Asustek to Phase Out 7-inch Eee PC, Considers Qualcomm, Changes Motto, Branding, Plus the T91/T101
March 6, 2009
Quite a few changes have been announced by Asustek this week. The biggest is that Asustek will be phasing out the 7-inch Eee PC segment of its Eee PC family, according to Asustek’s chairman, Jonney Shih. This falls in line with comments made around three weeks ago that Asustek would be simplifying its Eee PC line, with an emphasis on 10-inch models (8.9-inch models would still be around), and Shih reiterated that emphasis in comments made to ZDNet at CeBIT 2009 this week.
He mentioned the screensize as a major factor, which makes sense - most people have indicated that they prefer at least 1024×600, while the 7-inch models only allowed for 800×480.
DigiTimes mentioned that the Eee PC business is being broken down into three major groups:
- High-end netbooks - over $400 USD, includes Eee PC S101
- Mainstream - $299 - $399 USD, such as Eee PC 1000HE and Eee PC 1008HA (see announcement).
- Entry-level - $299 and under, mainly 8.9-inch Eee PCs
Interestingly enough, according to Samson Hu, the manager of Asustek’s Asus Eee PC business, Asustek estimates that the convertible/Tablet PC touchscreen Eee PCs - the Eee PC T91 and Eee PC T101, will make up 10% of the company’s Eee PC shipments for 2009.
DigiTimes is also reporting that Asustek is looking at Eee PCs based on Qualcomm’s platform. Hu has said that Asustek does not have plans to produce non-Intel Atom-based Eee PCs at this point, but they are evaluating other platforms. Last month in an interview, Hu mentioned that Asustek was looking at Android based netbooks for its Eee PC line, and had gone so far as to assign engineers to evaluate the Android platform.
Hu also made comments that they don’t believe that Intel’s CULV platform will impact mainstream markets, and instead will be concentrated in emerging markets.
The Asustek motto (at least as far as Eee PCs are concerned) has also been changed from “Rock Solid. Heart Touching” to “Inspiring Innovation. Persistent Perfection”.
The Eee PC branding was also changed - it did stand for “Easy to learn, easy to work, easy to play”, and it has been changed to “Easy, excellent, exciting”.
Asus Eee PC T91GO - a T91 With 3G
March 3, 2009
Not much to say about this, just that it’s firming up previous information about Asustek offering 3G/UMTS mobile broadband functionality with their new convertible netbook/ultraportable as well as selling it through some mobile providers. Ahead of CeBIT 2009, Eee-PC.de has posted a photo of a new model of the still-unreleased 8.9″ Eee PC T91.
It’s called the Eee PC T91GO.
The slogan is “Stay Connected Anywhere With Eee PC T91GO”.
Colors listed look to be black and silver or black and white.
Still no pricing or availability, but today kicks off CeBIT 2009, so chances are we’ll see that information released.
Two Hands-On Videos of Asus Eee PC T91
February 25, 2009
A few sites have started previewing the upcoming 8.9″ Asus Eee PC T91, Asus’ first touchscreen and Tablet PC convertible netbook/ultraportable.
Last week, Mobile Computer was able to make a hands-on video of a pre-production model of the Eee PC T91. They show off the build-quality. The model they had came with a built-in Digital TV tuner and GPS, although that will probably be optional at the retail level. They do show the rotation of the display and converting it back and forth between a Tablet PC and a laptop. It works with both finger and stylus. There is a button that appears to allow for converting between landscape and portrait modes. They discuss the built-in battery (that is not replaceable by the end user). Their model came with a 16GB SSD. The RAM is accessible by the end-user (so that you can probably go up to 2GB versus the default 1GB).
They even compared it size-wise with the 10″ Eee PC 1000HE and mention that the T91 will come with the chiclet-style (or scrabble-style) keyboard that comes with the 1000HE as opposed to the keyboard shown on the pre-production model.
NetbookNews.de’s Sascha was also able to put together a high-quality video, and it showcased the T91’s touch interface. He called it a “netvertible”, a play on netbook and convertible. Asus has developed a custom touch interface running on top of Windows XP Home. There is a scrolling sort of wheel with icons/shortcuts. There is a sort of a bar in the middle that you can use as a bookmark bar for applications you frequently use - it’s called a “quick launch”. The “FotoFun” software was interesting - it makes use of the touch interface.
