Asus Eee PC T91 – First press shots appear
March 14, 2009 at 5:52 pm
The first press shots of Asus’ 8.9-inch convertible tablet, the Eee PC T91, have appeared. This is ahead of a planned April/May release. Pricing has not been confirmed but is expected to be between $499 to $ 549 (c£500) on release.
As with the other close-up shots we saw earlier in the week, the net tablet looks very elegant in white with its black edges along with metal hinge. It is one of the few 8.9-inch netbook models planned for release, with 10-inches being very much the standard now. It’s certainly one of the most anticipated netbooks here at Netbook Choice (NbC), with its stylish looks and hopefully functional tablet. Its keyboard could be one of the most comfortable from Asus too. Hit the link for more pictures. Read more
Asus Eee PC 701 gets Multitouch mod
March 14, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Whilst we are seeing some manufacturers such as Asus and Gigabyte show off their convertible-tablet models with touchscreen displays, we still are not yet seeing multitouch models. However, it looks like a prototype of the Asus Eee PC 701 with multi-touch was caught at CeBIT by Eee-PC.de.
Apparently it is just a concept design although it is unknown whether it was made my Asus, a third-party or just an enthusiastic modder. You may have also spotted that the netbook is running Windows 7, with its native multitouch support, making it far easier to get the panel up and running. Check out the video after the jump. Read more
Two ARM-powered netbooks to appear in June
March 14, 2009 at 2:03 pm
At least two ARM-powered netbooks are expected to appear at Computex Taipei according to Digitimes. One netbook due to appear will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology and equipped with Freescale’s i.MX51 CPU (ARM Coretex A8) whilst the other will be manufactured by Wistron equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU.
ARM’s Chief Executive has already revealed that he expects ten ARM-powered netbooks to launch in 2009, therefore the Computex launch fits in with this timescale. Others are likely to follow suit, we already know that Asustek is considering future Eee PCs equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. MSI has also expressed interest in developing for the Nvidia Tegra system-on-chip platform too. Computex takes place between 2 – 6 June 2009.
Buffalo develops swappable SSD enclosure for Eee PCs
March 14, 2009 at 10:02 am
The solid-state drives that come with many netbook PCs are generally so small most users will want to upgrade them soon enough, but what does one do with the old memory? Buffalo has come up with a clever answer by developing 32GB and 64GB SSD (solid-state drive) replacements for the Asus Eee PC 901 along with a USB enclosure for converting the old SSD into an external drive.
The newer, faster drive is placed into the Eee 901 whilst the old 16GB SSD is taken out and placed into the enclosure, leaving you with a 16GB external drive. The idea is certainly novel and with SSD’s growing in capacity and coming down in price we can see other manufacturers developing similar systems for other netbook models.
The 32GB kit costs ¥12,700 (£95), while the 64GB kits is ¥22,400 (£167). Sadly it is only available in Japan for now where it is expected to release in April. However, if the idea catches on we’re sure to see them worldwide soon.
Via Portable Monkey.
Asus S121 previewed – style over substance?
March 13, 2009 at 5:28 pm
There is no doubting that the Asus S101 is one of the prettiest netbooks on the market at the moment. It’s bigger brother, the 12-inch Asus S121, looks even better and according to the guys over at TrustedReviews, even nicer than Asus’ 1008HA.
Apart from the great looks they found the S121 a pleasure to use with excellent battery life along with it having the best Asus keyboard they’ve used to date. On the negative side, this isn’t the speediest netbook around (running at only 1.3GHz) with only 1GB RAM and 160GB HDD (rather than dual-storage system of the S101). Also, given a WXGA display, it seems that the most isn’t made of the screen as there is little chance of running HD content on the S121 given the weak CPU. Hopefully a refresh with the Intel GN40 or Nvidia Ion is on the horizon. Key points and more pictures after the jump. Read more
Asus Eee is best selling netbook brand in Japan
March 13, 2009 at 12:07 pm
The Asus’ Eee PC brand is Japan’s favourite according to research firm Gfk, with a market share of 27 percent in terms of sales. Since the start of 2009, Asus has sold 60,000 Eee PCs.
The best selling netbook in Japan last week (March 2nd to 8th) was the Asus Eee PC 1000H followed by Lenovo’s S10 4068A. The Acer Aspire One claimed third spot according to Digitimes.
Photos of the Asus Eee PC T91 net tablet
March 12, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Pocket-lint managed to get hands-on with the Asus Eee PC T91 this week and posted a number of close-up photos of this Asus beauty. The 8.9-inch convertible tablet which runs on Windows XP allows you to launch into the T91’s touch modes (based on a Linux kernel) through a touch of a button on its bezel. Whilst using a finger is fine for navigation the unit also houses a stylus tucked at the front.
