The Eee PC, officially launched in a couple of weeks' time, is ASUS' take on Intel's Classmate PC, a low-cost laptop for students in emerging markets. Being part of the World Ahead Program, the fixed-specification Classmate PC isn't available to the general public, and that's where ASUS comes in.
Taking the basic design from the Classmate PC, ASUS will retail two models. The basic Eee PC Surf will retail at £199 and feature a 2GB solid-state drive (usually 1GB on the basic Classmate) and 256MB of onboard memory. The £219 Eee will adds a larger 4GB solid-state drive, doubles system memory to 512MB, includes an integrated webcam, and ships with a beefier battery, so, for most, it seems like £20 better spent. Our main concern, we suppose, lies with the relative lack of onboard storage. The more-expensive Packard Bell EasyNote XS 10 (£350). based on VIA's NanoBook, ships with a 30GB drive but with a similar form factor and screen.
We've seen the Classmate PC in action at this year's IFA show and were impressed by the brightly-lit 7in (800x480) screen, small form factor, and incredibly light weight, tipping the scales at under 1kg.
Keeping costs pared down to a minimum, ASUS will ship both models with Linux, although Windows XP can be installed by the user.
Can you see this as part of a Christmas stocking-filler? Have regular-sized laptops' pricing dropped enough for this £199 notebook's pricing to seem expensive? Have your say in our forums.
Press release
ASUS Introduces the All-New Eee PC
Easy to Learn, Easy to Work, Easy to Play
Technology Made Easy
The ASUS Eee PC has generated an incredible amount of media over the past few finals. Today ASUS UK is pleased to confirm the UK launch details. The ASUS Eee PC provides users with a new mobile experience – appealing to a wide range of users, both young and old, experienced with technology or not. The Eee PC gives you the freedom to decide how you want to experience technology.
The ASUS Eee PC will launch in the UK on November 12th for £219 inc VAT (4G model) and will be available in both Pearl White and Galaxy Black. Furthermore there will be a full public UK unveiling at this weekend’s What HiFi Sound & Vision/Best of Stuff Show at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith (2nd – 4th November) so drop by to see demonstrations of the Eee PC in addition to other exciting new ASUS products.
“This delightful little computer is incredibly easy to use but at the same time is packed full of technology,” said Sean Malony, Intel Executive VP, GM of Sales & Marketing Group, “Intel is delighted to partner with ASUS on the development on this project, and we would like to once again extend our congratulations to the ASUS team of engineers and researchers.”
Sean Malony also said, “This tremendous company (ASUS), with nearly 20 years of technological breakthroughs, has tackled one problem after another in the industry, and we believe that the Eee PC will be significant in bringing computing and Internet access to more and more children and people around the world – realizing Intel’s World Ahead Program.”
Easy to Learn, Work and Play
Learn the latest technology without the manual! For an easy hands-on experience, the Eee PC offers two modes of intuitive user interface design in order to accommodate both experienced and inexperienced PC users. The Eee PC is also Windows XP compatible. With over 40 built-in applications, the Eee PC offers a dynamic computing experience for education, work and play!
Excellent Internet Experience
Built-in WLAN connectivity allows users to stay connected for dynamic Internet usage on the go. With the Eee PC users can share photos without waiting to get home; connect face to face with just a few clicks; enjoy online entertainment live; stay on top of emails to stay ahead at work and more!
Excellent on-the-Go
The 7” Eee PC is only 0.92kg with large flash-based storage capacity and built-in webcam for compact mobility with wireless freedom. The special solid-state disc design based on built-in flash-memory gives the Eee PC a great shock-proof advantage over traditional notebook PCs allowing extra flexibility and a worry free mobile computing experience.
Specifications
Model Name |
Eee PC 4G |
Eee PC 2G Surf |
Display |
7” |
7” |
Intel CPU & Chipset |
● |
● |
Operating System |
● Linux |
● Linux |
|
● Windows XP compatible |
● Windows XP compatible |
Ethernet Communication |
● |
● |
WLAN |
● |
● |
Memory |
● 512 MB (DDR2) |
● 256 MB (DDR2) |
S.S.D. Storage (Solid-State Disk) |
● 4GB |
● 2GB |
Camera |
● |
- |
Audio |
● Hi-Definition audio |
● Hi-Definition audio |
● Stereo speaker |
● Stereo speaker |
|
● Microphone |
● Microphone |
|
Battery |
4 Cells: 5200 mAh, 3.5hrs* |
4 Cells: 4400 mAh, 2.8hrs* |
Weight |
0.92 kg |
0.92 kg |
Price (SRP £) |
£219 inc VAT |
£199 inc VAT |
* Specs changes are subject to different models
* Battery operation lifetime is subject to normal usage (WLAN usage, Office use, Media use etc)
About ASUS
ASUS is a leading provider of 3C total solutions. With a global staff of more than 100 thousand and a world-class R&D design team, the turnover for 2006 was 17.4 billion U.S. Dollars. ASUS has been ranked in Business Week InfoTech 100 for 10 straight years, and was ranked No.1 by the Wall Street Journal Asia for best quality products in Taiwan.
