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Asus Confirms Specs, Price of Eee PC 904 and 1000 261

Ken E. writes "Asus seems to have completed its Eee PC laptop line-up, at least for the time being. The Taiwanese manufacturer has now confirmed both specifications and UK pricing of the Eee PC 904 and Eee PC 1000 — its two latest models. The Eee PC 904 is essentially an Eee PC 900 in an Eee PC 1000 chassis (big keyboard, 8.9in screen, Celeron-M 900MHz, Windows XP) and will cost £269 inc VAT. The Eee PC 1000 will cost £349 inc VAT for an Intel Atom (1.6GHz) chip, 10in screen, 80Gb HDD and Windows XP. Looks like those early Eee PC 900 adopters (£329 inc VAT, initially) have been stiffed. Still, that's progress, I guess ..."
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Asus Confirms Specs, Price of Eee PC 904 and 1000

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  • by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:11AM (#24119043)
    They keep on bringing up the price and specs on these laptops. When they initially announced the EEE, they said it was going to be a $200 laptop. I still have yet to see one for $200, and with the way they keep on upping the specs, I don't think they will ever get to the $200 price point.
    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by NothingMore ( 943591 )
      I was looking at buying an Eee as a laptop i could just carry with me all the time and not care too much about it breaking. but since the Eee laptops are approaching the cost of Dell and HP's low end laptop pricing iv reconsidered buying one.
    • by Hatta ( 162192 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:25AM (#24119267) Journal

      I have to agree. I can spend $200 on a used laptop and it has more than fast enough to do anything I want. But it's not small, and its battery will suck.

      If they'd just make a $200 laptop, I'd buy it. I don't care how slow it is. I did real work on P100s 10 years ago, and I'd be happy to do the same today.

      • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @12:23PM (#24120225)

        I agree with the "used" approach.

        I spent $100 on a deal for two used Compaq Armada M300 [hp.com] machines (PIII) and a docking station. They're small (barely bigger than an Eee PC in one dimension, because the screen is 4:3 aspect), light (magnesium shell), 1024x768 12" displays, run various version of Linux [in.tum.de] and PCMCIA wifi with no problems, and even run Windows 2000 fine (I haven't tried XP). What more do I really need for web browsing and e-mail? These things aren't for gaming or heavy-duty stuff anyway. The only downside has been the battery life and the cost of it: ~$100 more for replacement batteries that give only ~2.5hrs, because the batteries that came with the units were dead. Still, 2 laptops for the price of one EeePC ain't bad, and the form factor is fairly similar. Oh, and the wifi sticking out of the PCMCIA slot looks a bit ugly, but so what.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by hattig ( 47930 )
        How about the Elonex Onet+ then ...

        It's Linux only because it runs on a 400MHz non-x86 CPU.
        7" display. 2GB storage. SD. WiFi. 3 USB2 ports. VGA out. 3hr battery. 625g.

        http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/07/09/elonex_unveils_second_scc/
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Adlopa ( 686151 )
      I suspect that the margins are so low on a $200 'netbook' (which is how these devices are being pitched) that the temptation is to slip in a few more features and nudge up the price in order to make a little more money. It's not quite quite the boiling frog analogy, but it's not far off -- 7" screen too small? Why for only $50 more you can get 8.9"! And there's even a bigger keyboard for just another $30! Before you know it we'll be at the Eee PC 1200 netbook with a 12.1in screen for $700 - or a 'laptop',
    • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:52AM (#24119727)

      The value of the dollar has turned to shit since they said that.

      • That only makes the quoted prices worse. People in the UK and EU are looking for a 100 Euro or Pound notebook. If you figure in the lower value of the same processors, the $350 700 models should be available for less than $300 by now but essentially the same components are being sold for twice that. Finally, as the dollar fails, they should be looking to cut costs not raise them if they want to increase their share of huge US market.

        If this is part of the M$ deal to put a stop to the growth of Linux on

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by Fred_A ( 10934 )

          That only makes the quoted prices worse. People in the UK and EU are looking for a 100 Euro or Pound notebook.

