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Worth Reading?
It’s turning into a whole day of the ASUS S101, but we can’t quite get enough of what’s proving to be ASUS’ slickest netbook yet. After the live shots and the press shots, we now have the review; Mobile Computer Mag have the luxury netbook (an oxymoron, you’d think) on their bench, and put it through its paces compared to what lesser models have to offer.
There’s no denying the looks – even in metallic brown, though I still prefer the graphite - but it’s a little difficult to stomach the specs. You’re not getting much more for your money over and above an Eee PC 901 or 1000-series netbook; an obvious and straightforward way to differentiate would’ve been integrated 3G HSDPA, but that doesn’t appear to have occurred to ASUS.
It could still be enough for the S101’s intended audience, though; ASUS expect it to appeal to would-be netbook buyers who are turned off by a regular Eee PC’s somewhat toy-town appearance but don’t require the power of (and can’t perhaps afford) a normal ultraportable. In the UK the S101 will apparently cost no more than £85 ($149) above the Eee PC 1000; Mobile Computer Mag reckon it’s worth it.
I like the idea of the S101, but yeah, the price v. specs ratio makes it a little hard to justify.
I suppose it all comes down to what you need your machine to do, but I think the Asus N10 presents better overall value. It best represents a “happy medium” with a discrete graphics card (amongst many other higher specs), netbook footprint, and a price point in-line with the Eee PC 1000.
http://www.mobilecomputermag.c.....tbook.html
just my .02
The keyboard looks a lot more usable than the EEE keyboard and that’s worth the extra cost by itself. But the non-replaceable battery is a deal breaker.