Mobile Computer mentions that a 3G version will be sold through mobile carriers, but that none have been named. Sascha at NetbookNews.de mentions a price of $500 - not sure if that’s US dollars, and that it will be out in the second quarter of 2009.
Next week’s CeBIT 2009 should see the release of a lot more informationon the T91 (as well as the 10-inch version, the T101).
Read:
- Mobile Computer
- NetbookNews.de
via Blogeee.net
Toshiba Introduces New Portege M750 Models
February 25, 2009
Toshiba has introduced three new models in its 12.1-inch Toshiba Portege M750 line. The M750 laptops are “convertibles” the display rotates/swivels around to allow you to convert back and forth between a normal laptop/notebook form factor, and a Tablet PC setup. These three models are new in the United States. If you want to jump up to an actual touchscreen as opposed to using a Digital Pen, it’ll cost you around $400 USD, although you get a bump in the CPU performance as well as an optical DVD writer.
All three models feature:
- LED-Backlit display
- Fingerprint reader
- 2GB RAM
- 160GB HDD (some models feature 7200rpm)
- eSATA/USB Combo Port with Sleep and Charge
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Intel WiFi 5100AGN5 (802.11a/g/n)
- 3 year warranty
These models are targeted at the back-to-school shopping crowd, and they are:
Portégé M750-S7211
- $1,279 (USD)
- 12.1″ Display - supports Digital Pen/Stylus
- Intel Core 2 Duo T6570 (2.1GHz)
Portégé M750-S7212
- $1,699 (USD)
- 12.1″ Display - supports Digital Pen and Touch
- Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz)
- DVD SuperMulti DL Optical Drive
Portégé M750-S7213
- $1,799 (USD)
- 12.1″ Display - supports Digital Pen and Touch
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz)
- DVD SuperMulti DL Optical Drive
Available: ToshibaDirect.com
Read: SlashGear
Asus Eee PC T91 Early Look and Preview (bit-tech)
February 23, 2009
Yesterday, bit-tech.net got an early look at the upcoming 8.9-inch Asus Eee PC T91. The T91 breaks the conventional laptop form factor line that Asustek had established with their Eee PC line. It’s a convertible laptop/Tablet PC - the touchscreen display rotates on a swivel, allowing it to be used as either a normal laptop (with a touchscreen display) or with it folded flat, a Tablet PC.
The T91 could every well be the first convertible Atom-powered netbook/ultraportable available to mainstream consumers in North America. Right now, they are limited to using importers such as Dynamism to import such devices like the 8.9″ Gigabyte M912X .
bit-tech.net has posted a lot of good photos showing the various configurations of the display. Keep in mind it is a pre-production model. They also took a look at the size compared to other 8.9″ devices in this range, and surprising, it’s actually smaller than the Eee PC 900 and 901. There is a T101, a 10-inch version, that will be out later this year, for those who want something slightly bigger. A switch has been included allowing you to turn off the touchscreen functionality, and the power switch is a sliding-type of switch so that the power isn’t accidentally turned off when using the T91 in various modes.
One problem some may have, and this is probably because of engineering/technical issues, it does have a fixed battery, instead of one that can be easily swapped or replaced. Asustek points out that the Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz) does consume less power than the normal 1.6GHz N270 (20% less). The Intel US15W chipset also consumers less power than the 945/950 chipset found in most of these devices these days. The model they had access to had a 32GB Solid State Drive (SSD) which should lower power consumption a bit. Asus claims up to 5 hours, which as bit-tech points out, is probably up to 4 hours of normal usage.
bit-tech.net was given a tentative release date of April of this year for the UK .
Read: bit-tech.net
Lenovo ThinkPads Meets Semi-Rugged Requirements
February 23, 2009
This kind of came out of nowhere. We all knew that ThinkPads had a reputation for being tougher than a lot of other laptops/notebooks in the market.
