Filed under: Laptops

ASUS has apparently gotten totally, righteously official on its Eee 904, according to reports. Word on the street is that the new iteration of its overflowing line of micro-laptops will be headed to shelves very soon, though it won’t exactly pack a groundbreaking set of features. As we previously reported, the system will feature an 8.9-inch 1024 x 600 display — but now full specs include a 900MHz Celeron M CPU, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and an install of Windows XP on board. Keep in mind the keyboard on this model mirrors the one used on the larger Eee 1000, though little else is different about this model versus the Eee 901 (which incidentally gets a price cut to £299, or about $595). The 904 will retail for £269 ($535), and will be available mid-July.

[Via TechRadar]

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Filed under: Laptops

Seems that just about anyone insider of Asus is authorized to discuss the Eee PC roadmap judging by the whirlwind of information we always get prior to an official launch. Case in point: an unnamed “company representative” says that a 3G version of the Eee PC will be launching as early as September in Europe. An alternative to the WiMax version already annouced and demonstrated on Sprint’s Xohm. The prices for the presumed HSDPA/HSUPA enabled mini-laptops will of course vary depending upon contract. Can’t wait? No worries, why not roll your own? Should be a snap now that the Eee is riding that bigger 9-inch chassis.

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Filed under: Laptops

The price isn’t the only thing swelling on ASUS’ Eee PC. According to DigiTimes‘ proven ASUS sources, bigger Eee PC 904 and 905 models are cueing up for release. In a return to the Eee PC salad days of the big bezel, the new models will slot the same 8.9-inch display found in the 901 into a larger, Eee PC 1000-esque chassis with proportionally larger keyboard. Decisions about battery and storage have not yet been finalized although the new models would be priced similar to the 900 and 901 which they would ultimately replace.

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Filed under: Laptops

We’ve gotten just about as much info on the Eee PC 901 and 1000 as we can handle, but we’ve been missing that most important piece of data until now: a US release date. That might be about to change, though, as ASUS’s pre-sales department has apparently been telling people that the 901 and 1000 will ship on July 8th. Of course, that’s not a firm commitment, and ship dates have been known to slip, but if you’ve been waiting to cold-cock that piggy bank, well, let the countdown begin.

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Ah, so ASUS’ totally familiar looking Eee Stick wasn’t just some one-off prototype. Today, said controller has just surfaced in the depths of the FCC, complete with internal / external photographs, a user’s manual and a few reports certifying that no one grew a third leg during testing. Apparently the GMC-1 package will include a pair of joysticks (one with a D-pad, one with an analog stick), a USB dongle and the obligatory Quick Start guide and Support CD. Heck, these critters even come with bundled wrist straps, eliminating any lingering doubt that the inspiration for these didn’t come from The Big N. Still, we can’t help but be slightly excited about the possibilities here, but whether or not they actually prove useful remains to be seen.

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Filed under: Laptops

Okay, so that was eerily fast. Merely two days after ASUS’ Eee PC 1000H went on sale in Taiwan, the cats over at TweakTown managed to secure a unit and curb their excitement long enough to unbox the thing, snap some photographs along the way and even capture the experience on video. Here’s a hint: it’s an Eee PC, it has a 10-inch display, and it’s leaving its original packaging. Video after the break.

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1000H already unboxed on video

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Filed under: Laptops

We now have official US pricing for ASUS’ new Eee PC lineup. The Eee PC 901 nabs a $599 MSRP for both Linux and Windows XP versions. The pricing for the 1000 and 1000H models is a bit more fluid (read: could change) but is currently pegged at $699 for an Eee PC 1000 (Linux or Windows XP) and $649 for the Windows XP 1000H (H, as in hard disk drive). We’ll have to wait and see how that pricing works out for them with MSI’s $399 Wind coming later this summer (the $499 XP version in a few days) along side Acer’s $400 Aspire One. Oh, and then there’s that pesky Dell E-series said to be starting at $299 by the time they ship in August or September. For now you can check the full reviews, which, as you’d expect, see the evolutionary jumps made by the Eee PC 901 universally commended — especially the 6-cell, 6600mAh battery. Laptop managed to eek-out 4.38-hours (Stuff, well over 5-hours) of life with WiFi turned on — well short of the 7.8-hours listed by ASUS but much better than previous Eees. Both reviews share our concern: price.

Read — US Pricing
Read — Laptop review
Read — Stuff review

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Filed under: Laptops

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We’ve seen the pictures, now the details. What you’re looking at up there are the official specs and pricing for Asus new Eee PC series. Up to 7.8-hours of battery, 802.11n, Bluetooth, and 1.3 megapixel camera as we already knew. What’s more, the 10.2-inch 1000-series features either a 40GB SSD on the Linux-based 1000 or 80GB traditional hard disk on the XP or Linux-based 1000H. Both ship with 2GB DDR2 memory.

Now the price:

• Eee PC 901: NT$16,988 or about $559
• Eee PC 1000(H): NT$18,988 or about $625
• Eee PC 1000: NT$19,988 or about $658

Let’s wait for domestic pricing outside of Taiwan to see how these numbers will ultimately tally closer to home.

