Asus Eee PC T91 now shipping in US for $499

Update: Thought this was too good to be true. BuyDig has now changed the status from “In Stock” to “No stock Yet-Accepting Pre-Orders”. Looks like we will be waiting until the end of the month before stock appears.

The Asus Eee PC T91 convertible tablet appears to have gone on sale at an US online retailer, at least two-to-three weeks earlier than expected. The T91 was not due to hit retail until “late July” in both the US and UK. Whilst we are still waiting here in the UK, US-based BuyDig now has the T91 listed as in stock and ready for dispatch for $499.

The Eee PC T91 netbook has a 8.9-inch (1024 x 600) display and a swivel mechanism that converts it into a tablet device. The particular model number listed is T91SA-VU1X-BK. The Eee PC T91 is powered by a 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU and comes with a 1GB RAM and a 16GB SSD. Read more

NbC: Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell netbook unboxed

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA was officially announced for the UK today and Asus were kind enough to send over the netbook for testing. The Eee PC 1005HA looks very similar to the first 1008HA Seashell model, but is slightly thicker and heavier due it having a removable battery (the 1008HA has a sealed battery). You also don’t get the flaps over the port doors that you get in the slimmer 1008HA. The 1005HA also has a full-sized VGA port.

As we reported earlier, there are two (quite different) UK SKUs for the Eee PC 1005HA. The model that we were sent is the Eee PC 1005HA-WHI064X. This particular version is the white 1005HA powered by a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU. Compared to the more expensive N280 Atom model, this model has a lower capacity 6-cell battery, no Bluetooth, no netbook sleeve, a matte screen (N280 SKU has a glossy screen) and a 0.3MP webcam (N280 SKU has a 1.3MP webcam). Read more

Asus Eee PC 1005HA and 1101HA officially announced for UK

Whilst we already know lots about the Eee PC 1005HA and 1101HA Seashell netbooks, both models have officially been announced for the UK market today. The 10-inch 1005HA will come in two different SKUs and launch at the end of the month. We would suggest that consumers pay special attention to both model numbers as there are significant differences between both SKUs.

The cheaper 1.6GHz N270 Atom netbook will cost £329 and is available in black (1005HA-BLK083X) and white (1005HA-WHI064X). This model comes with a lower-rated 6-cell battery (4400 mAh) that should be good for 8.5 hours according to the company. You will not find Bluetooth on this model and it only has a 0.3MP webcam. The N270 SKU also has a matte (1024 x 600) display. Asus also does not include a netbook sleeve with this version. Read more

Netbook demand running out of steam? Vendors cautious over Atom N450 netbook sales

Netbooks have seen explosive growth since they first launched onto the market around two years ago. It’s been one of the few technology segments where growth has been sustained during these tough economic times. Due to its success, it seems that everyone wants a slice of the pie. Because of this there has been huge competition in this space, albeit with a lot of ‘me-too’ products with similar specs and uninspiring designs.

Therefore, it is probably no surprise to learn that netbook demand in H1 2009 failed to live up to some manufacturers expectations. The result of this is unsold inventory and margin dilution due to high competition. Some of these vendors have already significantly reduced their netbook Research & Development expenses as well as lowering marketing budgets. Read more

Asus Eee PC LED messaging notifier [Mod]

The last mod we came across for the Asus Eee PC netbook was one that we’d not come across before (Mighty Mouse trackball). Now here is another. JustBlair created a custom-built LED whose primary function is to alert you to new messages, whether it is via email or social networking. Specifically speaking, this LED notifier alerts you to new messages from your email, Twitter and Pidgin .

He modded an Asus Eee PC 901 by creating an extra LED to the top left of the device. He used an AtMel AtTiny45 microprocessor, a 5mm red/green/blue LED that would light a different colour depending on which service the message was from. Judging by the ‘how-to’ post, it’s clearly quite a complicated but ingenious mod, which includes programming the chip. Luckily, he got it all to work first time. For the full details head over to his blog post here.

Via Liliputing.

Asus Eee PC 1101HA reviewed – hindered by poor performance

The Asus Eee PC 1101HA is the company’s first foray into 11.6-inch netbook territory. We were quite fond of the form-factor when getting hands-on a couple of weeks back. It didn’t feel significantly bigger than the 10-inch models and that space has been put to good use, including a full-sized keyboard and high resolution (1366 x 768) display. Our main concern was that the 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU would not do the screen justice, especially as a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom SKU is ruled out for now.

