Do you wish your Eee PC had a larger screen? Higher resolution? More RAM? More storage space?
ASUS has your solution with the next generation Eee PC 900 series. It will feature a 8.9″ screen, running at 1024 x 600 resolution. You’ll be able to store 12GB of data, and will have 1GB of ram to access in a package a bit larger than the Eee PC 701. The cost? $600. Look for it in select countries later this summer.
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Ink anon – Cheers matey
. Despite all the positive stuff I’ve read about the Eee, I want to see one in the flesh before I part with my hard-earned.
Nice sucessor. Wonder how much larger the case (keyboard) will be. But whatever late summer means, don´t expect it to be widely avaiable before next year. Until then the 701 is still a good choice if you need to be ultra portable.
Maybe… if it’s cheap enough to play with like the little brother 701
@Joshua Walters
You are buying an imported device, unless you live in Taiwan.
And no, the price is not the key point. It is just one of the key points, for many of the potential buyers of the EeePC, the portability, low weight and small form-factor are just as or even much more important.
@why in gods name?
What makes you think it will “sound like jumbled crap” with speakers at the bottom?
@Alex
I already said this in another comment – this depends on what you are looking for, an ultra-mobile device or a standard laptop. The 15″ Everex will probably weight 6-7 pounds (the typical weight of a 15″ laptop). If this does not bother you to carry around all day then go for it.
@a8ksh4
Super PI test results of the new Intel Atom@1.6GHz compared to other Intel and AMD CPUs. The article is in Russian, but the graphics are rather self-explanatory:
http://overclockers.ru/hardnews/28470.shtml
I’m sure Asus have got it sorted but has anyone considered the battery life of a much larger screen? At 900Mhz my eee drains the battery within about 2 hours.
Keep it. I JUST got a 4g like 2 or 3 weeks ago. Nice black one. I can’t justify 600 bucks for another, really the price point of the original is what makes it great. Just wish the SSD was upgradeale in the 4G, thank got for the SD slot.
Oh my gosh, price complainers: you just don’t get it. If you want a laptop with the most bang for your buck, stop looking at the Eee. Shop around and guaranteed you’ll find a laptop with much better specs, for even less money– BUT IT’LL BE HUGE AND WEIGH 100 POUNDS. The Eee PC is a UMPC, targeted at people who are looking for small and light (but can’t afford the high price that comes with all the other UMPCs on the market). Do you know why they can keep slowly improving specs and raising the price and still expect to have masses of people running to buy their product? Because they are still the cheapest UMPCs by about $1000! If you’re just looking for cheap, look into OLPCs which were actually made to be just plain cheap. As long as Eee PCs maintain their huge lead in price over other UMPCs, they will always be attractive to their main target group.
I’ve actually been holding out on getting an Eee for a long time, in the hopes that they would come out with a bigger screen and higher res. When I read this news I could hardly sit still! I dunno how I’m gonna wait till the end of summer (for US). I hope someone mods in a touchscreen and shows us the steps! (If it’s different from the 701 mod.) By the way, are those touch screens pressure sensitive by any chance? I want to see if I can run a simple sketching program.
Also, anyone know of any US stores that carry Eee’s? I have yet to hold one in my hands… and I really want to.
i can’t wait to get this new eee pc. this thing is fuckin hot!!
just release it in black, and i’ll be the 1st person in line.
Joe Says:
>Oh my gosh, price complainers: you just don’t get it.
Sure, we get it, we get the point just fine. Some of us DID buy eee’s, you know.
The eee is a great little machine – for $300 or 400, sure. But double the price up to $600 and suddenly it’s not nearly such a great bargain.
Finally an upgrade from that low res screen. I just hope the Windows tax is optional not mandatory. I also hope the SSD uses a stand connection like SATA not some non upgradeable part.
in order of importance:
1. make it black
2. preload it with win xp
3. longer battery life
and……….
sell it for $500, this thing will sell like hotcakes.
I’m with Joe on this one – even if it comes in at $600 it’s still much cheaper that any device of comparable size and weight. I mean, before I got my 4G I was seriously considering a Fujitsu 1010 which retails for three times the price and am eternally grateful I didn’t go ahead and get one.
Having said that, ASUS may have a fight on its hands if HP decide to price their new UMPC aggressively, but in the end we consumers win. Hopefully, the days of paying a premium for small size and low weight are over.
hopefully linux will still come preloaded or no os to help keep the price down (open source rocks!!!) – and definitely not windows, the os by playskool.
nate, you just dont get it do you. preload it with xp and you lose my, along with a bunch of other, business. its a relief to have linux operating and not have to pay through the teeth for M$ products. best solution would be to have it as an option so those of you who are scared of a command line can be babysat by gates.