          Theoretically we ought to be expecting something like that (hah), but we know that any $300 laptop will turn into 350 € laptop *if we're lucky*.
          Typically most vendors make some kind of reverse currency conversion and $300 are more like 450 €...

    • I couldn't agree more. I was initially very excited by the prospect of a "$200 laptop", though about $350 is probably my sweet spot. And since I want something that I can throw in my bag and not worry about weight at all, I was really hoping for something like a 7" device. But not only are the prices going up, the size is, too. Looks to me like the executives have drunk the same Koolaid as everybody else in the business.
      I guess that I'll have to buy a Nokia N800 to get me by (if the keyboard on the 810 wer
      • by starwed ( 735423 )

        Asus still sell the initial 700 line, which is a 350$, 7" device... exactly what you're asking for.

        So what's the problem?

        • The 700 line is a 9" screen form factor with a dinky little screen sitting in it like a VW Bug parked at a truck stop. My concern is device size, not screen size, so afaic, the 700 is the worst of both worlds. Not to mention the point made by the AC below that the 700 Linux boxen are out of stock left, right and center.
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Tx ( 96709 )

      I just paid for my ElonexONE, which cost me £100, which is around $200. However that price only seems to be available for those of us who pre-ordered units, they've upped the list price since then, to £180 (with a slightly improved spec). The spec is significantly lower than the EEE.

      I think it's pretty obvious that making money off these netbook type units at the $200 price point has turned out to be unrealistic at this point in time, as no one has really managed it even at the lower

    • by p0tat03 ( 985078 )
      Agreed! Atom 1.6GHz, 80GB HDD, 10" screen? This isn't a "super portable mini budget laptop", this is a straight out *normal* ultra-portable laptop. This is a budget competitor to Sony's Vaio series, not a new device class like Asus initially announced.
    • The cost of the laptop didn't go up, the value of your dollar went down.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by bersl2 ( 689221 )

      I think the point is that light and portable is (finally) down to similar price points ro clunky desktop replacements. For the longest time, these light machines cost twice as much as middle-of-the-road laptops.

  • by pembo13 ( 770295 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:13AM (#24119057) Homepage
    $0?
  • by Madball ( 1319269 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:13AM (#24119059)

    Looks like those early Eee PC 900 adopters (£329 inc VAT, initially) have been stiffed.

    An early adopter "stiffed"? A technology buyer getting more stuff for less money if they just wait? No way!

    Next, you'll claim that man has gone to the moon, or that Linux >> Windows, or Bush is disliked. You so craaazy.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by maxume ( 22995 )

      Quick, buy technology product before it goes up in price!

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Fred_A ( 10934 )

        Quick, buy technology product before it goes up in price!

        I'm glad I did, just try finding a 368SX16 nowadays, or a Tseng ET1000 even. My grandchildren will be glad I acted when the market was just starting.

    • by __aalruu9610 ( 829130 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:40AM (#24119527)
      So wait...I realize your last comment was sarcastic. At least I know Bush is disliked... If I take a bitwise right shift of Linux, I'll end up with Windows? Holy crap...makes me want to try a left bit shift...
      • SIf I take a bitwise right shift of Linux, I'll end up with Windows? Holy crap...makes me want to try a left bit shift...

        It's actually saying to take Linux, and shift it "windows" bit places to the left. I have no idea what that gets you.

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by Waffle Iron ( 339739 )

          It's actually saying to take Linux, and shift it "windows" bit places to the left. I have no idea what that gets you.

          Well, it's shifting the bits to the right rather than left. If we assume that the Linux OS disk image is a single unsigned integer of magnitude around 8^(5e8), then shift that number right by a similarly sized Windows integer, then we always get a final result of zero. (Which would make the original statement False.)

          • by mhall119 ( 1035984 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @01:08PM (#24120911) Homepage Journal

            Well, it's shifting the bits to the right rather than left.

            Oops, my mistake.

            If we assume that the Linux OS disk image is a single unsigned integer of magnitude around 8^(5e8), then shift that number right by a similarly sized Windows integer, then we always get a final result of zero. (Which would make the original statement False.)

