Well boys and girls, it looks like the G60 might not be vaporware here in the US after all. An official announcement finally puts the G60 on AT&T store shelves this coming Sunday for $299.99 on a 2-year contract after a $100 mail-in rebate. That might seem a bit high at first, but considering there’s no subscription fee required for navigation it’s really not a bad deal. After all, it’ll cost you the same amount or more to score an iPhone 3GS with a solid non-subscription nav app. Regardless — the question of the hour is… After all this time, is anyone still interested in this puppy or has that ship already sailed?

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Following a report pinning October as the likely month ASUS’ highly anticipated Eee Keyboard would finally reach market, it looks as though Asustek CEO Jerry Shen has finally confirmed what we’ve been waiting to hear. The almost-all-in-one Eee Keyboard we’ve had an unhealthy obsession with since January is finally set launch next month in Europe and North America. While pricing is still forthcoming, we’re still under the impression that a base price under $500 should become a reality. Spec highlights include:

• Self-contained PC / keyboard combo with integrated 5-inch touchscreen display
• OS: Windows XP Home Edition (though the one benefit of the delays may end up being Windows 7 at launch)
• 1.6GHz Intel Atom microprocessor
• 1GB of DDR2 DRAM
• 16GB or 32GB SSD
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Ultra Wideband HDMI
• USB 2.0 x2, VGA, HDMI, headphone and mic ports
• Weight: 2 lbs

We’ll say it one last time: we need it.

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Netbook fans may be pleasantly surprised today — or perhaps disappointed — as a purported roadmap for ASUS’ US Eee PC offerings is currently making the rounds. Allegedly depicting the Eee PC launch schedule for the remainder of the year, this roadmap doesn’t offer too much in the way of excitement but at least those in need of a new netbook can get an idea of what ASUS will have to offer in the coming months. If it’s real, that is. Hit the jump for the details.

Thanks, Al-B!

• 1005HA-M: Intel Atom N270 processor, 250GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, 802.11n Wi-Fi, XP  Home or Win7 Starter — $349, October launch
• 1005HA-P: Intel Atom N280 processor, 250GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth, 802.11n Wi-Fi, XP  Home or Win7 Starter — $399, October launch
• 1202N: 12-inch display, Intel Atom N270 processor, NVIDIA Ion, 250GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Win7 — $499, October launch

Beyond that, netbooknews.de adds details on some more models not covered in the alleged US roadmap:

• New Eee PC 1008HA models: the 1008HA-P (Atom N280 processor, 320GB HDD, 2GB RAM, BT, 802.11n Wi-FI) will cost $480 and the 1008HA-M (Atom N280 processor, 250GB HDD, 1GB RAM, BT, 802.11 n Wi-Fi) will run $430.
• Netvertibles: Eee PC T91MT (multi-touch) with a 32GB SSD is priced at $ 549
• The 1101HA is already approved in October and the 1008HA in November. Both models will then be replaced by the above variants.

[Via netbooknews.de]

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ASUS, we still love you and your snazzy Eee Keyboard but we have to level with you — our patience is wearing thin. We first saw this badass little PC back in January and at that point in time, we wanted it post haste. Don’t get us wrong, we’re still excited to see the Eee Keys hit the market but with each passing day seemingly comes a new and later launch time frame. First it was June, then August, and now DigiTimes is reporting it will drop in October or later with a price point in the $400-$500 range. Price: fair. October or later: lame. The Chinese paper is also reporting that ASUS will launch its Eee Top All-in-one PC in September for around $670 and the Eee Box will land in the same month for $300. Great. We want the Keyboard and we want it now.

[Via Giz]

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Aww, crap. Just when we thought we were finally going to be able to get our hands on the ASUS Eee Keyboard, an ASUS marketing executive had to go and ruin the fun. Apparently the Eee Keyboard will not be launching by the end of this month as expected, but sometime in August instead. The reason for the delay? ASUS has yet to fully work out how it is going to market the mind-numbingly cool computer, which is more or less a positive way to say that its scared that one wrong decision will jeopardize its potential for success. Regardless, we want 10 and we want them now.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

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It was a simpler time. The economy was the last thing on most people’s minds, Dane Cook was just a weird annoying guy from Waiting, Galvatron ruled over our comments section with an iron fist… And Garmin announced that it would enter the wireless arena with the soon-to-be released nuvifone. A lot has changed since then but one thing has remained constant over this historic 18-month period — no nuvifone. Believe it or not however, that might actually change in the near future. Despite having a bit of trouble spelling nuvifone, TWICE reports that Garmin is “getting very close” to a carrier launch here in the US. Why the massive delays? Garmin president and COO Cliff Pemble:

Originally we thought we’d launch the phone into the open market, but because of the strong interest we had from carriers, we chose to focus on a carrier-centric launch and meeting carrier requirements is a lot of work.

