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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]
Asus denies plans for 10-inch Eee PC, for now
Well, it looks like German Asus spokesman Holger Schmidt may have jumped the gun slightly when he seemingly confirmed that the company would be shipping a 10-inch Eee PC sometime in 2008, as Asus has now shot back and denied any imminent plans for such a device. It's far from an outright denial, however, with Asus reportedly telling EeeUser.com only that, "there are no plans for 10-inch at the moment," and that, "We will have 8G with the same form factor and 7-inch screen size as the Eee PC 4G now." Of course, it's entirely possible (even likely) that "at the moment" doesn't mean all of 2008, although it also seems that the 7-inch Eee PCs will have the spotlight to themselves, at least for a little while.[Via Reg Hardware]
Leopard on Eee: A match made in heaven?
Inevitable? Yes. Super great? Absolutely. Do we potentially derive too much pleasure from answering our own questions? Quite possibly. Asus has really built itself a PC ripe for the tinkering -- as Dan at UNEASYsilence points out, there's a bootable DVD included to restore the thing to factory settings, so the worst that can happen is you blow a few hours on a bum install. Of course, Leopard wasn't really designed to speed along on this level of horsepower, but the Eee PC still managed to run the OS, and the pre-hacked disk images available on the internets make it fairly straightforward process. Instructions are at the read link.
OS X on an Asus Eee PC
Okay let me start by saying that we at TUAW don't actually condone this hack, because it does clearly break some licensing restrictions, but dang it's pretty cool nonetheless. The interwebs have been abuzz the last couple of weeks about the Asus Eee PC. It's a tiny 2lb Linux-based sub-notebook with a 7" screen and 4GB of solid state storage. The initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, especially considering its relatively modest price tag ($399). Now Dan over at UNEASYsilence writes in to tell us that he's successfully installed OS X on the Eee PC.He apparently initially installed Leopard, but given the rather modest hardware of the Eee PC (900 MHz Celeron, 512MB ram) he ended up downgrading to Tiger. Nonetheless, he reports it "seems rock solid on my eeePC." As I said above, this involves some serious hacking of dubious legality (e.g. even if you own a Tiger license, Apple does not allow you install it on a PC). Nonetheless, I think this is a very cool hack, and I can't but admit I'd be tempted myself.
Asus Eee PC now out in "Galaxy Black"
While the original white of Asus's Eee PC is no slouch in the looks department, we're finding the stylings of this "Galaxy Black" version all the more irresistable -- maybe it's just because the screen bezel doesn't look quite as dramatic this way. The new color was revealed about a week ago, but the good news is that the black version is receiving zero mark-up in price, instead of the rumored $20. Taking notes, Apple? Oh, and if black still doesn't do it for you, the 2G Surf is just around the corner.[Thanks, Wael]
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.
Eee PC heads to the desktop in 2008
Like your Eee PC do ya? Good, how about a desktop version to go with it? With the unexpected success of their new ultra-portable, Asus is looking to RAZR that momentum with a desktop version of the Eee PC. Jonathan Tseng, Asus president of marketing, says that the new Eee -- Easy to learn, Easy to play, Easy to Work -- will launch in 2008. Good news for us consumers but likely unwelcome tattle for Redmond. As you may have noticed, the recent onslaught of low-cost, low-powered, low-speced (Lll?) PCs are all Linux-happy slabs in order to avoid those heavy Microsoft licensing fees.
Asus' 2G Surf Eee PC: a taste of Spring in January
Hike up that skirt boy, Asus' is hoping for a diddle of your effeminate side. The lowly 2GB entry-level "2G Surf" Eee PC will hail for $299 when it finally makes its rumored January 2008 pastel appearance. Yay, clap clap, bounce bounce.[Via Pocketables]
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]
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.
Asus' Eee PC gets dissected
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. First the Eee PC gets reviewed, then it gets ripped apart, in this case by the always curious folks at TweakTown. While there's not too many surprises on the inside, TweakTown's organized destruction of the budget-friendly laptop is nothing if not thorough, including eight pages of pictures and descriptions of virtually every component. Like most others, they also seem to have been fairly impressed by the laptop as a whole, saying it is "perfectly positioned to prevail," although they admit it's "not for everyone." Check out a few more pics after the break, and hit up the read link below for the full blow-by-blow action.[Via SlashGear]
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 now being served at NewEgg
If you're still hanging in there even after the price-hike, then you'll be happy to know that the Asus Eee PC just busted free on-line over at NewEgg. No sign of it at Best Buy yet so you're stuck with a $399 4GB model (only) at the moment. A $10.33 shipping insult is added to the failed expectation injury starting today.Update: Sold out! Of course, NewEgg's initial allotment could have been one unit for all we know. Fortunately for those on the hunt, it looks like NewEgg expects to restock tomorrow.[Via I4U News, thanks Jason H.]
Asus lets loose US pricing, launch details for Eee PC
It's been a long time coming, but it looks like Asus has finally settled down on pricing and release details for the US launch of its low-cost Eee PC. According to NotebookReview, a sales kit sent out to retailers by Asus confirms the $300 to $400 prices we heard about recently, with a $350 model squeezed in there as well. The same sales kit also reveals that the top-end $400 model, dubbed the Eee PC 4G, will be the first one available, with it set to drop on November 1st. While there's no firm details on the other two models, they'll apparently both also be available sometime before the end of the year. Conspicuously absent, however, is the much-touted $199 model, which we're guessing will be released around the same time as the $100 OLPC.[Via Electronista]
Asus' Eee PC 701 gets reviewed, adored
"Pound for pound, the best value-priced notebook on the planet." Sure, you could stop right there if you'd like, but where's the fun in that? Laptop Mag was able to get their paws around an Asus Eee PC 701, and while you may not think a meager 900MHz Intel Celeron processor could stir up all sorts of jubilant emotions, apparently it still can. Reviewers made no bones about the machine's lack of raw horsepower, and it did make sure to knock Asus for releasing a machine with webcam drivers "on the way," but despite the rough edges, the wee 701 was deemed a great choice for the novice PC user or someone scouting a secondary machine. Notably, the Eee PC 701 isn't apt to make just anyone smile, but if you're interested in finding out if such a device would work for you, be sure and give the read link a bit of your time.
Hey Asus, where's the $199 Eee PC?
Last week Asus finally revealed pricing and specs for their much anticipated Eee PC ultra-portable laptop. Anticipated not so much for the specs -- 7-inch LED-backlit LCD, 2 to 8GB of flash storage, up to 1GB memory, WiFi, and webcam -- but for the low, low $199 retail price. Rightly, more than a few of us were dismayed when the entry-level model was revealed to actually cost as much as US$358 in Taiwan and an expected $300 (pre-tax) price when launching Stateside before the month is out. The culprit? Well, according to DigiTimes' Taiwanese component insiders the relatively steep price is in large part due to an unexpectedly high cost for the 7-inch LCD panels. Asus had expected to source the panels for about $15 each but found themselves paying AU Optronics (AUO) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) up to twice as much for the hardware. Feel better for knowing? Yeah, didn't think so.
