NetbookTech

We’ve been wondering for some time when ASUS would finally update their popular UL series of thin-and-light notebooks with the latest Intel Core 2010 processors. Well it looks like the updates are FINALLY rolling out (albeit slowly) starting first with the 12 inch UL series.

According to Electronista, two new models are coming out replacing the UL20A system – a model featuring the 1.2 GHz Core i3 processor (known as the UL20FT), and a model featuring a 1.06GHz Celeron U3400 processor (which is currently available in Japan).

Both models offer 720p capable displays, integrated Intel HD graphics, and 2GB of RAM. Other notable features include a 320GB hard drive, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, a six cell battery, HDMI output, and a 0.3 megapixel webcam.

The Core i3 version will be priced around $629 and is expected to be out by August 6th.

[Check it out]

The ASUS EeePC 1201PN 12.1 inch netbook now has a product page up on the ASUS website. The 12.1 inch system combines the Atom N450 processor, NVIDIA ION graphics with a six cell, six hour Li-Ion battery. The complete features and specs include:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• Intel NM10 chipset
• 12.1 inch LED backlit widescreen 16:9 display with a resolution of 1366 x 768
• 1GB of RAM with support for up to 2GB of RAM
• NVIDIA ION graphics platform
• SRS virtual 5.1 channel surround sound
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 (optional)
• Built-in 0.3 megapixel camera and microphone
• Chiclet keyboard
• 250GB hard drive and 500 GB ASUS WebStorage
• VGA, 3 USB 2.0, HDMI port
• Media card reader
• 6 cell 47 W/h Li-ion battery pack for 6 hours of power
• ArcSoft SimHD pre-installed – upscales standard definition video to high definition
• Windows 7 Home Premium OS

The EeePC 1201PN has an MSRP of $499.

[Check it out via NetbookBoards.com]

ASUS announced today that select ASUS netbooks and notebooks sold at Amazon.com would come pre-loaded with the “Kindle for PC” software application. Not familiar with “Kindle for PC”? It’s essentially the Kindle software for the PC platform allowing users to:

• Purchase, download, and read more than 540,000 books
• Browse by genre or author, and take advantage of all the features that they enjoy in the Kindle Store, including Amazon.com customer reviews, personalized recommendations and editorial reviews
• Read the beginning of books for free before they decide to buy
• Access their Kindle books even if they don’t have Kindle with them
• Synchronize last page read between their Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac, and other devices
• Create new highlights, notes and bookmarks, and manage those created on their Kindle
• Choose from three different color modes: read in white, sepia, or black color modes and adjust the brightness of the display from within the application
• Choose from more than 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
• Read books using full-screen mode of their PC

Keep in mind of course that Kindle for PC is a free software application for any PC system. You can download the app for free over at Amazon.com.

As far as we’re concerned. this marketing promotion between ASUS and Amazon is clearly aimed at consumers considering the Apple iPad – reminding users that an ASUS netbook is a perfectly legitimate eReader platform.

Kindle for PC comes pre-installed on the following ASUS Eee PC netbooks:

• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-BK
• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-BU
• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-WT
• ASUS 1005PE-MU27-PI

as well as on the following thin-and-light UL notebooks:

• ASUS UL30A-X5K
• ASUS UL30VT-X1K

[Check it out]

PC Magazine reviews the ASUS Eee PC 1005PR Seashell netbook here on their website. Although at first glance, the 1005PR looks like any other ASUS Eee PC 10.1 inch netbook, the system actually features a higher-resolution display (1366 x 768) and the Broadcom Crystal HD decoder (BCM 70015) to help decode 720p/1080p video clips.

The Broadcom Crystal HD solution provides much needed help to the Atom processor for decoding HD video content – although this does assume your video decoder application supports hardware acceleration with the chipset.

And the higher resolution display? Well that’s always nice to have – especially if you want to view more of a given Word document or web page or more importantly view 720p HD video clips.

Other specs to the netbook include:

• Windows 7 Starter and Express Gate OS
• 10.1 inch LED backlit display
• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 1GB of DDR2 RAM – max 2GB
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 250GB HDD
• 0.3 megapixel webcam
• HD audio
• Digital microphone
• VGA, 3 USB 2.0ports, Ethernet, Headphone/Microphone
• Card reader
• 6 cell Li-Ion battery 63W/h for 11 hours of power or 6 cell Li-Ion battery 48W/h for 9 hours of power

Here’s what PC Mag thought of the 1005PR:

“The Asus EeePC 1005PR may not be the perfect netbook, but Asus makes it hard to turn down a good bargain.”

[Check it out]

Think a 10 hour battery life is good enough for netbooks? How about a 13.5 hour battery life instead? Yeah – I thought so.

This is exactly what ASUS is promising with their new Eee PC 1015P and 1015PE Seashell netbooks. Through the use of their Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) technology, the new netbooks can achieve up to 13.5 hours of power by intelligently adapting and adjusting power settings to give you the right balance of performance and battery savings.

