New posts in Tipid PC (Philippines) forum -
Posted by ekimonk on July 30, 2007 11:04 PM
mukhang panget ito..tignan mo di masaya yung may hawak..malungkot sya.. pag ito binili nyo malulungkot din kayo ([the Eee] doesn't appear to be OK, look at the guy holding it...he is sad. If you buy the Asus Eee, you will be sad, too.)
Posted by december20 on July 31, 2007 08:37 AM
bakit siya masaya ohhhh! Ang ganda ng eeepc pati nung chick! hehehe! (Why is she happy then? The Eee PC is pretty. So is the chick!)
Posted by darkchoco11 on July 31, 2007 08:40 AM
alam ko na! naka-on kasi yung eee pc nya kaya masaya! (I know! She is happy because the Eee PC is on!)
Posted Gerard on July 31, 2007 09:01 AM
haha,, yung una, wala baterya,, eto pangalawa merun,, hehe (The first had no battery, this second already has.)
Posted by december20 on July 31, 2007 09:09 AM
send pics from the beach... if you can find a hotspot
Posted by Ranma on July 31, 2007 09:14 AM
Maybe that blonde thought that tanning directly under the sun counts as a "hot spot". :)
Apparently a slightly earlier post by meeegs on July 30, 2007 09:28 PM was never taken seriously -
it's amusing how long this thread has become, and how little it has progressed.
----------
Well, at least the above exchange offered witty humor while we all try to wait patiently for the launch. It made my day. Hope it makes yours, too.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Hilarious Exchange in the Tipid PC Forum thread
Update on Pricing and Availabilty of the Asus Eee
From a post (#16) by kzetts in a thread in the Eeeuser forum -
I've called Asus Notebooks Sales/Support 4 times this morning, and I believe a have confirmed some information. First, all four support reps have confirmed mid-September as the launch time. Also, all four reps have informed me that the 4 and 8 Gb models will ship first, and then they will release the 16GB model based on the popularity of the prior...All of the reps have also confirmed that the Asus Eee PC is NOT planned to be sold in retail stores like Bestbuy, Circuit City, CompUSA, or Walmart. They told me that the Eee will be sold by the same resellers that are currently distributing existing Asus Notebooks, although, if the demand were to rise high enough, they would consider promoting the device in the previously mentioned retail outlets. One last strange bit of information is that they all stated that the PC will most likely use an Intel Centrino wireless card, NOT the Atheros shown here. This makes almost no sense, since the Centrino cards are not fully supported by Linux, and furthermore, crushing any hopes of wardriving...
AsusTek NA Notebooks Support/PreSales
888-678-3688
----------
Ugh. So now we will have to wait longer. September is the start of the -ber months. A little more delay, and we should be looking at October, November, December - just in time for the holiday rush. With NAND memory still in short supply, I wouldn't be surprised further delays (if any) will leave a lot of consumers still dreaming of their Eees past Christmas. And that thing about using Centrino, if true, is simply a major letdown. Well, we can still wish for a little Christmas wish, can't we? hehe
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Asus Eee and Wireless Email
According to Om Malik, he checks his email on his iPhone-Nokia E61i-Blackberry while in the bathroom, crossing the street and during dinner at a busy restaurant. And he is not alone in his email obsession.
An AOL survey shows that checking email on the portable devices has doubled since 2004. Americans who carry a mobile email device have some really strange addictions:
* 59% are checking email in bed
* 53% in the bathroom
* 37% are checking email while they drive.
* 43% check their email first thing in the morning.
* 40% have checked their email in the middle of the night.
* 83% have checked their email while on vacation.
* An average email user checks mail about five times a day.
With so many users requiring just about 24/7 access to email wherever they are, it is little wonder the global market for wireless email is projected by Palo Alto-based research firm The Radicati Group to grow from US$6 billion in 2007 to nearly US$25 billion in 2011.
While the Blackberry supports email attachments, viewing these can be a pain with the limited small screen. Editing, if possible, is even more tedious.
Now here comes the Asus Eee. It is actually small and light enough to toss into large ladies' bags, trendy messenger bags, or students' backpacks. Meaning it is likely to be carried around by users. Well, not exactly the way they would bring a mobile phone along without thinking twice. But at a price point that is actually cheaper than most smartphones, chances are if the user usually totes a bag, the Asus Eee will be inside.
While the Asus Eee, with its projected 15 second boot-up time, does not offer the always-on convenience of the Blackberry, coupled with Wifi, it clearly can be used to do email. So what if I have to wait a few seconds longer to access my email? If I have a few minutes to kill and I have access to free WiFi, the extra seconds won't hurt. Moreover, the Asus Eee might even have a hibernate mode that will reduce the boot-up time even further.
Of course, the Asus Eee obviously does not provide as smooth a user experience for email as the Blackberry does. But it clearly provides a very interesting alternative - and a free one at that. It even allows for more efficient viewing and editing of attachments.
With services like Mobigram and Muztah popping up that offer free international text messaging on mobile phones/handsets via WiFi, 3G and GPRS, suddenly international communications have become extremely affordable - as in free (well assuming the WiFi service used is free). Use the mobile phone to text short messages via Mobigram or Muztah, use the Asus Eee for longer email messages, especially those with attachments. Of course, for some users, the Asus Eee can arguably replace mobile phones, what with its ability to do IM and VoIP. But that's for another post.
Follow Up on Medison Celebrity
The backlash on Medison Celebrity's incredible US$150 notebook offering has intensified with readers after readers posting precautionary warnings in popular forums and sites such as Gizmodo, Engadget, and Slashdot.
One blog was even specifically created to expose the alleged scam. Named Medison Scam, it attempts to disproves countless claims on the Medison Celebrity's website with detailed explanations and facts. If anything, it provides a lot of interesting information.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Mac OS-X on the Asus Eee PC PC 701
Just how universal the appeal of the Asus Eee PC 701 can be seen in an ongoing discussion in the Insanely Mac Forum, where Mac fanatics discuss the possibilities of installing OS-X on it.
Asus Eee PC 701's power brick
According to a post by JerryJ in the Notebookreview forum, the power adapter of the pre-production Asus Eee PC 701 reviewed by Andrew in his now widely circulated write-up measures 3.5 x 1.5 x 1 inches. This is pretty small.
JerryJ's post is #118 in this thread.
I guess I can now start designing my subnotebook/messenger bag.
Asus Eee Available Mid-August in the Philippines?
Laptop King Online (Philippines) has also started advertising the Asus Eee PC 701, claiming it will be available mid-August.
"Coming Soooonnnnnnn.... our BIG apologies for posting an item without definite date (ETA) . . . .just got excited seeing the specs and pricing . . . AFTER LEARNING FROM A FRIEND who just got back from the latest Taiwan Computex
storage configurations as follow:
04Gb Flash ---------> 13,999.00
08Gb Flash ---------> 15,999.00
16Gb Flash ---------> 17,999.00
addendum: please wait further for actual final configuration . . . . . official words from our local distro to come out mid August 2007 . . ."
