ASUS Eee 1002HA reviewed – takes positives from S101 and 1000H
March 12, 2009 at 2:10 pm
GadgetMix has posted a detailed review of the Asus Eee 1002HA. Overall impressions were positive with the machine taking all of the plus points from the Asus S101 and Asus 1000H. Think of it as a regular hard-disk drive version of the S101, taking all of its styling cues too. Read more
Asus announces Eee PC online backup service
March 12, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Asus has added a new utility called ‘Eee Backup ‘ to its online storage service. This application will backup files or directories automatically and is designed to work in the background. Asus will be allocating between 10GB to 60GB of storage space per user, depending on the Eee model purchased. No luck for those wanting to backup their entire 160HDD of storage!
Asus has bundled online storage with every new Eee PC sold. This was primarily an incentivasation for the low SSD models sold. This new backup service will be free for the first 18 to 24 months after which Asus may decide to charge.
It will be interesting to see how this works in practice. I currently use Carbonite to backup my files and part of the attraction is that it backs up all of my files with a very low CPU footprint. It also constantly refreshes backups as I edit files. Obviously Carbonite costs me money and given that Asus is offering this for free has to be commended.
Via Liliputing.
Asus considering Eee PC and notebook merger
March 12, 2009 at 11:17 am
Asustek is thinking of merging its Eee PC and notebook departments enabling it to both cut costs and increase efficiency according to Digitimes. Market sources claim that Asus has already sent documents of the merger plan including likely synergies and staff cuts to its workforce. Asus’ president has declined to comment on these claims.
The plans are still far from finalized. An unnamed source is quoted as saying that the number of departments could be halved, from six to three, and that 5 to 10 percent of the workforce could be laid off. This would be the company’s second reorganization this year. Back in January Asustek halved its number of departments in an effort to streamline its operation.
This would be a change of direction for Asus which split out the Eee PC brand after strong netbook sales. It is likely that the harsh economic conditions has meant that Asus has had to reassess their bottom line and cut ‘duplicate’ costs where possible. Asus would be following Acer if the reorganisation goes ahead, which already keeps its netbooks within the overall laptop segment.
In our view, whilst Asus is at the reorganisation, it should also take a look at the branding of its Eee PCs which consumers must find very confusing. For example when faced with the following – Eee PC 1000, 1000HA, 1000H, 1000HE, 1002HA – how are consumers meant to tell the difference. Given that the Eee brand has now entered the nettop segment too, it muddies the waters even further.
Android Eee PC prototype due in two months
March 11, 2009 at 5:08 pm
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An Android-powered Asus Eee PC was originally muted for release by the end of this year. However, it seems that a commercial release may happen much sooner. Eric Chen, head of Asus Europe, announced at CeBIT last week that its engineers will be ready to present a working Android-powered Eee PC much sooner than expected.
Asus engineers have been experimenting with how to adapt the Android OS, which is currently optimised for touchscreen smartphones, to a much larger netbook display. Asus will formally present the results of this experiment in a couple of month’s time according to Mobinaute. Specifications for such a netbook are unknown, although the news corroborates last week’s story that Asus is considering using Qualcomm Snapdragon chips in upcoming Eee models. Watch this space for further news.
Asus squeezing out netbook channel partners?
March 9, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Reports are surfacing that Asus’ is trying to avoid competition from its partners in the netbook space by squeezing them out. The manufacturer is being accused of holding onto its netbook printed circuit boards (PCBs) rather than shipping it through to system integrators. “Sorry, these boards will not be available to our customers. You can buy the machines from us already built, but the mainboards will not be for sale“. This was Asus’ reply when a major UK system integrator enquired about buying its next-generation mainboards. A close source to The Inq said that Asus is trying to “choke the life out of the channel in order to survive the economic storm more or less in tact.” MSI and Gigabyte are apparently waiting on the wings to pick up the pieces.
Asus’ Fold/Unfold concept coming to netbooks soon?
March 7, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Asus’ CEO Jerry Shen has confirmed to TechRadar that the Fold/Unfold concept will become a commercial reality in Q3 2009. This exciting new form factor has been has been designed to provide a more ergonomic keyboard by groups of designers from France, Italy and Korea. The video after the jump shows the concept in action, the keyboard sliding backwards as the screen is opened. This maximises the room for the keys, trackpad and palm rest. The fact that the keyboard separates itself from the main body of the system also lets ASUS cool the internal components more effectively. Whilst Asus has only confirmed this for an upcoming laptop, given the size limitations of netbooks and efforts by manufacturers to maximise keyboard space, we would be very surprised to not see this concept appear in an Asus netbook at some point.
