Asus Eee PC 1215N 12in netbook
Dual-core and - oh yes - Nvidia Ion 2
Review Asus' Eee PC 1215N is an unusual netbook. It has a 12in, 1366 x 768 screen, not a 10in, 1024 x 600 display. It has an HDMI port. It has a dual-core processor, though one developed for desktops rather than laptops. It has USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0.
Asus's Eee PC 1215N: two cores, two GPUs
Heck, it doesn't even come pre-loaded with Windows 7 Starter Edition, as almost all other netbooks do. This boy comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, albeit in its 32-bit incarnation.
In fact, the only points on the spec sheet that say this is a netbook are the Atom CPU - a 1.8GHz D525 - and the Eee PC branding. But for that, you'd not call it a netbook at all. It has far more in common with the new crop of 11.6in sub-notebooks that it does with the original Eee PC ethos.
Netbook or sub-notebook, the 1215N is a sure sign that there's no longer a gap between these two categories, and what little difference there is will blur as the latest tech gets crammed in.
It won't be long before the limitations placed on netbooks to make them stand out from notebooks - that 1024 x 600 screen, and the use of Windows 7 Starter - will look even more artificial than they do now.
It also comes in a silver look
And the 1215N probably is a signpost for the direction down which netbooks need to be steered, since it comes equipped with the processing power that will differentiate netbooks from tablets. We sure need something more to do this than the presence of a physical keyboard alone.
Next page: Optimus on board
COMMENTS
Re: If....
Turn your computer off, and it'd be an even greater saving.
Turn your computer off, and it'd be an even greater saving.
Ah, but the AC is right, in my books anyways.
I too wanted to know immediately what the battery life and cost was :) Not likely to buy this thing as my current Eee probably boasts better endurance than it,and quite likely runs cooler. And cost less, apart from upgrades. Slower, for sure, but ... compromises...
Nevertheless, you get an upvote from me for the snappy comeback.
Pointless
When they cost £449 there just isn't any point. Especially when the size of the device is creeping up.
The next one will have a 13 inch screen, then 15 inch and then it will just be a laptop.
Netbook
If you said that this is not a netbook due to COST - then I might be with you.
A netbook is a low cost, relatively low powered machine that can handle light web-surfing and such but cannot tear though multiple power-apps at once, like editing high res imgs whilst your vid edit encodes whist, you capture a clip of a game whist another core works on a distributed computing project. Screen size has little to do with it other than helping to reduce the cost to make them competitive against real lappies despite relatively low power and therefore useful life.
And to extend battery life
Under $500 - thats DOLLARS - is the fig usually floated for those that care about definition.
More here: http://news.cnet.com/what-is-a-netbook-computer/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
m
Netbooks came with Linux cos otherwise M$ instantly added such a whack to the price, that it became hard to keep the cost down within the range that got people excited. Linux (esp Ubuntu) is finally ready for your avg user and so should be an option here. Would make this machine more attractive to me - if I did not already have v powerful (yet efficient) lappies and custom build desktop.
Wish one could fully custom build lappies too. Building desktops is just lego. And many parts of lappies are like that too (drives, memory, CPU etc). It`s the chassis that`s the problem.
If I could pick a lappy chassis and then fill it w parts like I do w desktops, that would be great.
So much better performance/value and always all the features I want in one package.
I spend longer looking for new lappies with all the relevant card slots and specs at a decent price than it would take to fully build my own. Often you find almost everything you want but then a deal breaker like a glossy screen or a non-ATI card sends you back to square one.