----------
Hmmm. Those wordings and high prices sound familiar. Wouldn't you know it - Laptop King Online is also owned by PC Corner which has previously been mentioned. Still the mid-August delivery date sounds awfully tempting.
BTW, PhP17,999 is roughly US$350.00, or US$100 more than the suggested retail price being quoted in various sites. Wow.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Booting Windows XP from a USB drive
For those of you who are planning to run Windows XP on the Asus Eee PC 701, a quicker way to implement it is to turn the Asus into a dual-boot system that boots Windows XP from a USB (when attached) or Xandros when there is no attached USB drive.
However this assumes two things:
1. The Asus Eee PC 701 can boot from a USB drive.
2. Windows XP can boot from a USB drive.
As of now, we are not sure about the first, though there is no compelling reason why it won't be able to.
As for the second, despite Microsoft's insistence that Windows XP can't boot from a USB drive, there are several implementations already. One such implementation is Ngine Software, which provides a good step-by-step guide to creating your own bootable Windows XP USB drive.
There are also existing programs that pretty much automate the process. In fact nLite has been around for quite some time and has attracted quite a following, given how bloated Windows XP has become.
Medison Celebrity's US$150 Laptop
For quite some time now, a Swedish site, Medison Celebrity, has been offering a laptop for US$150, the same price point as the Asus Eee PC 701. But the former is actually more of a mainstream product (as much as Linux comes to being mainstream :) ), being a Linux-based notebook with a 1.5GHz Celeron processor, 256MB RAM, a 40GB hard drive and a 14-inch 1280 x 768 resolution widescreen display and 802.11g Wi-Fi.
In fact, with its specs, at US$150, it represents a very good bargain. So what is the catch? Inspite of all the play-up by practically all major tech sites, not a single hands-on, preview, or review has been posted. Also although the site is already accepting orders, it states that shipping will take approximately 4 to 6 weeks. That's a tad bit too long.
Thus, some user sites have been issuing precautionary advice regarding ordering from Medison Celebrity. In other words, if it is too good to be true, chances are it is.
Personally I wouldn't be so quick as to conclude one way or another, although admittedly the price is too low for comfort. But the fact that the site uses 2CO, which I have come across in several on-line transactions with established Internet resellers, and accepts VISA/MC, which provides consumer protection, I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Still, I wouldn't order right away - not unless I come across hands-on reviews from established sites such as PCMag or Notebookreview as well as comments from satisfied buyers. But then that is just me.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Allasus Moves Asus Eee Ship Date - Again
US-based Allasus.com has yet again changed the projected ship date of the Asus Eee PC 701. It has originally listed it at August 07, then changed it to Fall 07. Now its website is saying expected delivery is October 07.
Could this mean that Asus is having problems sourcing NAND memory, given the current shortage? Or that it has other problems related to the production of the Asus Eee? Well, hopefully not.
Monday, July 23, 2007
OLPC XO's Production Cost
The BBC has posted a breakdown of costs for the OLPC XO which is being produced by Quanta of Taiwan. The final design will have more than 800 parts from multiple suppliers such as chip-maker AMD, which supplies the low-power processor at the heart of the machine.
Total is USD176, which is practically around the price at which OLPC intends to sell to third-world governments. Hmmmm.
At any rate, a more interesting info would be the breakdown of costs for the Asus Eee PC 701.
OLPC may launch $350 laptop by Christmas
BOSTON (Reuters) - The One Laptop Per Child Foundation could to start selling its XO laptops to consumers by Christmas, a foundation executive said on Monday. Instead of the project $180 price, the OX will initially sell for just $350, or twice its production cost, although the group is also considering a $525 price tag.
As the foundation prepares for mass production of its first model, the XO, to begin in October, it is looking for ways to subsidize manufacturing of the devices so that it can get more of them into the hands of poor children. It is looking at selling the machines over the Internet and talking to companies with "a big presence on the Web."
Full details at Reuters.
---------
Hopefully the Asus Eee won't experience the same price increase as its delivery date approaches although the OLPC did previously announced they may sell the XO to the private sector at a higher price.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
A Very Entertaining Forum Thread on the Asus Eee PC 701
If you can read and understand Tagalog, surf over to the TipidPC Forum (Philippines) where there is a long and oftentimes hilarious discussion on the Asus Eee PC 701. Actually the discussion is conducted in English and Tagalog so even if you don't understand the latter, you should be able to pick up the gist of the discussion and learn a lot of technical issues along the way.
The thread is littered with several posts by a self-labeled "power user" named Ekimonk (rig: AMD athlon 900 Mhz, 128 MB RAM, 20GB HD, 14" LCD laptop) who oscillates between putting down the Asus Eee and providing links and information from other sites he keeps discovering.
WARNING: At the time of this post, the thread is already 20 pages long. So be prepared to spend sometime going through it.
New Info on Asus Eee PC 701 components
Photo posted in the Eeeuser forum:
From the photo above we can discern the following:
1. The Asus Eee PC 701 is made in China.
2. It uses the Atheros module for WiFi.
3. The screw-in cover implies upgradeable/replaceable components. Most probably memory since Asus notebooks with ULV CPUs usually have them soldered on.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Photo Comparison of Asus Eee PC 701 and Sony VAIO TX
Tinh Tế (Vietnam) has posted a photo comparison of the Asus Eee PC 701 and the Sony VAIO TX at their site. Some sample photos -
More photos at Tinhte (Vietnam).
Friday, July 20, 2007
Asus Eee PC pricing, availablity updates
From a post by bloodfirmament in the Mobile 01 forum (Taiwan) -
資料來源-PTT:
標題 [情報] 華碩EeePC月底量產 內建Skype
時間 Mon Jul 16 14:34:12 2007
【王郁倫╱台北報導】華碩（2357）低價電腦EeePC（易PC）將在 7月底量產，初期機種設定2~3款，出貨地區以美國、中國、台灣最早，歐洲次之，售價在 299~399 美元（新台幣9800~13100元間），至於最低價的199美元機種要稍晚 在8月底、9月初問世；為符合Easy work、Easy learn、Easy play的目標將內建各國基礎教育資料，比方「化學元素表」，以及網路電話Skype軟體等。
華碩籌備多時的低價電腦EeePC即將正式推出，初期將量產299~399美元機種因為語言版本的因素，第一批將以台灣、中國、美國為主，換言之，台灣市場預估8月初就可以買到，為搶攻教育市場，華碩將結合各地教育機構，推出內建教育資料EeePC，比方化學元素表等等。
初期299~399美元華碩表示，EeePC 定位不只是賣硬體，而是轉為「平台方案」服務商角色為了達成3E的目標，機種軟體功能相當特殊，在Work方面，內建了支援Office的文書軟體，及各家3G網卡驅動程式，另外為了符合網路視訊會議需求，除硬體搭載30萬畫素網路鏡頭、讀卡機，並內建Skype通話軟體，開機只需15秒。
華碩今年預估EeePC出貨量30~50萬台，明年中到2009年出貨將達300~500萬台,全球低價電腦市場則將超過1000萬台。
--------
Rough translation -
ASUS will start volume production of the low-cost EeePC at the end of July for the initial target markets of U.S., China, and Taiwan, followed by Europe. Pricing will be at USD299 to 399 (NT 9800 - 13,100). The lowest priced model (USD199) will be available by end of August/early September.
