Standing up? You better sit down. I have some details about the new Eee PCs that are coming out this month, straight from ASUS. You can stand back up, actually. Some of the stuff is sort of exciting, but you’re not going to faint or anything. First, we now know what the three E’s stand for; Easy, Excellent, and Exciting. Exciting indeed, like more exciting than finding out that Kramer’s first name was Cosmo. Second, the three new models will be officially called the Eee PC 901, 1000, and 1000(H). The 1000(H) is news to me, as it’ll use a conventional 80GB laptop hard drive. The 901 will come with a 12GB or 20GB SSD, depending on whether you choose Windows XP or Linux, and the 1000 will come with a 40GB SSD. Third, battery life looks pretty impressive at “up to 7.8 hours” thanks to new high capacity batteries. Real world testing, of course, will tell the whole story. Almost eight hours would be wonderful, though. Finally, each new unit will come with 20GB of online storage. I guess that’s nice. Hit the jump for the full press release. → Read More
Like the episode of The Office where Michael shows up uninvited to Jim’s barbeque, Microsoft has shown up at the netbook party, thrown its coat to the Temp, and grabbed the Karaoke microphone. A recent press release says the following. “Customers and partners have made it clear to us that they want Windows on their netbooks and nettops,” said Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the Original Equipment Manufacturer Division at Microsoft. “We are committed to providing Windows solutions for these devices, helping to ensure a high-quality experience for both our partners and customers.” → Read More
What’s $499 and runs Windows XP Home with a 1.6GHz Atom processor? Why the MSI Wind, of course! It should be available in June (a Linux version drops for $399 in July) and will definitely give the ultralight Asus eee a run for its money. → Read More
The impending Eee 901 has been spotted at the WiMax Expo in Taipei and is expected to be formally announced and launched tomorrow. We saw some early details a couple of weeks ago, but here’s some more information. IDG News is reporting that the Eee PC 901 will have a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and will ship with a 12GB SSD and Windows XP or with a 20GB SSD and Linux, depending which option you choose. The 901 will feature Bluetooth and future versions will contain a WiMAX chipset once the technology becomes more ubiquitous. The 901 will come in black or white (see black version here) and apparently battery life is pretty solid at four to six hours. IDG says that pricing wasn’t disclosed, but earlier reports pegged the machine at “under $650,” which sounds reasonable. → Read More
TGDaily reports that the Atom-based Eee PC will be coming next week, but they seem rightly skeptical of the little guy. After all, at $650 it’s no longer that cheap (you could get a used MacBook for that price), and not only is the performance not really up to par but it’s a certainty that dual-core Atoms are forthcoming in just a few months so your investment in the chipset would be unwise at this point. As much as I like the Eee PC, this doesn’t seem like a winning flavor. → Read More
CNET’s UK office got a special hands-on with the forthcoming MSI Wind notebook and they like it so much that they said it “could take the throne from the Asus Eee PC as the best mini laptop on the planet.” The 10-inch screen is apparently better than the one on HP’s Mini-Note 2133, and the overall design aesthetic and keyboard on the Wind is better than the Eee but not quite as nice as the Mini-Note. One really cool feature is that the CPU can be overclocked by about 20% by hitting Fn + F10, which kicks MSI’s “TurboDrive Engine” into gear. More photos after the jump. → Read More
“The day has finally arrived and the 3K RazorBook 400 is now hitting the US market. We just lowered our MSRP to $299 as part of this exciting announcement. There has been a lot of comparison from bloggers to the Asus eeePC due to its similar 7-inch LCD form factor. The 3K RazorBook 400 is a unique product that was designed as a low-cost ($299) portable Internet appliance, not to replace your home PC or Notebook computer,” said Dan Jacobs, CEO, 3K Computers. Okay, I won’t compare this to the Eee, then. I will tell you, however, that it’s a small laptop that weighs two pounds, has a 4GB solid-state drive, 7-inch 800×480 display, 400MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, Linux, and a “full-size” keyboard. Full-size keyboard? Look at the size of that dude’s hand! Anyhoo, the price is okay — at $299, it probably won’t break the bank. It’s got twice the storage space but half the processor speed of the laptop that must not be named, so keep that in mind. Dimensons for the RazorBook are 8.25″ L x 5.5″ W x 1.25″ H versus Voldemort’s 8.86″ L x 6.30″ W x 1.4″ H, so it’s got a smaller footprint. Again, no way that’s a full-size keyboard. Boot up time is eight seconds, though, which is nice. It’s available here if you’re interested. → Read More
Hot damn, boys and girls. Either that’s a hilariously large novelty pencil or we’ve got ourselves an Eee-sized Dell notebook to look forward to. To which to look forward. Which to whom we will forwardly look. Grammar is hard. Anyway, Michael Dell was spotted carrying this little guy around at All Things D by Gizmodo. Details are pretty murky but early photos seem to present a pretty standard miniature laptop. Hopefully it’s got a big enough screen and keyboard. More details soon, hopefully. In the mean time, hit the jump for more photos. → Read More
To quote the lovely and vivacious Susan Powter, “Stop the insanity!” Apparently ASUS is getting set to announce a 10-inch version of the super-popular Eee subnotebook on June 3rd at Computex 2008 in Taiwan. According to an invitation received by UMPC Fever, “ASUS is looking forward to welcoming you during Computex 2008 in Taipei, Taiwan, for the ASUS’ 08 Computex Trilogy of launch events. We would also like to specially extend an invitation to you to attend the official global launch of the new Eee PC™ 901 and 1000 series.” So it’s not set in stone that “1000 series” means “10-inch Eee,” but if ASUS’ naming conventions are any indication, that may be exactly what it is. via Gizmodo → Read More