Features of the new netbooks (which were previously announced at CeBIT) are as follows

ASUS Eee PC 1015P:

• Windows 7 Starter and Express Gate OS
• 10.1 inch LED backlit WSVGA display (1024 x 600 resolution)
• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 1GB of DDR2 RAM with support for up to 2GB of RAM
• Chiclet keyboard design
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• ASUS Eee Docking platform provides easy access to digital content, services, and other software
• 160GB/250GB/320GB HDD
• 0.3 megapixel webcam
• HD audio
• Built-in stereo speakers
• microphone
• VGA, 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, Audio Jack (headphone/microphone-in)
• MMC/SD/SDHC card reader
• 6 cell 63W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 13.5 hours
• 6 cell 56W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 12 hours
• 6 cell 48W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 10.5 hours
• 6 cell 23W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 5 hours
• Measures 262 x 178 x 23.6~36.4 mm
• Weighs 1.25Kg with 6 cell battery
• Available in white, black, and blue

ASUS Eee PC 1015PE:

• Windows 7 Starter and Express Gate OS
• 10.1 inch LED backlit WSVGA display (1024 x 600 resolution)
• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 1GB of DDR2 RAM with support for up to 2GB of RAM
• Chiclet keyboard design
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• ASUS Eee Docking platform provides easy access to digital content, services, and other software
• 160GB/250GB/320GB HDD
• 0.3 megapixel webcam
• HD audio
• Built-in stereo speakers
• microphone
• VGA, 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, Audio Jacks (headphone/microphone-in)
• MMC/SD/SDHC card reader
• 6 cell 63W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 13.5 hours
• 6 cell 56W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 12 hours
• 6 cell 48W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 10.5 hours
• 6 cell 23W/h Lithium Ion battery provides 5 hours
• Measures 262 x 178 x 23.6~36.4 mm
• Weighs 1.25Kg with 6 cell battery
• Matte finish available in White, Black, Blue, Red
• Mold Roller available in White, Black, Pink, Red

Mother’s Day is this Sunday folks.. why not buy your mom a new netbook or thin-and-light notebook? (OK.. that seriously depends on your mom’s technical competency of course.. but just a thought!) OR.. get some accessories for your new system perhaps?

Here are some interesting deals currently available heading into the weekend:

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Buy.com

Logitech Alto Connect Laptop Stand:

Have a new system and need some way to prop it up at a good typing height? How about the Logitech Alto Connect Laptop Stand? I use it at work and absolutely love the stand. Comes with a built-in 4 port USB hub too. Buy.com has it for a mere $25.49 here.

Aluratek USB 2.0 External Slim Multi-format 8x DVD writer:

Need an optical drive for that new netbook of yours? Buy.com has the Aluratek USB 2.0 DVD burner for a mere $48.54 here.

Toshiba Satellite T115D-S1125:

Looking for a thin-and-light? Check out this deal for the Toshiba Satellite T115D priced at Buy.com at a low $472.99. Specs include AMD Athlon Neo X2 L325 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM, 320GB HDD, Wi-Fi, Built-in webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit edition. Oh yeah shipping is free too!

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Newegg.com

Corsair Nova Series 128GB SATA II SSD:

Need a storage performance boost? Check out Newegg’s deal for the Corsair Nova Series 128GB SATA II solid state drive for $339. It’s in a 2.5 inch notebook form factor, has a MTBF of 1,000,000 hours, and supports TRIM.

ASUS Eee PC 1201T-MU10-BK:

Need more oomph than a netbook and a larger display to boot? Check out Newegg’s deal for the ASUS Eee PC 1201T-MU10-BK. This system features the AMD Athlon Neo processor MV-40 clocked at 1.6GHz, a 12.1 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display, ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB HDD, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

HP Mini 210-1010NR:

Newegg.com has the HP Mini 210-1010NR for a low price of $289.99. Specs include the Atom N450, 10.1 inch WSVGA display, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 1GB of RAM, 160GB SATA HDD, a 93 % keyboard, and a 3 cell battery.

Samsung N150:

There’s also the Samsung N150 available now at Newegg for $298.99. Specs include the Atom N450, 10.1 inch WSVGA display, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, built-in 0.3 MP webcam, Wi-Fi, and a 6 cell battery for around 7 hours of power.

ASUS Eee PC 1001P:

The ASUS Eee PC 1001P is on sale for $294.99 at Newegg. Specs include Atom N450, 10.1 inch WSVGA display, 1G of RAM, 160GB HDD, built-in 0.3 MP webcam, and an 11+ hour battery (nice!).

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mwave.com

MSI U135-210US

mwave has the MSI U135-210US 10 inch  netbook for a low price of $279.99 here on their site. Specs are what you’d expect from these netbooks – Atom N450, 1GB of RAM, Windows 7 Starter, 10 inch display, Intel NM10 chipset, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, HD audio, speakers, 4 in 1 media card reader, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and a 3 cell battery.

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Dell.com

Dell’s selling their baseline Inspiron Mini 10 for a low price of $279.00. Specs include the Atom Z520, Windows 7 Starter, 10.1 inch display, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, Intel GMA 500 graphics, and a 3 cell battery.