Yeah if Garmin thought working with carriers was easy, the company was definitely in for a rude awakening. The June/July time frame does jibe with what Reuters reported back in April so it’s looking like this little guy may actually see the light of day. We shall see.

Thanks, Rich!

[Via GPS Tracklog]

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In the age of job losses, slowed progress and a floundering economy, tech is getting hit as hard as any industry. As stands to reason, we’ve seen slowed progress of late in terms of new technology coming to market. Sure there’s a nice looking piece of kit that surfaces every now and again but overall, the market lacks excitement. While ASUS’s upcoming Eee Keyboard might not be revolutionary per se, it is most definitely a breath of fresh air in what is otherwise a fairly stagnant market. We gave you the specs on this PC-in-a-keyboard back in January and for the most part, readers agreed: the Eee Keyboard is @&#%$!& cool. Now, according to Engadget’s Chinese counterpart, the sexy little PC will finally reach market by the end of June. We presume, unfortunately, that we’re looking at an initial launch confined to the Asian market but we really hope ASUS spreads this puppy out fast because we can’t get our grubby mitts on it soon enough. Look for official launch details to emerge from Computex during the first week of June.

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Garmin and Asus took advantage of Mobile World Congress back in February to announce the second nuvifone-branded handset that will reach market — the nuvifone M20. Despite the fact that the G60 has yet to hit store shelves, Garmin and Asus are seemingly anxious to display the fruits of their joint handset efforts and hey, were not going to complain. The M20 is tiiiiiiiny. Not so tiny that the duo couldn’t stuff a nice bright 2.8-inch VGA (640×480) touchscreen in there, but definitely small compared to other similarly-styled phones. As you would imagine, it’s all about navigation. Garmin uses an exclusive customized version of its GPS navigation software on its handsets — think of it as Garmin Mobile XT but tweaked and fully integrated into the OS. The OS on this little guy by the way, is Windows Mobile 6.1. We found that a bit odd considering Garmin whipped up its own Linux-based OS for the G60 but such is life. Garmin and Asus are actually planning to use a variety of different OSes for their devices, including Android. But we digress.

The way navigation is implemented in the M20 is awesome. Example: the M20 has a presence app that will display a list of all of your buddies. Select a buddy and his or her position will be plotted on a map. Another poke or two and you’re off, navigating to his or her location with Garmin’s great turn by turn nav app. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of course, as Garmin has really gone through and tied its navigation capabilities into the OS wherever appropriate and convenient. If you’re constantly on the go, the M20 is certainly a handset you should be on the lookout for when it drops sometime before Q2 is out. Hit the jump for more images of this little nav powerhouse all dressed up in yellow.

This report slides into the rare and never sought after ‘uber-rumor’ category as a result of offering nothing in the way of an explanation or even the slightest bit of logic, but if it turns out to be true we’d be pretty bummed. The Asus P565 was one of the few upcoming Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphones we were actually looking forward to playing with. No it wasn’t the overused form factor, generally humdrum specs or the substandard display that drew us in, it was the Marvell TavorP 800 MHz processor. A processing beast like that would have definitely brought some sexy responsiveness to an otherwise often-boggy OS. Alas, Asus’ deal with Garmin announced earlier this month has reportedly rendered the P565 as collateral damage. What the initial reports don’t mention that actually brings this rumor into the realm of possibility is the fact that this handset was to tout some above-average GPS features. Needless to say, such functionality would tread on the Garmin deal and could certainly have lead to the P565’s demise. Either way, we won’t morn the loss too much if this rumor does pan out — there are plenty of other handsets working their way to market over the coming months to get excited about.

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It wasn’t long ago when both Garmin and ASUS announced that they were teaming up to bring the nuvifone G60 to market and promised to out new models soon. True to their word, today the nuvifone M20 was treated to some press release love. Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the M20 touts a quad-band EDGE / tri-band 7.2Mbps HSPA chipset, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4 to 8 GB of internal memory all under a 2.8″ VGA touchscreen display. Did we miss anything? Oh yes, GPS. Obviously with Garmin working on this thing its something of a sat nav monster and will be able to run your favorite LBS services, though if Garmin-ASUS had their way you’d be using Ciao! which sounds like their alternative to Google Latitude. Still, the M20’s GPS chip will work even without the phone itself being connected to a cellular network meaning you can mount the M20 with the included car dashboard mount (with power cable) and drive around like crazy in the Australian outback without having to fear getting lost. Now where’s that Android nuvifone at?