            I don't understand why we're not getting modded 'Funny' like the GP.

    • An early adopter "stiffed"? A technology buyer getting more stuff for less money if they just wait? No way!

      While you make a very good point, when a company pulls a product right after release and almost immediately replaces it with a better, cheaper version, that does suck more than normal. I don't actually know the timeline, though, just quoting TA:

      At £269 inc Vat, the Eee PC 904 also considerably cheaper than the short-lived Eee PC 900. which means some early adopters will no doubt be kicking themselves...

  • Looks like those early Eee PC 900 adopters (£329 inc VAT, initially) have been stiffed. Still, that's progress, I guess.

    No. They got a nice working computer for a price they found reasonable. Something better will come out for less money next year, and again the year after that.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Romwell ( 873455 )

      Something better will come out for less money next year

      Surely, as we see the trend of Eee PC prices going down with each new model, this will happen most definitely. We can be sure that Asus will release a cheaper and not-so-beefed-up model for the folks that are waiting for the $200 model.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Just Some Guy ( 3352 )

        We can be sure that Asus will release a cheaper and not-so-beefed-up model for the folks that are waiting for the $200 model.

        Someone will, if not Asus.

    • by Corf ( 145778 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:31AM (#24119417) Journal

      I have a 701. It cost me $399, and I received it on November 2 of last year.

      For the last six months, since I static-zapped my desktop, it's been my only personal computer.

      I'm typing this on it right now, from a plaza in Silver Spring, Maryland. It's a gorgeous day, the fountains are running.

      I am super happy with it.

      I don't feel "stiffed," I feel like I got in on something awesome before it was trendy.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Just Some Guy ( 3352 )

        For the last six months, since I static-zapped my desktop, it's been my only personal computer.

        Likewise. I have a nice used Mac in my home office that I use when I need a full-sized screen, but in practice that means maybe once a month or so. At home, the 701 has become my main computer.

        • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

          by Anonymous Coward

          I have a 17" LCD that sits, alone, on my desk... plugs nicely right into the 701, and poof, 1280x1024. :)

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by mrchaotica ( 681592 ) *

            and poof, 1280x1024. :)

            That's just pitiful. IMO, even 12" screens ought to be higher-res than that nowadays (mine is 1400x1050).

        • by RulerOf ( 975607 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @12:51PM (#24120639)

          I needed a new computer after using the one my parents bought me a decade ago. So I bought a laptop. I promptly put it on my desk, plugged in a mouse, and have never moved it since!

          It was an excellent purchasing decision on my part, seeing as how, for $2000, I got a monstrous 15 inch screen, a 2 GHz Dual Core processor, and 2 gigs of ram!

          Nothing more than that is really necessary, even though for $2000 I could be sitting in front of dual 24" monitors, a quad core chip, 4 GB of RAM and terabytes of storage. Or maybe something with similar specifications, in a desktop form factor, and a much heavier wallet.

          You have no idea how many times I hear the same idiotic story and the bullshit excuses that go along with it. I don't understand people justifying their moronic purchases by using the wrong tool for the wrong job, and I never will.

          Let me see if I can put it in perspective for you. If you owned a box truck and a subcompact smart car, and were faced with the task of moving a house full of furniture, using that EEE every day in a fixed location is like strapping a couch to the top of your smart car after lugging it past the open rear door of your box truck.

          Now, I have to ask, because maybe there's just "something" I don't get: What the fuck is that EEE doing on your desk, serving as your main computer, when a nonportable PC (like your Mac) is much more appropriate and functional? Is there ANY reason, other than "Zomg, It's so cute and portable," to pass up a much more functional, and frankly better in every way given the task, device for something so horribly inappropriate?

          To quote Chris Rock:

          You can drive a car with your feet if you want to; it don't mean its a good fucking idea!

          On a side note, my friend sold his laptop and bought the first EEE because he said the enhanced portability would allow him to use it better and more often that what he had currently, even though I told him it was a waste of money.