(oh, and im a big time xp user with a high level of xp knowhow, so dont lecture me on that. just allow me to choose for myself what i want to spend $ on, and keep M$ off my eee
)
I’m glad they’re improving the range, even though I’m very happy with my 4G Eee. I don’t plan on upgrading it for at least a year, and by that time I want even more stuff added. I do kind of wish I could get that resolution, but I’ll live. The 4G does all the things I want it to and all the things I need it to. So when I want flashier, I’ll get whatever iteration they’re up to mid-2009!
it is nice but now I am aiming the Asus R70.
I like the idea of ‘less bezel’…I hope they don’t cancel any of the eeepc models until the prices fall enough for them to shift… Regarding XP, isn’t microsoft killing XP soon? http://www.savexp.com
My preference is linux on my black 4g surf…
Yes, MS is killing new XP sales soon, though will support it for a bit longer.
They want you on Vista quick smart, so when Windows 7 comes out (maybe end of 2009) you’ll migrate to without thought, earning MS cash-ola.
(Kinda like the Windows ME to XP trick)
It’s clear from reading all of the comments so far that there are at least TWO distinct markets for the Eee PC: budget and ultra-portable.
The fact that the original Eee PC did a wonderful job of crossing over these two markets has left them in an interesting position with this new model. It’s neither quite as cheap, nor quite as small — though close. This video (already linked above) shows the 9″ and 7″ models side-by-side for comparison.
For me, the new Eee PC 900 will have everything I wish my Eee PC 4G had. I have gradually come to rely on this little thing more and more, but the low resolution keeps my productivity from being as high as it could be.
If the current 7″ models suit your needs, then clearly, you’ve no need for the 9″ model. For users with greater demands, it’s still hundreds cheaper than other sub-notebooks.
On a side note, it does look likely that the new Atom processors will eventually make it into the Eee, even if it’s not in this first 9″ model. I am tempted to hold out for this, not necessarily because of performance, since the current CPU is ample for my needs, but in hopes of increased battery life. Killing off the mosquito fan would be another nice bonus!
Oops, forgot the link! Here is the video comparing size of 9″ and 7″ models (already linked above by thedoctor)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY2azHo0LAU
Oh, I had no idea that the size of the whole unit would be a bit bigger as well! Does that mean that the keyboard will be more roomy as well?
Answering myself, but jkk just responded to my question on his blog page and said that the k-board is the same, as the unit is only about 5mm wider than the original
The thing I think Asus need to concentrate on is not the screen size but redesigning the motherboard to stop it generating the ludicrous amount of power that it does. To me, battery life is all in a device this size and the current battery life sucks. I want a device I can use on battery all day and not for a paltry two and a half hours. Despite the small size. it’s not really portable, is it?
I heard Asus was selling it for $400.
@Stephen: please provide a reference, or else that’s just meaningless rumor.
To the price complainers:
That $600 is a direct conversion from the quoted Euro price of €400, but that’s not how pricing works, the US price is always cheaper, due to lots of issues like volume, taxes, and support costs. Compare instead the current list price for a 4G in Germany which apparently is €300 versus the US list price of US$400, so you’re looking at maybe US$530 to US$550 for the 9″.
Me, I’m guessing £300 in the UK, and it’s still less than a full size laptop but a fraction the size. I want portability, and the next nearest thing is twice that price. WANT. NOW. GIMME!!!
well, i think it’s quite the nice upgrade, but i bet it makes people feel not so great that they were early adopters. something like this could compete witht eh hp 2133, though maybe not on the same level as performance, but definitely on performance per dollar. that is, if they are both $600 at time of release
i welcome the bigger and better screen with open arms. though you can’t beat anodized aluminum on the hp 2133
Looks like the 900 will have competition from the ECS G10IL, as well:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/06/g10il-the-eee-pc-killer-from-ecs-is-actually-killer/2#comments
Things are getting quite interesting in this market.
good to see Asus expanding it’s EEEpc range.
I own a 4G surf myself and it’s great, for the price I paid (I bought it in the US for the 349 + tax, which converts to 260 euro – I’m from The Netherlands we don’t even have the current EEEpc officially!!).
I like it’s compactness and sturdy built quality, quick booting and excellent standard software. Things I like less are the cumbersome Linux (allthough the wiki here is great help, for a Linux novice like me, it’s difficult), the scrolling from left to right in websites and the lack of bluetooth.
