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 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.
A new 12-inch netbook model called the Eee PC 1218 has won the Red Dot 2010 award over at Asusdesign.com, but the netbook has never been officially announced by Asus yet. The design of the 1218 is pretty stylish with a slim, one-piece aluminum chassis. According to Digitimes, the Eee PC 1218 will be an Ion based netbook and it might be launched on May 13.
Asus Eee PC 1005PE is the updated version of the famous Eee PC 1005HA, making use of the new Intel Atom N450 processor and Pine Trail chipset. While it’s currently not yet available in the U.S., there are already quite a number of unboxing and review videos of the Eee PC 1005PE on the web.
The following are 2 videos made by ndevil from Germany. The first video is the unboxing video, while the second video is the performance test which includes the testing with Adobe Photoshop CS4, Counterstrike 1.6, 5MP Images, 1080p Videos, 720 Video, and high definition on Youtube. Check it out.
Asus Eee PC 1005HR is the ‘full HD-display capable’ version of the Eee PC 1005HA. It comes with exactly the same specs as the Asus Eee PC 1005HA, except for the 10.1-inch display which has 1366×768 resolution.
Here’s the rundown of the Asus Eee PC 1005HR’s specs:
10.1-inch 1366 x 768 display (glossy)
Intel Atom N280 processor
802.11n Wi-Fi
GMA 950 Graphics
1GB RAM
250GB HDD
Bluetooth
0.3MP Webcam
Windows 7 Starter OS
6-Cell Battery (8.5 Hours)
While the Asus Eee PC 1005HR is currently available only in Japan, Netbooked who’s living there has got a chance to get a unit of the netbook and reviewed it. The following is an unboxing video and a review video of the Asus Eee PC 1005HR done by Netbooked. Overall, he’s pretty impressed with the Eee PC 1005HR, and actually recommend it over the Eee PC 1005HA. The reason is that besides having all the advantages that the Eee PC 1005HA has (long battery life, great keyboard and touchpad design, etc..), the Eee PC 1005HR is quieter, and having a higher resolution display, which can be adjusted for a more comfortable viewing experience.
Asus Eee PC 1201N is the first netbook from Asus which comes with NVIDIA ION Graphics. While this netbook will start shipping only on January 15 2010, it’s now available for pre-order on Amazon for $499.99. Here’s what you will get for the price:
Intel Atom Dual Core N330 Processor 1.6GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM, 2 x SODIMM Slot, 8GB Max
250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) + 500GB Free Web Storage
NVidia ION Platform
Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System (32 Bit)
Bluetooth; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
0.3MP Webcam
Free Sleeve Case
Not a bad deal at all for the specs that Asus is offering on this netbook!
While waiting for its official release, you can have a peek on this netbook by watching the following hands-on video done by mobileandnotebook.com:
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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.
