ASUS' leaked Eee PC 1201N netbook has gained a more definitive release date through a rumor on Friday. The NVIDIA Ion-based portable is now slated by Electricpig as arriving in at least the UK by December. Premature store listings put the price at $756, though the cost is likely to be lower for the as yet unknown North American release.
Netbooks are still set to top nearly 35 million units by the end of the year, ABI said today. The prediction is similar to that from the start of the year and asserts that the mini portables will form a significant portion of the entire PC business. ABI doesn't predict market share but says that Acer, ASUS and Samsung produced 74 percent of all netbooks last year.
ASUS chief Jerry Shen at an investor conference late yesterday said his company should have an Android-based smartbook on shelves by early 2010. Reversing earlier doubts about a market for such a system, Shen says a portable based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip and the Google mobile OS should be the first "secret weapon" for the company and will likely cost just $185. The price is roughly half what most builders charge for an Atom-running netbook.
A series of tests have revealed that even newer Windows 7 PCs are being bogged down by unnecessary software that makes them run much more slowly than Macs. Comparing factory versions of several notebooks versus clean models, PC Pro finds that Acer and Sony systems take about two whole minutes more to boot because of the "crapware," or third-party utilities and trial apps, preloaded out of the box. They also consume roughly 1GB more extra active RAM and also rob the system of as much as 2.4GB of space in Acer's case.
ASUS has plans to introduce e-book readers that have 3G, Wi-Fi and WiMAX mobile data network access technologies to market this year. CENS on Wednesday reported that the devices will sport expected 9-inch screens but that they will ship to Europe and North America at about the same time. They will also be offered at cellular carriers starting in March of next year, likely at subsidized prices.
ASUS on Wednesday showed off one of the first USB 3.0 mainboards ever, the P7P55D/P7P55D-E, which also has a SATA 6Gbps interface for what's claimed to be record-fast transfer speeds: ASUS estimates that a 20GB HD movie takes less than 70 seconds to transfer at peak speed even with the new USB connection. Both use ASUS's hybrid processor, hybrid phase and hybrid OS technologies for faster overall performance with the ability to overclock chips, control active cooling and provide instant-on Internet access, respectively.
Of a recent wave of computer builders entering the smartphone space, only Apple is likely to have more than a small stake the market, Gartner research estimates today. The analyst group believes that "all" major PC firms will have signaled their intentions to build smartphones by the end of 2009 but that none of these will have more than two percent outside of the iPhone maker, even by 2012. Instead, most of the non-Apple growth will be left to traditional phone designers.
MSI is developing an e-book reader that would use NVIDIA's Tegra processor at its core, the company's chairman Joseph Hsu says today. Confirming an earlier rumor, the executive admits that a device with the fast graphics and ARM chip combo is in progress but has "some problems" that have pushed a formal unveiling back until sometime in the first half of 2010. Other details will likely only be supplied closer to the actual release.
HTC's Android-based Hero is selling well enough that it's causing supply issues, the company's Asia Pacific VP Jack Tong revealed on Wednesday. Sales in the phone's initial Asia and European launch areas are described as "brisk" enough that demand has put a strain on HTC's production lines and won't see manufacturing catch up until November. The pace is expected to continue at least until early 2010.
At a small press conference held in Taiwan renectly, ASUS chairman and president revealed an Android-powered smarpthone from the company is due later in 2009. A Monday Digitimes article maintains chairman Jonney Shih and ASUS president and CEO Jerry Shen had a discussion with the local media and revealed this information, along with a positive outlook on the notebook market and some plans for environmentally-friendly products in the future.
Detailed specs of not one but two 12-inch Eee PC notebooks have been revealed recently. One of the new Eee PCs, the 1201N, was first spotted in Asia last month. Now, the unofficial specs for the 1201N and 1201HA are known and they include a 12.1-inch, 1366x768 resolution display. The specs reportedly come from leaked ASUS documents.
ASUS' Eee Keyboard is nearing production status, as it has been spotted in an FCC filing recently. The Eee PC is a fully functional PC into the form factor of a large wireless keyboard and integrates a 5-inch, 800x480 resolution touchscreen. The PC has already been slated for an October release date as of this summer.
ASUS has recently announced pricing and a release date for its previously announced UnLimited (UL) series of notebooks for the UK. Two of the three models will ship to the country's retail electronics stores on October 22nd. This includes the 13.3-inch UL30 and two variations of the 15.6-inch UL50, the UL50AG and UL50VG. There is no word on the 14-inch UL80, however. All three use Intel's CULV processors and some are claimed to provide up to 12 hours of battery life.
