Boost your Asus Eee PC 1000HE Wi-Fi performance
June 11, 2009 at 2:11 pm
One of the (small) criticisms we had of the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, when we reviewed it, was that the Wi-Fi performance felt a bit patchy. Apart from having a nightmare trying to set it up in the first place, we noticed it didn’t latch onto a signal as quickly as other netbooks/laptops did.
Well it looks like these problems may be a thing of the past, courtesy of a wireless driver from the yet to be released Eee PC 1005HA. According to the Eee User Forum, people are reporting that this driver (7.7.0.259, 13 March 2009) improves performance and stability.
To get this to work, you need to make sure you have a 1000HE with the Atheros AR928x (AW-NE771) card installed. We don’t have the 1000HE to hand any more, but we’d be interested to see if this tip works.
Via GadgetMix.
Asus Eee PC 1101HA Seashell video hands-on
June 9, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Whilst Asus formally announced its 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA Seashell at last week’s Computex show, we didn’t come across many hands-on impressions of this unit. However, it looks like Sascha from NetbookNews has just got round to uploading his thoughts on YouTube.
We don’t learn too much that we didn’t already know. The 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) Seashell comes with a styling that looks similar to the 1008HA. This includes a glossy lid and flush display and the unique pimpled touchpad. What we don’t get are the flaps that cover the ports although I’m not sure that’s too much of a big deal.
An interesting comparison is made with the Samsung NC10 and whilst the 1101HA is obviously wider and taller, it appears to be marginally thinner. There are two different 6-cell batteries for this model which should give between 9.5-11 hours of battery life. It will be powered by a 1.33GHZ Z520 or 1.6GHz Z530 Atom CPU. I imagine that the latter will become the sensible choice for most, given the problems seen in the underpowered 11.6″ Acer Aspire One 751 which runs a Z520 Atom CPU. Check out the video after the jump. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1005HGO Seashell with built-in 3G
June 6, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Asus is planning on releasing a 3G enabled version of the Eee PC 1005HA, under the model name of 1005HGO. This follows the naming convention used with other 3G enabled Eee PC’s including the 1003HGO and recently announced 1101HGO.
The specifications of the 10.1-inch 1005HGO relates to the higher-end SKU (1005HA-H) which comes with a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU, Bluetooth and a longer battery life over the 1005HA-M SKU. It will come with the HUAWEI EM770 3G modem. Pricing and availability is unknown right now.
Via Eee-PC.de.
Video: Compal demos Snapdragon smartbook running Android
June 5, 2009 at 2:02 pm
The smartbook moniker has only been created very recently, but judging by this year’s Computex show, it is set to become a firm part of the portable gadget landscape. This time around it is ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) Compal’s turn. They have demonstrated a smartbook device that is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip and running Google Android.
Asus has also shown an Eee PC running Android and powered by a Snapdragon chip, however it looks like they weren’t ready to showcase this model themselves (the reveal was on the Qualcomm stand at the Computex show).
Compal has optimised the start-up interface and apparently further tweaks are on the way. The video shows just how quickly the internet browser loads pages. This smartbook is expected by the end of the year. Check out videos from TechVideoBlog and JKKMobile after the jump. Read more
Asus Eee PC T91 tablet netbook to support multi-touch?
June 4, 2009 at 11:27 pm

The 8.9-inch Asus Eee PC T91 is one of our most eagerly anticipated netbooks. However, if there was one feature we wish it had, was a multi-touch screen. With Windows 7 launching in just over four month’s time, a multi-touch screen in any netbook device right now would be a forward-looking inclusion.
It may seem that Asus is thinking along the same lines. Eee-PC.de found an Eee PC T91 display unit running Windows 7 software that had a multi-touch panel (see the video after the break).
I find it hard to believe that the T91 that will start to ship this month will come with a multi-touch panel. The specs listed on the official product page, specifically talks of a resistive rather than capacitive display. Asus may have a premium T91 SKU planned with multi-touch capability to tie in with the launch Windows 7. The only thing I can think of is that Asus has enabled multi-touch on a resistive panel, which is possibility.
