ASUS Eee Pad EP101TC and EP121 preview

At long last, the ASUS Eee Pads have arrived, but unfortunately they're just not working the way we've been imagining for all these months. We got a few minutes to toy around with the 10-inch EP101TC and 12-inch EP121, but both were barely working. And "barely" is being gracious. We can tell you that both models are incredibly well built -- they've got aluminum edges and matte back covers -- and neither was particularly heavy. The EP121 wasn't booting at all, but it was being shown off with a super sleek keyboard docking station, which will be used to turn the tablet into an ultraportable laptop of sorts. An NVIDIA Tegra-powered EP101TC was powering on, but its Windows Embedded Compact 7-based interface was still noticeably buggy, and the touchscreen quite unresponsive. The UI certainly looked attractive enough, and our swipe motions across the capacitive touchscreen were handled admirably, but ASUS definitely has a ways to go in terms of functionality. We wish we had more impressions to share, but it looks as if we'll have to wait for a less half-baked iteration to really dive in. 'Til then, feel free to peruse the gallery below and peek the video just beyond the break.


Source

Read more »

ASUS Eee PC R101 surfaces in Deutschland with Atom N450, carbon fiber flair

It ain't the first Eee PC we've seen with a carbon fiber finish, and if the second one in as many months is any indication, we get the feeling we could see quite a few more of these surface at Computex in just a few weeks. The latest netbook from ASUS has found itself plastered on a German e-tailer's website, with the R101 proudly boasting a 1.66GHz Atom N450 processor, 250GB hard drive, a 10.1-inch LCD, native 1,024 x 600 resolution, Intel's GMA 3150 graphics and a battery that's good for 9.5 hours (if you use it sparingly, we're sure). The only other nugget we're made aware of is the €299 ($379) price tag, but it's pretty obvious we won't be treated to a chiclet keyboard and a trackpad bar with a split in the middle. Fiddlesticks.

Source

Read more »

ASUS Eee PC T101MT headed to US in April for $499

Well beginning of April, you sure do like tablets for $499, don't ya? While the Eee PC T101MT has been available to suave Europeans since February, ASUS has let out word that the 10-inch, multitouch tablet will start shipping in the US sometime in April for $499. Not a bad deal considering the Pine Trail-powered netvertible has been been priced around 499 Euros overseas -- though we're unsure at this point of the final specs of the American T101MT and what version of Windows 7 it will boot. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for it at the usual etailers, but before you head out and buy one you may want to wait on our upcoming full review to see how this thing measures up to the other netvertibles out there.

Source

Read more »

ASUS EeeKeyboard PC hands-on (slight return)

Has it really been almost a year (to the day!) since we last gave some first-hand thoughts on ASUS' audacious Eee Keyboard PC? Given the recent news of an apparent April release date, we thought we'd give the perennially-delayed machine another walkthrough, albeit via the touchpad only since it wasn't connected to an external display. The software is definitely still in need of some work -- we managed to crash the sucker within minutes, but the startup to Windows XP (the full version) was quick and admittedly pretty interesting to witness -- maybe at some point we could get a miniature game of Peggle going. When working, the menu was pretty smooth. None of the shortcuts were working, unfortunately , as the internet was down in the booth. As a keyboard, it feel pretty strong, resilient, and most of all clicky. Live through us vicariously, via still shots and moving pictures below.


Source

Read more »

ASUS Eee PC 1015PE, 1015P and 1001PQ hands-on

Oh, you thought we were done with ASUS' new Eee PC models at CeBIT. That's cute. In addition to launching the aluminum 1018P and 1016P, ASUS has also quietly released the 1015PE and 1015P (or Diary series as it says on the units), which look to be joining the Seashell line with some minor design tweaks. The 1016PE's faux dark wood lid has a more professional look, and its shape reminds us somewhat of HP's Mini 5102. On the other hand, the 1015P has a white, softer-looking matte lid and an updated touchpad with integrated mouse buttons. Inside it appears they will be available with Intel's Pine Trail Atom N450 and N470 processors, and apparently the forthcoming N455 and N475 CPUs. Last but not least, ASUS also seemed to whip out the race car-inspired, kid-intended 1001PQ that has the same specs as the 1005PE we reviewed awhile back. We don't know about you, but we'd actually dig that design for ourselves. Until the next Tales from ASUS' Eee PC booth update, we leave you with the hands-on pictures below.

Source

Read more »

ASUS Eee PC T101MT convertible gets handled twice (video)

What's better than one hands-on report to whet your appetite ahead of the release of a new gadget? Why, two of them, of course, and it's the convertible ASUS T101MT getting the stereo impressions. The machine has netbook specs (1.6GHz Atom N450 CPU, 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD, etc. etc.) combined with a 10.1-inch multitouch screen, which both of the sites giving early impressions rated poorly. Responsiveness is said to be less than stellar, and while one of these previewers was able to improve it with some extra calibration, precision near the top of the screen still sounds bad. Build quality looks good (for an Eee) and the form factor certainly looks nice, but we're losing a little faith in this entrant after watching the video below. Check it out for yourself and see what you think, but don't write it off just yet: these are still pre-production models and a little firmware magic could whip this tablet into shape before its release -- whenever that will be.

Source

Read more »