| Asus shipping Atom-ized Eee PCs |
Jun. 19, 2008
 Asus is now shipping new versions of its Eee PC, both based on Intel Atom processors. The Eee PC 901 and 1000 models provide 8.9-inch and 10-inch displays, respectively, adding Bluetooth, longer battery life, improved shock resistance, faster WiFi, more storage, and WiMAX options, says Asus.
(Click for a larger view of the Asus Eee PC 1000)
Asus arguably pioneered the "netbook" category targeted by Intel's recently announced Atom N270. Asus launched its original Eee PC 4G mini-notebook (aka, "netbook") in November of last year, selling some 350,000 of the devices within four months, it said. It then added the PC 900, featuring a larger display and a Windows XP option, and went on to sell a million Eee PCs in all within six months of launching the brand, it claims. Both Eee PC models used an Intel "Dothan" (65nm) Celeron CPU clocked at 900MHz.
The new Eee PC 901 and 1000 models trade the Celeron for an Atom N270 clocked at 1.6GHz. Performance likely remains similar, despite the clock speed increase, given Atom's in-order execution. However, battery life has apparently been improved significantly. Asus touts its "super hybrid engine" power conservation technology, said to provide up to eight hours of operation.
The lower-priced 901 features an 8.9-inch screen, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo speakers and mic, plus built-in Bluetooth and 802.11n networking. For mass storage, the 2.4-pound device offers either a 12GB SSD (solid state disk) preloaded with Windows XP Home or a 20GB SSD preloaded with Linux.
The new 1000 series provides a 10-inch screen and, for better or worse, has grown commensurately. It has a footprint of 10.5 x 7.5 inches, and a thickness ranging from 1 to 1.5 inches. In return, the keyboard is "more comfortable, 95 percent the size of generic notebooks," says Asus.
An SSD-based model, the Eee PC 1000, provides 40GB of storage and weighs 2.9 pounds. The Eee PC 1000H packs a 80GB hard drive instead, bringing total system weight to a relatively hefty 3.2 pounds.
Though both the Eee PC 901 and Eee 1000 include more storage than most SSD-based netbooks, Asus is bundling them with 20GB of "cloud" storage. The Internet-based backup -- not offered to purchasers of the PC 1000H -- is encrypted, and allows users to upload or download up to 5GB of data per day, according to the company.
Other new features are said to include a new "Eee Stick" wireless gaming accessory, and a remote desktop feature for troubleshooting of tech support problems. Each of the new laptops offers a more scratch-resistant chassis, says the company, and come in six new "Infusion" styles: Sakura, Sweet Pea, Urban Metropolis, White Peony, Pearl White, and Fine Ebony.
At the Computex show in Taiwan earlier this month, Asus also introduced new WiMAX access points, and suggested that these could be used with its new Eee PCs.
Further information
Already shipping in Taiwan, the Eee PC 901 and PC 1000 series will be available in the U.S. in July, according to Asus. With Windows XP, an SSD-equipped PC 901 will reportedly cost $600, while an SSD-equipped PC 1000 is $100 more. The hard disk-equipped PC 1000H splits the difference, at $649.
A Laptop magazine review of the PC 1000 lauds the device's battery life and spacious keyboard, but notes that the netbook is now more expensive than many competitors. Meanwhile, says the magazine, the PC 901 offers improved performance and battery life, but is poor value compared to the $499 MSI Wind. To read the publication's PC 1000 and PC 901 reviews, go here and here.
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