ASUS Eee Smartbook Dropping Q1 2010 For Around $180

Bargain hunters looking for a new ultraportable this Christmas would do well to hold off until the new year, including ASUS CEO Jerry Shen has announced that the company plans into an Android-based Smartbook in the 1st Quarter of 2010

That could be valued at around $ 180th ASUS included to show the companies Smartbook prototypes-based on 1 GHz processor from Qualcomm's Snapdragon-in June, but since then have played down their involvement with the format.


ASUS eb 1012 REVIEW

Description of Smartbook as a "secret weapon", confirmed that Shen slot into the company's Eee PC line would be. No further details were given, but the beginning Smartbook integrated reference designs, we have seen, 3G WWAN and GPS, and promised that "all day" battery life.

The GPS functionality could tie in with other partnerships, is proposed. Sascha from NetbookNews has highlighted the ongoing parnership with ASUS Garmin (the fruit, which are just now)

The unloved nuvifone area and obviously from a source fingering RIM added as another potential employees. They are a combination of tilting location-based services, navigation and messaging, but again, there are no details.



Source: http://thinklaptop.net

2009 Netbook Shipments to Double 2008 Numbers, Says Report

Netbook shipments for 2009 are expected to be double those of 2009, according to a new report. Going forward, however, netbook shipments are expected to slow while competition increases, thanks, in part, to Apple and Nokia.

Netbook shipments in 2009 are expected to fully double over 2008 shipmentnumbers, according to a Nov. 26 report from research firm Research and Markets. Going forward, however, the firm anticipates that netbook PC growth momentumwill slow. Additionally, as the prices of netbooks continue to fall, "netbookPC maker's profit margins are expected to be affected," states the report.

Thefindings echo those of Gartner, which in a Nov. 23 report stated that whileoverall PC shipments rose in the fourth quarter-thanks to demand for mobile PCs-marketvalue fell, due to an unprecedented declind in PC average selling prices. Research and Markets pointed to the pursuit of new opportunities as necessaryroutes toward continued growth.

"In order to expand netbook PC market coverage, other than increasing productdifferentiation to stimulate demand in the existing mature consumer markets," states the report, "PC companies also aim to seek new market opportunities inthe education, commercial and emerging market segments, as well as newdistribution channels and new offerings."

PCmaker Dell, for example, has shown itself to be on this path, with theintroduction this year of PCs geared toward specific enterprise verticals. The Latitude XT2 XFR is a rugged convertible tablet for military, fiedservice, factory-fulfillment and other physically demanding environments, whileDell'sLatitude 2100 netbook is geared toward student users in K-12 classrooms
The Research and Markets study added, "The entrance of new competitors such asNokia and Apple is expected to intensify competition."

On Oct. 13, Nokia introduced theBooklet 3G, the first true PC for the phone maker, which is slated toarrive in time for the holidays.

Apple is said to have a tablet PC in the works, though it has yet to confirmthis. Therumor was given new legs in October, when an editor at The New York Timescasually mentioned an "Apple slate" during a talk at TheTimesCenter.
The Gartner repor likewise concluded that netbook growth is expected to slowgoing forward, as netbooks face increased competition from other low-cost PCs,as well as other from factors.


By: Michelle Maisto, http://mobile.eweek.com

Asus releases Windows 7 Upgrade guide for Eee PC 1000H

The Asus Eee PC 1000H was one of the company's first 10 inch netbooks. I picked one up in August, 2008 and I'm still using it. The Eee PC 1000H may not be as thin or light as some never netbooks, and it doesn't get quite as much battery life as newer Asus models.

But you know what? It still works pretty well and share a common set of guts with most netbooks including a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and 1GB of RAM. The model I own has just 80GB of disk space, but there are also 160GB models out there.

Asus stopped making this netbook a while ago, but the company hasn't forgotten the earlier adopters like me. This weekend Asus uploaded a Windows 7 Selt Upgrade Guide for the Eee PC 1000H/XP to the company support site.

Having installed Windows 7 RC on the netbook earlier this year, I can tell you that many features work out of the box. But the upgraded guide recommends that before you start, you make sure you have the latest BIOS version first.

While the step for installing Windows 7 just says "Install Windows 7 operating system from the DVD," step 3 is worth checking out. Once Windows is installed, you may want to download and install drivers and utilities from the Asus support site, and step three explains the order in which they should be installed, starting with the chipset drivers and ending with the Super Hybrid Engine and Asus Update software.

Will anything bad happen if you don't install the utilities in this order (or at all)? Probably not. But it's nice to know that Asus was thinking about us.

Keep in mind, if you upgrade an Eee PC 1000H or any Windows XP computer to Windows 7, your data and settings will not be imported. You could could configure a dual boot system which would preserve your data, but there's your data, but there's no clean migration path from Windows XP to Windows 7 that allows you to import your settings the way can when you upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7.

Source: http://netbookupdates.com

ASUS Eee PC 1008HA

Build and Design Nothing has changed in terms of build or design between the original Eee PC 1008HA Seashell and this upadpe. Like the "seashell" name implies, the chassis shape is inspired by the curves of a seashell.


The clamshell-like design gives the 1008HA a very clean and distinct appearance. Every port from Ethernet to USB is covered with plastic doors which are probably more decorative than they are protective. ASUS claims this version of the Eee PC is just one inch thick at its thickest point, but that doesn't include the feet on the bottom of the netbook. We measured the maximum thickness at more than one inch, but the 1008HA is still remarkably thin and light.


The glossy black plastics suffer from very little flex and the keyboard is as firm as even the best business-class notebooks on the market. The various parts of the chasis come together with tight seams and good attention to detail.

ASUS claims that the plastics used on Eee PC 1008HA are coated with an "Infusion finish" that makes the netbook scratch resistant. I wasn't able to produce any scratches in the plastics during the testing period,
but the glossy surface is extremely prone to fingerprint smudges which make this brand new netbook look a little dirty after just a few minutes of use. The 1008HA is also available in white, blue, and pink.. In case black isn't your color of choice
.


Screen
The new Eee PC 1008HA Seahell uses a fairly standard LED-backlit display panel with a 1024x600 native resolution. The glossy screen surface helps to improve color and contrast,
but glare and reflections indoors under strong lights or outdoors under direct sunlight can be a problem.


Although the 1024x600 resolution is far superior to the old 800x480 screen resolution on the original Eee PC, I was a little disappointed that ASUS didn't use higher resolution display on the Eee PC 1008HA.


By: Jerry Jackson,www.notebookreview.com