Asus has been working to expand its Eee netbook line to offer products that fit every need. Asus isn’t content with only a couple models and has been fleshing the line out with machines sporting screens more akin to traditional ultraportables than the netbooks we are familiar with. Today the specs for the Eee 1201N and 1201HA have leaked online.
ASUS‘ second netbook from this weekend offers a blast from the past, in the shape of a Linux OS option. The ASUS Eee PC 1001HA is billed as an entry-level model, but will be available in three different versions: the 1001HA XP, with Windows XP, the 1001HA LX, with Linux, or a bare model that comes with no OS at all.
ASUS have kicked out a new 12-inch netbook, the Eee PC 1201N, packing NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset and 2GB of RAM. The Eee PC 1201N is yet to make an official appearance on ASUS’ own site, but is currently listed with a Chinese web retailer; for your 3,504 yuan ($513) you get Intel’s Atom N270 1.6GHz processor and a 250GB 5,400rpm SATA hard-drive.
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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