The rise of netbooks is having a corrosive effect on the financial health of the rest of the notebook business, a DisplaySearch study asserted on Thursday. The mini PCs represent 22.2 percent of all notebooks shipped but only account for 11.7 percent of revenue and are thought to ultimately be dragging revenue downwards for other categories as buyers skip more expensive systems they would have bought otherwise. Where netbook revenue has shot up from $845 million in spring 2008 to $3.07 billion in spring 2009, the rest of the notebook industry actually lost $3.74 billion of revenue in the same period, revealing that netbooks have actually cost the industry money.
Back-to-school notebook sales were as strong as ever this year but skewed in favor of cheaper systems, the NPD Group said today in a new study. About $1.6 billion of the $7.6 billion spent between late July and mid-September went directly to notebooks, or about as much as was spent last year despite ongoing economic problems and rendering them "recession-proof." However, the revenue came at the expense of system prices: while more systems were sold, the average price of a school notebook fell from $804 last year to $624 this year.
ASUS has quietly launched a major redesign of the Eee Box. The EB1501 has a much sleeker, rounded look but also gives it numerous features that improve its usefulness as a full-time PC: it uses NVIDIA's Ion chipset and can smoothly decode 1080p video in hardware as well as drive most visually intensive tasks. To help, ASUS gives it Windows 7 Home Premium and improves the performance of the system on its dual-core 1.6GHz Atom processor.
More than a year and a half after it was originally announced, Garmin's nüvifone G60 has received an official launch in the US through AT&T. The GPS-centric phone originally meant to compete with the pre-GPS iPhone centers on a deep navigation app based directly on Garmin's dedicated nüvi in-car units with some accommodations for mobile users: it not only works as a pedestrian device but will remember when it was last attached to its car mount, helping owners remember where they parked. It shares the same-strength GPS receiver and should provide a quicker lock than most smartphones.
ASUS' upcoming NVIDIA Ion-based Eee PC notebook, the 1201N, has appeared on Asian retailer PCpop's webstore recently. The PC is due for an October release, according to a recent roadmap leak and the listing confirms some of the device's specs, including its 1.6GHz Atom CPU.
ASUS has finished the week by adding a pair of communications devices to its lineup, including one of its first headphone combos tailored to the Mac. The HP-100U combines an over-ear headphone set, a desk array microphone and a Xonar U1 that gives Mac users OpenAL audio acceleration as well as Dolby Home Theater processing. The Xonar hub also provides a headphone amp and in Windows provides a boost to DirectSound, EAX and OpenAL.
Apple has won every category it participated in as part of a new study of service and reliablity. The reader-driven PCMag rankings saw it lead the cellphone, desktop, notebook and portable media categories, in some cases with particularly wide margins compared to rivals. Apple's best success was in the notebook category, where MacBooks earned an overall score of 9.2 out of 10 and a very high 9.4 out of 10 "would recommend" score.
The Eee Keyboard from ASUS will be out in the European and North American markets this October, a company executive a href="http://macnn.com/rd/140719==http://www.pcworld.com/article/171905/asustek_eee_keyboard_coming_in_october.html" rel='nofollow'>said on Monday. The October date given to PCWorld corroborates with an earlier report for the release of the device, which incorporates a 5-inch touchscreen and full PC functionality into a standard-size keyboard.
AMD this morning kicked off the launch of an updated notebook offering and headlined it with Congo, the nickname for its next-generation Ultrathin Platform. The new architecture includes AMD's faster 1.6GHz Turion Neo X2, found in the HP dv2z, but focuses on graphics performance and battery life. It uses a Radeon HD 3200 much like AMD's fuller-size notebooks and as a result can decode 1080p video smoothly in hardware; at the same time, AMD estimates about an hour more of battery life than its earlier platform.
ASUS recently announced it will soon release a number of ultra-slim Designo MS Series LCD monitors, which includes the 23.6-inch MS246H/D, the 23-inch MS236H/D, 21.5-inch MS226H, 22-inch MS227N and 20-inch MS202N/D. All have a similar design theme, inspired by 1s and 0s from the binary number system and are just 0.65 inches (16.5mm) in thickness. A spherical ring, called Ergo-Fit Technology, acts as a stand, and lets users adjust the tilt angle with one finger.
ASUS has begun the week by launching an entirely new line of notebooks centering on Intel's CULV processor mix. The UL series uses a relatively thin (about 1 inch) and lightweight aluminum shell that renders it much easier to carry even with the DVD burners present in most models. As with most CULV systems, they all have particularly long battery life and in some cases run for up to 12 hours on a charge.
ASUS' promised e-book reader debut should not only involve more than one model but could represent a number of rarities or even firsts for the technology. While the mentioned Eee-branded reader would be basic and trade on its price -- an estimate has it costing as little as $164 -- ASUS chief Jerry Shen told the Times a second upscale model would have two color touchscreens and fold like a real book to give users two pages of content at once. It may also have basics like speakers and a webcam to provide simple audio and video conversations online.
