The Asus Eee PC 1215 is finally released in the US. It’s currently on sale for $499 at Amazon and comes with the following specs:
Intel Dual Core Atom D525 (1.8GHz)
Nvidia ION 2 graphics with 512mb dedicated video memory
12.1″ WXGA (1366×768) LED screen
2GB DDR3 RAM (2x1GB), 4GB Max
250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (32 Bit)
HDMI out
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
10/100 LAN
0.3MP Webcam
Several reviews have been published as well for this 12-inch netbook. Overall the 1215N is said to be the best performing Atom-based netbook on the market, thanks to its dual core Atom D525 processor and Nvidia ION 2 graphics. Battery life is around 5 hours and 40 minutes from Laptop Magazine’s battery test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi). 3D games at native resolution and low details are quite playable. WoW yields 45 FPS and Left 4 Dead 2 gives low 20 FPS.
The Eee PC 1015PED is the latest 10-inch model from Asus to replace the 1005PE. Compared to its predecessor, the Eee PC 1015PED has better specs, more stylish design, and similarly long battery life (up to 13 hours according to Asus).
While it’s not the most powerful netbook in the market, the Eee PC 1015PED is definitely one of the best rounded netbook that’s worth looking into. Unless you want a netbook for playing high-def movie (check out Aspire One 521 if you want a HD capable netbook), the 1015PED has almost everything you need for a netbook: long battery life, decent performance, ergonomic keyboard and touchpad, matte display that solve reflection problem, and stylish design.
Specification
Intel Atom N475 (1.83GHz)
1GB DDR3 RAM, 1 SODIMM Slot, 2GB Max
Intel GMA 3150 graphics
250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) + 500GB Free Web Storage
Natural Beauty – Mobility has Evolved The 10.1-inch Eee PC 1015PED-PU Seashell shines as the ideal netbook for the traveler looking for outstanding wireless connectivity and efficient on-the-go performance. Thanks to the exclusive ASUS Super Hybrid Engine, you can take this mobile phenom wherever you choose and enjoy up to an incredible 13 hours[Read More]
Design
The Asus Eee PC 1015PED is one of the most attractive netbooks in terms of appearance. While the chassis design and size are quite similar to the Eee PC 1005PE, it has a soft-to-the-touch aluminum lid that makes it looks more stylish than its predecessor. It’s 1.4″ at it’s thickest point, and weight 2.8 pounds.
The chiclet style keyboard of the Eee PC 1015PED is pretty much the same as its predecessor, the 1005PE. It has a small right shift key which some people might not like, but overall still gives pretty good typing experience. The soft aluminum-coated touchpad is flush with the palmrest and only set off with two silver lines. It’s large enough to be used comfortably with multitouch gestures.
Another design change that’s worth mentioning is that the 1015PED comes with a matte instead of glossy display. This means that you don’t have to worry about reflection anymore when using this netbook outdoor or under bright surrounding.
Performance And Graphics
Performance and graphics are the same as most of the Atom-based, 10-inch netbooks out there. You will not have problem performing tasks like web surfing, chatting through skype, and streaming Hulu/YouTube videos in standard definition, but it certainly cannot handle high-def video playback. If you want a 10-inch netbook that’s capable of playing HD video, go for the AMD-powered Acer Aspire One 521.
Battery Life
Just like its predecessor, the Asus Eee PC 1015PED is one of the 10-inch model with the strongest battery life on the market. There are 2 models of Eee PC 1015PED available — one is the 1015PED-MU17 which comes with 44Whr 6-cell battery; the other one is the 1015PED-PU17 with 63Whr 6-cell battery.
The 1015PED-MU17 last for 5 hours under continuous looping of the same standard-def video at 65 percent brightness; while for the 1015PED-PU17, you can expect around 8 hours.
Conclusion
The Asus Eee PC 1015PED better looking and slightly more powerful than its predecessor, 1005PE. If you are looking for a stylish, long battery life netbook for daily computing tasks (e.g. surfing the web, checking email, and watching standard-def video), the Eee PC 1015PED is definitely one of your best choice. But if you are looking for a more powerful netbook and battery life and appearance are not important to you, then you should check out the Acer Aspire One 521.
While the Asus Eee PC 1215N is yet to be released in the U.S., Notebooktv.hu from Hungary has got their hands on this “multimedia netbook” and run a few benchmark test on it.
The battery life is between 2 to 6 hours depending on what you are doing with it. According to Notebooktv.hu, they get 2 hours for playing games, 2.5 hours for watching HD movies, and 6 hours for normal computing tasks.
Other benchmark scores for the Eee PC 1215N are:
3DMark06: 2715
PCMark05: 2348
Windows 7 Index : 3.3 points
World of Warcraft (1366×768): 35-51 fps
You can check out more benchmark results on Notebooktv.hu.
The much awaited Asus Eee PC 1215N is now available for pre-order on ExcaliberPC. It’s priced $499 and comes with the following specs:
Intel Atom D525 (1.80GHz) Processor
Next Generation NVIDIA ION Graphics
12.1″ WXGA (1366×768) LED Display
2GB DDR3 Memory
250GB Hard Drive
High-speed 802.11n
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Preloaded
The Eee PC 1215N is the first netbook model to feature the Nvidia Optimus technology which helps to prolong battery life by automatically switch between integrated and discrete GPU.