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Filed under: Laptops

Continue reading Asus Eee PC 1000 vs Atom-based 901 vs original 701… fight!

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Filed under: Laptops

We were expecting to see ASUS’s 10-inch Eee PC 1000 make the scene tomorrow at Computex, but it looks like French site Blogeee.net scored some early pictures of the long-rumored Atom-based machine. No detailed specs yet, but hit up the read link for the rest of the glamour shots.

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Filed under: Laptops

As you know, Asus will be announcing its Atom-based 8.9-inch Eee PC 901 and 10-inch 10001 tomorrow at Computex. However, the more obscure WiMax Expo show has already kicked off featuring a WiMax-enabled Eee PC 901. While the WiMax version won’t ship until later (for obvious reasons), the 901 models at the show are being displayed in both black and white models based on a 1.6GHz Atom processor with 1GB of memory, Bluetooth, WiFi, memory card slot, and a 20GB SSD for Linux builds or 12GB SSD for Windows. Oh, and the 1.14-kg laptop features a 4- or 6-hour battery life depending upon battery selected. As to the older Eee PCs, ASUS’ CEO said they’ll be cutting prices on those which makes the Celeron M 701 and 900 models all the more attractive.

Read — Eee PC 901

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Filed under: Laptops

As you know, Asus will be announcing its Atom-based 8.9-inch Eee PC 901 and 10-inch 1001 tomorrow at Computex. However, the more obscure WiMax Expo show has already kicked off featuring a WiMax-enabled Eee PC 901. While the WiMax version won’t ship until later (for obvious reasons), the 901 models at the show are being displayed in both black and white models based on a 1.6GHz Atom processor with 1GB of memory, Bluetooth, WiFi, memory card slot, and a 20GB SSD for Linux builds or 12GB SSD for Windows. Oh, and the 1.14-kg laptop features a 4- or 6-hour battery life depending upon battery selected. As to the older Eee PCs, ASUS’ CEO said they’ll be cutting prices on those which makes the Celeron M 701 and 900 models all the more attractive.

Read — Eee PC 901

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Filed under: Displays, Laptops

Got an Eee PC 701 you want to take touchscreen? jkkmobile found an no-soldering-necessary aftermarket solution that makes it look oh so easy to give your Eee some touch input. Of course, you take your time (and especially money — approximately $340 US) into your own hands ordering off of Chinese part supplier sites, so be appropriately warned.

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Filed under: Gaming

ASUS seems to be bringing a lot of new toys out to play at Computex, but we’re suddenly most intrigued by the Eee Stick, a pair of motion-sensing game controllers that looks like nothing more than a pair of Wii nunchuks. We’re hearing that the left nunchuck can also work as a 3D mouse, but it’ll be interesting to see if ASUS plans to actually pitch the $70 set to game developers, or if it’s just another gimmicky controller that’ll inevitably get dumped for the comforts of WASD. Gameplay video after the break.

[Via Engadget Chinese, thanks Anonymouse]

Continue reading ASUS Eee Stick motion controller brings Wii to the Eee

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Filed under: Laptops

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Filed under: Laptops

It’s only just barely made it out into the wild, but DigiTimes is now reporting that ASUS has already stopped taking orders from resellers for its 8.9-inch Eee PC 900 in anticipation of the now imminent launch of the Atom-based Eee PC 901. That word apparently comes from some unspecified “industry sources,” who also claim that the Eee PC 900 was only ever a “transitional product” to begin with, which ASUS pushed out the door with a plain old Celeron M processor in order to get an 8.9-inch model out ahead of its competitors. Certainly a reasonable conclusion to draw, but a quick glance of online retailers shows that there’s still plenty of Eee PC 900s out there for the taking if you’re not sold on this whole Atom thing.

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Filed under: Laptops

[Via GizmoLounge]

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Filed under: Laptops

So according to El Reg, it turns out ASUS is selling its Eee 900 laptops in the UK with 4400mAh batteries — quite a bit smaller than the 5800mAh batteries that come in the US version. It’s insult to injury when you consider that the larger screen necessarily sucks down more juice than on the 700 series, but ASUS explains that overseas users get a tradeoff in exchange: UK warranties last two years, supposedly longer than their US counterparts (although to be fair, we’ve heard of retailers listing the US Eee’s warranty at two years as well). Caveat emptor, and all that.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

ASUS isn’t being shy about its plan for global Eee domination, and it sounds like the company is exploring expanding beyond the laptop and desktop form factors we’ve already seen. Speaking to Current.com.au, ASUS Australia retail manager Emmanuele Silanesu said that ASUS’s Eee group is “obviously looking at other form factors rather than just a clamshell,” but wouldn’t confirm anything — and just to make things even hazier, Silanesu said that a forthcoming touchscreen machine from ASUS might not carry the Eee branding. That’s just about as vague as it gets, but we’re in agreement with UMPC Portal that ASUS has plenty of low-power, low-cost UMPCs on the shelf (like the R2E pictured above) that could easily be made over to fit with the Eee line. We’ll see when we see — Silanesu hinted that something was due to appear at Computex in June.

[Via UMPC Portal]

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