Asus S101 info emerges, even sexier than we thought
With every computer manufacturer and their chip supplier’s barber now jumping on the netbook train, it’s clearly about time for Asus to step it up a bit. Many would credit the Eee line of ultra-portable laptops with popularizing the new breed but now that Asus is competing the likes of top manufacturers, the Eee is in danger of becoming like a Hollywood actress over 26 - still pretty good at what it does but no one in tinseltown wants to look at it anymore. Fear not Asus lovers, the S101 might be just the botox injection the Eee line needed. Don’t let the relatively hideous shade of brown pictured above fool you; the S101 means business. A variety of SSD drives to choose from, an ultra-slim body (tapers to 18 mm, just thicker than the MacBook Air) and pretty solid specs make the S101 very buzz worthy. Check it:
- 264 mm (w) x 180.5 mm (d) x 18 ~ 25 mm (h, tapered)
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
- Windows XP Home (base model) or GNU Linux OS
- 10.2-inch wide LED-backlit TFT display, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. 252K colors
- Intel Atom processor
- 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
- 1 GB DDR2 RAM
- 3 USB 2.0 ports and a VGA port for an external monitor
- Integrated 4-in-1 multimedia card reader
- Multi-touch touchpad
- 2450 mAh battery, not removable
- Available in brown, champagne and graphite
But what about storage - you said it had SSD drives? Calm down, we’re getting there. The S101 will be available in three different trims and here’s what they look like:
- Windows XP, 16 GB SSD or 20GB SD - $699
- Linux, 32 GB SSD - $699
- Linux, 64 GB SSD - $799
So what do you think? Is the S101 the face lift Asus needs or is it just another Joan Rivers?
Sorry, but 1024*600 resolution resolution? 600 horizontal resolution is too short and forces too much vertical scrolling…. If it was actually 1280*768 resolution, like what the HP mini-note 21333’s got, then I would get it in a heartbeat and install ubuntu on there as well
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When will it be available I heard that it would launch in september and its october.
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2450 mAh battery, not removable. So a non removable 3 cell. Goodbye.
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Note that the Macbook Air’s thickness is 4-19.4mm. The MSI Wind, at its thickest is 18.9mm. The Lenovo S10, at its thickest is 20.5mm. In comparison, the S101, at 18-25mm isn’t as thin. (It takes up less surface area than a Macbook Air though.)
However, $799 for a device that has a 64GB SSD? Wow. I guess SSD prices really have dropped…
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Why is it only the Linux versions that get the high-capacity SSD??
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because with the linux version , you’re not paying for a windows licence, so you can put more harddisk in for the same price.
The eee 901 sells with double the hard disk capacity in the linux version, for the same price. This is cause the windows licence costs the same as upgrading the harddisk.
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The keyboard looks a lot more usable than the EEE’s, but a non-replaceable battery? You’ve got to be kidding. One of the main attractions of the EEE is the large 10400 mah non-OEM batteries available. With a coule of those you can stay online all day without access to AC power.
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