ASUS to launch Eee-book reader this year?

According to DigiTimes, ASUS president Jerry Shen says he plans to launch an Eee-branded ebook reader by the end of 2009 at the earliest. That’s a tasty nugget of news all on its own. However, what would DigiTimes be without adding some good ol’ Taiwanese rumor-mongering? As such, they add that MSI is investigating the reader market as well. But that’s just common sense, we don’t need “industry sources” to tell us that manufacturers are looking for ways to make money in new markets now do we?

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ASUS to launch Eee-book reader this year? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS puts Snapdragon smartbook on hold, breaks hearts of Androids everywhere

ASUS puts Snapdragon smartbook on hold, breaks hearts of Androids everywhere

It was but a few months ago that we were lusting after a svelte little fanless Snapdragon Eee PC running Android and being demo’d at Computex. Now, ASUS is letting us all down softly, saying that project has been put on the shelf — presumably to make room for another string of cookie-cutter netbooks. CEO Jerry Shen says “I don’t see a clear market for smartbooks,” which is true enough, but we’re guessing the big laptop players didn’t see a clear market for netbooks at first, either. So, not exactly great news for those looking for even cheaper and even more portable portables, but don’t lose all hope: it wasn’t that long ago that Western Digital said the SSD market didn’t exist, and now look at ’em.

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ASUS puts Snapdragon smartbook on hold, breaks hearts of Androids everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney Netpal finally up for pre-order, ships this week

We’ve waited… oh, how we’ve waited! After two long, torturous months of anticipation, Disney is finally letting the “Magic Blue” and “Princess Pink” Netpal netbooks out to play with us. Featuring the zaniest paintjobs this side of the RilakKuma, customized XP themes, shell control for parents and no shortage of magic dust, the two machines are available to order now for $350 with deliveries likely by next week.

[Via Netbooked]

Read – Toys R Us
Read – Amazon

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Disney Netpal finally up for pre-order, ships this week originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eee PCs rumored to ship with Moblin in October, Chrome OS on the horizon

How about a minor spy story to kick-start your weekend? According to our man Sascha at netbooknews.de, a “safe source” who shall remain nameless but who most certainly has ties to Stasi (or, at the very least, owns a trench coat) has divulged some choice nuggets: The first Eee PC pre-installed with the open source OS will hit the market in October, and the company is currently considering the possibility of making this an option for all its notebooks at some point in the near future. And if that weren’t enough to stoke your dreams of an Operating System Renaissance, the company is also reportedly working “closely together” with Google to deploy the Chrome OS on its machines at some point in the not-too-distant future. All rumors and innuendo, sure, but interesting — and, as we’ve seen the company play with Moblin in the past, certainly not a shocker. As always, we’ll keep our ears to the ground, and we’ll keep you posted.

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Eee PCs rumored to ship with Moblin in October, Chrome OS on the horizon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS’ 11.6-inch 1101HA netbook finally on sale in America

Call it coincidence or call it fate, but just as soon as we saw Samsung’s 11.6-inch N510 netbook go on sale across the pond, ASUS’ long-awaited 11.6-inch Eee PC 1101HA has netted itself a date with UPS here on US soil. The machine is the first in the Seashell range to boast a display larger than 11 inches, though the atypical WXGA (1,366 x 768) panel is about the only thing that’ll turn heads. Within, you’ll find an exceedingly bland array of parts: an Atom Z520 processor, 1GB of RAM, GMA 500 integrated graphics, a 160GB hard drive (still with us?), three USB 2.0 sockets, a 1.3 megapixel camera, WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth and audio in / out jacks. If you aren’t down with waiting to see what kind of netbook revolution coincides with the launch of Windows 7, you can order yours up from the links below for $429.99.

[Via Netbooked]

Read – BuyDig.com order page
Read – NewEgg.com order page

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ASUS’ 11.6-inch 1101HA netbook finally on sale in America originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DIY Eee Keyboard is big, beautiful, and highly coveted

The ASUS Eee Keyboard is thin, sleek, and has a touchscreen pad. This do-it-yourself is bulky, uses a green backlight, and has instead a wireless mouse and numpad. Still, there’s something magical and all kinds of wonderful about this home project, essentially an Eee PC 900 shoved into a Sven Multimedia EL 4002 keyboard. All you need is a VGA cable hooked up to a monitor and you’re officially good to go. Itching to recreate this beaut for yourself? Hit up the read link for a plethora of in-process screenshots and some commentary from its maker.

[Via Liliputing]

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DIY Eee Keyboard is big, beautiful, and highly coveted originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 1004DN lands in Taiwan, gives the netbook a serious identity crisis

Asus makes optical-endowed Eee PC 1004DN official

Sure, an optical drive isn’t going to explode the definition of netbooks as we know it — we’ll have to wait for Windows 7 to do that — but perhaps we can all learn to live lives of greater peace and harmony now that you can spin up a plastic circle of ones and zeros inside an Eee PC. The new 1004DN is now available in Taiwan for NT$19,988, about $609 US.

[Via Liliputing]

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ASUS Eee PC 1004DN lands in Taiwan, gives the netbook a serious identity crisis originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC T101 tablet reportedly facing uncertain future

Last we had heard, ASUS’ Eee PC T101 tablet (or T101H) still had a place on ASUS’ massive Eee PC roadmap, and was on track for a late August / early September release after being pushed back from its original June launch date. According to DigiTimes, however, the device’s future now looks to be even more uncertain, with it supposedly set for release this September “at the earliest.” Some unspecified “industry sources” further go on to say that the T101 (and other future ASUS netbook tablets) could either be pushed back further or scaled back on shipments if the company’s current Eee PC T91 doesn’t meet expectations, or possibly even canceled altogether.

[Via Electronista]

Update: Looks like the T101 and T101H are one in the same. Sorry for any confusion. Post has been corrected to reflect this.

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ASUS Eee PC T101 tablet reportedly facing uncertain future originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS’ Eee PC 1101HA netbook gets unboxed on video, shown in black

Unlike ASUS’ Eee PC 1005HA, which seemed to ship just days after debuting, the company’s 1101HA is taking its sweet time in going from “real” to “really available” here in America. This next member in the expanding Seashell range boasts a larger-than-usual 11.6-inch display and can be ordered with optional 3G (eventually, anyway), and the good folks over at NewGadgets managed to get ahold of one and unbox it for the cameras. Better still, they undressed a glossy black unit, which is noticeably different than the shiny white version we’ve seen thus far. Care to have a look? It’s all there just after the break.

Continue reading ASUS’ Eee PC 1101HA netbook gets unboxed on video, shown in black

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ASUS’ Eee PC 1101HA netbook gets unboxed on video, shown in black originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change ASUS’ Eee PC Seashell line?

In the past month and change, ASUS has found time to issue not one, but two new Seashell netbooks. Originally shown to the adoring public at CeBIT in Germany, this fresh take on the Eee PC was a welcome change to the drab netbooks we were accustomed to falling asleep on. We managed to have a look at both the ultraslim 1008HA as well as the more business-oriented 1005HA, but now we’re eager to hear your opinions on the matter. What would you do differently with the Eee PC Seashell line? Would you beef up the battery? Add a few ports? Swap in a different display or processor? We know Microsoft’s Windows XP limitations are holding PC makers back, but who says your imagination has to abide by those same guidelines? Detail your dreams in comments below.

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How would you change ASUS’ Eee PC Seashell line? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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