Good news for those who have been desperately waiting for the Asus Eee PC 1215N — this model of netbook which features an 1.8GHz dual-core Atom D525 CPU, Nvidia ION 2 GPU, and Optimus technology, will be released on around 23rd of August, according to Engadget. Even better, the Eee PC 1215N is expected to sell under $500.
The Asus Eee PC 1005PE has been one of the best netbook for this year. The one biggest drawback of this netbook however is the glossy display that cause reflection when being used in a bright environment. Asus is now announcing a new netbook model called the Eee PC 1005PX which has the same basic design and specs as the 1005PE, but with a matte display which should resolve the reflection issue.
Besides the glossy display, Asus has made a few minor changes on the 1005PX compared to its predecessor. First, it has 2 USB ports instead of 3; second, it has a 48Whr 6-cell battery instead of 63Whr found on the 1005PE; and third, it lets consumers to select up to 320GB of storage space. Other than that, the 1005PX has the all the same specs as the 1005PE: 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processors, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, etc.
While the Asus Eee PC 1201PN is the first netbook in the market to incorporate the next generation Nvidia ION (aka ION 2) GPU, it does not come with the much awaited Optimus technology — a feature that enable the automatic switch between integrated and discrete GPU to save battery life.
Specification of the Asus Eee PC 1201PN:
Intel Atom N450 (1.66 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache)
Nvidia ION 2 graphics platform
12-inch WXGA (1366×768) LED screen
2 GB DDR2 RAM, 2 x SODIMM Slot, 4 GB Max
250 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) + 500 GB Free Web Storage
Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (32 Bit)
HDMI and VGA out; Bluetooth; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n; 0.3 MP Webcam
It’s quite a disappointment for many people for the lack of Optimus technology which has been advertised as one of the feature to come with the ION 2 platform on this netbook. So does the 1201PN still offer a good enough balance of multimedia muscle and battery life without Optimus?
Review Summary
The external design, keyboard, and touchpad of the Asus Eee PC 1201PN is pretty much the same as its predecessor, the 1201N. Both the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable to use.
In terms of performance though, the Asus 1201PN is slower than its predecessor (according to PCMark Vantage), which is expected since it has a single core N450 Atom processor while the 1201N has a more powerful dual-core N330 processor. Laptop Magazine noticed some delays when starting video calls in Skype and when opening the AT&T Connection manager software they installed. The overall daily computing tasks run smoothly with no problem though, even with multiple application opened simultaneously.
The next generation Nvidia ION graphic does provide slightly improved graphic performance. Both the video transcoding test and 3DMark 06 benchmark done by Laptop Magazine on the 1201PN gives a better result compared to the 1201N. Playing 1080p video from local hard drive goes smoothly, even on a 32-inch Samsung TV through the 1201PN’s HDMI port. Streaming video from Hulu in full-screen however will still stutter, according to CNet.
For the battery life, the Eee PC 1201PN last 4 hour 33 minutes on continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi test, and 3 hours 57 minutes on video playback battery drain test — both of which are 40 minutes longer than its predecessor.
Conclusion
At the same price ($499.99) as its predecessor, Asus is offering the Eee PC 1201PN as a new 12.1-inch netbook model with longer battery life and better graphic performance, but less processing power. Whether you should opt for the 1201PN or the older 1201N model depends on which side of features are more important to you – processing power or battery life + graphic performance. You may also wait until September this year when Asus launch another new model (1215N) which combine a dual-core processor with the next-gen Nvidia ION with Optimus technology.
While the release date of the Asus Eee PC 1201PN has been delayed to June, the folks at Notebookcheck have already got a chance to test and benchmark it. The results? It beats all netbooks to date in terms of graphic performance. It scored 3098 in 3DMark05 which is much higher than the 2143 on the older Eee PC 1201N. The gaming and HD video playback tests also shown pretty good result, although it struggled a bit with HD flash video in full screen mode. In terms of battery life, the 6-cell battery can last for between 3 to 6.5 hours, depending on what you do with the netbook. You can check out the full test result from Notebookcheck.
If you are one of those who are eagerly waiting for the release of the next generation ION based netbook, here’s a bad news — both Acer and Asus will be delaying the release of their new ION based netbook to the market.
According to Engadget, the Asus Eee PC 1201PN will first ship first to Asia and Europe in late May, and then to the US in June. The Acer Aspire One 532g, another “Ion 2″ based netbook is also delayed until early June.
This blog is constantly updated with the latest netbook reviews, news and videos on every popular netbooks on the market. We will also help you to find the best netbook deals on the Internet so that you can purchase a netbook with the cheapest possible price online. If you have any questions/comments, contact us here.
, which includes:
, 
, 
which comes with 44Whr 6-cell battery; the other one is the 
is the first netbook in the market to incorporate the next generation Nvidia ION (aka ION 2) GPU, it does not come with the much awaited Optimus technology — a feature that enable the automatic switch between integrated and discrete GPU to save battery life.
