and unergonomic for a short while, at which point you'll burst into flames. Not only that, but ASUS can't even bring itself to spell out "Aspire," instead starring it out like someone might catch them saying it out loud. Very mature. Still, if anything can revive our flagging enthusiasm for the entire netbook category, it would be one of these WINNER crowns packed in with every Eee -- now that's a real differentiating factor, ASUS. Full image in the gallery. %Gallery-33448%
ASUS veers back onto familiar trail with Eee PC 900HA
It's with palm planted firmly on forehead that we announce ASUS' Eee PC 900HA. For a brief moment in time, we actually thought that the outfit was finally realizing that the moniker needed a break, and considering just how fantastic the N10 performed without three vowels preceding it, can you really blame us? Nevertheless, the company seems to have strayed back into familiar territory with the 900HA, which is essentially a 900A with a hefty 160GB hard drive. Other specs include a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP Home, a 4-cell battery, 802.11b/g WiFi and an 8.9-inch 1,024 x 600 display. Expect it to ship just in time for the 900XXLHA's introduction for $349.99.[Via jkkmobile]
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]
Video: ASUS N10 netbook gets hands-on treatment, plays COD4
We knew the ASUS N10 was a burly fellow when we took some street corner shots of it earlier this month, but we never even thought to toss Call of Duty 4 on there and waste away a solid 12 hours in online war zones. Thankfully, the blokes over at Mobile Computer did think to try that, and the results weren't half bad. 'Course, that discrete NVIDIA GeForce 9300M graphics set didn't hurt, and if you're sick enough to really buy a netbook for gaming, this one should probably be atop your list. At any rate, a rather in-depth hands-on video awaits you in the read link -- go in expecting keyboard impressions, disappointment with the glare, and a few good minutes with an FPS and you'll leave happy.[Thanks, Rex]