Update: JKKMobile also has a video demonstrating the multi-touch features of the Eee PC T91. Apparently, he has confirmation that only the Windows 7 SKU will ship with a multi-touch panel. See this video also after the break. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1101HA Seashell gets official
June 4, 2009 at 9:20 am
Asus has officially announced the latest member to its Seashell line of netbooks, the 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA. The netbook was spotted in the wild earlier this week at Computex, along with near enough full specifications.
The press release is pretty sparse on detail, only confirming it will have a HD (1366 x 768) resolution LED backlit display and battery life of 11 hours. It also confirms a 160GB HDD, wireless draft-N, Bluetooth, a 1.3MP webcam, digital array microphone and multi-touch touchpad. Hopefully some more detailed specifications, along with pricing and availability, will be announced shortly. Read more
Asus Eee PC T91 gets official launch & live product page
June 3, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Asus has officially launched the Eee PC T91 convertible netbook at Computex this week. This is the first netbook from the company that comes with a swivelable touchscreen, but with Windows 7 on the horizon you wouldn’t bet it being the last. The Eee PC T91 comes with an 8.9-inch touchscreen that can be folded back to be used as a tablet or in a traditional netbook form factor. The product page is also now live too, giving us confirmation of the T91’s finalised specifications.
The Eee PC T91 has an extremely slim-line design, weighing just 960g and measuring 28.4mm at its thickest point. The 8.9-inch resistive touchscreen is powered by the Z520 Atom CPU and 1GB RAM. The listing for the storage is a tad confusing and reads “16GB Solid State Drive + 16GB SD Card + 30GB Portable Hard Disk Drive + 20GB Eee Storage”. Whilst the first and last points are self-explanatory, I do wonder whether Asus will be including a 16GB SD card and 30GB portable HDD in the package too. Read more
Asus 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA spotted in the wild
June 2, 2009 at 12:06 am
It looks like those rumours of an 11.6-inch Eee PC were true after all. It has been spotted at Computex, although it is unlikely to be officially announced until tomorrow. The screengrab (larger image after the jump) shows that it will feature an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display powered by the Intel Atom Z520 or Z530 CPU. Other features will include 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, three USB 2.0 ports, card reader, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and there’s a 1.3-megapixel webcam in the bezel.
The image shows a design that seems to be influence by the Seashell line of netbooks (Eee PC 1008HA/1005HA). Battery life is meant to last around 11 hours, although two 6-cell batteries have been spotted (2220mAh and 2800mAh). Hopefully, we’ll have some official details very shortly. Read more
Asus Snapdragon-powered Eee PC running Android hands-on [Video Round-up]
June 1, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Asus has given hints in the past that it was considering releasing an Eee PC powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip (based on ARM). It has now shown off a prototype a day before the Computex show is set to officially start.
This smartbook (note: not netbook) has a fanless design given the very low power consumption. The prototype runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon chip and is capable of HD 720p video. The chip also has embedded 3G and GPS. This allows for an “always connected” experience, very similar to a mobile phone. Read more
Asus’ Super Hybrid Engine new High Definition mode explained
May 31, 2009 at 12:15 am
Asus quietly launched the new Eee PC 1000HV netbook in Italy recently. This was the first Eee PC to sport discrete graphics in the form of ATI Radeon HD 3450 graphics with 256MB of dedicated memory. Whilst the benchmarks were expectedly better than most other 10-inch netbooks, another point that caught the eye was a mystery ‘High Definition’ mode in Asus’ Super Hybrid Engine utility.
This utility allows you to overclock (or underclock) the Atom CPU depending on your usage. As things stand (version 5), the Super Hybrid Engine has three different modes. The Power Saving mode underclocks the CPU to a minimum 750MHz on the N280 Atom CPU. The High Performance mode is the standard speed of the chip (1.66GHz for the N280) whilst the Super High Performance mode overclocks this to 1.75GHz. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell dismantled
May 28, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Netbook Italia seems to be on a mission to rip apart every netbook at the moment. Following their teardown of the Samsung N120 and Acer Aspire One 751, they have now turned their attention to the sexy ultrathin Eee PC 1008HA.