Asus will also target the educational market and will bundle programs such as the periodic table and Internet telephony software such as Skype. It is positioning the EeePC as a platform solution with various pre-loaded applications, including Office software and 3G drivers.
The company estimates sales of up to 500,000 by middle of next year and 5,000,00 by 2009.
Asus low-end laptops to run Xandros
Just a press release about Xandros running on the Asus Eee -
Jul. 19, 2007 - In early June, Asustek Computer and Intel announced they would soon be releasing a low-end $199 subnotebook, the Asus Eee PC 701. It appears to be on schedule, and when it arrives in customers' hands in late August or early September it will be running a variation of Xandros Desktop Linux.
Like other new generation subnotebooks, the real news with the Eee is its size. At 8.6 by 6.5 by 1.3 inches and barely 2 pounds, a user can tuck it into a backpack or purse and hardly notice that it's there.
The Eee PC 701 comes with two interfaces. The first is meant for users who may have never used a computer before. In fact the name Eee, besides being a play on Nintendo's popular Wii game system, represented a threefold repetition of the word "easy," as in "easy to learn, easy to play, easy to work."
The other interface is KDE-based. Both Windows XP and KDE users will find it familiar-looking. Linux users will also find such familiar open-source applications as OpenOffice, Firefox and Skype.
Of course, Eee users will have to get used to seeing the interface and their applications on a 7-inch display. This 800 by 480 pixel display won't be overly snappy either, as its GPU uses UMA. This means that the graphics borrow memory from the computer's 512MB RAM.
While this may not sound like enough RAM to run Xandros, this Linux version is well-known for its ability to run with a bare minimum of RAM. In a DesktopLinux.com review in 2006, we were able to run Xandros Desktop 4.0, on a far less powerful system: a 500MHz Pentium III processor, 128MB of RAM and a 10GB hard drive.
The heart of this ultraportable is a 900MHz Pentium M running on the Intel 910 Mobile chip set. For main storage, the Eee uses 4 to 16GB of solid state flash memory.
While even the maximum storage isn't even a quarter of Dell's Ubuntu-powered Inspiron 1420s with 80GB hard drive, it's much faster. Booting up Xandros on an Eee takes less than 15 seconds. If more storage is needed, the user can connect USB drives to any of the laptop's three USB 2.0 ports.
The Eee also includes 10/100 Ethernet, a 56K modem, and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, built-in stereo speakers, a microphone and a 300K-pixel video camera. A four-cell, 2s2p (two-in-series, two-in-parallel) 5200mAh battery provides a claimed 3 hours of battery life.
The full press release can be read at Desktop Linux .
Quote for the Day (July 20, 2007)
"why doesn't Walmart just buy a few hundred million of them, then we'll all be happy?"
comment posted by Mark on APC Mag discussion regarding the possible limited distribution of Asus Eee in Australia.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
A Glimpse of 800 x 480 resolution
A tip from the eeeuser.com forum contributed by ericbsmith (Post No. 29)
If you want to test browsing in 800x480 simply copy & paste the following into the browser address bar: javascript:top.resizeTo(800,480);
This is how the site looks in 800 x 480. Actual window size is 7".
ASUS eee PC to be released in Aust by Sept
July 10, 2007 - APC Mag (Australia) has reported that Asus has announced the Asus Eeee will be made available in Australia on a 'special project tender' basis and not via regular retail channels.
According to the report, ASUS is scheduled to release the subnote by September. Quoted specs are the same as being mentioned in various sites except for the flash drive capacity. Unlike the reports coming out of Vietnam which specify either 8GB or 16GB capacities only, the report included the original entry-level 4GB configuration.
It remains to be seen if the 4GB model will be offered, given the current shortage of NAND flash memory.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
How iPhone Sales May Affect the Asus Eee
Back in March 2007, DRAMeXchange reported that contract prices for 4-, 8-, 16-, and 32-Gb single-level cell NAND Flash chips increased by 4 – 7%, the second such jump for the year. The hike was attributed to a projected lack of supply as most of those vendors readjusted their respective fab capacity after NAND Flash prices plummeted last year.
The problem now was that MP3, cell phone, and SSD manufacturers have been aggressively placing large orders to NAND Flash suppliers in order to stock up on inventory. All of the non-hard-disk based MP3 players and mobile phones including the Apple Shuffle, and nano, and the iPhone use flash memory. In fact, demand had increased much earlier than normal for this year, resulting in an expected continued price increase through the second half as the iPhone and and other competing products hit the market.
Now a new report from the firm confirmed that the trend shows no signs of reversing. In an update, DRAMeXchange said that devices like the iPhone and iPod are on target to consume no less than 25% of the total Q3 NAND flash capacity. And because a huge portion of the chip capacity is being allocated to Apple, many downstream vendors are being left flash-less.
Compounding the shortage are the production snags in the migration to more advanced NAND Flash manufacturing processes that has led to a lower-than-expected output. As with all new technology, the new production process has yet to be streamlined, and current capacity is not meeting the original production plans.
It may take two-to-three quarters before the production kinks are worked out and higher levels of chip production is achieved. Thus DRAMeXchange is predicting that a fairly substantial flash chip shortage will occur sometime during Q3 this year with prices continuing to rise.
As the Asus Eee uses NAND Flash for its storage, production may be affected by the shortage, putting in jeopardy the scheduled August launch.
PC Parts Direct (Australia) to Dissect an Asus Eee
PC Parts Direct (Australia) plans to dissect an Asus Eee as part of its review. In an July 18, 2007 announcement, it stated -
"Well it's no surprise that the EeePC is about the hottest product talked about on the net at the moment. And looking at our poll, it looks like most of you are keen to get your hands on one as well. Here at PCPD we are dedicated in bringing to our members the latest products, and the EeePC is no exception. Below are some things we have in store for our members.
We have committed ourselves to ordering a EeePC from a supplier in the states so that we can bring you our findings on the product as soon as possible to the overseas launch date. We plan on not just reviewing the EeePC but to also dissect it..."
Complete announcement at PC Parts Direct (Australia) .
----------
Well, hopefully that will provide a lot of answers for those who of us who have been wondering -
1. Is the CPU soldered on?
2. Is the RAM soldered on?
3. What kind of flash memory does that Asus Eee has? Is it user upgradeable?
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Intel launches Mobile & Internet Linux Project website
Intel recently launched its Moblin website, which "hosts the Mobile & Internet Linux Project, an umbrella, open source project focused on the development of Linux for Intel-based devices. To this purpose, moblin.org will host various projects that will provide key elements of community-based projects such as Ubuntu's Mobile and Embedded Edition*, and Red Flag's MIDINUX*, targeted for such devices. We also intend to be an incubator for prototyping new ideas and projects targeting these types of devices, such as the Intel-based Mobile Internet Device (MID) and various consumer electronic devices."