          Two months ago, he bought a 15-inch Compaq laptop that was on sale for the same price he got the EEE for. It's a much more appropriate machine.

          • I don't understand people justifying their moronic purchases by using the wrong tool for the wrong job, and I never will.

            Neither do I. Those people drive me nuts. For me, the Eee turned out to be perfect for my needs and it was the Mac that was the wrong tool for the job.

            using that EEE every day in a fixed location is like strapping a couch to the top of your smart car after lugging it past the open rear door of your box truck.

            Very true - if I used it from a fixed location. Which I don't.

            Now, I have to ask, because maybe there's just "something" I don't get: What the fuck is that EEE doing on your desk, serving as your main computer, when a nonportable PC (like your Mac) is much more appropriate and functional?

            I think you're hearing voices, because I never said anything like that. The Eee is my main computer now, and I use it from the living room, bedroom, kitchen table, and pool in the backyard (wanna try floating with an eMac in your lap?).

            Two months ago, he bought a 15-inch Compaq laptop that was on sale for the same price he got the EEE for. It's a much more appropriate machine.

            So your friend miscalculated his needs and found something that better fit his actual situation. Good for him! On the other hand, I always thought I wanted/needed a full-size desktop computer, and it turns out that I really wanted/needed a tiny little laptop that can float around the house without hassle.

            What I don't get is people who get so worked up about other people having different needs than themselves. I'm not cursing at you for using a desktop, and don't really understand why you're cursing at me for using an UMPC.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by blackest_k ( 761565 )

          i love my 701 it's battery life is good enough and its small enough to carry anywhere I'm out of town 5 days a week theres a place with internet access but very limited software, but luckily they don't mind me plugging one of the monitors into my EEE.

          They would have some nice pc's but they are running XP in 384 Meg of ram so dispite being pentium4 extremes at 3ghz+ my EEE runs rings round them.
          the eee is quite happy running with a 1280x whatever external monitor.

          even net access is easy with 3 doing mobile i

  • by Lord Ender ( 156273 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:14AM (#24119091) Homepage

    If you buy electronics, the price WILL GO DOWN in the future. This is not being "stiffed." This is reality. Stop whining. The fact that internet whiners got lucky ONE TIME with the iPhone is a freak occurrence. Do not expect your whining to every pay off for any of the millions of other electronic devices sold every day.

    • by Firehed ( 942385 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:38AM (#24119505) Homepage

      A very valid point, though even by technology pricing standards, the iPhone's price drop (33% off after two months) was pretty unusual.

    • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @12:55PM (#24120695)

      I also own a 701. And for me, it has been a wonderful gateway into the World of Linux.
      Just over a week ago I installed my *brand* new PC as Ubuntu. My old PC has now been turned into a 2.25TB RAID5 FreeNAS server. With the 701 as my little screen in the living-room, or for when I go away.

      10yrs I stuck with Windows. Through thick & thin. I remembered trying Linux in the late 90s, and commented on how it would be the future. I still have my 'old' PC inside a VM. But, it doesn't get much use now.

      All of the above is thanks to the 'eee'.

  • Perfect (Score:5, Funny)

    by InlawBiker ( 1124825 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:14AM (#24119093)

    Every possible combination of screen size, chip, storage and memory have been packaged and named almost identically. Asus' plan to thoroughly confuse customers is complete.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    The CEO saw the margins that these computers would make and said 'eeeeeeeeeeee'!

  • by fprintf ( 82740 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:15AM (#24119107) Journal

    This is not a good thing for Linux adoption. Earlier articles today pointed to the increased adoption of Linux among housewives, attributed to sales of eeePCs and other cheap laptops. Now that these ones have XP on them, this can't be a good thing for the trend continuing.

    • by eddy ( 18759 )

      They've always been available in both XP and Linux versions. The difference is that the original 700 version was out using linux first, and XP came later, the newer versions are doing it the other way around. 901 are now becoming available in the west, and so far it's all Windows XP. The cynic in me wonders if Microsoft called Asus up and said "If you ship XP versions one month before the linux versions, we'll give you a nice little rebate on your XP licenses. giddigy"

  • by Anonymous Coward

    There are low-end but fully-fledged laptops (i.e. 10s of gigs, 512MB-1GB, 13"+ screen) of the OEM-unbranded type in this price range selling all over the Web in the UK. For 50 quid more, you get an Acer. And they all come with 12 month warranties, often extensible. Who actually wants the eepc?

