Acer may not be quite in the ASUS league when it comes to confusingly large netbook ranges, but they’re obviously trying to catch up. Latest – and managing to offer something unique in the netbook segment – is this, the Acer Aspire One 571. Not to be confused with the Aspire One 751, the 571 boosts the resolution of the 10.1-inch display to 1280 x 720, and throws in an optical disc drive. Unlike the ASUS Eee PC 1004DN, however, this is no DVD burner but a Vmedia drive.
It’s been a week of mobile device reviews, along with the Bluetooth accessories that go with them, here at SlashGear, with Samsung’s Tocco Ultra S8300 and Instinct S30 showing up for playtime. We also gave our opinion on the big news in Bluetooth headsets, in the shape of the Plantronics Voyager Pro and the Aliph Jawbone PRIME. Finally, HTC’s Touch Diamond2 flaunted itself in a video unboxing, while the Mophie Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 3G got its review.
ASUS’ Eee PC 1004DN is one of the first generally available netbooks to include an integrated optical drive, something which has split opinions among aficionados of the segment. HKEPC have been playing with the Intel Atom N280/GN40 netbook and, while on paper it’s an impressive prospect, the reality is that hardware and software just don’t tally up quite yet.
ASUS have officially announced their Eee PC 1004DN, the first model in the company’s netbook range to include an integrated optical drive. As well as an Intel Atom N270 1.66GHz processor, the Intel GN40 graphics chipset and up to 2GB DDR2 RAM, the ASUS Eee PC 1004DN has a Super-Multi DVD burner.
According to the latest rumors from retailers, the DVD-equipped ASUS Eee PC E1004DN will land in stores come mid-April with a sticker price of NT$18,000 – 20,000 ($531 - 590). The Eee PC E1004DN – first spotted at CES earlier this year – will have an Intel Atom N280 processor, the HD-capable GN40 graphics chipset and a 120GB hard-drive. Those same sources have also tipped the launch of the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA.
When ASUS brought their Eee PC 1004DN along to CES 2009 back in January, they were careful to point out that the optical drive-toting netbook was only going to launch in Europe and China. Unfortunately they obviously weren’t as clear with their own staff as they were with the press, as the 1004DN has been spotted clearing the FCC.
ASUS have quietly announced one of the first netbooks to use Intel’s upcoming Atom N280 processors, the Eee PC 1004DN. Spotted in among the CES models last week, the 1004DN not only has a 1.66GHz N280 CPU and the HD-capable GN40 chipset, but an integrated optical drive and ExpressCard slot.
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