Huh? So where does that leave Xandros on the Asus Eee?
New Asus Eee Details from NotebookReview
A member, GRZ530, of the NotebookReview forum attended the Vietnam Computer Electronics Show earliest this month and posted new photos that provided revealing details -
Photos copyright by Tinhte.com
More importantly, the Windows key has been replaced by a custom key (bottom row, third from left).
Shipment is supposed to start August 2007. Prices will range from US$250 to US$500 depending on configuration.
For GRZ530's posts, go to NotebookReview. His posts are #69 and #76. Warranty is Asus' standard two years.
Monday, July 16, 2007
ASUS R2H BH040T shares common specs with the EEE PC 701
It appears the R2H BH040T, an UMPC from Asus, shares a lot of common specs with the Asus EEE PC 701. The latter, while technically also a UMPC, breaks the mold in terms of form factor and pricing. It has the form factor of a subnotebook instead of a handheld and is priced way below other UMPC, even with the recent price increase to USD249 for an 8G configuration.
The R2H BH040T's specs (from the British Ciao! site, listed since 11/11/06) -
General
Platform Technology: Ultra Mobile PC
System Type: Ultra portable PC - slate
Built-in Devices: Speaker, wireless LAN aerial, GPS
Embedded Security: Fingerprint reader
Width: 23.4 cm
Depth: 13.3 cm
Height: 2.8 cm
Weight: 0.83 kg
Processor
Processor: Intel Celeron M 900 MHz
Power Efficiency: Ultra Low Voltage (ULV)
Chipset Type: Intel 910GML Express
Cache memory
Type: L2 Cache
Ram
Installed Size: 768 MB / 768 MB (max)
Technology: DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz
Configuration Features: 1 x 512 MB + 256 MB (soldered)
Storage
Hard Drive: 60 GB - 4200 rpm
Optical storage
Type: DVD±RW (+R double layer) - external
Card reader
Type: Card reader
Supported Flash Memory Cards: SD Memory Card
Display
Display Type: 7" TFT active matrix
Max Resolution: 800 x 480 ( WVGA )
Widescreen Display: Yes
Features: ASUS Splendid Video Intelligence Technology
Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor: Intel GMA 900
Video Memory: Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0
Audio
Audio Input: Microphone
Notebook camera
Camera Type: Integrated
Sensor Resolution: 1.3 Megapixel
Input device(s)
Type: Touch-screen, thumb stick, stylus, 4-way navigation button
Networking
Networking: Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported: Yes
Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0
Expansion / connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free): 1 ( 0 ) x memory
Interfaces:
* 1 x docking / port replicator
* 1 x Hi-Speed USB - mini-USB Type A
* 1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5mm
* 1 x headphones - output
* 1 x audio / video - output
* 1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories: Carrying case
Cables Included:
* VGA cable
* USB cable
Power
Power Device: External
Voltage Required: AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Battery
Technology: Lithium polymer
Installed Qty: 1
Capacity: 3430 mAh
Operating system / software
OS Provided: Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
Software: Nero Express 6, ASUS Power4 Gear+, ASUS Live Update, ASUS Mobile Theater, Adobe Acrobat Reader 7, Norton Antivirus 2006, ASUS WinFlash, Microsoft Touch Pack, ASUS Infopen
Manufacturer warranty
Service & Support: 2 years warranty
Service & Support Details:
* Limited warranty - 2 years
* Limited warranty - battery - 1 year
Pricegrabber UK lowest price is £694.46.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Asus Eee in Vietnam Computer Show
The Vietnam Computer Electronics World Expo opened Thursday in Ho Chi Minh and is expected to attract 250,000 people during its 4-day run.
International Data Group (IDG) Chair Patrick McGovern opened the convention at the International Exhibition Center in Tan Binh by remarking that the Vietnamese IT market is progressing quickly and is luring an increasing number of foreign companies.
Intel revealed that it is cooperating with Asus to produce low-cost Eee PC laptops to be sold for only US$199-$299 each but did not say when they would be available.
More details at Thanh Nien News.
PC Parts Direct Australia Conducting Asus Eee Poll
PC Parts Direct Australia is conducting a poll to determine whether they will carry the Asus Eee.
At the time of this post, the results are:
If we brought the Asus Eee into the country would you be buying one?
Yes 32 votes for 97% of total votes. Maybe 1 vote for 3%. No 0 votes for 0%.
Number of Voters : 33
First Vote : Sunday, 15 July 2007 11:31
Last Vote : Monday, 16 July 2007 00:11
Well, it seems to be a no brainer for them. Question now is when will they have it?
Saturday, July 14, 2007
India hopes to make $10 laptops a reality
4 May 2007, 0253 hrs IST -
NEW DELHI: The Indian HRD ministry's idea of making laptops at $10 is firmly taking shape with two designs already in and public sector undertaking Semiconductor Complex evincing interest to be a part of the project.
So far, the cost of one laptop, after factoring in labour charges, is coming to $47 but the ministry feels the price will come down dramatically considering the fact that the demand would be for one million laptops. "The cost is encouraging and we are hopeful it would come down to $10. We would also look into the possibility of some Indian company manufacturing the parts," an official said.
The two designs with the ministry are from a final year engineering student of Vellore Institute of Technology and a researcher from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Due to reasons of Intellectual Property Rights, being insisted by the two designers, the ministry is not parting with the design except giving out some of the major details.
Ministry sources also say that it has received offers from MNCs, but none of them was adhering to the $10 cost tag. Sources say it would be another two years before the laptops become a reality.
Details at The Times of India
----------
So does this mean it is possible the Asus Eee will be priced at under $50 in two years time? :)
Foleo vs Asus Eee
A TreoCentral forum member, NuttyPro67, posted this comparison (edited for typos & brevity) between the Foleo and the Asus Eee -
...I am going to compare directly the capability of each device straight out of the box, regardless of what it may be capable of with a bit of modding or programming. Since the second generation of the Asus Eee won't be released soon, I will be taking specifications only from the Asus Eee PC 701. Also, since the Foleo is advertised as a companion to the Treo, any disadvantages that the Foleo has that the Treo makes up for will be noted. Also, as with the Foleo and Eee, any capabilities I cite will be ones that the Treo has out of the box with little or no additional hardware/software. The Wikipedia articles that I sourced from can be located here:
Asus Eee:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC
PalmOne Foleo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foleo
Size and Weight:
You can view a very clear size comparison between the 2 devices at this link:
http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_com...ePC-vs-CD-Case
Both devices are very compact and very similar in size. The Foleo is wider than the Eee but the Eee is thicker. Sizewise, they are basically the same. The Foleo is rather hefty at 1.113 kgs where the Asus Eee weighs only 0.89 kgs. Eee takes this one.
