If you’ve ever been tempted by a touchscreen kitchen PC, but can’t afford the high prices most off-the-shelf units command, then sidekick-x’s nifty Eee PC hack may fit the bill. He took a normal ASUS netbook, cracked it open, fitted a touchscreen layer and then integrated it neatly into a kitchen cupboard.
Video demo after the cut
Did’t I just finish writing a week in review? That time again already? Ok, so here we go! Asus’ Eee netbook roadmap leaked this week showing us some of the new machines Asus has up its sleeves and tipping us off on the netbooks already on the market that will be going extinct soon. SanDisk got all official and stuff with a new low-end MP3 player called the Sansa Clip+. The thing gains a microSD card slot to accommodate that big bag of fail known as slotMusic.
Asus was the father of the booming netbook market when it tossed its first 7-inch netbook onto the market in late 2007. Since that time the netbook has gone on to become one of the best selling categories in the entire computer market.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything of ASUS’ ebook reader intentions, but according to DigiTimes the company’s CEO, Jerry Shen, has confirmed that they plan to have a device on the market by the end of 2009 at the earliest. Slotting into the company’s Eee brand of low-priced consumer electronic devices, Shen failed to give suggestions of specifications or pricing for the upcoming reader.
The plans of many official Android-based netbooks and Smartbooks may be on hold as companies tentatively measure the market, but if you’re desperate for a blast of Google’s open-source OS on your budget ultraportable then there are certainly ways to do it yourself. The latest tutorial we’ve spotted comes courtesy of UMPC Fever, who have put the latest build of Android OS 2.0 Donut onto their Eee PC.
Video demos after the cut
We’ve a soft-spot for DIY netbook tablet PC conversions here at SlashGear, so it’s always nice to see a user turn their budget notebook into something a whole lot more interesting. EeeUser forum member Maine_Coon turned his ASUS Eee PC 900HA into a finger-friendly 8.9-inch slate, flipping the display around and adding a touchscreen layer on top.
Pegatron’s Smartbook prototype has made another appearance, this time squaring up to one of ASUS’ Eee PC models in order to flaunt its slender chassis. The Smartbook – here in touching, emotionally-available, secure-in-its-own-masculinity pink – is considerably thinner than a netbook (the 1005HA) that until now has helped lead the pack in terms of slimline scale, and it’s not an unfair battery comparison either. The Pegatron may only have a 2-cell, 4,400mAh battery, but thanks to the low-voltage components inside it’s rated for around eight hours runtime.
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ASUS' 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA has finally made it to retail, with the 1.33GHz Atom Z520 ultraportable landing at Amazon. $429.99 gets you not only the 1101HA's 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit panel, but a 160GB hard-drive and 1GB of RAM. According to ASUS, the 1101HA's battery is good for up to 10hrs runtime.
ASUS have apparently pushed back the launch of their second touchscreen netbook, the Eee PC T101, according to the latest whisperings from the industry. Originally set to be released in June 2009, the T101 – which has a 10-inch touchscreen display, and is the larger sibling to the T91 - will now arrive in September at the earliest.
What’s that, you say? Why, it’s ASUS’ Eee PC 1101HA, the 11.6-inch Atom Z520 model from the company’s slippery Seashell range, and it’s sat next to the packaging it so recently was unboxed from. It’s the handiwork of NewGadgets.de, who have managed to acquire one of the netbooks over in Europe.
Unboxing video after the cut
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