The spec-bumped 901 from Asus that we heard about last week will also be available in black, according to some leaked photos on Blogee.net (the site is currently down). Early reports indicate that the 901 series will launch in Taiwan on June 3rd with the rest of us likely seeing it available within a month or so afterward. Again, specs will be similar to the Eee PC 900, except for the new Atom chipset and you’ll be able to add a Bluetooth module. Pricing should start at under $650. via The Register → Read More
You could hire a studio and models to do a photo shoot to promote your product, or you could save some money by grabbing a licensed image from a stock photography website, like Getty. If you do, just make sure you largest competitor hasn’t also used the exact same image in the exact same way. Awkward. [Google Translated] → Read More
DigiTimes is reporting that Asus will release an Intel Atom version of its new 8.9-inch screen Eee PC (it’ll be called the 901) on June 3rd for “below $650″. Aside from the Atom chipset, it’ll have some other upgrades too; Bluetooth, “metal alloy parts to the keyboard and hinge” and the touchpad will have a metallic border. Mmmm, metal-y. Aside from those differences, everything else should pretty much be the same as what you’d find on the currently-available Eee PC 900, except that “the Eee PC 901 will replace the Asustek logo with an Eee logo at the bottom of the display and on the top of the lid, while the Linux version of the Eee PC 901 will have more software applications added to it.” → Read More
Wow, that’s MUCH better than a stupid alarm clock or gold fountain pen. Royal Bank of Canada is giving away 2G Surf Eee PCs when you open a new account. Sure wish I lived in Canada. Is there a catch? Of course! There are only two eligible accounts to choose from; one’s $14 per month and one’s $30 per month. But hey, free Eee. Well played, Canada. RBC Royal Bank [RBCRoyalBank.com] via FatWallet → Read More
A lot of notebook manufacturers will take photos of their products being used in locations that most normal people would never dream of taking such delicate and expensive devices. Case in point, the first iteration of the Asus Eee PC with the girl on the beach. Everyone knows that the beach is the absolute LAST place to take a laptop. There are too many people having “fun” — blissfully unaware that they might be kicking sand up all over your computer while you’re trying to work. The beach is just too dangerous. So it’s great to see that Asus has shifted gears with its Eee PC 900 series and taken some photos of the device next to a plate of gutted fish with the protective covering still affixed to the trackpad (although that soy sauce is dangerously close). While I don’t condone eating next to your laptop, it has to be done unless you “take breaks” and eat in a “kitchen” with your “family” instead of at your desk. Basically what I’m saying is that the new Eee 900 will be available in black and it’ll have somewhat more realistic product photos. via SlashGear → Read More
If you’re a fan of Linux, you probably also really love Microsoft Office, right? That’s what British online retailer BT Shop is betting with a bundle that includes the new Linux version of the Asus Eee 900 and a copy of Office Home and Student Edition, according to The Register. The bundle only saves each buyer less than two British pounds, Microsoft Office doesn’t work with Linux, and Open Office comes pre-installed on the Eee PC, but don’t let that stop you. You’ll save £1.76! → Read More
TweakTown has some more details about MSI’s upcoming Wind notebook, one of the latest in the line of Asus Eee competitors. So far, the specs look pretty good and the relatively large 10-inch screen and 12-inch wide keyboard are welcome additions. → Read More
People in Hong Kong are upset — maybe outraged! — at Asus for sending out review units of the new Eee PC 900 with 4-cell 5800mAh batteries and then selling the public machines with 4-cell 4400mAh batteries. I’d be a little upset too. According to DigiTimes, “Several consumers in Hong Kong who purchased Eee PC 900s on the first day have complained that the battery that came with their system (4-cell, 4400mAh) does not have the same capacity as that of review samples supplied to the Hong Kong media (4-cell, 5800mAh) before the launch. Asustek explained that the 4400mAh battery is currently the standard for the Eee PC 900, while it plans to introduce the 5800mAh battery in later products. It said 5800mAh batteries were provided to the media for testing by mistake. The company said it is currently evaluating procedures to instigate a replacement program, details of which it will announce at a later time.” Sounds a little bit fishy to me, but at least Asus seems to be prepared to offer the higher capacity batteries to those jilted consumers. → Read More
It’s no secret that Asus wants to get its 8.9-inch lappie to market as quickly as possible and we’re now hearing that the Eee PC 900 will be available in the US on May 12 for $550, according to Wired, which is $50 higher than earlier reports. In order for Asus to get it here by then, it had to forgo using Intel’s new made-for-tiny-laptops Atom processor. But PC World is reporting that an Atom-based version of the Eee PC will be available in June, not long after the release of the non-Atom 900. Details about the Eee model coming in June are scarce except that Asus’ CEO says that it’ll be “the second wave of the Eee PC,” according to PC World. And the Atom is supposed to be an inexpensive yet power-friendly chip, so you might just want to hold off on that Eee PC 900 purchase. Hopefully we’ll have more details about the Atom-based Eee PC before the 900 gets released so that people can make an informed decision about whether or not to spend $550 in May or hold off until June. → Read More
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