Eee: 1 Foleo: 0
Screen:
The Eee has a rather small 7" screen with an effective resolution of 800×480 pixels. The Foleo has a much larger screen at 10.2" with an effective resolution of 1024x600. Both devices are high color and both devices natively support VGA out at 1024x768. Foleo gets this one.
Eee: 1 Foleo: 1
Processing Power:
Alright I know Foleo fans are going to argue it's only a supplement to the Treo, but the Foleo is fully capable of running by itself, especially considering it has its own Wifi and Bluetooth, and with its built-in Linux and the high probability that third party developers are going to try to write programs for it, it's important to know how powerful the device is so you know what it can and can't do.
The Eee will ship with a 900 mhz Dothan class Pentium-M processor. All we know about the Foleo is it will sport a PXA class CPU, if Palm follows their current trend and powers it at 400 mhz that's still a far cry from the Pentium 900 mhz. Even if the PXA is clocked up to 614 mhz, the ARM architecture means that even at 614 mhz it could only stand toe to toe with nothing higher than a 150 mhz Pentium class CPU. With only a handheld class CPU inside, the Foleo is vastly underpowered for its size. Eee gets this easy.
Eee: 2 Foleo: 1
Memory:
The Foleo has 256 MB of flash memory, 128 MB is accessible by the user. Even with the Treo's memory added you only get a total of 256 MB. Now I know your going to argue about expansion with SD cards but both the Eee and the Foleo are capable of expansion. The Asus Eee wins this one beyond the shadow of a doubt with an impressive 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of onboard solid state program memory.
Eee: 3 Foleo: 1
Connectivity:
Both devices sport Wifi, however, the Eee has a much faster wireless connection with 802.11g, where the Foleo only has 802.11b. Now the Foleo does have Bluetooth but the Eee has dial-up and Ethernet. Even the Treo doesn't have anything better than 802.11b and completely lacks any kind of wired connectivity. Now to a lot of people the Bluetooth connection capability is very important. While you could solve that with a Bluetooth dongle on the Eee, we are comparing out of box capability. So while the Foleo does lack the wired connectivity it makes up for that with Bluetooth. Considering these devices are aimed at the mobile professional, the lack of Bluetooth makes the Eee lose this one.
Eee: 3 Foleo: 2
Multimedia:
Well the Palm Treo is capable of videos and music as well as the Asus Eee. However, the Asus Eee has a 7" screen and a much more capable CPU. Not to mention the Asus Eee have much more storage memory which gives it much more opportunity for DivX movies right out of the package. Asus Eee wins this category.
Eee: 4 Foleo: 2
Battery:
Since both devices have not hit the shelves yet so we can only speculate whether they have removable battery packs. so we can only go off of the advertised battery life. The Asus Eee has an advertised battery life of 3 hours in normal mode. Now I'm not sure but I read in another article where there is a secondary, low power mode that only allows like web surfing which can extend the battery for up to 5 hours, but for now I'm going to assume that doesn't exist since I don't have an article to cite, so the Foleo wins with its stock 5 hour battery life.
Eee: 4 Foleo: 3
Boot Time:
The Asus Eee has a cold boot time of roughly 15 seconds. This is where it's at a disadvantage with its desktop class Operating System and components. The Foleo has an advertised instant on feature. We all know that this "Instant on" is the feature that handhelds have almost always had from the desktop equivalent of a stand by state.
Eee: 4 Foleo: 4
Capability/Usability:
Both devices have Linux running and both devices have a strong group of developers standing behind them already, however, while the Foleo is only capable of email, web, and some simple office applications, the Asus Eee has a rather impressive suite of programs straight out of the box like OpenOffice and Firefox. Any further doubt of the Asus Eee being more capable is removed when we start talking about the vastly more powerful CPU and the fact that it can run any already made x86 applications designed for Linux. But once again, out the of the box only features - Eee still takes it.
Now where the Eee is very much more powerful than the Foleo, the Foleo does have a larger screen which makes it much easier to use for many people. Still, you can't argue with native built the built in microphone, webcam, and dial up and eEthernet networking, plus the multimedia features all in that one device, rather than having to fiddle between your Foleo and Treo.
Eee: 5 Foleo: 4
----------
Complete comparison and NuttyPro67's conclusion are available here. It is post #127.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Asus Eee PC 701's Components - An Update
Screen – 7” 800 x 480 by AU Optronics.
CPU – Intel mobile CPU (900MHz Dothan Pentium M)
Graphics – Intel UMA
Chipset - Intel 910
Size - 22.5 x 16.5 x 2.1~3.5 cm (8.9 x 6.5 x 0.82 in - 1.37 in)
The Asus Eee on top of a 11.1" Asus S6 pink laptop?
Weight – 890 grams (2 lbs)Battery Life - 3 hrs (4 cells: 5200mAh, 2 in series, 2 in parallel).
OS – Asus-customized Xandros, a Debian based Linux distro, with an "Easy" and "Standard" mode which can be switched between when inexperienced users feel confident enough to move from the simple "Easy" layout to the "Standard" desktop environment.) Also Windows XP compatible.
Applications - Open Office applications suite, and Firefox browser.
Boot-Up Time – 10 seconds
Shutdown Time - 5 seconds
RAM - 512MB DDR2-400
Data storage - 8GB or 16GB Flash drive option.
Connectivity - Ethernet LAN, 802.11b/g, and a 56K modem,
USB – three 2.0 ports. Will the BIOS allow for USB Boot-up?
SD slot
Audio - Hi-Definition Audio CODEC; Built-in stereo speaker; Built-in microphone
Audio ports - headphone out, microphone in
Video ports - VGA out (for attaching to TVs and projectors)
Camera – 300K pixel
Mftr's Part Number - EEE-PC-701
Mftr Product ID - 42580621
Delivery Date - Fall 2007
Intel, `$100 Laptop' Project Make Peace
After an initial lashing at Intel for supporting the Asus Eee and other Intel Classmate PCs, OLPC proponent Negroponte appears to have make peace with the company, as reported in an AP story dated Jul 13, 4:34 PM EDT and posted at Wired -
As Nicholas Negroponte stormed the developing world trying to drum up buyers for the $175 computers designed by his One Laptop Per Child education nonprofit, he encountered a persistent obstacle: competition from Intel. In fact, Intel's chair Craig Barrett had derided the OLPC XOs as mere gadgets. And Intel was signing up international governments for its own little "Classmate" PCs, which follow more conventional computing designs than OLPC's radical XO.
Negroponte was suspicious of Intel's motives, since the XO runs on processors from Intel's fiercest rival, AMD. Negroponte said Intel had hurt his mission and "should be ashamed of itself."
But in recent weeks, Negroponte and Intel CEO Paul Otellini began peace talks and on Friday, the two sides annnounced Intel will join OLPC's board and contribute money and technical expertise to the project.
Intel will continue to sell the Classmate, which has fallen in price to the low $200s, attracting buyers in Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria. OLPC still hopes its machines reach schools in several countries this fall. But now, Intel and OLPC might seek ways to package their computers together. OLPC also expects help from Intel in their efforts to perfect the XO machines - and get their cost closer to the originally stated goal of $100.
