Asus Eee PC 1002HAE netbook with aluminium skin
May 7, 2009 at 11:10 am
Asus has announced yet another Eee PC netbook and they just keep one-upping themselves on their confusing model naming structure. The 10-inch Asus Eee PC 1002HAE appears to be a refresh of its elegant 1002HA netbook. However, Asus has taken the design cues one step further with the 1002HAE, by dressing this particular variant in a gorgeous aluminium skin which will come in Deep Red, Dark Blue and Metal Grey colours.
Asus has also upped the power under the hood to a 1.66GHx N280 Atom CPU (as opposed to the 1.6GHz N270 found in the Eee PC 1002HA). The rest of the specifications remain the same. The 1002HAE netbook comes with a 10-inch (1024 x 600) LED-backlit display, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-disk drive. Other features include wireless draft n support, a 1.3MP webcam and a card reader. The battery should last 3.8 hours. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1000HG 3G netbook hitting UK next week
May 6, 2009 at 12:43 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1000HG was first announced back in February when it was launched in Taiwan. It is not a netbook that Asus seems to be pushing too heavily as we still cannot even find a product page for it on the Asus site. The 1000HG, as you can guess, is pretty much a 1000H but includes integrated 3G. At the time, no details on whether the 1000HG would appear in other markets were given. Nonetheless, according to a number of UK retailers, it now looks like the 1000HG is set to launch in the next couple of weeks.
However, it is not going to come cheap. Play.com has it for £429.99 on pre-order with an estimated release date of 11 May 2009. Amazon
The 1000HG specifications are the same as the 1000H (bar the integrated 3G). The 10-inch (1024 x 600) Eee PC 1000HG netbook comes with a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. It will also come with a 6-cell battery which should be good for around 7 hours of battery life. It weighs 1.45kg and will be available in black & white.
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell official UK launch details revealed
May 5, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Official UK launch details regarding the Asus Eee PC 1008HA ‘Seashell’ netbook has finally been revealed. The Eee PC Seashell will be available in stores from 15th May 2009 with a suggested retail price of £379 including VAT.
To celebrate the launch, Asus will also be giving away one Eee PC Seashell each week during its launch period. Details are set to appear at this link, although there’s not much there right now apart from “Coming soon – Eee PC Seashell UK Grand Launch. Join us for the launch and the chance to win the latest ASUS Eee PC Seashell! Stay tuned.”
This price is around £20 higher than was first suggested back in March. Looking around Amazon
The 10-inch (1024 x 600) Seashell is set to become one of the most desirable netbooks on its release with its 1-inch thickness and 1.1kg weight. The specs aren’t too shabby either, with a 1.66GHz N280 CPU, 1GB RAM and 160GB HDD and wireless draft n. Asus claims that its in-built battery should last for around 6 hours. Check out the official press shots after the break. Read more
Asus planning new 11.6-inch Eee PC for May launch
May 4, 2009 at 11:37 am
Asus is planning to introduce an Eee PC netbook with an 11.6-inch display later this month according to Asustek President, Jerry Shen. The move is likely to be a direct response to Acer’s 11.6-inch offering, the Aspire One 751 that is expected to start shipping this month.
While the news is hardly surprising, it is unclear whether the Asus plans on just announcing the model in the next few weeks or whether it plans on shipping it too. Shen made some bold predictions for this bigger Eee PC, estimating that he expects the 11.6-inch models to account for 30 percent of total shipments in 2009. Asus’ 10-inch Eee PCs will still be the main focus though, with this segment expected to account for 50 percent of 2009 total shipments. There are no other details on this 11.6-inch Eee PC, but expect some further details shortly.
Via Digitimes.
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Manual appears, non-replaceable battery confirmed
May 3, 2009 at 4:33 pm
The manual for Asus’ slender Eee PC 1008HA Seashell netbook has appeared on its official support page. The manual confirms that the battery will not be user-replaceable, which means that if you do need the battery changed you will have to send it back to Asus. The 1008HA Seashell should last for around 6 hours according to the company.
Apart from that, there’s not too much we didn’t already know. Asus has made strange port placement decisions, where we find the VGA port under a flap on the bottom of the chassis. To maintain the sexy image, Asus has also placed ports on the left and right side of the chassis under flaps too. However, in another strange move, it has placed the battery and power charge indicators towards the rear of the chassis. This means you’ll have to keep turning the Seashell around to see the lights. The manual can be downloaded here. Check out some pictures after the break. Read more
Software Apps to Maximise your Netbook Battery Power
May 3, 2009 at 10:53 am
This morning we have a second guest contribution from reader, Igor Igorski. He has followed his first article on the chiclet keyboard with a look at ways in which you can maximize your netbooks battery life through the choice of software used.
Netbooks are known for their portability. Not only are they small and lightweight but with their increased power efficiency, batteries can last much longer than conventional laptops. This also means you no longer have to carry a power adapter with you! Several brands emphasis the longevity of the battery as a strong selling point, and for those people who travel a lot, it sure is. Read more
Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008HA sees Taiwan launch, UK release imminent
May 1, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Asus’ latest netbook, the elegant Eee PC ‘Seashell’ 1008HA has now officially launched in Taiwan. Asus released a press release which confirms that it plans to market the netbook under the ‘Seashell’ brand and also confirmed the full list of technical specifications.