    • by Westley ( 99238 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:26AM (#24119283) Homepage

      Someone who wants a small form factor. Like me.

      I take two laptops to work every day - my company one, and my Eee (which I'm using to write this post). I don't want to use my company one on the train for various reasons, hence the need for a second one. So, space and weight is at a premium.

      Given that most of my time on the train is spent browsing or blogging rather than doing anything *hugely* taxing, I don't mind having a lower power machine.

      My current Eee is a 701G, but I may well treat myself to a 1000 some time next year, mostly for the larger screen but also for the improved battery life and more power when I want it.

    • by Nursie ( 632944 )

      I now have the good, expensive Vaio SZ, which is a great machine.

      BUT for travelling around with and especially for an extended vacation (a month in aus later this year) I want something cheap and above all small and light. 13" is too big. The 901 has 1GB of RAM, a reasonable chip and a reasonable display. Sounds perfect.

      Before this current spate of really small and low priced laptops, I'd have had to go for a Vaio TZ, and they are NOT cheap.

    • by danzona ( 779560 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:32AM (#24119427)
      There are low-end but fully-fledged laptops (i.e. 10s of gigs, 512MB-1GB, 13"+ screen) of the OEM-unbranded type in this price range selling all over the Web in the UK. For 50 quid more, you get an Acer. And they all come with 12 month warranties, often extensible. Who actually wants the eepc?

      I think the niche that Eee PC is trying to fill is for people who don't want the size and weight associated with the 13" screen. The Eee PC models have screens that range from 7" to 10", in weights from 2 - 3 pounds.

      There are other options for palmtops and ultraportables, but they all seem to be quite a bit more expensive than the Eee PC models. I'm sure the competitors are justified in what they are charging - perhaps Eee PC has found the sweet spot of price and performance.
    • I used to be chained to a desktop.
      I got rid of the desktop, and got a laptop.

      When I traveled, I didn't like the laptop so much
      If you're on call and have to lug a laptop, it's annoying.
      Sometimes you don't end up using it but you have to keep it around anyway..

      Then I got a Nokia N800 and keyboard...
      These mid-size ultraportables are nice if you need to do less than an hour's work.

      For something in-between, these Asus systems seem real nice. Only reason I've held off is because the Nokia's working for me at the

    • by Rog7 ( 182880 )

      Smaller = better to a whole lot of folks. If I'm going small, 13" is too big.

      Different markets.

      I prefer the earlier 7" models.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Hatta ( 162192 )

      I don't want one, but for the opposite reason. I want something slower and cheaper. All I want is something with enough power to SSH into a server over wifi, a qwerty keyboard, and a battery that lasts more than a couple hours. The EEE is overkill, both in performance and price. Is anyone making the device I want?

    • by Idbar ( 1034346 )
      Can you get a 13" Acer for US$500? Please point me there!
      If I can get something that is around 1 or 1.5 kg, that I can carry around without the big bulk of "beefed" computers that come in in regular 15" screen footprints, that are heavy, and annoying to carry around everywhere. I'm going to be there to buy it.

      I don't need outstanding processing capabilities, as I need portability. If I need to run intensive simulations using Matlab, I remotely login into a powerful desktop computer and run them. I'm not
      • so I checked.

        You can't (which I am sure you already knew). The closest you can come is the travelmate 4720, which is about $800. You can get any number of laptops for $500, but none that I can find with a 13" screen. I'm sure that nobody that is responsible for deciding what specs a laptop will have view a smaller screen as a feature.

        Also, small form factor aside, those of us who want an EEE also want it because it's pretty goddamned cool. I'll admit it.
    • by Znork ( 31774 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @12:08PM (#24120025)

      Personally I find those low-end fully fledged laptops completely worthless. They have little storage, almost no memory, no expansion capability, a pitiful screen, a barely useful graphics card and a painfully slow CPU.