The initial wave of XO computers will still use processors from AMD which has been a major partner, along with such other big names as Google, News Corp. and Red Hat. But Intel would love to oust AMD as the processor supplier. After all, that is Intel's core business - not selling little computers.
Several countries have expressed interest in the $175 XOs, but OLPC has backed away from predicting which governments will be first to officially sign contracts to buy the machines. The project needs orders for 3 million laptops before its low-cost supply chain kicks into action.
One possible selling point for the Classmate is that it can run a version of Microsoft Windows in addition to the open-source Linux. XOs use a proprietary open-source approach designed to be intuitive to children. And Microsoft has so far been unable to tweak Windows to run on the nonstandard XOs.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Asus EEE PC First Thoughts
From Notebookreview Forum, submitted by Andrew on Thursday, July 12, 2007 - First of all, here's a quick look at the specs the Asus EEE offers: What bootup? The startup time for the EEE is about 10 seconds, and that's when it's being slow. Shutdown is performed with the simple one click of an "off" icon in the lower right hand of the screen (this "off" graphic is always present) and the total shutdown time is a whopping 5 seconds. We've all been ruined by slow hard drives and a bloated Windows OS I know, but I felt kind of giddy with glee seeing such fast startup and shutdown. The Asus EEE uses a Linux based OS that Asus has customized themselves. Combine a small Linux footprint OS with a flash based hard drive and what results is this speedy startup that the device has. There's a ton of software features on board that will most definitely serve all of your basic needs. You can browse the web using FireFox, use Skype with the built-in web cam and microphone, open Word and Excel docs and edit them, view photos, listen to music files, use AOL IM, MSN messenger or just about any other major chat client via Kopete. In other words, all the basic functions you perform on a PC you can do on the EEE PC. Performance You already know the bootup time is fast, and I'm happy to say that not once did I ever see an hour glass (or, whatever might indicate "waiting" in this Linux OS) when opening an application. Everything was just instant. Apparently the included Intel 900MHz processor is powerful enough. Unfortunately we didn't have a wireless connection handy when using the device, so I couldn't test the devices abilities to quickly download and process web pages. It is 802.11g capable so I trust throughput speeds would be fast, the question is on how fast the processor can render large web pages. Software and OS The home screen is very simple and intuitive. You bootup and see the "Internet" tab where you can quickly double click on any icon there to open an application related to the Internet. There are six different tabs across the top labeled "Web", "Work", "Learn", "Play", "Settings" and Favorites. Each tab had applications or links to websites underneath that corresponded with the description. For instance under the "Learn" tab was a link to Wikipedia -- often some of the icons when double clicked would just launch websites. There were some pretty intense games under the "Play" tab, I can attest Penguin Racer ran flawlessly and Solitaire was blazing. Usability The keyboard is definitely small and takes some getting used to, I initially found that pecking at keys was faster than doing a normal style fast type. It's just hard not to fat finger the wrong key or two keys at once, even if you have medium sized fingers. The keyboard also had a bit of rattle and shake to it, but it definitely worked for getting the job done. Nobody will use this as their main PC, but if you're at Starbucks and want to surf the web and crank out a few emails, the keyboard is absolutely serviceable for that. Screen The screen is no 300nit glossy display, but it's absolutely serviceable. Brightness is perfect and coloration is decent. Ports and Features I was most impressed to see three USB ports on this thing, and at the same time even more angry that my 14" screen notebook that cost $2,000 only has two USB ports. In a notebook with a 7" screen, what more could you want than what you see is offered below? Any noise and heat? On the whole the Asus EEE was very quiet thanks to the flash drive, but it does have a fan and it did make a bit of noise trying to keep itself cool. We were in a very, very warm room (about 80F) during the meeting so the EEE got noticeably warm. If the room temperature was something more sane like 70F then I would expect the EEE would feel much cooler to the touch. Build and Design To be honest Asus could have made this thing as ugly as the OLPC (bright green) and it would still be appealing for $250. But as it is there's not much to complain about with design. It's white all over with some black around the screen. It's not glossy or anything fancy, but that means it won't pickup fingerprints either. The LED lights on the front are actually nice. The build is as you would expect for a budget $250 PC, a little shaky. It felt and looked like plastic and if this thing were stepped on I'm sure the result would not be pretty. Having said that, it didn't feel like it was made of something as thin as milk jug plastic. You'd probably want to just put it in a rigid case if you were carrying it in a backpack with a bunch of books. Price and Availability Asus had initially said that the EEE PC would start at $199, but they're thinking now is more like $250 for the 8GB flash drive version and somewhat more for a 16GB version. They're still looking at late August for availability of the device, and it should be offered world-wide.
The Asus EEE PC 701 notebook was officially announced at Computex Taipei. Today I met with Asus to get a close-up look at this new device and talk more about the company's goals with it. If Asus really can pull off selling this device for $250, it could be a very tempting companion PC for on the go.
After you push the power button on the right hand side, this is the opening screen that pops up after less than 10 seconds
Viewing photos on the EEE 
Ethernet, Modem, USB port and then headphone and microphone jack 
SD card slot, 2 USB hubs, VGA out 
Allasus moves ETA of Asus Eee
U.S.-based on-line retailer Allasus (by Star Tech) updated its website today and moved the projected ship date of the Asus Eee from 8/7 to Fall 07.
I guess this implies that we will have to wait a little longer before we can go hands-on on those little buggers.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Ubuntu Mobile more for MIDs than UMPCs?
Per LinuxDevices, Canonical Ltd has updated its Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded (UME) project's architecture roadmap. UME aims to create a version of the popular Ubuntu desktop Linux OS tailored to the requirements of Intel-based "mobile Internet devices" (MIDs), expected in 2008.
MIDs are small handheld, battery-powered mobile devices that connect to the Internet via various wireless technologies. They will be powered by processors derived from Intel's forthcoming lpia (low-power on Intel architecture) silicon platform such as the A100 and A110.
Ubuntu unveiled UME a month after Intel's announcement of the MID initiative, saying it would work closely with Intel to support low-powered Intel chips -- and, presumably, with Intel customers building Linux-based MIDs and other devices utilizing the lpia architecture. Thus, UME is working to port Ubuntu to lpia, starting with an lpia bootloader and a port of the Hildon application framework, best known for its use in the Nokia 770 and N800 Internet tablets.
Per another LinuxDevices article, "MIDs are smaller and more appliance-like than the clunky UMPC concept co-launched by Intel as the UMPC and by Microsoft as Origami. Whereas UMPCs have 5- to 7-inch displays and boot the slow-moving Windows GUI, MIDs have 4- to 6-inch displays, boot simplified Linux-based UIs with "instant-on" performance, and offer consumer price points."
