Eee PC with Larger Screen Gets U.S. Price, Release Date

Since Asus announced plans to launch a version of its low-cost micro laptop with a wider screen and more built-in storage last week, many in the United States have been eagerly awaiting the news on when the Eee PC 900 series will debut in this country.

Asus Eee PC 900

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The wait is over; Asus CEO Jerry Shen has told Laptop Magazine that this model will debut in the U.S. in April, and that prices will start at $500.

The price is good news for those who are interested in this product. In Europe it is going to cost 400 Euros, which is equal to over $600 in the U.S., and many were concerned that the Eee PC 900 series would be too expensive.

More New Details

According to Shen, a version with an 8 GB SSD hard drive running Windows XP will be available, while a version running Xandros Linux will have either an 8 GB or 12 GB SSD drive.

This will run on a new Intel Atom processor, not one from VIA like the current mode.

An Overview of the Eee PC 900

Like the current models, the Eee PC 900 will have a clamshell design.

The most obvious change in the upcoming version will be the 8.9-inch display, up from 7 inches. The upcoming model will also have a higher-resolution screen: 1024 by 600 pixels.

In addition, versions of the Eee PC 900 will have up to 1 GB of RAM and storage capacity of up to 12 GB, much more than in the current versions.

To make room for the new features, the newest model will be a bit larger: from about 2 lbs. to about 2.2 lbs, and the device will be slightly thicker.

However, many things will not change in the upcoming version. It will still have Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), three USB ports, and an SD card slot, for example.

Related Articles:

• Asus Eee PC 701 4G Review

 

great news,i might but one,but first i must know the hp`s umpc's price to make a decision!

 

I agree with you.

 

I'm confused, I hear from some sources this EEE will use the same chip and processor (915 Celeron M 900mhz) as the 7" model and others say it will use the new Atom chipset and processor?

Which is it?

 

most likely it will be celeron...too bad!

 

From article.

 

Ding and we have a wiener! And I already have a couple of people lined up to buy my current EEE...isn't life grand.

 

We'll have a lot of EEE competition this year, wonder how they will stack up to the original?

 

I have a feeling Asus will make the screen a little bigger each update, then maybe a slightly better CPU, then more Hard Drive space, then a better GPU, then soon a dedicated card, then maybe LED screen...etc etc etc until it becomes like a 15.4 or 14.1 notebook.

 

I'm just glad I held off, I can't wait to buy one. I hope black is an option from the start.

 

I am saving up my pennies now for the Black Atom version with XP, plan to add:

2GB DDR2-800 Ram
Intel 5350 wifi/wimax combo card
Asus Slim DVD-RW drive

 

$500??? I would be more impressed if it started at $450. $500 is kind of pushing it to low end laptops.

 

I want one.....

 

I can't wait for the WiMax/HSDPA version...

 

If you read the article, the CEO says he wants to keep it around 9"-10."

 

Since the upcoming HP 2133 has an Expresscard slot, I wish a future EEE could as well for using Expresscard SSDs, adding your own WWAN card, TV Tuner, etc.

 

Same here... I can't wait. I sold my 4GB EEE in January and have been waiting patiently for this ever since.

 

Here's the million dollar question (for me at least - it's a deal breaking factor): Can this processor decode 720p in real time?

 

The HP 2133 is RUMORED** to be around $630.00 US. If the new Eee launches in black, I'm going to scoop it right up. If the HP lowers its base, I'll buy that one. If the Asus comes in black AND the HP lowers its price..well, I'll have 2. Lol.

 

... what started out as a 'volks-notebook' is quickly becoming a very profitable business for Asus.

 

The first iteration will use the same Celeron as before while only later will they move to Atom. Even then it'll only be comparable to early P-M processors, and with the integrated 945G, you won't be watching h.264 or VC-1 encoded HD anytime soon.

 

Well, If that's not a definitive answer, I don't know WHAT is lol.

 

Plus with the falling dollar, it might be a steal to get it then...assuming they don't increase the price of the new EeE before the release date

 

Uhm, the current one runs on a Celeron processor? Must've confused with the Everex Cloudbook

Anyway, good news on the higher display resolution! Early reports said that despite the increase in screen size, resolution stayed at 800x480?! Good to know it isn't true!

 

Only upgrading if it runs 720p. Otherwise I'll look at that HP, or the MSI Wind.

 

Ahh... HP, ECS, MSI, Asus... you all look good. Either way, one of you will be replacing my one hour battery life little portable easy-bake oven by May.

