ASUS Eee PC

[gwak]

This could be a really great ultralight if they can ship it at the rumored starting price of $200!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/05/asus-new-eee-pc-701-joins-the-laptop-lite-fray-with-a-bang/

http://www.hardwarezone.com/img/data/nnews/2007/7470/Image/ASUSEeePC.jpg

- Display?7"
- CPU & Chipset: Intel mobile CPU & chipset
- OS: Linux/ Microsoft Windows XP compatible
- Communication: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet; 56K modem
- WLAN: WiFi 802.11b/g
- Graphic: Intel UMA
- Memory: 512MB, DDR2-400
- Storage: 4/ 8/ 16GB Flash
- Webcam: 300K pixel video camera
- Audio: Hi-Definition Audio CODEC; Built-in stereo speaker; Built-in microphone
- Battery Life: 3hrs (4 cells: 5200mAh, 2S2P)
- Dimension & Weight: 22.5 x 16.5 x 2.1~3.5cm, 0.89kg

[Milhouse]

Holy cr@p, for $200 how can they possibly make money on this?! I saw Intel copping some bad PR flack for attempting to compete with the OLPC (http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091248,00.html) - $175 is the current price of the AMD-powered OLPC so I'm kind of sceptical if this Intel device will really retail for $200 or if this is an attempt to compete with (or derail) the OLPC by selling at below cost.

That said, anyone know when I can get one?! :)

I'd buy one just out of curiosity! Assuming it's open - which it probably is and if it's not it soon will be - there should be a wealth of hacks and apps that become available for this, including whatever gets developed for the MID platform.

Battery life looks a bit sucky though - only 3 hours? :( If this is indicative of the battery life for the upcoming Intel MID platform then Intel need to think again, but I guess this Asus device is not using the 45nm CPU due in 2008.

The Asus Eee PC makes the Palm Foleo look even more ridiculous... and it could also hurt Nokia as it substantially undercuts the price of Internet Tablets - this thing is almost "disposable"! No need to bother with a repair, just throw it out and get another...

[Milhouse]

Uegh... this Asus device is part of Intels attempt to challenge the OLPC according to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6723741.stm). I'm not really sure I agree that 3rd World children are a marketing oppurtunity. The OLPC actually appears to be cheaper and technically superior to the Intel device (much better screen and WiFi) although it does have an inferior AMD CPU (still good enough for Linux). Intel FUD and their vast marketing department could harm the lofty aims of OLPC. :(

[Texrat]

From the first OLPC article:

"Craig referred to One Laptop Per Child as a gadget in 2005, when they first unveiled it," says Agnes Kwan of Intel. "They have come a long way since; back then it was low performance and he fairly referred to it as a gadget. Now we're all working to the same vision, even if we are going about it in different ways."

Gawd. I never cease to be both amazed and disgusted by such blatant examples of disingenuous, dishonest spin. Sickening.

[mobiledivide]

This would be an excellent device, at $200 I would pick up two of these guys. I wonder how the devil they can ship this at such a low cost. I'm assuming that this device will probably be barebones at $200 and decently specced at around $400. The regular $1000+ UMPC looks to be soon fighting a losing battle to these budget based devices especially if they can be shown to run OS's like XP and Ubuntu.

[Milhouse]

I'm sure Intel are aware that devices such as the Asus will significantly cannibalise sales of higher end laptops and as such I'd be really surprised if this device ever becomes generally available for $200 (or even $400) in developed countries.

There can't be any real profit margin in this product, and I'm pretty sure it will be sold only to 3rd world countries with (almost) zero margin or even at a loss and subsidised by Intel in order to stave off OLPC dominance. It wouldn't be the first time Intel has subsidised sales of their chips to gain market share!

I'm sure these laptops will end up being sold via eBay, however anyone shipping from Nigeria could be a potentially dubious seller! :)

[bac522]

I'm pretty sure it will be sold only to 3rd world countries with (almost) zero margin or even at a loss

Well you might want to let Asus chairman Jonney Shih know that because in this article (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114773/asus-stuns-computex-with-100-laptop.html) he says:

"He claimed the 3ePC would be available in all areas of the world, not only developing nations."

I'm drooling over this and can't wait to get my hands on it!

[Karel Jansens]

Wait a minute... This thing's got a 5.2 Amphour battery, an Intel mobile CPU, solid state storage only -- and it still only manages 3 hours of battery life???

That is so 1999...

(FYI, the N800, with a 1.5 Ah juicebox and loaded with 16GB of SSDs, pumps out up to 7 hours of electron-activity)

[Milhouse]

Well you might want to let Asus chairman Jonney Shih know that because in this article (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114773/asus-stuns-computex-with-100-laptop.html) he says:

I'm drooling over this and can't wait to get my hands on it!