      They're simply not a useful replacement for a desktop. And on top of that they're just not that portable; you dont quickly throw them in your bag, purse or coat pocket and go.

      Still, I have a need for something to take notes, run presentations and look stuff up on when not at the desk. And while I find the low-end laptop unsuitable for the task due to it's desktop-replacement complex, the EEE segment is extremely suitable for the purpose (the £1000+ micro laptop segment is also suitable, but, eh, I'm buying a glorified pencil+paper, not some form of jewelry or fashion statement).

    • by vidarh ( 309115 ) <vidar@hokstad.com> on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @12:51PM (#24120633) Homepage Journal
      Have you tried to LIFT one of the cheap high spec'ed laptops? Most of the cheap laptops weigh in at 3.5kg-4kg. Personally I refuse to buy a laptop about the 2.5kg range. My wife ended up buying a Vaio last year because she got an 11" one at around 1.2kg, but it was 2.5 times the price of an EEE - for what she needs it for an EEE is sufficient, and the small form factor is a huge bonus.
  • Early Adoption (Score:2, Insightful)

    I bought my 900 back in May for £329 so I guess that makes me one of the early adopters who are being stiffed, but to be honest that's just what happens whenever you buy electronics. I'll get over it.

    I'm also not entirely convinced that there'd be that much difference in performance for my usage (casual web browsing) between my 900 and the 901, and a few extra gig of HD is fairly inconsequential when I have 320gb of USB drive for transfer/backup between my various computers anyway.

    If I'd known about t

  • by pla ( 258480 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:19AM (#24119175) Journal
    Looks like those early Eee PC 900 adopters (£329 inc VAT, initially) have been stiffed. Still, that's progress, I guess...

    I know, right?

    Like that first IBM PC clone I owned... Can you believe I (or rather, my parents) paid almost $2500 for a crappy ol' 8086 CPU with 256MB of RAM???

    Bastards, just stickin' it to those of us who can't hold out for the $0.99 Walmart special on Quantum computers with a petabyte of memory and a sub-etha WLAN adapter! I say we sue!
  • Stiffed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by imidan ( 559239 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:21AM (#24119225)

    Looks like those early Eee PC 900 adopters (£329 inc VAT, initially) have been stiffed. Still, that's progress, I guess...

    <rant> I never understand this point of view. Especially with computer/tech hardware. Every one of us, when buying a new video card, or a new processor, or whatever, knows that within a few months, the price will come down on the thing we just bought, and a newer, better thing will be out. And I never see people bitching about that. But make it some shiny, all-in-one thing like an iPhone or this Eee PC, and suddenly there's this group of people who are outraged about it. What gives? It's life, you know? You can sit on all of your money and never buy anything, for fear that you could get a better deal tomorrow, or you can buy stuff today and enjoy it. </rant>

    Not that the OP sounded all that bitter about it. It just reminded me of people who do.

  • Is getting smaller and denser all the time!

    KEEP WITH IT

    With JBOD rebuilding and MTF of flash we could have switchable 5 slot uber raid in every laptop.

    Don't go back to HD's they are big, noisy, clunky and prone to failure!

    This is what storage will look like [newegg.com].
    • I've been wondering about using RAID-1 between a partition on the EeePC and a memory card. Keep a couple of the cards, and every day swap them over, let it rebuild the array, and keep the other one as a backup. Ideally, you'd use something more like rsync while rebuilding, so flash cells that have not been modified in the previous day are only read, not written to.
  • arms race. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by apodyopsis ( 1048476 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @11:26AM (#24119285)
    I have always decided to stay out of the arms race attended by PC HW and SW firms.

    Most of my HW is quite old, 7+ years apart from my early adoption of an Asus EEE. was I stiffed on the price? hell no - had it over half a year and makes a good wifi web station.