According to The Register, the UK launch could be as early as next week. They believe that full UK pricing and availability details will emerge on Tuesday. A number of UK retailers already have the Seashell 1008HA for pre-order, but there is much discrepancy in pricing and launch dates. It was originally believed that pricing would be around the £360 mark, but current pre-orders range from £380 to £400. Some sites (Laptops Direct) put the release date as a week away whilst others (Amazon) list 1-2 months. Read more
ASUS: No ARM/Android netbooks until Q1 2010 at the earliest
April 30, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Asustek reported its first quarter results today and some interesting news came out from the investor conference. According to Asus CEO, Jerry Shen, it will continue to use Microsoft Windows in its Eee PC netbook line in 2009. The CEO also confirmed that there are no plans to adopt ARM-based processors for its netbooks this year.
“Windows is what most consumers are used to,” said Shen. He then went on to say that the first quarter of 2010 will provide “more of an opportunity” for rival operating software as well as alternative processors. Read more
MSI and Asus to snub Nvidia’s Ion platform?
April 30, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Two of the biggest names in the netbook arena, Asustek and Microstar International (MSI), have no plans to launch products based on the Nvidia Ion platform according to Fudzilla. Its sources suggest that ION-based netbooks from these two manufacturers are not even on the agenda.
The report goes on to say that neither company wants to upset their relationship with Intel by choosing to adopt Nvidia’s platform. Another reason is that they do not want to cannibalise sales of their current nettops in the market.
We are expecting a number of “key” players to announce Ion-powered netbooks at Computex Taipei in June. If this news is true, then unfortunately MSI and Asus will not be on that list. MSI may be focusing on a rumoured Android netbook that it is supposed to be announced at the show instead.
Asus announces Eee PC 1003HAG netbook for Japan
April 28, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Asus has announced a new netbook, the 1003HAG, specifically for the Japanese market. The 1003HAG has an internal 3G module and supports NTT DoCoMo’s FOMA network with 7.2Mbps speeds. Judging by the pictures, the 1003HAG looks very similar to the slim Eee PC 1002HA but with a chiclet keyboard.
Apart from that you’ll find a 10.2-inch (1024 x 600) display powered by a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU. It will come with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-disk drive. Other features include Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Asus claims that battery life will last 4.3 hours. Read more
NbC: Asus Eee PC 1000HE Review
April 28, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Let’s cut to the chase, the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is one of the best netbooks that money can buy today. The 1000HE improves on its predecessor, the 1000H, in several ways. It comes with a chiclet style keyboard, enhanced battery life as well as a faster processor. The sheer number of features that the 1000HE offers at a very competitive price point is what sets it apart. This combined with a superb battery life makes it well worth your consideration.
However, it is not all roses. Whilst as an overall package, we feel that the 1000HE is one of the better netbooks on the market, it is by no means perfect. There are a number of issues we have with the 1000HE, however most are minor niggles and do not detract from our overall positive impressions. Read on for our full, detailed review including some comprehensive performance and battery tests. Read more
Intel GN40 chipset benchmarked, disappoints
April 21, 2009 at 3:26 pm
If I were to say that there is a lack of hardware variety powering most netbooks today, it would be an understatement. I’ve written the following line ‘N270CPU, 945GSE chipset, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard-drive etc’ so many times now that it is ingrained into my cerebral cortex. Two particular pieces of netbook tech I’ve been following closely are Nvidia’s Ion platform and Intel’s GN40 chipset, which are both meant to be much more powerful than the aging 945GSE chipset.
The first netbook that is due to appear with the Intel GN40 is the Asus Eee PC 1004DN, Asus’ first with embedded optical drive. Gigabyte also plans on releasing the TouchNote T1028P which will also support the chipset. HKPEC has managed to get hold of a 1004DN and put it through a number of benchmarks to see what the N280 CPU plus GN40 chipset combo was capable of. Unfortunately, it seems that the GN40 is not that much of an improvement over the 945GSE chipset. Read more
Video: Asus Eee PC 1008HA hands-on
April 21, 2009 at 2:38 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1008HA is definitely the most attractive netbook in the Asus 1000 series of netbooks. It takes a number of design cues from the more luxurious S101/S121 models which include a very slender form–factor. Cnet UK has managed to go hands on with a pre-production model of the 10-inch Asus Eee PC 1008HA.
They refer to it as the ‘Seashell’ but I’m unsure at this point whether its nickname will be used in final marketing by Asus. Overall they liked the slim styling although felt that it didn’t look as sexy as the Asus S101. You can see that ports are hidden behind flaps to keep a clean look. Read more
Q1 sales targets missed, netbook gravy train starting to slow?
April 21, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Netbooks have provided an important leg of growth for the PC industry during the global recession, however there are signs that sales may be starting to moderate. According to Digitimes, the big Taiwanese netbook vendors such as Asustek, Acer and MSI saw shipment volumes fall short of first quarter targets.
Whilst Acer is said to have shipped two million Aspire One netbooks, the sell through rate in retail was lower. Asus were looking to sell one million Eee PCs but fell 100,000 short whilst MSI sold only 200,000 Wind netbooks. Read more
Another hands-on video with the Asus Eee PC T91
April 16, 2009 at 5:54 pm
We have already a posted a number of hands-on posts of the Asus Eee PC T91 netbook, but thought we’d share Cnet UK’s experience given some new titbits of information. They have posted a video hands-on with a pre-production sample of the 8.9-inch convertible tablet. The interface is shown much more clearly than the previous video we highlighted.
What may put some people off is that apparently the Asus Eee PC T91 will come with a sealed battery, so if anything goes wrong with it you’ll have to send it back to Asus to replace. The keyboard is also likely to be bigger in the final retail model, most likely at the expense of the trackpad as the keyboard already appears to stretch to the end of the chassis.
Other than that, one thing that has always worried me about such a device is how smudgy the touch screen will look when exposed to fingerprints. One particular shot towards the end of the video highlights how unattractive it can look with greasy fingerprints all over. Check out the video for yourself after the break. Read more
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