Wow... I'm surprised! At that price many people who would consider a full laptop will buy this instead. I won't be disappointed if it goes on sale in the UK for the equivalent of $200, or even $400, but I can't see where the margin is at that price and the other laptop manufacturers will be p1ssed! :)

[Milhouse]

Wait a minute... This thing's got a 5.2 Amphour battery, an Intel mobile CPU, solid state storage only -- and it still only manages 3 hours of battery life???

That is so 1999...

(FYI, the N800, with a 1.5 Ah juicebox and loaded with 16GB of SSDs, pumps out up to 7 hours of electron-activity)

But honestly Karel, do you really get 7 hours solid usage from an N800? I'm lucky if I get 4 hours surfing Wikipedia which involves a lot of reading and occasional downloading over WiFi. There's no way I've ever gotten 7 hours *usage* from my N800.

I may have read that this Asus is using a Pentium M CPU which may explain why it doesn't have stellar battery life.

[Karel Jansens]

But honestly Karel, do you really get 7 hours solid usage from an N800? I'm lucky if I get 4 hours surfing Wikipedia which involves a lot of reading and occasional downloading over WiFi. There's no way I've ever gotten 7 hours *usage* from my N800.

I may have read that this Asus is using a Pentium M CPU which may explain why it doesn't have stellar battery life.

Agreed, with wireless on 3 hours is the top. But the specs of that ee-thing don't mention wireless.

And I get 6-7 hours with Fbreader...

[peterjb31]

I get around 7 hours regularly with brightness on half.

[=DC=]

The EeePc does look interesting. I'd buy one for the lab. :)

[Drewvt]

The regular $1000+ UMPC looks to be soon fighting a losing battle to these budget based devices especially if they can be shown to run OS's like XP and Ubuntu.

Good riddance to the former, then, but I still don't buy it; this package looks too good to be released in the developed world at this price.

[RioT]

i can get around 6 or seven hours without wifi. i use this alot at work. all my work manuals come in pdf. i can maybe 2 days sometimes without recharging it.

[Toontje]

Forget the $199 :mad:

Quote from the eee users website (http://www.eeeuser.com/2007/08/21/ncix-preorder-specs-and-prices-on-eee-pc-eta-september/):


NCIX Preorder Specs and Prices on Eee PC: ETA September

NCIX “Canada’s Premier Computer Store” has several models of the Eee PC 701 online for preorder with an ETA of “Late September 2007.” While I don’t usually post information about preorders, this is different because they seem to spell out solid specifications and pricing as follows:

* ASUS Eee PC700 Celeron M 7IN 800X480 WLAN 10/100 DDR2 256MB 2GB LAN Linux Notebook (Eee700/2G/256M) (25881) $257.38 or 284.99CAD
* ASUS Eee PC700 Celeron M 7IN 800X480 WLAN 10/100 DDR2 256MB 2GB LAN Linux Camera Notebook W/ Bag (Eee700/2G/256M/Camera) (25884) $285.10 or 329.99CAD
* ASUS Eee PC700 Celeron M 7IN 800X480 WLAN 10/100 DDR2 512MB 4GB LAN Linux Camera Notebook W/ Bag (Eee700/4G/512M/Camera) (25885) $388.05 or 439.99CAD

The question is: are these the final prices for the United States as well, or do they include some sort of Canadian import tax or upcharge?

I’m sure a lot of readers will be upset with the idea that the lowest model Eee PC 701- the $199 ultra-portable notebook- is really $257.38 with no camera, 256mb of ram, and 2GB of disk space.

I’m inclined to believe this is accurate as it includes the sku number (italicized). The deafening silence from Asus as well seems to support the price increase…

[bac522]

Forget the $199 :mad:

Quote from the eee users website (http://www.eeeuser.com/2007/08/21/ncix-preorder-specs-and-prices-on-eee-pc-eta-september/):

And you're mad for what reason...this are still great prices for something like this!

[Toontje]

And you're mad for what reason...this are still great prices for something like this!

True. It's still a nice price. And probably i will still buy it. But 285 and 199 is a 50% difference.

Anyway, i'm being cheap here.

BTW, Skype is preinstalled on this thing and it has a camera. But someone tells me that Skype for Linux will never support video. Is that true?

Ton.

[hircus]

BTW, Skype is preinstalled on this thing and it has a camera. But someone tells me that Skype for Linux will never support video. Is that true?


Never is a big word. As I understand it, they were considering video support for 1.4, but it was not prioritized (porting to Qt4 and supporting ALSA did). But I'd really be interested in their reasoning if video is not slated for inclusion in the next release after 1.4..

[sleepkyng]

this eee pc definitely knocks my interest for the n800 way down.

it offers everything i want.