For the next gen EEEpc device I’d like to see:
- same dimensions as my current 4G
- Recessed USB port for (optional) “plug and forget” bluetooth USB dongle
- totally fanless
- 8″ screen (should fit inside the top part of current) with 1024 x 600-something resolution
that’s all, don’t add anything more, that’ll only bump the price.
The only real drawback to the current eee in my view is the screen so it’s great that they are going to upgrade that.
I hope it will still have room in the case for modding though.
Sign me up…
I posted my 6 minute interview with Asus Eee products manager at CeBIT 2008 here: http://techvideoblog.com/cebit/asus-eee-900/
Please blog about it, you’re welcome to link back and embed the video..
the great thing is that now we can probably buy 9″ lcd screens for the old 701′s as well. But of course this is a big bonus only for those who has the guts and skills to modify their laptops. I also heard that there would be internal hdspa modem in the 9″ model, but that’s just a rumor as well. Would be definitely cool anyways!
Finally, i have been waiting for this. i read on asus’ website that the 900 would have “up to 12gb” so does that mean there will be a cheaper 8gb 900? that would be great cause then it wouldn’t be the projected $606
ECS! No, thanks. I am Taiwanese and I know this company. I’d avoid ECS products like the plague.
eee in my future Says:
March 6th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Finally, i have been waiting for this. i read on asus’ website that the 900 would have “up to 12gb” so does that mean there will be a cheaper 8gb 900? that would be great cause then it wouldn’t be the projected $606
===
It would only make sense to offer lower capacity models when the 900 comes out, probably there will be a 4gb, 8gb, and 12gb version. I doubt they will keep the current models on the market when the new version comes out. Who want would the shitty current models this summer when the superior model comes out this summer lol.
They fixed everything wrong with the current model, bigger screen and got rid of the nasty ass black borders, got rid of the piss poor resolution, from 4gb to 12gb storage, 512 ram to 1gb ram so customers don’t have to go and buy a memory stick. This means no need to upgrade storage nor memory yay.
Personally, I’m glad I bought the 700 model. I think it’s much better than the new 900 model that will come out in a few months. I like the unique black bars around the screen, and I like the low resolution.
For a small screen, low resolution looks ok for my aging eyes. Who cares about scroll bars. It took awhile to get used to, but I eventually got used to it. I prefer the low resolution. I think it’s nice.
Screw the 9″. Lets see a fukkin 5″ laptop ASUS!!!!
It would attract customers like a chocolate cake attracts a fat kid.
This new 3e sounds GREAT! As for people complaining about the $600 price tag, we’ve all been really spoiled by the first eee. Please remember that any laptop UNDER 12″ probably goes for about $1400 MINIMUM! $600 is a steal and me want ;>)
I wonder if they’ll sell replacement screens, yanno, for my “broken 901″
It’d be nice to see if these are the exact same dimensions as the 701, chances are they changed some things to make a screen swap harder. If not..
They are killing me with this. I can’t even order an 8G (well, not if I don’t want to wait 3 to 6 weeks), and they are telling me that the one I REALLY want will be available in the summer. Kind of reminds me of late last year when I didn’t by a 4G because the 8G would soon be out.
Le sigh. It’s so hard to be a consumer these days.
@ Shadow
The 900 is not a 701 with larger screen, the casing is clearly different and larger, though not much larger:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/7-inch-eee-pc-vs-9-inch-eee-pc-ready-fight/
Dammit, I recently bought the current model a few weeks ago. I didn’t know the new model will be this much nicer. I feel like shit now!
Crap now I find out that the new model is slated for release in the UK next month. Are any UK websites currently taking pre-orders for the new model yet??????????????,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
It looks like intense competition from other companies are forcing ASUS to get off their asses and get the ball rolling much faster than expected.
Is there a market for used EEE PC’s? If a new one goes for $400, how much would a used one sell for? Is it easy to sell used ones? I’m planning to get rid of mine.
Looks good to me. I might buy one.
I’m slightly amazed that even though the case was redesigned, the USB ports will still interfere with each other, and the lock still interferes with the VGA. Guess they didn’t redesign the mobo to fix that, though it seems to be all they’d have to do is move the lock to the other corner, and run the USB ports off wired headers instead of cold-soldered to the board.
When will the HP model come out, I’m curious to see its specs and price!
$600? isnt that just shy of £300? Hmm I might have to consider one of these. would have to see it first hand though not putting any amount of money down.
Is the right shift key on the new Eee PC in the same spot as the current model? There were alot of complaints concerning the right shift key. Did they fix this?
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