Asus to add Phison as new Eee PC flash storage controller supplier

From Digitimes -

Asus is reportedly adding Phison Electronics as a flash storage controller IC supplier for its low-cost Eee PCs, with shipments in small volume already underway. Phison will be the second supplier after Silicon Motion.

The flash-based storage currently used in Eee PCs is based on single-level cell (SLC) chips, the latest versions of which support error correction technology for sub 50nm chips, which are vital to achieve cost down.

Although SLC NAND flash carries a price premium of about 3-4x over multi-level cell (MLC) chips, system makers are still reluctant to adopt MLC NAND flash, citing data transmission performance, stability and access time as the primary concerns.

Asus Eee PC 8G's SSD is on Mini PCI-e Card

ayi45tw of the Eeeuser forum has posted photos of an Asus Eee PC 8G showing there is no flash memory storage on the main logic board. Instead all 8G are on a mini PCIe card as shown below.



Interestingly, there have been reports that the installation of a mini PCI-e card disables the flash memory installed on the main logic board of 4G models. However some users have reported otherwise, claiming to have been able to increase their RAM using SSD mini PCI-e cards.

Whatever the case may be, given Asus' approach, we can't help but wonder - How do 8G owners now install mini PCI-e cards such as HSDPA modems? If they take out the SSD card, then their unit won't have any memory storage at all. Then what about the 4G owners whose units don't have the PCI-e connector? Obviously they won't be able to upgrade their memory using these SSD cards.

It is really surprising, or rather disappointing, to see a company as large as Asus, adopt such an inconsistent production (missing mini PCI-e connectors, missing RAM access panel cover) for what could arguably be their best product so far in making their company brand a worldwide household name.

Some Asus Eee PC 4G Surfs do not have RAM Access

CK Net Studio has a series of photos showing a 7B series 4G Surf without a RAM access panel. You will have to disassemble your Eee PC to get to the RAM slot. But what makes it interesting is that the memory is merely socketed and not soldered - meaning it will be easy to upgrade your memory. That is, after you disassemble your Eee PC first. Weird.






Translated (from Chinese to English) site can be viewed here.

Newer Asus Eee PCs Missing mini PCIe slot!

From the Eeeuser forum, there is an ongoing discussion with new buyers finding out their units do not come with the mini PCIe connector.

So far, units sold in U.K. appear to be missing the connector. Those with Serial Numbers starting with 7Bxxx... also do not have the connector.

So the Asus Eee PC roller coaster ride continues... :(

Asus Eee PC 4G RAM Upgradeable

In a post (no. 23) dated 2007-10-16 21:36 by shian0116 in the Mobile01 forum, he confirmed the RAM is replaceable in his Asus Eee PC 4G (not sure if 4G or 4G Surf though -

在背面有兩個螺絲
打開後裡面就是RAM的位置
把原本的RAM取下換上1G的即可

At the back there are two screws, remove these to access the RAM inside. Take out the existing and insert the 1G RAM.

The translated site can be viewed here.

Actually the entire thread makes for a good read - it is about installing Windows XP on the Asus Eee PC and was started by shian0116.

Rumours of Dothan cpu too hot with Puppy Linux?

Found this interesting article over at the Tuxmachines site. It was submitted by atang1 on Sat, 09/15/2007 - 03:29.

...ASUS EEE PC was too hot to run at 900 mhz due to the fact that Puppy was the trial operating system. Puppy has no power management allocations for Dothan cpu. We are now suggesting the use of Microsoft mini operating system supplied in People's Republic of China, which has shadowed bios adjustment module to cool the cpu. In addition Intel has team of ten engineers to work around in smpbus on core voltage and pll frequency, to do power management perhaps to work at the designed 900 mhz frequency?

OLPC had the same problems with battery power conservation, and delays in operating system design. Carlos Slim had intended only to put the first delivery in Mexico libraries, which needs perhaps only AC adaptors, avoiding embarrassing battery problems.

The designs are sometimes best money can buy cheap, or the worst which is cheap enough to build a minimum notebook. OLPC is only sub500 mhz, and EEE is barely running in bios without operating system loads to overheat it...

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Could this be in anyway related to the delay of the launch?

Spring Singapore Approves Asus Eee PC AC Adaptor Aug 29, 2007

According to SPRING Singapore's website, the Asus Eee PC AC Adaptor (model AD59230) was only registered on August 29, 2007 and given the registration number CPA PIE EAD 071483-11.

SPRING (Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) Singapore has served as the MTI's appointed Safety Authority to administer the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) Registration Scheme (CPS Scheme) since 1991. It ensures that consumer products gazetted as controlled goods meet the specified safety standards and are safe for normal use. Registration with SPRING Singapore is mandatory before a controlled good (such as the AC adaptor) can be advertised, traded or displayed for sale.

Question now is if the Asus AD59230 adaptor is indeed the one that will be bundled with the Asus Eee PC, that means Asus could not have been able to launch the subnote in Singapore before Aug 29, 2007 even if they have previously announced an earlier launch date.

Well, it is always possible Asus has several types of adaptors that will be bundled with the Asus Eee PC. But given the numerous delays, it does make one wonder.