An Intel/Red Flag MID prototype
According to the Ubuntu, Mobile Internet Devices have the following system characteristics:
* Low-power, hand-held mobile device
* Screen dimension: 4.5" to 7"
* Screen resolution: 800x480 up to 1024x600 (expected)
* ~512MB SSD, ~512MB RAM (depending on model)
* Limited or unknown hardware controls (UI needs to be able to do it all)
The Asus Eee is arguably a hand-held device but other than that actually fits into the above description.
The UME's UI Goals are:
* Simple, touchable, fun (Large, colorful icons and controls)
* Finger-navigable
* Soccer Mom and Gen-Y'ers should be able to play music, view photos, browse, chat, and navigate in car.
* Home screen highly customizable and extensible by OEMs and hackers.
While the Asus Eee does not have a touch-screen and hence isn't finger-navigable, it will likely allow Soccer Mom and Gen-Y'ers to do all the listed stuff, just as it will most probably be a hacker's delight.
As for applications, MIDs will have the following:
* Browser
* Chat
* Email
* Camera
* Location/GPS
* Games
* Configuration applets
Again, I don't see any reason why the Asus Eee can't do all of the above either in its default configuration or with optional add-ons. Actually the Asus Eee blurs the line between UMPCs and MIDs, But will UME work just fine with it?
Philippine mobile telcos to offer Asus Eee/3G bundle?
There are unconfirmed reports that at least one mobile telco in the Philippines is negotiating with Asus to bundle the Asus Eee with their 3G data plans. Currently two of the telcos offer such plans. Smart, through its mother company PLDT, presently offers Thinkpad pldtweroam bundles for their 3G data plans. Globe Telecom, on the other hand, has its Visibility service.
Both companies already offer high-end phone bundles for their regular mid to high level cellular postpaid plans. The phones included in such bundles typically are locked and subsidized. If unsubsidized, they would cost US$200 upwards. So it is not that farfetched for the telcos to expand their promos to include the Asus Eee, given its announced price range.
The Asus Eee bundles, if ever things push through, are expected to hit the streets just in time for Christmas.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Allasus.com is accepting pre-orders for the Asus Eee PC 701
Allasus.com (USA) is now accept pre-orders of the Asus Eee PC701 with a non-refundable US$150.00 deposit. It lists the unit at US$199.
ASUS eee PC to be released in Aust by Sept
From APC (Australia) 10th July 2007 - There are also USB ports for connection of external hard drives, and an inbuilt 0.3 megapixel webcam, inbuilt stereo speakers and microphone. The display is a 7" LCD at 800x480. ASUS is targeting primary school kids who can benefit from learning computer skills but don't necessarily need full computer functionality. But there are other obvious markets for the eee PC. Ted Chen, managing director of ASUS Australia, said, "Applications on laptops today are mostly online, whether it is checking emails and communicating via other methods such as instant messaging or voice over IP, utilising online share spaces, or simply reading news. Being online has now become a big part of daily computing operations for work and fun, so to accommodate this movement and growing number of users, ASUS has introduced the low-cost and very easy, Eee PC."
ASUS is to release its bargain basement sub-AU$400 laptop PC, dubbed "eee PC", in Australia by September.
It will have 900MHz Intel mobile CPU-based laptop that boots Linux from 2GB of SSD flash memory in just 15 seconds.
It packs 512MB RAM, either a 4GB, 8GB or 16GB flash drive for storage, 10/100 ethernet, 802.11b/g wireless and a 56K modem.
Monday, July 9, 2007
OLPC ASP to ultimately shrink to US$50
From DIGITIMES posted Thursday 5 July 2007 -
Notebooks under MIT advocated "One Laptop Per Child" (OLPC) program are in a strong position to be the hottest PC for emerging markets and prices may shrink to US$50 in 2009, said Mary Lou Jepsen, the founding CTO of the program.
Given that the first-generation OLPC notebook, dubbed XO, differs itself from other low-cost PCs in terms of commercial interests, Jepsen is confident that OLPC will be a successful low-cost PC deployment model for emerging and under-developed regions.
When Quanta Computer starts shipping OLPC notebooks in September, Jepsen said the total should reach 3-5 million units within one year's time. Clear demand growth should be seen in the upcoming half year hitting a monthly figure of one million units by end of 2007, she noted. Shipments should further pick up to 150 million in the second year.
Having set the goal to shrink the price of OLPC notebooks further, Jepsen stressed that the display panel used will be a key to achieving this target. She added in saying that a low power consumption designed panel will be a vital requirement for future OLPC notebooks. The next-generation OLPC notebook may come with built-in WiMAX connectivity, she added.
----------
Does this mean the Asus Eee's price may go down to under US$50?
Asus Eee Applications
From the EEE-PC.de website -
Ein paar Punkte zum Xandros Linux (Aufbau, Programme etc.)
* Internet
- Web
- Web Mail
- Information
- Web Storage
- Messenger
- Skype
- Network
- 3G
- eMagazine
- Wikipedia
* Work
- Documents
- Spreadsheets
- Presentations
- Google Docs
- PDF Reader
- Mail
- Calculator
- File Manager
- PIM
- World Clock
- Palm Pilot Tool
- Anti-Virus
- Screen Capture
- Project
- Dictionary
* Learn
- Typing
- Tux Paint
* Settings
- Volume
- Full Desktop
- Restart
- Wallpaper
- Console
- Printers
Menu:
* All Applications
____________________
* Applications
- Accessories
- CrossOver
- Education
. Language
. Mathematics
. Miscellaneous
. Science
- Games
- Graphics
- Internet
- Multimedia
- Office
. AbiWord Word Processor
. Gnumeric Spreadsheet
. KPresenter
. OpenOffice.org Base
. OpenOffice.org Calc
. OpenOffice.org Draw
. OpenOffice.org Impress
. OpenOffice.org Math
. OpenOffice.org Writer
. Project Management
- System
- Utilities
* Find
* Control Center
* File Manager
* Help
* Actions
____________________
* Recent Documents
* Run Command…
* Logout Administrator
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Picking the perfect PC for your pocket
The Inquirer posted a comparison of the OLPC and other products it deemed potential competition for Negroponte's subnote. Its review of the Asus Eee -
Asus Eee
At last month's Computex show in Taipei, Asus showed the first consumer product based around the Classmate: its Eee range. The Eee PC resembles a better-specified but less ruggedized Classmate: 512MB RAM, 2-16GB of Flash storage, Ethernet and modem and Wifi. It even has a webcam. The model 701 has a 7" 800x480 screen, and will be followed in 2008 by the 1001 with a 10" 1024x600 or 1280x768 screen. The real draw to the Eee is the anticipated price, though: $200 for the 701 and $300 for the 1001. It's lighter than its rivals at 0.89kg, but that may be because of a small battery - its life is estimated at only three hours.
Part of the special appeal of the Eee is its operating system. It's a special cut-down version of Xandros Linux which can operate in two modes - a simplified beginners' mode and a more normal Windows-like desktop which from the pictures looks like KDE. The benefits of Linux on such a PC are twofold: firstly, done right, it can be fast, capable and responsive even on such a low spec, and secondly, unlike something obscure like EPOC, with Linux you can add extra applications readily, and you get luxuries like Flash and Java and media playback and so on.
