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Video: EeePC modded into a WalleeePC
We know how it is -- you were an early adopter of the netbook craze sweeping every nation from Austria to Australia, but now that 11-inches is looking like the new de facto standard, your old 7-incher just isn't cutting the mustard anymore. So what do you do? You mod that sucker into a kitchen cabinet door, of course. You'll need a 7-inch USB touchscreen to layer atop an EeePC 701, along with a few other bits and bobs, but the most important thing to remember is a spectacularly loony soundtrack. Or so the video after the break seems to instruct us. [Via JKK Mobile]
ASUS phasing out 7-inch Eee PC, original Eee motto, keeping 9-incher
Given the furious pace of Eee PC updates and the industry's general standardization around nine- and 10-inch netbooks, it's not exactly shocking news that ASUS is phasing out seven-inch Eees, but it's still sad to see the original of the species shuffle off this mortal coil. According to ASUS CEO Jonny Shih, the company is going to be focusing on 10-inch models like the new Eee 1008HA, and although the company previously said the 8.9-inchers were due to axed as well, Shih says they're not going anywhere due to demand from telecom providers and emerging markets. Oh, and the company is also changing the meaning of the Eee acronym from the original "easy to learn, easy to work, easy to play" to "easy, excellent, exciting." Honestly? This changes everything.[Via PC World]
Eee PC 701 prototype UMPC mod spotted, photographed, lusted after
If you ask us (and you did) all signs seem to be pointing towards an Eee-branded UMPC at some point in the near future. Clearly there is some interest in such a beast, and we've definitely heard some chatter, and now we've got several delectable pics of an Eee PC 701 prototype with more than a passing resemblance to the Origami -- including those telltale keys. According to X-Gadget, the thing weighs 1.68 pounds (as opposed to over 2 pounds for the venerable netbook) and comes complete with a stylus. There's no word yet on a release date, or whether or not the thing will ever swing into production, but we'll keep our eyes peeled. In the meantime, be sure to check out the gallery below.Update: Looks like this is just a prototype of a case mod based on the Eee PC, not a prototype of a new ASUS product. Thanks, Andy!%Gallery-43959%[Via Portable Monkey]
ASUS loops all the way around with the Eee PC 701SD
Hey, you remember the Eee PC 701, right? The original netbook, before the category even had a name? The machine we all just called the Eee PC before ASUS booted out an insane array of lightly-differentiated models with a somewhat random naming scheme? Yeah, well, it's still around, even if the 901 has taken over as the Eee of choice, and if those slides from earlier are to be believed, it's getting a spec bump. Laptop says the new 701SD will get an Atom processor to go along with a minor case redesign, and come in a few flavors (of course): 701, 701SD, 701SD(30GB HD), 701SD-4G. Sadly, there isn't any info about pricing available, but with cheap netbooks headed toward $299 and below, here's hoping ASUS gives us a reason to love the 701 once again.
Asus Eee PC 1000 vs Atom-based 901 vs original 701... fight!
There you have it, the hotly anticipated 10-inch Eee PC 1000 sized up next to the 8.9-inch Eee PC 901 (center) and original 7-inch Eee PC 701. Feeling. Misty. Here's the scoop from Engadget Chinese who just got out of the press briefing at Computex in Taipei: New 6-cell battery offers up to 7.5-hours of battery for Eee PC 1000, 7.8-hours for 901, 7 hours for Eee PC 1000H The "H" in the Eee PC 1000(H) model means hard drive, yes, hard drive up to 80GB. A first for an Eee. The Eee PC 1000 will max-out with a 40GB SSD Fully equipped with 802.11n and Bluetooth -- hoozah! Intel's Atom across the board More pics after the break.Update: Detailed pricing and specs now in.
EeePC keyboards different on black and white models
Okay, this is pretty much for the crazy keyboard aficionados out there, but the crew over at Laptop says there's a distinct difference between the keyboards on the black and white Eee PC laptops. They compared the 'boards on a white 701, black 4G Surf, and white 900, and while the two white Eees had identical keys, the black unit featured different switches with deeper keypresses and more tactile feedback, smaller spaces between the keys, and rougher plastic. (Of course, if you actually use any keyboard for long enough, the plastic eventually wears smooth, so that's probably not an issue.) We doubt the difference is going to really sway anyone's purchasing decision -- the tiny Eee keyboard isn't exactly ideal for hardcore typists, after all -- but if you're looking for a tiebreaker between the black and white 700s, well, now you have one that will bore the pants off people at parties.
ASUS Eee PC 900 display retrofitted into 701
We've already seen one engineering bloke stuff a touch panel into a Cloudbook, so we figured it was only a matter of time before that luscious 8.9-inch unit from the Eee PC 900 found its way into the pioneering 701. According to jkkmobile, all that was necessary in order to make the mod happen was a good bit of reworking around the bezel and a BIOS hack to enable full-screen support on a larger display. Unfortunately, a step-by-step guide has yet to be posted (though it's likely forthcoming), but you can gaze upon a smattering of photos right now by giving the read link a visit.[Via Liliputing]
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.
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.
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.
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.]
Engadget Chinese gets its hands on Asus' Eee PC 701
Those as intrigued as we were with Asus' newly-announced Eee PC 701 ultralight will likely want to take the short hop over to Engadget Chinese, which has managed to gets its hands on the device and dig up a few more details on it. Perhaps most interestingly, Asus' product manger told them that while Windows XP has been successfully tested with the device, the final product will likely come with only Linux pre-installed, with XP driver support thrown in for good measure. What's more, Asus also said that the mini-laptop could eventually pack as much as 32GB of SSD storage, and even hinted at the possibility of either an optional built-in 3G module or a separate dongle. Asus also reiterated that seemingly too good to be true $200 starting price, adding that a version for "English speaking countries" could be available "as early as August this year."
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]