Cnet UK has posted the first review of the Eee PC 1101HA and it seems our fears were well founded. The Acer Aspire One 751 was criticised for not having enough grunt (it also used a Z520 Atom) and the same negative point has been levied at the 1101HA. Whilst Cnet liked the comfortable keyboard, high-res screen and excellent battery life, they felt it had been let down by “rubbish processing power”. They scored it 7.0 overall.

However, it sounds like they didn’t play around in the BIOS too much as we know that the 1101HA can be overclocked by as much as 32 percent. Even boosting this by 25 percent would put the performance on par with a 1.66GHz N280 Atom netbook. Obviously there will be an impact on battery life, but at least the option is there for those who want it. The key Cnet review points are after the jump. Read more

Asus confirms three Eee PC T91 SKUs: base, 3G & multitouch

Asus has a lot riding on its first convertible netbook, the 8.9-inch Eee PC T91. It is their first netbook to have a swivel screen that can also be used as a tablet device. We know that several different versions of the T91 are planned, including the 3G-enabled T91GO. We also know that a Windows 7 multitouch version is planned from our conversations with Asus. However, what we didn’t know were the model numbers and specification differences.

According to AsusTablet, the standard version (T91) will be followed by the 3G T91GO, which will also have GPS and a digital TV Tuner. The multitouch Windows 7 version will use the model name T91A. The Eee PC T91GO will weigh 0.06kg heavier than the standard SKU at 1.02kg, probably to account for the weight of the TV Tuner.

As things stand, we have no idea when the T91GO will release, or even if an UK launch is planned. From our conversations with Asus, the T91A will probably not launch until the end of Q3 at the earliest. The standard Eee PC T91 is expected to launch at the end of this month for £449.

Thanks John!

PC Pitstop’s survey rates MSI Wind U100 as most “loved netbook”

PC Pitstop run an online diagnostic and tune-up service, which has been scanned onto millions of PCs. As part of this service, they also ask owners how satisfied they are with their PCs. According to the results, it seems that netbook owners are largely satisfied with their purchases.

They have compiled a top nine list of netbooks for user satisfaction, which is topped by the MSI Wind U100. The overall rating scale is measured out of four stars. The survey also asks whether the PC freezes, reboots and how fast they are. All top 9 machines fare very well in the survey, with even the ninth position scoring 3.03 stars.

Interestingly, the MSI Wind U-100, Asus Eee PC 1000HE, and Samsung NC10 are also among Pitstop’s top 10 for notebooks of all types. This suggest that many people don’t see them as substitutes for laptops and are happy with their performance. Check out the top nine most loved netbooks after the jump. Read more

Asus Eee PC hacked to include Mighty Mouse trackball

We have seen a number of netbook mods here at NbC, but this is a first. One hacker, who was fed up with the scrolling on the touchpad of his Asus Eee PC 901, decided to stick an Apple Mighty Mouse trackball into its palm rest. Plasti-Bots has the complete tutorial on how you go about doing this for the enterprising modders out there.

It’s certainly not one for the novices out there. The trackball wires had to be unsoldered from the mouse, and then soldered onto the motherboard. The finished result looks very professional and the video below shows how well it works. I wonder whether this is something manufacturers may intend on building into their netbooks in the future… Read more

Asus Eee PC 1101HA unboxing video + manual overclocking tested

We have already seen some unboxing pictures of the Asus Eee PC 1101HA Seashell, but now a video unboxing has emerged of the 11.6-inch Eee PC netbook courtesy of Notebook Italia. The styling is very similar to other netbooks in the Seashell line-up and Asus could be onto a winner given its 11.6-inch high-resolution (1366 x 768) display and power efficient 1.33GHz Z520 Atom CPU and Poulsbo (US15W) chipset. The 1101HA is packaged like any other Asus Eee PC netbook. It also comes with the usual accessories including 6-cell 4400mAh battery. The video is attached below.

