Asus to show second-gen Eee PC next week
WiMAX, bigger screen on board?
Asus is due to show off what it calls the "next generation" of its elfin Eee PC Linux-based sub-laptop at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. The unit is almost certainly going to come with WiMax wireless broadband connectivity.
It may come with an 8.9in screen - larger than the current model's 7in display - too, if a number of Asian news reports from the last few days are to be believed.
Asus Eee PC and friend: looking forward to next-gen model?
Asus itself said it will show off Eee PC 2.0 as CES - it's already inviting attendees to come to an event it's co-sponsoring with Intel and US carrier Sprint. The meeting's focus is WiMax, and while the wireless technology is likely to dominate, the presentation will also include "next-generation mobile solutions (including the next-generation Eee PC)".
Register Hardware will be at the event to bring you all the details.
Industry moles maintain the machine will also sport a bigger display - one of the key criticisms of the Eee PC. A larger display would allow the unit to run at a higher native resolution than the current 800 x 480 model, which is fine for the unit's specialised Linux-based GUI, but less friendly to Windows or standard Linux user interfaces.
Intriguingly, it's claimed Asus is looking to match the price of the current model with the new one, presumably because it's worked out the slightly higher cost of the screen can be more than balanced by higher Eee sales.
In June 2007, Asus showed a compact 10in Eee PC, the 1001, at the Computex show in Taipei. You can see pics of it at Akihabara News here - but it's clearly a different, larger design to the current Eee PC 701 rather one of today's machines with a 10in LCD in place of the 7in panel.
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COMMENTS
Innovation
I shouldn't think Asus are all that worried about Apple's rumoured sub-sub-notebook. If forecasts are accurate, Asus will sell more EEEs next year than Apple will sell notebooks full stop, let alone the tiny numbers of fashionistas who will queue up for the brand new and hugely expensive tiny one.
The EEE pc could use a better battery - one of those new lightweight ones from Sony would be nice - and the screen makes it obvious that it's built to a price. However, the single thing that's contributed the most to its success is the fact that £220 is a revolutionary price point for a laptop - they'd be crazy to move away from that.
Watch out for the thief
Why do I have this feeling that Apple is about to swipe this idea and come out with its own "innovative" product in 2 weeks' time and then market it as if it created the new-fangled thing?
Well I love my EEE.
Bought it just before Xmas and it rocks!
Hopefully version 2 will be even better!
Well, No Thanks
A DVD you must be kidding! As far as I know there are no moving parts in the current EEE, an optical drive with its spindle motor and laser tracking mechanism adds a lot of moving peices and a lot of power consumtion, so I wouldn't want one.
However, I did get hands on with a 2gb model at PC world, and I think a bigger screen is a bonus even if it requires more power to flip all those extra pixels. And 4gb is a minimum, 8 would be good 16 might start taking its toll on battery life as would more RAM. I think I see a pattern more toys = more power consumption, so maybe the first order of business is to improve the battery.
RE: How about V90!
How hard did you look? I'm guessing you're easily discouraged.
After roughly 1 minute of Googling I found this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynamode-M56EXT-USB-T-Slim-line-external/dp/B000RFUNNC
As a rule of thumb you should not trust SALES people to give accurate product advice. Even (maybe that should that "especially") for things they "know" about.