Lenovo has now announced that the following eight ThinkPads have been designated by Lenovo for use in semi-rugged environments, as well as various field conditions:
- Lenovo ThinkPad X200
- Lenovo ThinkPad X200s
- Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Tablet
- Lenovo ThinkPad X301
- Lenovo ThinkPad T400
- Lenovo ThinkPad T500
- Lenovo ThinkPad R400
- Lenovo ThinkPad SL300
The X200 series is Lenovo’s first widescreen 12″ ultraportables in the ThinkPad X series line; the X301 is a 13.3-inch widescreen, as is the SL300. The T400 and R400 are 14″ laptops, and the T500 is a 15″ laptop.
This is surprising in that usually when laptop manufacturers try to meet certain military or field specifications (utility work, construction sites, law enforcement), they offer a special model/version, with various changes from their normal line. As the press release points out however, these ThinkPads come with protection for the hard drive, as well as a sturdier chassis and display than some.
Via: SlashGear
Press Release:
Lenovo Puts ThinkPad Laptops to the “Tough Test”: Meets Military Specs for Semi-Rugged Computing
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – February 24, 2009: Lenovo today announced that it is designating eight ThinkPad laptops for use in field and vehicle semi-ruggedized computing environments such as in public safety, utilities, construction and the military. The ThinkPad X200, X301, X200s, X200 Tablet, T400, T500, R400 and SL300 laptops meet a barrage of military specifications tests and are enhanced with specially-designed durability features such as an air-bag like protection system and a roll cage in select models. Because field computing requires excellent screen viewability, Lenovo is also adding a new optional 680-nit high brightness panel to its most popular laptop, the ThinkPad T400 laptop.
“ThinkPad is well known for quality, reliability and innovative security technologies for business computing,” said Tom Ribble, executive director, Worldwide ThinkPad Product Marketing, Lenovo. “The truth is we’ve always built tough laptops that can weather extreme conditions from hiking the rainforests of the Amazon to flying in space. You don’t need a PC that looks like a tank to excel in harsh environments, and unlike many of our competitors, we don’t put an extra charge on toughness.”
Asus Shows Off Windows 7 on Eee PC T91, 1003HA, Announces 1000HG
February 17, 2009
At this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Asustek is showing off Microsoft’s Windows 7 on the highly-anticipated 8.9″ touchscreen Eee PC T91. The Eee PC T91 Touch is a convertible - it converts between a Tablet PC and a conventional laptop/notebook form factor. They were also using Windows 7 to show off the mobile broadband functionality available with the T91, as well as the upcoming Eee PC 1003HA.
Both the 1003HA and T91 are using a Huawei EM770 WWAN module for mobile broadband connectivity. The reasoning for Windows 7 - it shows off Windows 7’s networking/mobile broadband capabilities and the Huawei EM770 module was designed from the ground up for Windows 7. According to the press release, the 1003HA will only be offered through mobile providers.
In addition, they announced the Eee PC 1000HG, which will have 802.16e and WAVE2 wireless networking as well as 802.11a/b/g/n.
Read: SlashGear
Asus Eee PC Price Increases? Not Exactly
February 12, 2009
You may have recently heard that Asus Eee PC was planning on raising prices up to 20% on some Eee PC models, sometime in March. Turns out that it’s not the case, although the average price will probably go up (more on that at the bottom).
From what it sounds like, some things were lost in translation at some point. During a conference call this morning, Doug Aamoth at CrunchGear asked ASUS CEO Jerry Shen about the price increases (if there would be any), and this was the response:
“Actually, the price is based on market competition so until now, for the netbook, the product shift from nine-inch to ten-inch models will help in Q1. So most of the product will be ten-inch based and so the price will be a little bit higher than the nine inch. But that’s based on the [move from nine to ten inches], not on the original price.
And for the notebooks, actually, there’s a lot of inventory from our competitors, so there’s no way to raise the price much.”
It boils down to the 10″ Eee PCs will be priced slightly higher than 8.9″ Eee PCs. Going forward, Asustek (along with most others) will be moving towards 10″ netbooks/ultraportables being the dominant display size. Once the large majority of their line is in the 10″ range, it would not be surprising to see the average price be higher than it is now, where you still have a large number of 8.9″ and even some of the older 7″ models still around.
Obviously Asustek is interested in keeping prices down - they have kept the cost of the Asus Eee PC 1000HE down to under $400 while adding some new features (such as a new keyboard). It’s definitely helped by being released around the same time as the 10-inch Acer Aspire One which has an even lower price, coming in at around $350 USD.
Read: CrunchGear