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Dock App in action
March 6, 2009 at 9:41 am
Asus’ upcoming slimline 1008HA won’t just be relying on its good looks, a new desktop application bar called Eee Docking debuts on this netbook. The Dock App provides one-click access to a full suite of Asus exclusive software. This includes ‘Eee Arena’ which gives access to multimedia content and ‘Eee Sharing’ allowing easier online data synchronisation with Eee storage. There’s also an Eee Xperience section for managing audio and video content, and a tools section that provides access to various settings. Engadget’s video of this dock in action, shows that the pull-out dock can be positioned on any side of the screen. The main criticisms they had were that it felt sluggish and more importantly didn’t allow the customisation of apps apart from Asus’ own. Hopefully, this will be rectified by the time it launches.
Asus considering Snapdragon for future Eee PCs
March 5, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Asus has confirmed that it is evaluating the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform for future Eee PCs, according to Samson Hu, general manager of Eee PC business at Asustek. Whilst it has no current mass production plans for non-Intel Atom based Eee PCs, it highlights how competitive the semiconductor space is becoming. The Qualcomm Snapdragon platform targets mobile Internet devices category that Intel is going after. Such devices allow for higher speed communication, high performance multimedia, full Internet browsing along with the use of other productivity applications. Toshiba’s upcoming TG01 is one such device that uses Snapdragon platform from QualComm.
Hu also expects netbook pricing to come down by the second half of the year due to competition. The average selling price of a 10-inch netbook is currently between $299 – $399, but Hu expects this to come down below $299 by the end of the year. In terms of market share, he expects Eee PCs to account for 15% of global netbook shipments to the telecom market in 2009, while touchscreen Eee PCs (like the T91 and T101) will account for 10 percent of the company’s total Eee PC shipments this year.
Via Digitimes.
More details on Asus Eee PC 1008HA
March 4, 2009 at 4:53 pm
The more we see shots of the Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008HA, the more we like it. It certainly wins the sexiest netbook of CeBIT so far. The chaps over at Jkkmobile, NetbookNews & UMPCPortal went hands-on with the 1008HA and came away very impressed. Some of the key points include a sturdy design and, a solid keyboard (a big improvement over the 1000HA apparently). On the negative side, it looks like the system’s battery is built into the casing and non-replaceable, however given that this is a prototype this is subject to change.
As a reminder, the 1008HA is a 10-inch netbook, just 1-inch thick and weighs 1.1Kg. We’ve listed the specifications that we know of so far after the jump. We hope to have further details on pricing and release date soon. The rumours we’ve heard suggest a ‘Spring’ release date and a price point of 600 Euros. More expensive than your average netbook, but I’m sure many won’t mind if it delivers. Click through for the video and specs.
OLED screens coming to Eee PCs?
March 3, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Asus company Chairman Jonney Shih has reportedly hinted that the firm is considering bringing OLED screen technology to its Eee range of netbooks. Whilst this is likely the next natural evolution for netbook screens, given that they are now starting to appear quite frequently in the latest mobile handset models, I would be surprised if we see OLED technology appear en masse any time soon.
Asus favours the 10 inch form factor and it’s hard to get away from the fact that the cost of a 10 inch OLED screen certainly would be prohibitive. Especially given the fact that netbooks are supposed to envisage low-cost mobile computing. Besides, first up, it would be nice to see LED backlit screens appear more in netbook ranges before the jump to OLED. However, there may be a market for those willing to pay extra for the benefits of an OLED display (quality of display, thinness and better battery life).
Via Reg Hardware.
Asus denies dropping 8.9 inch netbooks
March 3, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Following a number of rumours over the last few weeks, Asus today denied claims that it would be axing 8.9 inch netbooks. Company Chairman Jonney Shih said, “It seems that customers prefer to have a greater screen, which also means a larger keyboard. I still believe we have a good opportunity in 8.9-inch for kids, telecoms or emerging markets.”
Rumours suggested that 8.9 inch netbooks were to be axed with 10 inch netbooks being the main focus across 2009. It was thought that 7 inch netbooks would survive, however, Asus confirmed during a press conference at CeBIT that 7 inch netbooks will be axed in mature markets.
Via Cnet
Asus Eee PC ‘Seashell’ 1008HA showcased
March 3, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Asus has shown off it’s latest Eee PC netbook called the Seashell 1008HA. Details are thin on the ground in terms of specifications however what we do know is that the Seashell is a slimline Eee (1 inch thick) with a 92 per cent-size keyboard and multitouch keypad, weighing approximately 1kg. It will also have a 1.3-megapixel camera and standard WiFi and Bluetooth. The 1008HA will have optional WiMAX and 3.5G connectivity. No word yet on how much the device will cost nor any details on release date. We will keep you posted on further developments.
Some more pics, a video and the full press release after the jump.
Asus Eee PC T91GO at CeBIT
March 3, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Asus is showcasing the T91GO at CeBIT, which is the 3G enabled version of the T91 that Asus first officially announced in January. The device is a convertible tablet (or net tablet if you like) with a swivelling screen enabling it to be used as a tablet device. The device has an 8.9″ (1024 x 600) LED backlit touchscreen display and runs a customised version of Windows XP which Asus has developed including a series of touch-friendly applications. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z520 CPU and comes with 1GB RAM.
Some more pics and a video after the jump.
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