To keep the size and weight down, the system will come with a 32GB SSD. It will also come with WiFi and Bluetooth. Additional options will include 3G modem, GPS and even a TV tuner. The T91 is expected to have a UK launch in May costing £500. Hit the link for some more photos. Read more
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.
Ten ARM-powered netbook models expected in 2009
March 9, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Arm’s Chief Executive, Warren East, expects that at least ten ARM-based netbooks with processors from Qualcomm, Freescale and Texas Instruments will hit retail shelves this year. We already know that Asus is considering Qualcomm chips (based on ARM designs) for upcoming Eee PCs.
East is frustrated on the lack of Microsoft support for upcoming ARM-powered netbooks. It is widely understood that Windows XP, Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 cannot run on ARM CPUs given their need for x86 processors. Linux or Google’s Android are the most likely operating systems for ARM-based netbooks. However, Windows Mobile and Windows CE are used in close to 150 different mobile phones powered by ARM chips. Presumably little adaptation would be needed for netbook usage.
Electronista takes the Dell Mini 10 through its paces
March 9, 2009 at 10:08 am
Electronista has released a thorough review of the Dell Mini 10. Overall they found the netbook very enjoyable to use on a day-to-day basis, but as with Laptop Mag’s thoughts, they found that other netbooks offer more for the money, namely Asus’ Eee PC 1000HE. The Asus provides better battery life and more power under the hood for the same price. However, an upcoming six-cell battery, sharper display (1366 x 768 resolution as opposed to 1024×576) due in April and 2GB RAM could change the overall proposition depending on pricing.
Key points from the review:
Sony Vaio P coming to T-Mobile Germany
March 7, 2009 at 2:03 pm
The trend of mobile phone operators offering netbooks on subsidised contracts continues to grow apace. Now T-Mobile Germany is offering the Sony Vaio P (VGN-P11Z) for 599 Euros on a two-year Web’n’Walk contract. This is an upfront saving of 400 Euros on the current retail cost of the entry-level Vaio P (1.33GHz Atom CPU, 2GB RAM, 60GB HDD, Vista Home Premium) is 999 Euros. The first shipments are expected in April. So far there is no word whether this will appear in the other countries/mobile phone operators. T-Mobile UK currently only offers the Asus Eee PC 904HD netbook.
In other news, HP has announced a three-year deal with mobile operator, Orange, to distribute 3G-enabled HP netbooks/laptops in Europe. The first European countries to be offered subsidised netbooks will be UK, Austria, Portugal, Belgium and Switzerland. The first netbook to be offered will be the HP Mini 1000.
Via Pocketables.
Google pushing Android netbooks, sets up team in Taiwan
March 6, 2009 at 11:56 am
In the clearest indication yet in how serious Google is pushing the Android platform, Digitimes is reporting that Google has set up an Android technology team in Taiwan. The purpose of the team is to offer technical support to Taiwanese hardware manufacturers in developing for the Android platform. According to the president of Google Taiwan, Chien Lee-feng, this includes development for netbooks and embedded systems. Given that both Acer and Asus are based in Taiwan, two of the biggest netbook manufacturers, in our view an Android-powered netbook is a matter of time.
This news is timely given how yesterday we reported that Asus is considering using Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets in upcoming Eee PCs. However, one of the limitations of using Snapdragon is being unable to use Windows on a Qualcomm chip, thereby having to rely on either Linux or Android. Qualcomm and other vendors are using ARM-based processors to try to take share in a market in which Intel’s Atom dominates. According to research from IDC (International Data Corp) ARM-based netbooks with processors from Qualcomm, Freescale, Texas Instruments and others will ship this year but command no more than 10-20 percent of the market for the next few years.
According to Luis Pineda, senior vice president of marketing for Qualcomm’s CDMA Technologies group, Snapdragon offers a compelling solution over Intel’s Atom. “A netbook is no good if you can’t connect to the Internet and have to look for a WiFi hotspot,” Pineda said. He believes that Snapdragon will define the netbook category by enabling devices that are always connected to a 3G network, similar to mobile phones. He also cites Snapdragon’s power efficiency, which eliminates the need for heat sinks and internal fans in a netbook.
While the majority of consumers are likely to choose Windows-based netbooks, having an always connected experience may become more relevant going forward. With Google willing to set up in the back-yard of some of the biggest netbook manufactures highlights how seriously it plans to tap this market. Over the longer-term horizon, the software barrier within Android is likely to be less of an issue for the consumer.
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