While Asus France may be talking about slimming its Eee PC lineup, it looks like Asus Italy is expanding with the launch of the Asus Eee PC 1000HV. Basically, the 1000HV is identical to the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, except that the new model features ATI Radeon HD 3450 graphics while older Eee PC models have integrated Intel GMA950 graphics.

In other words, this is the first Eee PC that should be able to handle serious video gaming duties. It should also provide better HD video performance, although I’m not sure how it will handle HD Flash video from sites like Hulu because I don’t know if Adobe Flash can offload some of the processing power to the graphics card. The 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU isn’t really up to the task.

Eee PC Italia reports that the Eee PC 1000HV will be available exclusively through the Computer Discount chain in Italy, for about 449 Euros, which is the equivalent of $627 US.

Here’s a run down of the computer’s specs:

• CPU: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280
• Display: 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 3450
• RAM: 1GB
• Storage: 160GB hard drive
• Operating system: Windows XP
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, Ethernet
• I/O: 3 USB ports, VGA, headphone, mic
• Battery: 6 cell (5 hours)

One thing that’s interesting about this move is that Asus had previously decided that laptops with discrete graphics wouldn’t go in the Eee PC family. The company released the Asus N10 series of mini-laptops with NVIDIA GeForce graphics last year, but refused to slap the Eee PC label on them. Maybe the company is finding that the Eee PC name carries more weight these days than the name Asus?

via SlashGear

Like most netbooks with Intel processors, most Eee PC models rely on integrated graphics which are good enough for watching videos or rendering some basic games, but kind of stink if you want to play a Crysis or Call of Duty. Asus does package an NVIDIA 9300M graphics card with the Asus N10 laptop, but the company refused to call that laptop a netbook (even though it has the same screen and keyboard size as a netbook, as well as the same 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU used in most of the company’s netbooks).

Now it looks like Asus could be preparing an Eee PC netbook with a dedicated graphics card. If the rumored netbook is anything like the N10, Asus will offer users the ability to switch between dedicated and integrated graphics. You can use the lower power integrated graphics processor when battery life matters more than GPU performance. And when you want to blow up some aliens, you flip a switch and reboot your system.

No word on pricing, availability, or if this is actually going to happen or if it was just some guy at Asus mouthing off. But if it does come to pass, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that Asus will charge more than $399 for an Eee PC with a fancy graphics card.

via Eee PC News

More Savings on Some of the Hottest Laptops at Newegg.com

The Asus “don’t-call-it-a-netbook” N10 netbook has been available for pre-order for a few weeks now from retailers including J&R and Amazon. But Newegg is the first store I’ve seen to have the new laptop in stock.

Newegg has three separate product listings. For $599.99 you can pick up the Asus N10E-A1 with 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Windows XP Home, and integrated graphics. At $699.99 the N10J-A1 offers 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and an NVIDIA GeForce 9300M graphics card with 256MB of video memory. This model also has a fingerprint reader and runs Windows Vista Business.

The top of the line N10J-A2 has 2GB of RAM, the same discrete graphics card as the N10J, and Windows Vista Business. But priced at $799.99 this machine comes with a roomy 320GB hard drive.

The cheapest model has a 3 cell battery and 802.11b/g wireless support while the N10J-A1 and A2 both come with 6 cell batteries and 802.11b/g/n. The higher end models also include Bluetooth support.   

You can read more about the Asus N10 in the Liliputing Product Database.

via Eee PC.net and Laptoping

The decision by Asus to brand the Asus N10 as a notebook and not a netbook left a lot of folks scratching their heads. After all, it has a 10 inch display and an Intel Atom processor. On paper, it sounds a lot like the Asus Eee PC 1000H. Aside from the dedicated graphics card, what makes it different enough to justify the price? The N10 sells for $599 to $849, while you can pick up an Eee PC 1000H for $449.

Laptop Magazine got to spend some hands-on time with an N10, and here are just a few of the things that make it different from the 1000H or any other netbook currently on the maret:

• The N10J model includes a NVIDIA GeForce 9300M graphics card with up to 256MB of dedicated memory
• You can flip a switch on the side of the unit to toggle between dedicated and integrated graphics mode (presumably to save power)
• There’s an HDMI port
• There’s supprt for fingerprint and facial recognition
• It comes with 2GB of RAM standard
• Hard drive sizes range from 160GB to 320GB

Asus has been making the rounds showing off its upcoming N10 notebook. And the company has a message: it’s not a netbook. Sure, it has a 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor just like the Asus Eee PC 1000/1000H. And sure, it’s got a starting price of around $599, which makes it cheaper than several netbook models from HP. But it’s not a netbook, because Asus says it isn’t. OK? 

I mean, I guess I should cut the company some slack, because it did practically create this product category. But if you really want to differentiate your product class, you’re going to have to do more than slap a shinier case, a more powerful graphics card, and a larger hard drive in there. The $599 version of the Asus N10 (which will apparently be called the N10E) really looks an awful lot like an Eee PC 1000H on the spec sheets. You have to pony up an extra $100 or $200 for the N10J to get the good stuff like an HDMI port, a RAM upgrade, and a fingerprint reader.