Asus Eee PC's RAM, Flash NOT upgradeable?

According to Eeeuser member allasus in a post dated Sept 5:

...Asus has no plans to bring the $199 version to the US. In an email from Asus this morning, Donald tells me that the 256/512 memory is embedded as is the 2/4 Gb flash storage meaning they are NOT user-replaceable as people keep speculating. Be careful when looking at the specs outside the US - even in Canada (we've seen differences in the past and could not get those units). Linux will be installed on the flash storage module (2/4 Gb) but may be changed to XP by the user (through a USB storage device, presumably). The machine will play any type of video files: WMA/AVI/MPEG specifically (people have been asking me about this). I don't know if any of this is helpful but I thought I would pass it on. We're still waiting on info regarding optional batteries. The target release is still the end of September but I've been through this before with Asus and I know how weeks can turn into months...

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Allasus is connected with online reseller www.allasus.com.

SanDisk Launches uSSD 5000 For Low-Cost PCs

From Daily Tech -

SanDisk is looking to drop the price of Solid state drives (SSDs) for the entry-level market with its new uSSD 5000 SSD series. The USB-based drives will be used in sub-$250 PCs and will be embedded directly onto motherboards.

"The low-cost educational PC category is an emerging market for flash storage where low cost, ruggedness and low power consumption will be the primary factors for broad-based adoption," said SanDisk general manager Greg Rhine. "At 2GB, the uSSD 5000 solid state drive delivers the necessary storage capacity for low-cost PCs at significantly less cost than conventional hard drives, while meeting performance and reliability requirements for this market."

The uSSD 5000 packaging measures just 27mm x 38mm and is roughly one-fourth the size of a traditional 1.8" HDDs used in mobile applications.

SanDisk will begin sampling the uSSD 5000 within the next month and it will be available in sizes ranging from 1GB to 8GB.

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Maybe if the Asus Eee's are delayed enough, we will see these uSSD in them. :)

Is the Asus EEE PC's 800×480 enough?

A blogger recently posted in his (or is it her?) blogsite, Noneus.de the results of his attempt to simulate the Asus Eee Pc's 800 x 480.

"I just made a new Archlinux installation on a virtual machine. The purpose was to test 800×480. The resolution of the 7″ EEE. I used XFCE since its light weight and you can make everything really small. Another important thing is the Gtk+ theme. I used Aurora-compact. You need the newest (1.2) version of the Aurora engine for this theme. For firefox I used an extension (Tiny Menu) and a theme (miniFOX) to make it small. The rest of the apps you see are unchanged.

As you can see the resolution is really small. Especially for OpenOffice. Probably removing most of the toolbars in OpenOffice would help. All the other apps are fine on 800×480. One thing bugs me though. A lot of websites require at least 1024..."

Screenshots follow.

Optical Drive for the Asus EeePC

From our favorite Philippine forum thread on the Asus EeePC, TipidPC, comes a suggestion from member Ranma for an optical drive (via Apple) -

For those who really MUST have an optical drive on an ultraportable

Every Mac fan has been craving for a successor to Apple's 12-inch PowerBook, but one of the big problems when making an ultraportable (aside from keeping the right size/power balance) is where to stuff that optical drive. Well, it looks like Apple's found an unlikely spot�the laptop's belly. That's right, rather than cram a drive on the side, Apple has filed patents that show a laptop with an optical drive located on the notebook's bottom. That may not seem intuitive at first, but it does free up space on the sides for other possible ports and goodies.

Silicon Motion to Supply Asus Eee's Embedded Flash Controller

Silicon Motion has announced in a press release on its website that it has secured the embedded SSD controller design-win with Asustek for the upcoming ASUS Eee PC.

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.

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.

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.

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 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

256-bit graphics core 8/16/32 bpp Up to 8.5 GB/sec memory bandwidth with DDR2 533 MHz 1.3 GP/sec and 1.3 GT/sec fill rate 128 MB maximum video memory 2048x1536 at 85 Hz maximum resolution Dynamic Display Modes for flat-panel and wide-screen support Operating systems supported: Microsoft Windows* XP, Windows 2000, Linux-compatible (Xfree86 source available)

High-performance 3D

Up to 4 pixels per clock rendering Microsoft* DirectX* 9 Hardware Acceleration Features: Up to 4 pixels per clock rendering Pixel Shader 2.0 Volumetric Textures Shadow Maps Slope Scale Depth Bias Two-Sided Stencil Microsoft* DirectX* 9 Vertex Shader 2.0 and Transform and Lighting supported in software through highly optimized Processor Specific Geometry Pipeline (PSGP) DirectX Texture Decompression OpenGL* 1.4 support

Advanced Display Technology

400 MHz DAC frequency for up to 2048x1526 resolution for both analog and digital displays Two Serial Digital Video Out (SDVO) ports for flat-panel monitors and/or TV-out support via Advanced Digital Display 2 (ADD2) cards Multiple display types (LVDS, DVI-I, DVI-D, HDTV, TV-out, CRT) for dual monitor capabilities HDTV 720p and 1080i display resolution support 16x9 Aspect Ratio for widescreen displays

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