 

Where is the promised touch screen?! Also $600 is WAY too much IMO. For $600 I could get a refurbished xps m1330 with a lot more power and style. Yes, it is a little bigger but if your going to spend $600, the EEE PC doesn't seem to be a good option anymore...

 

$500 IS WAY TOO MUCH
you can get plenty of dell laptops with a whole lot more power (and much bigger obviously) for that price. I wanted to get the eee for around $350, but then decided to wait for a larger screen. Now it looks like i'll just wait until the previous models drop in price. I wanted a machine to take notes, chat, browse the web, and not be worried about damaging. If i get a $500 item I will be very worried to break it.

 

as others have mentioned $600 is entering the territory price of a real laptop. i've seen nice ones at future shop for $699. Granted those are 15" and 14" laptops, a jump in $100 can go very far.
And personally I would probably go for a 14" for the extra $100 and have a way more powerful machine.

I just can't wait till summer when the MSI, Gigabyte, Acer, HP, CloudBook 2, becomes available. get some real competition and lower the price a little.

 

You have to admit, ASUS built themselves quite a castle, being a monopoly and controlling the scene. While there is no doubt there will be rivals, at the moment it is completely vapourware. They may or may not even come out, and only time will tell.

It'll be an interesting year....

 

It looks like the Eee will find its niche as the "Affordable Ultraportable" rather than "affordable computing" which the OLPC, Elonex One etc are trying to fulfill.

I'd much rather buy a $500 semi-decent ultraportable than a $2000 decent one, and Asus knows that.

 

I just sold my EEE 4G today.

Will be lookign forward to the new EEE. However, I might play the wait and see game. There are a lot of competitors even at the $500 price level. MSI, ECS also has comparable systems in the same niche. The HP will probably retail slightly higher (perhaps at the level of the higher end EEE).

It will be interesting.

the original EEE sold well because it was a pioneer. Affordable, ultraportable. Now with quite a few players on the horizon, I don't know if Asus can still milk the market. At US$500 ++, its creaping close to budget 12" notebooks.

My Boss bought 3 after seeing mine....one for himself, 2 for his kids ...LOL....despite having been 'warned' that a new one is on the horizon. "Its cheap enough to buy as a use and throw appliance".....(?!)

 

The Eeepc is now the laptop it should have always been.

With a 4G 701 costing £240 in the UK this new version will likely be pushing £300. Considering you can get a full on proper laptop with not too awful spec for £249......

 

500 dollars? count me out, i'll get an older model for cheaper.

 

I agree. I got a m1330 refurbished for $588 for my fiance. It was probably one of the lowest end models, but I would take it over one of these any day.

 

how come asus dont do like apple, i mean asus should release a new version of the eee, like with the ipods. with the time ssd price drop so there is no need the build 2gb eee anymore..... whatever thats what i think asus should do.... what do you guys think?

exemple : 1st generation of the ipod nano had 2gb 4gb and 8gb
2nd generation:2gb 4gb and 8gb
3rd generation: 4gb and 8gb only

 

I have a few questions...

snowbob230, where did you find a refurbished 1330 for $588?

What are the lowest specs available for the upcoming HP UMPC and what is the expected release date for that?

Also, will ASUS release larger batteries or replacement batteries incase the 3.5 hours isn't enough?

Thanks a lot guys!

 

i got a vaio srx87 from ebay a few years ago for 450$, its 10 inches, 2,7 lbs, 384 mb of ram and 20gb (upgraded to 60gb), but i think i will get a eee soon

 

I bought a brand new and built-to-order, ThinkPad 14.1" R52 with a 1.7GHz Pentium M, 1GB, 40GB 5,400RPM HD, and 64MB ATI video last June for $499 on Lenovo's direct "Outlet Products" site. Although I really like the Eee PC, especially given all of the business travel I do, Asus has to be careful with pricing. But, the USD is in such terrible shape at the moment, and will probably fall even further on the global markets in the future which increases the price of anything not made here in the USA.

Of course, you can't compare the size of the Eee PC with that of the R52, but even considering the size and feature benefits of the Eee, I'd take the ThinkPad R52 at $499 anytime over the Eee PC for the same money.

 

Asus EEE PC recently have some competitor in asia market, one of them is Axioo Classmate and Zyrex Anoa, Zyrex will also launch their new laptop above the asus eee spec, such as 10 inch and higher processor and memory, it will be called zyrex ubud.