So we have two different families of small, relatively lightweight sub-sub-notebooks: one that's really underpowered but has a radical screen and other cool stuff, and Intel's nearly-a-gigahertz offering. But that's a 900MHz chip with no secondary cache, to keep the power and heat down. Those of you who remember the horror of the original Celeron, a cut-down cacheless 300MHz Pentium II, will recall that that having no secondary cache is a Very Bad Thing. The Celeron 300 was hastily withdrawn and replaced with the Celeron 300A with a fairly poxy 128kb of on-chip cache, but even thus handicapped, it was twice as fast. (If you ran it on a 100MHz front-side bus instead of its slothful 66MHz, it became a 450MHz chip and was actually very nippy for the money. With minor hacks you could run two of them in SMP - serious power for under £200.) Since then, though, I've always avoided Celerons and Durons. Sure, they're cheap, but the small L2 cache cripples performance. They're all right in something like a NAS device, but in a PC, I'd rather have last year's model of the fully-equipped version, which usually costs about the same.
----------Note the phrase "But that's a 900MHz chip with no secondary cache" that I highlighted in the last paragraph. Assuming the article is referring to the Pentium M 900 Mhz, it is listed on Intel's offical page for Pentium Ms as having a 1MB L2 cache. It would be interesting to find out where the guy got his info as even the McCaslin A100/A110 processors have 512K caches.
Asus Eee, Are you getting 1? - Notebookreview Forum Thread
Another on-line discussion on the Asus Eee at the Notebookreview Forum. This one is rather lengthy and makes for good reading while the Asus Eee is still vaporware. At the time of this entry, there were 194 posts.
Asustek's move to rival OLPC a 'poor strategy'
From EETimes by way of a post in the Eeeuser Forum by bigmat1201.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (06/14/2007 8:23 AM EDT) — Asustek Computer is making a poor choice by getting into the low-end notebook business based on Intel Corp.'s Classmate PC platform, according to an analyst at CLSA Asia Pacific Markets...
...as for the Asustek's Classmate platform, called the Eee, Chen believes it will only drive down the company's margins. The Eee, unveiled at last week's Computex, is emerging as a competitor to the One Laptop Per Child project. The OLPC cost is down to about $150-$175 while Asustek's Eee will sell for $200. Both will start shipping in or near September. The target for the Eee is to move 500,000 units by year end.
"We are concerned that the low-end model will eventually translate into downward pressure on Asus' premium on notebook ASPs and margin," Chen said.
----------
The 500,000 unit sales projection appears to be an increase over the 200,000 figure quoted by their chairman during the Computex launch.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
The Asus Eee PC 701 as a writng tool
My on-line search on any info on the Asus Eee's power supply led me to this lively discussion over at Flickr Groups on AlphaSmart (a laptop being pushed as a school unit and as a writing tool) and other comparable subnotes, including, of course, the Asus Eee.
One post pertinent to my search -
paleo_paul says:
"There is one significant specification that never seems to be mentioned -- the weight of the wired connection between the computer and the power source for recharging. This may not be so important with a 15" or 17" laptop, but with these two-pounders it could be quite significant.For instance, if someone could come up with the ability to recharge by using simply a wire (rather than a wired brick) that would make a big difference in portability.
That reduction in weight would be a lot more significant to me than battery life because away-from-home I'd be doing any serious writing on my Neo, not on the little Internet-capable computer. A battery life of only an hour or two would not be a big problem for me.
I have noted, incidentally, that battery life is greatly shortened when one is on the Internet with WiFi. On my Dell laptop, I can't even get two full hours of use when on WiFi. When not on WiFi, battery life is much longer."
Well, that is good insight. But bottom line, still no info on the dimensions, weight, and specifications of the Asus Eee's brick.
More Asus Eee Photos
Stumbled on some promo photos of the Asus Eee PC 701 on a Box account. There are more photos there. Got this lead from a post by Nights over at the Eeeuser Forums. Incidentally that forum has a lot of interesting info from enthusiastic members. It is definitely worth visiting.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Intel GMA 900 technical specs
From Intel's site -
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 (Intel® GMA 900 graphics) can deliver over 1.5 times faster performance than previous Intel graphics.¹ It also features acceleration for Microsoft* DirectX* 9 for 3D performance.
The Intel® 915G Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) provides a variety of display interfaces. Intel GMA 900 graphics has an integrated DAC, two Intel® Serial Digital Video Out (SDVO) ports that can interface to DVI and LVDS transmitters, SD/HDTV-out encoders and additional DACs.
Intel GMA 900 graphics offers driver support for a variety of operating systems - Microsoft Windows* 2000, Windows* XP, Windows* XP Media Center Edition, Mandrake Linux*, Red Hat Linux*, SuSe Linux*, Red Flag Linux*, and IBM OS/2*.
 |
| Intel GMA 900 Graphics Subsystem |
 |
| While the graphics subsystem for a discrete graphics device is mostly contained on a PCI, AGP, or PCI Express* Graphics card, the graphics subsystem in an integrated graphics solution, such as Intel GMA 900 graphics, uses the CPU, the GMCH, system memory, and different display interfaces. As a result, Intel GMA 900 graphics is designed to take full advantage of the power an Intel® Pentium® 4 processor brings to the PC. The CPU is used for the first stage of 3D processing (geometry operations), while the integrated graphics device handles the rest of the 3D processing. Intel GMA 900 utilizes system memory for both system and graphics usage, balancing both usages for optimal performance. |
|
| 3D Graphics Pipeline |
|
Intel GMA 900 is the next step in the evolution of Intel graphics. In addition to running the graphics engine at 333 MHz, Intel GMA 900 has four pixel pipelines which provide a fill rate of 1.3 GP/s, enabling an excellent consumer gaming experience. The 3D graphics pipeline is broken up into four major stages: geometry processing, setup (vertex processing), texture application and rasterization. Intel GMA 900 graphics is optimized by using current and future Intel® processor family for advance software based transform and lighting (geometry processing) as defined by Microsoft Direct X*. The other three stages of 3D processing are handled by Intel GMA 900. |
|
| Zone Rendering Technology 3 (ZRT3) |
|
| Zone Rendering Technology 3 (ZRT3) is a tile-based rendering system designed to reduce memory bandwidth consumption and maximize rendering performance. ZRT3 aims to improve texture processing bandwidth by only performing texture processing on pixels that will be seen by the viewer (that are not hidden by other pixels). ZRT3 also strives to improve memory efficiency by reducing memory traffic and texture processing. |
|
| SPECIFICATIONS: |
|
|
| Third-generation Graphics Core |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| High-performance 3D |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| Advanced Display Technology |
|
| |||||||||||||||
|
| High Quality Media Support |
|
 | Up and Down Scaling of Video Content |
| High Definition Content Decode |
| 5x3 Overlay Filtering |
| Hardware Motion Compensation support for DVD playback |