ASUS on Friday announced it will soon add two notebooks to its multimedia N-series, including the 16-inch N61 and 17.3-inch N71. Among the improvements, ASUS is touting a new SonicMaster amplification system that includes new paper-foam cones for the speakers that are said to improve sound quality. Both the N61 and N71 will be available with Intel's Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad CPUs and with up to 4GB of RAM.
A roadmap leaked by an EeeUser forum member who claims he works in the "industry" reveals upcoming Eee PC notebook models from ASUS. Most notably, the roadmap shows a 12-inch Eee PC is due, which will be powered by NVIDIA's Ion platform. Dubbed 1201N, the PC is due in October, and should run on a 1.6GHz Atom CPU with 2GB of RAM. It will otherwise have a 250GB hard drive, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth while carrying a $499 price tag.
ASUS is planning on releasing two new ultra-thin notebooks powered by Intel's CULV chips, including the 45nm Celeron 743 and Core 2 Solo SU2300 early in September, Digitimes said on Monday, citing unnamed sources in the industry. The report goes on to say initial shipments of the portables will begin on September 7th and go to Taiwan, China and Europe at first. US details weren't mentioned, though some sort of American launch is unofficially expected.
ASUS chief Jerry Shen today said his company would produce its first e-book reader before the end of the year. He didn't provide many details but said the device would fall under the Eee line normally reserved for ASUS' low-cost allin-one computers, like the Eee PC netbooks or the upcoming Eee Keyboard. Any device is likely to need a mixture of support for protected and unprotected e-book formats to succeed and may need a 3G or Wi-Fi connection to compete with readers like the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader Daily Edition.
ASUS is not actively developing an Android-based smartbook, the company's CEO informs. Although members of the company have expressed mild interest in smartbooks in the past, and displayed a prototype, Jerry Shen notes that he still does not see a "clear market" for the computers, which constitute a step below netbooks. Whereas netbooks operate on a standard Intel platform, smartbooks are dependent on processors meant for smartphones, which prevents them from running conventional desktop software.
ASUS today catered to the US with three new Eee Top all-in-ones. The regular ET2002 and touchscreen ET2002T are the first of the systems to use NVIDIA's Ion hybrid graphics and system controller and consequently have much better graphics performance than Intel's own parts without the cost of a dedicated chipset. Both 20-inch units also break out of nettop limits with dual-core 1.6GHz Atom processors, 2GB of RAM, 320GB hard drives and DVD burners in addition to the usual 802.11n Wi-Fi and webcams.
PC and related peripherals maker ASUS recently introduced two uBoom series speakers that connect to notebooks through USB 2.0. The uBoom and uBoom Q sound bar-style speaker sets deliver bass as well thanks to a tuned reflex port. Essentially portable 2.1-channel speaker systems, both pods have two 2-inch drivers and a single subwoofer, sized at 2.5 inches in the uBoom and 2.25 in the uBoom Q. Each has an amplifier with 24W RMS of power.
Intel is on the verge of dramatically swelling the ranks of its CULV (Consumer Ultra Low-Voltage) processor ranks if a leak of early information proves true. The chip producer is seen by Fudzilla as shipping seven processors in early October that would significantly expand the range. Two low-end models, the SU2500 and SU2600, should be joined by the mid-range SU4100, SU4500 and SU4700 as well as the high-end SU7300 and SU7800.
Taiwan-based MSI may launch ultra-thin notebooks with AMD's Yukon platform for Athlon Neo processors as early as October, say industry sources. Digitimes reported on Friday that the PC maker has finished its testing of the notebooks but has not yet decided on a launch date as other PCs equipped with the Yukon platform, possibly including the HP Pavilion dv2, are not selling so well. The AMD processor is meant to compete with Intel's CULV range of CPUs and results in ultraportables that are costlier than netbooks but much less expensive than traditional systems.
Computer maker ASUS will apparently launch its rumored NVIDIA Ion-based Eee Box and all-in-one Eee Top PC sometime in September, according to a Friday report. Besides making the assertion, the anonymous sources for DigiTimes maintain the often delayed Eee Keyboard will be out in October, while two ultra-thin notebooks in the company's U/UX series will also be out in September.
ASUS PCs held the top rank in the second-quarter RESCUECOM Computer Reliability Report, a comparison between the required maintenance for a variety of computer brands. The ASUS Eee PC, released eight months ago, made a significant impact on the company's reliability scores and market share. The report relates the percentage of computers each company shipped to the number of calls to the RESCUECOM repair hotline over a three month period.
MSI plans to preempt the rest of the market by launching the first netbooks based on Intel's Pine Trail Atom platform, according to PC industry tips. Still maintaining that the smaller, much more integrated processors may not be officially ready until early 2010, DigiTimes has heard that MSI intends to ship portables in December rather than wait for the rest of the market. The lead time would let it avoid competing on price for weeks or more.