Notebook Italia also had a close look at the manual overclocking tool that we reported on recently. As a quick recap, Asus provides an automatic clocking tool in the form of its Super Hybrid Engine (SHE). Using this you can under/overclock depending on your usage but the clock speeds are predefined. The Eee PC 1101HA is the first netbook that Asus has allowed users to manually overclock the CPU themselves through the BIOS. Read more

NbC: Ruby Red Eee PC Seashell hands-on + other colours announced

It was going to happen at some point or the other, Asus has announced various colours for its Seashell range of Eee PC netbooks. Along with the standard black and white colours, the Eee PC 1008HA will also appear in Blue, Pink, Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue. The last two colours will come with an iridescent finish. The Eee PC 1005HA netbook will get just two new colours, Pink and Blue.

We went hands-on with a Ruby Red 1008HA Seashell last week and it looked very nice in the flesh. It also seemed less fingerprint prone to compared to the black version. From what we were told, these versions will come with no extra premium and the specifications will remain the same. You can check out to see how the Ruby Red Seashell looks in the pictures below. Read more

Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell now shipping in US

The latest line-up in Asus’ Seashell series, the Eee PC 1005HA netbook is now shipping in the United States through Amazon.com. There are two main SKUs being sold and it is important to recognise the difference between both series as there is quite a difference between them.

The more expensive Eee PC 1005HA-P at $389.99 comes with the 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1.3MP webcam, a higher capacity 6-cell battery (5600 mAh) good for 10.5 hours and a netbook sleeve. This version also comes with a glossy screen. Read more

Netbook vendors clearing out XP inventory to make way for Windows 7?

Microsoft announced its Windows 7 upgrade program earlier this week. The fact that Windows XP devices have not been earmarked for an upgrade has left some netbook vendors upset. They are concerned that this may lead to negative publicity in the netbook segment and are thus looking to clear XP-based netbook stock to make way for Windows 7.

This is not an opinion shared by all, as some vendors believe that consumers are not willing to pay a premium for the new Windows 7 OS. Some are only planning to bundle Windows 7 with Intel’s new Atom processor, the 1.66GHz Pineview N450. This will continue to leave netbooks based on the older processors (N270/N280) with Windows XP.

In related news, Asus is lowering prices of its 7-inch and 8.9-inch Eee PCs to try and clear inventory. According to sources in the retail channel, prices in Taiwan for 7-inch models have been lowered from NT$6,999 to NT$4,999 (US$153). In China, prices for the Eee PC 900A has been reduced to 1,499 Yuan (US$219). This price drops may start to impact Western markets shortly.

Via Digitimes.

Asus’ Windows 7 upgrade program includes two Eee PCs

Asus has outlined its plans on how one goes about updating to Windows 7 free of charge, if you buy an eligible product from 26th June 2009 to 31st January 2010. The interesting thing is that whilst the list is dominated by Asus notebooks, it appears though a couple of Eee PC netbooks are included in the mix.

This includes the 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA that runs on Vista Home Premium as well as the Eee PC 1005HA that runs on either XP Pro or Vista Business. Personally, I didn’t even realise that other operating software was being planned apart from XP Home. However, with the number of markets these netbooks are being sold into, different SKUs exist in each. As far as I’m aware, both UK versions of the above Eee PCs will come with just XP Home so the upgrade program won’t really apply here. Windows 7 launches on October 22nd 2009.

Via Liliputing.

Asus Eee PC T91 launch slips to “late July” in UK

There has been much speculation as to when Asus’ first convertible netbook, the 8.9-inch Eee PC T91, will start to hit retail. At the very beginning it was believed to launch in ‘late May/early June’, this then slipped to “early July” and now it seems that this has slipped to “late July” according to our conversations with Asus UK last week.

Whilst still no specific date is being committed too, we were assured that this “late July” timeline was now concrete and they envisaged no more slips. The reason for the delay was being attributed to nailing down the interface and making sure they were 100 percent happy with it before shipping. As this is their first touchscreen net tablet, they cannot afford the negative reaction on an unfinished product. Our recent hands-on with the device left us impressed with the build quality but the same couldn’t be said of its interface, which did feel like it needed more work.

Asus also confirmed that a multi-touch SKU was on the agenda to launch with Windows 7, however much would depend on how the T91 sells during Q3 2009. It also seems that the 10-inch convertible tablet, the Eee PC T101, has slipped down the priority list although it’s still on the company’s roadmap.

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