    I understand the commercial reasons behind the rapid depreciation in HW and SW - but as far as I'm concerned my PC hardware is a tool, like my car. I'm upgrade only when there is a compelling reason or something breaks. Is the arms race a good or bad thing? well it promotes innovation and new technologies so I cannot really argue against it.

    As long as I can still run an up to date distro on my hardware I'm a happy camper. An old PC will let me write SW, surf and do office tasks as well as a new one, and be just as net safe if I keep to a regular upgrade cycle.
  • You get an 8.9" screen (greatest disadvantage of the 700 series is their 7" screen), larger resolution (1024x600) much larger SSD storage (20GB for the Linux version), touchpad that supports 2-finger scrolling and pinch gestures and still the same small form factor of the 700s. What's not to like?

  • Weren't these things meant to be cheep light netbooks? I got an email from ebuyer just the other day offering a laptop which isn't too much thicker/heavier than these (although it is slightly on both counts) with a core duo processor, 1GB of RAM, 120GB HD and a DVD +/- RW drive... all for £279.

    This means they want me to pay a lot MORE to get worse specs, not great battery life, an older OS which won't be supported by 3rd parties for very much longer... I know it's slightly smaller; but really, it'
  • Seeing as the 269lb 904 is in a bigger chassis, I would gladly pay 329lbs for the 901 since it is a lot more portable. The early adopters were possible paying for mobile computing. In fact, the 901 is still priced 30lbs higher than the 901 which means its price has gone down only 30lbs which is an acceptable premium to pay for early adoption.

    Cheers!

    • Seeing as the 269lb 904 is in a bigger chassis...

      Sheesh! That laptop outweighs me.
    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by TheRaven64 ( 641858 )
      What are you paying in weight for?
  • by WonderGod ( 62521 )

    I almost bought a 900 a few wEeeks back. I'm glad I didn't because now I can get a 900 for 399 with a 8.9' screen and 16 gig hard drive at newegg. Or find a good deal on regular 900's at lots of online retailers(100 Mail in rebate). Although the 901 is better, I'd rather save 100 bucks and get a slightly lesser processor. I mean the whole point of this thing is to be simple and surf the web. The upgraded processor isn't really worth the extra 100 IMHO. They really need to get these things in local stores na

    • by LWATCDR ( 28044 )

      I keep expecting to see Apple jump on this market.
      We know that they can scale OS/X down to run on these.
      Combine that with an iTunes like store for software and all of a sudden you have the mass market mac.
      I see it at $399 and it will have a doc for your IPod to use the bigger screen to watch movies on.

  • In US dollars (Score:5, Informative)

    by metamechanical ( 545566 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @12:01PM (#24119893)
    For those of us on the other side of the pond, that's about $529.66 and $687.18 respectively, using yesterday's exchange rate (i.e., the first one I found)
    • FYI: http://www.xe.com/ucc/ [xe.com] (Bookmark it now!)

      As someone said earlier, the EeePM has gotten into the same price bracket as traditional low-end laptops. In fact, you get more performance for the money with a "regular" laptop.

      For $690 for get an EeePC with 1GB RAM, 40GB HDD, 10" screen and 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor.

      For about 10% more cost you can get something with twice the RAM, at least five times the HDD, dual-core processor and larger display.

      There are only valid two reasons I can see how the EeePC is

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by vidarh ( 309115 )
        Weight and size. Cheap laptops are usually heavy and big. The EEE is the cheap and small, so it competes against high priced Vaio's etc. for people who want a small and light laptop but don't need the performance / memory of the expensive models.

        For comparison a Vaio in the same weight class costs 2.5 times as much in the UK, and is larger.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Falstius ( 963333 )

      Newegg has the Eee PC 901 for $599
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=Eee+PC+901&x=0&y=0 [newegg.com]

      No need to guess.

  • ... still waiting for the MSI Wind ...

  • by D4C5CE ( 578304 ) on Wednesday July 09, 2008 @12:49PM (#24120611)
    With iPhones around and people desperately clinging to the clamshells of their ancient Psions [slashdot.org] and fixing the Eee's missing features by eerily advanced DIY [ivancover.com], when will Asus et al. finally look/listen/learn?

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