The Chinese government has relented in its plans to impose web filtering software on computers, a statement from the country's industry and technology minister suggests. Li Yizhong claims that the Communist Party will "absolutely not" force installation of Green Dam-Youth Escort on every computer sold in the country, despite the fears of both corporations and political dissenters. Nominally meant to block pornography, critics have claimed that the software could easily be used to extend censorship beyond current network filtering techniques.
ASUS will release an Eee PC netbook later this year with Intel's Moblin Linux operating system, according to a Friday report from German website NetbookNews. The news is not official, but the site says it has a reliable source for the netbook, which is expected to come out in October. Moblin will not be preloaded on a new Eee PC, but an existing one, with many expecting it to appear on the slim Seashell line of Eee PCs.
Portable GPS device maker Garmin recently said its much-delayed nuvifone line, which was first announced in January of 2008, will be launched in the USA before year's end. A full advertising campaign will accompany the device. In a recent conference call with analysts, Garmin revealed the device is undergoing the final stages of testing with US carriers, though stopped short of naming the carriers.
ASUS, Dell, HP and MSI will soon release a wave of new tablet netbooks, according to industry sources in a Friday DigiTimes report. The first is expected to come from MSI at the start of 2010 in the form of a 10-inch tablet, with an HP-branded and Inventec-built netbook due in April or May. They are both expected to run on Intel's upcoming Pine Trail-M platform. While no new details were unveiled about a Dell netbook tablet, a 5-inch device was rumored from the company recently.
Apple has maintained a decisive lead in technical support rankings for 2009, according to a new Laptop study. Of ten major companies tested, only Apple managed an "A" grade for its help, earning it across both its ability to solve problems on calls and online; it also kept hold times to under five minutes and located its support only in North America. The company is further helped by having a dedicated retail network that can address questions in person, the magazine adds.
The first Eee PC branded 11.6-inch netbook from ASUS, the 1101HA, is now being sold in the US. The netbook was originally slated for a late June release, at least in Europe. Part of the Seashell line due to its slim and tapered form factor, the netbook uses a 1.33GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 1366x768 display resolution. Only available in black, the netbook uses a six-cell battery and weighs just over 3lbs.
Intel may be shutting down production of its Z500-series Atom chips early, a source from the PC industry says. Unnamed contacts for DigiTimes say the processor developer won't accept any more orders "soon" and that the only processors it will ship past a certain point this year are from at least the three key supporters of Atom-based systems, namely Acer, ASUS and MSI. Supply of the Z500 line should stop altogether by the end of the year for everyone.
HP's netbook line should get a larger 11.6-inch model if a source today proves true. Computer industry contacts for DigiTimes say Quanta is about to mass-produce such a system next month. Other details aren't published, but the larger size likely means a 1366x768 screen resolution instead of the more common 1024x600. One of HP's 10-inch netbooks should also get a revision and is purportedly slated by its manufacturer, Inventec, to be mass-produced in September.
PC makers ASUS and Acer are reportedly no longer poised to release any new, as-yet unnannounced netbook PCs during the balance of 2009, because Intel has delayed the launch of its entry-level chips, including its Pine Trail M platform, until the start of 2010. According to industry sources cited by DigiTimes, Acer will specifically delay its Android-powered netbook until a later, unspecified date. Originally planned for an August release, the netbook was delayed as the market demand for such a device was deemed not to high enough.
Pegatron, a subsidiary of ASUS, has built a prototype netbook that uses the same ARM Cortex A8 chip on its Freescale iMX515 CPU that's in the Palm Pre smartphone. In the nameless netbook, however, the chip is clocked at 1GHz rather than the 600MHz in the Pre. While the clock speed is lower than that in the majority of Intel Atom-powered netbooks, the Pegatron netbook's CPU is capable of playing back 720p HD movies and supporting 3D games.
ASUS is now selling its Eee PC 1004DN in Taiwan, a Monday NetbookNews report says. The 10.2-inch netbook sports a 1024x600 resolution display and a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of RAM, with its unique in-class feature being a DVD burner. It is also the only netbook to sport Intel's GN40 chipset, complete with the GMA 4500 integrated graphics processor.
The launch of the touchscreen 10-inch Eee PC T101 notebook tablet from ASUS will be delayed until September, according to a Monday DigiTimes report. The new tentative date is much later than the originally scheduled June release. The netbook tablet may not see the light of day at all, however, if sales of the recently released T91 tablet netbook don’t meet sales goals. The T91 is slightly smaller than the T101, at 8.9 inches, but retains many of the same features and specs.
As promised, the 8.9-inch ASUS Eee PC T91 is now available for purchase via Amazon. The long-awaited netbook tablet is the standard, lowest spec version of at least three available configurations, and includes Intel's 1.33GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 16GB solid state drive, 16GB SD card and 20GB of online storage free of charge for a limited time.