I can think of two reasons why Asus might not want to call this a netbook. First, because the company plans to release additional models in the N10 series that will be larger and heavier. And second because up until last year, Asus was best known as a motherboard maker. The Eee PC has helped Asus show the world that it can make laptops. Cheap, low profit-margin laptops. I wouldn’t be surprised if Asus, which has been making full sized laptops for a while, decided to introduce a new model that blurs the line specifically to get a lot of attention for a new netbook-sized device while taking the opportunity to point out that Asus does make traditional laptops which sell for a few bucks more and have a higher profit margin.

Still, Engadget, Geek.com and Laptop Magazine all came away from their presentations with Asus impressed. So whether you call it a netbook, a notebook, or a submarine sandwich, the Asus N10 looks like a machine worth checking out. It should be available later this month or early in October.

It looks like the Asus N10 might qualify as a low cost laptop after all. The N10 is the first 10 inch notebook from Asus that doesn’t bear the Eee PC name. It has a few features that set it apart from other netbooks, like an NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics card. And it costs a few bucks more than most netbooks. In fact, earlier this month when J&R posted a pre-order page listing the Asus N10 for $850 I almost decided to stop covering the laptop since the price made it difficult to compare the N10 with a $400 Eee PC or a $329 Acer Aspire One.

But it turns out you’ll be able to pick up an N10 for under $600. That still makes the computer expensive for a netbook, but relatively cheap for a laptop.

J&R has updated its pre-order pages to reflect three different models. The $599 version has a 160GB hard drive, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics, and Windows XP Home. It also has 802.11b/g wireless networking, but lacks the 802.11n support included in the pricier versions.

For another $100, you can get a version with 2GB of RAM, 802.11a/b/g/n support, an HDMI port, a fingerprint reader, Bluetooth, and Windows Vista Home Premium. The priciest model sells for $799 and adds a 250GB hard drive and Windows Vista Business.

thanks sinioutlaw!

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I’m thinking I might have to stop covering the upcoming Asus N10 laptop. While it has a 10.2 inch display like the Asus Eee PC 1000H and several other netbooks, there are a few other defining characteristics that indicate this machine ain’t targeted at the same customers as the $550 Eee PC 1000H. First up? The price. J&R is showing a $849 price tag for the N10 which makes it more expensive than most full sized Windows laptops you might want to pick up.

The extra $300 you’d pay for an N10 doesn’t go to waste. The computer packs a 250GB hard drive, 2G of RAM, and a NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS video card as well as a fingerprint scanner. It also runs Windows Vista Business although I wouldn’t be surprised to see Asus offer a Windows XP downgrade option.

But I have a hard time putting an $850 computer in the same class of device as a $299 Eee PC 701. If the definining characteristics of netbooks are low price, portability, and the ability to connect to the internet, the N10 meets two of those categories but fails miserably on the third. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I just thing it means that Asus has graduated from making notebooks that are solely netbooks to producing laptops that are high performance ultraportables. Of course, take “high performance” with a grain of salt. The N10 sports the same single core Intel Atom CPU that you can find in the lower end Eee PC 900/1000 series computers.

via Engadget

The Asus N10 may look like a Eee PC and act like an Eee PC, but this 10.2 laptop with a 1.6GHz Intel processor won’t bear the Eee PC name. Asus officially unveiled the notebook at ASUS World 2008 in Korea today.

While the N10 has many of the same components that have made the Eee PC line so successful, Asus ha salso crammed an NVIDIA GeForce 9300GS graphics card in the case and slapped a much nicer looking case and trackpad on the unit than you’ll find on most Eee PCs.

The laptop is expected to run between $477 and $637 and be available later this month.

As mentioned earlier today, Asus is preparing to launch a mini-notebook with a 10.2 inch screen that will not be part of the Eee PC lineup. Now French site Blogeee has what appear to be exclusive pictures of the upcoming laptop, dubbed the Asus N10.

Here’s what I can glean from the images:

1. The Eee PC branding is nowhere to be seen.
2. The PC has an attractive silver and black case, with a rather glossy looking lid. It remains to be seen whether this is just a cosmetic change, or whether the build quality has been affected (the N10 bears a tiny resemblance to the HP Mini-Note, which is the strudiest feeling netbook I’ve used so far).
3. I spot a VGA port, an Ethernet, a card reader, and 3 USB ports, a webcam. There’s also another port on the right side that I can’t quite make out.

This laptop is expected to cost somewhere between $477 and $637 and could be available in September.

DigiTimes reports that Asus is preparing a notebook with a 10.2 inch display, an Intel Atom CPU, and hard drives with up to 320GB of storage capacity. And these notebooks will not bear the Eee PC name. Instead, they’ll be called the Asus N-series.

For a company that’s already done a lot to dillute the Eee PC brand name by releasing over a dozen laptops with similar names, the move seems a bit odd. The N-series will reportedly start at NT$15000 or about $479 US, which puts these computers squarely in Eee PC territory when it comes to both price and size. The only thigns I can see that really would really set these laptopss apart are the facts that they run Windows Vista and have high capacity hard drives (which might be part of the reason they run Windows Vista — Microsoft is only granting low cost laptop makers the right to use Windows XP on devices with slower processors and smaller hard drives).

If DigiTimes is correct, the N-series should be available in September.

[via Register Hardware]