If you want an Atom 450 Dell, then you’ll want to check out the Inspiron Mini 10 (1012) system which runs $20 dollars more and comes with the Intel NM10 Express Chipset and a larger 6 cell battery.

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HP.com

HP Mini 210:

HP has the baseline Mini 210 for a low price of $279.99. Specs for this system include Atom N450, 1GB of RAM, 160GB 5400RPM HDD, 10.1 inch display, HD mini webcam, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, 3 cell battery, and Windows XP Home.

HP Mini 210 HD:

You could also opt for the slightly higher end HP Mini 210 HD for a baseline price of $329.99. Specs include the Atom N450, Windows XP Home, 1GB of RAM, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 160GB HDD, 10.1 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display, webcam, Wi-Fi, and a 3 cell battery.

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Amazon.com

And finally, just b/c I’m curious – there’s the top 5 “most wanted” netbooks over at Amazon.com. Without further ado, they are:

• ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook (Up to 14 Hours of Battery Life)
• Toshiba Mini NB305-N410BL 10.1-Inch Royal Blue Netbook – 11 Hours of Battery Life
• ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook (Up to 14 Hours of Battery Life)
• ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook (Up to 14 Hours of Battery Life)
• ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-MU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook (Up to 11 Hours of Battery Life)

OK that’s it for now.. but we’ll keep looking for ya.

ASUS announces their latest addition to their popular Eee PC Seashell series of netbooks today, the new Eee PC Seashell 1005PR. Featuring Broadcom’s Crystal HD technology and a 10.1 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display, the 1005PR seems like a great netbook alternative for viewing high definition video content.

Specs for the Eee PC Seashell 1005PR include:

• Intel Atom N450 processor
• 250GB hard drive
• 10.1 inch LED backlit screen with 1366 x 768 resolution
• Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator (BCM70015)
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1
• HD audio
• ASUS proprietary Super Hybrid Engine
• 11 hours of battery life

The 1005PR also features dual operating systems – both Windows 7 Starter Edition as well as Express Gate which allows you to quickly gain access to the Internet.

The ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PR is available today at a starting price of $399.99.

[Check it out]

Thanks to the ASUS DESIGN website, we now know ASUS will be releasing a new ultra-slim Eee PC netbook at some point this year. The website, which lists all the awards that various ASUS products win in a given year, shows that the Eee PC 1218 series netbook recently won the reddot design award for 2010.

Little is known about the Eee PC 1218 except that it utilizes an interesting layout where all the ports are located at the rear of the netbook. This translates to the front and sides being completely smooth making the netbook easy to carry and “visually uncluttered”.

Additionally, the Eee PC 1218 features a one piece aluminum palm rest and keyboard frame, as well as a sliding cover on the webcam assuring privacy for the user.

That’s pretty much all we know thus far although it’s safe to assume this system also features a 12 inch display of some sort. Whatever it is, we’re pretty sure the 1218 will be a winner for ASUS.

[Check it out via Crave]

It’s finally official people. After over a year of waiting (and I really do mean over a year here), ASUS has finally officially unveiled the EeeKeyboard PC.

With nettop/netbook guts on the inside, the EeeKeyboard PC takes all-in-one computing to a whole new level by packaging everything into the keyboard form factor (although it’s certainly not the first vendor to do so of course).

The EeeKeyboard PC features an Atom processor on the inside, a 5 inch multi-touch display on the right hand side of the keyboard and most importantly, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitter allowing it to wirelessly transmit images to a remote HDTV, monitor, or projector. At distances of 5 meters or less you’ll be able to transmit 720p HD video. At distances up to 10 meters, you’ll be able to transmit non-video content to a remote display.

The full feature and specs to the EeeKeyboard PC are as follows:

• Windows XP Home OS
• 5 inch 800 x 480 multi-touch panel
• Intel Atom N270 processor
• Intel 945GSE/ICH7-M
• 1GB of DDR2 memory
• 16GB or 32GB Solid State Drive
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
• Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity
• Up to 4 hour battery
• Broadcom 70010/70012 video decoder (Broadcom Crystal HD technology)
• Backlit keyboard
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Built-in microphone
• 3 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, Headphone out, and microphone port
• Measures  145 x 425 x 10~24.4mm
• Weighs 2.4 lbs

The PC also comes with an Ultra-wideband receiver/adapter designed for the display/projector. 

You can pre-order the ASUS EeeKeyboard PC now with a 16GB Solid State Drive at Amazon.com for a price of $599. Only problem – no word on when the unit will actually be available.

[Check it out]

Although little is known about the ASUS Eee PC 1201X and 1201K, their diagrams were recently uncovered by the folks at Netbooked while checking out the 1201 series manual. There’s actually not a whole lot to report on here except:

• The 1201X features the same chassis design as the 1201T which could indicate it features an AMD processor on the inside.

• The 1201K seems to lack underside access panels but otherwise features a similar side profile to other 1201 series netbooks. It is however missing a USB port and the air vent appears smaller which lends credence to the idea that the 1201K will feature a VIA Nano processor.

[Check it out]