This should be a guide most owners would be interested in; mostly to work out how they can go about changing that sealed battery for example. However, it doesn’t seem like an easy operation. Opening up the base is only half of the job, you also have to remove the PCB which makes it all quite laborious. The battery takes up half the room of the chassis, not surprising as they’ve used an ultrathin Lithium polymer battery rated at 2900mAh.
To maintain the skinny form factor it appears that Asus has subdivided the motherboard into three parts to make it fit easier. To reduce vibration, the HDD comes in a rubber cage which helps against knocks whilst on the move. Having a look at the guide, you can really appreciate the lengths taken by Asus to cram all of the technology into a skinny device. We’ve included a selection of photos after the jump, for the rest head over to Netbook Italia. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1002HAE tested
May 27, 2009 at 5:00 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1002HAE is a pretty refresh of the 1002HA, which comes with an aluminium skin, chiclet keyboard and the faster 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU (the 1002HA has a N270 Atom). Portable Monkey has reviewed the Eee PC 1002HAE and it seems that there are other minor changes too that affects the overall proposition.
Upgradeability is made difficult as the screws on the access panels have been plugged which makes them difficult to lift without damaging the case (or at least without the right tools). The battery should last around three to four hours, acceptable but other models are now pushing battery lives double this. This battery sits at the front of the netbook, which will mean higher capacity batteries will cause it to tilt backwards. Also, there are some instances of flex on the keyboard and despite having an aluminium exterior, the weight wasn’t found to be different to the 1002HA.
On the positive side, the netbook has good build quality, with relatively lightweight chassis. The display is matte, which automatically earns it brownie points. The large touch-pad allows for multi-touch gestures and the whole device runs cool and quiet. The Eee PC 1002HAE is only available in Japan for now. Click through for the key review points after the break. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell review roundup #2
May 26, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I’m not sure whether there was a US review embargo that lifted today or simply the way the stars lined up, but seven reviews of the 1008HA Seashell have cropped up today. We thought we’d flag this to anyone who may be trying to decide whether this is the netbook for them. The almost universal view is that the 1008HA’s design is quite special against the bland backdrop of most netbooks. Despite the design, functionality has not been sacrificed.
In case you are wondering why we labelled the above post as ‘number two’ is that we already did a review roundup of the 1008HA Seashell a few weeks back, when a few UK reviews appeared. Six of the reviews that cropped up today were from major US publications and the seventh was from NetbookNews.de. We have listed them all after the break. Read more
Video: Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell hands-on
May 26, 2009 at 5:46 pm
The Eee PC 1005HA Seashell could be a potential best-seller for Asus. It shares the styling of the 1008HA but comes with a removable battery, full-sized VGA and has no flaps covering ports. Yes, it may not be as thin or as light as the 1008HA, but it will be cheaper and should offer better battery life too. NetbookNews.de has gone hands-on with the device and posted a video and a number of photos of the new Eee PC.
They compare to the Eee PC 1008HA, Samsung NC10 and even a Blackberry handset. The video shows that the 1005HA will come with a glossy lid and display, similar to the 1008HA, I was really hoping they’d choose a matte display. Apart from a slightly protruding bottom (to account for the 6-cell battery), the two models do look very similar. Interestingly, the version they booted up was running Windows 7 Starter Edition. There’s no word on UK pricing yet, but in Europe it is expected to cost from €299 (with N270 Atom) and €349 (with N280 Atom). If you want to see some more comparison pics, then NewGadgets.de has a number of photos of the 1005HA against the 1008HA here. Check out the 1005HA video after the break. Read more
Asus Eee PC 1000HV benched: discrete graphics make a big difference?
May 26, 2009 at 4:57 pm
The Asus Eee PC 1000HV was first spotted last week and it looks like this model is already hitting retail in Italy. One of the users of EeePC.it, managed to get hold of one and has given an indication as to what this new Eee PC is capable of.
As a quick recap, the 1000HV is very similar in terms of specs to the Eee PC 1000HE. However, one of the key areas in which it differs is that it packs discrete graphics with an ATi Radeon HD 3450 GPU with 256MB memory. This should, in theory, give it a significant boost when watching HD content or playing games. Read more



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