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Garmin and ASUS have just announced that they’ve entered into a strategic alliance and have subsequently re-branded the Garmin nuvifone as the nuvifone G60. What’s more is that both companies have promised to deliver several devices in 2009 with another device slated to make a charming pirouette entrance at Mobile World Congress. With the entire nuvifone lineup obviously very navigation oriented, the million dollar question is what OS will the lineup will be running. Apparently a ASUS chairman said at today’s press conference that it has yet to decide which OS to use with the G60 and that “[ASUS has] expertise in WinMo, Linux and Android, but we believe the software is more important than the OS.” While the aforementioned statement seems on the surface to be an example of extravagant exaggeration, we suppose that there is some truth to it as the people who are going to be picking up a G60 aren’t going to be doing so because of whatever OS it ships with. Now if you have a good memory for these kind of things you’ll recall that it wasn’t too long ago that we though the G60 would for sure be shipping with Android based upon statements from Garmin’s Asian Pacific Marketing Director, but then again companies obviously reserve the right to change their minds at any time. Expect to see the G60 out by the end of this quarter – a daunting task considering it’s still OSless…

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Asus CEO Jonney Shih envisions a Freejack-like future where everything is connected digitally, the walls of your home are giant displays and Anthony Hopkins tries to steal your body in an effort to live forever. Okay, maybe Shih didn’t cover that last part but his vision of a digital future isn’t far off from the predictions of many others in the tech world over the years. The difference of course, is that Shih wants Asus to be at the center of it all.

Today, the family crowds around a small PC screen when they are sharing digital media and getting on the Internet. In the living room, it should be more convenient to use the big screen… To make the whole digital home possible, in the eventual state every wall becomes a display. The mirror should become a screen.

Shih goes on to refer to a low-cost Eee Phone that Asus is currently working on. The budget smartphone will “become an interactive control” that gives the user a single interface for the entirety of the digital network. As cool as that sounds, we wouldn’t mind using the Eee Keyboard either. Shih didn’t speak to whether or not the Eee Phone will be powered by Android but it certainly is a safe bet. Beyond stating that the phone would be affordable, Shih gave no indication as to how the phone will be priced or when we might see the Eee Phone come to market. As for Shih’s future, it may come a bit late – Freejack was set in 2009 – but let’s all hope we can get there without Mick Jagger trying to hunt us down. Jagger, after all, will certainly still be alive when Shih’s vision is realized.

[Via Giz]

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Asus most definitely came to CES today packing heat and without a doubt, one of its most impressive announcements was the Eee Keyboard. We want it and we want it now. The Eee Keyboard stuffs a PC with respectable netbook-like specs into, you guessed it, a keyboard. Flat Mac-like keys and a 5-inch touchscreen display sit atop a very thin keyboard frame with a host of connections on the back – connections you potentially don’t even need, we might add. Asus’ new take on the all-in-one features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n along with wireless HDMI and Bluetooth 2.0 meaning that short of a power cord, users can connect wirelessly to any and all required peripherals including a high definition display or HDTV. We’ll take things in a different direction – imagine carrying this puppy around with a pocket projector and having access to a full PC with a sizable projected display anywhere and everywhere you go. Specs on this innovative little piece of kit are as follows:

• Self-contained PC / keyboard combo with integrated 5-inch touchscreen display
• OS: Windows XP Home Edition
• 1.6GHz Intel Atom microprocessor
• 1GB of DDR2 DRAM
• 16GB or 32GB SSD
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Ultra Wideband HDMI
• USB 2.0 x2, VGA, HDMI, headphone and mic ports
• Weight: 2 lbs

Pricing and projected availability are still a bit of a mystery, though Asus CEO Johnny Shih claims it will be available in the next three to six months, so we’ll be waiting with bated breath. Hit the jump for two more shots.

[Via Giz]

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It looks like Asus is keen on using Android for more than just its mobile phones. Asus CEO Johnny Shih has begun openly discussing the possibility of selling an Eee PC that features Google’s open-source OS. Since its launch, hackers have been more than willing to put in the time and effort to port Android to a multitude of computers, netbooks and mobile phones. Seeing this, it’s only natural that a company like Asus would want to cash in on the demand for Android. Shih also mentioned Asus aspires to have a product that can be “put in the pocket, play MP3s, offer GPS services, works like a PDA and offers mobile TV.” Sounds good to us Asus – make it happen!

Thanks, Neerhaj!

[Via modmyGphone]

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Ahh Mobile-Review; we love that they take a million pics with each of their reviews since we can’t understand a word they say. Who needs to understand it anyway? We’re happy just sitting back, relaxing and taking in all the phone pr0n. This time around, the upcoming Glaxy 7 from Asus gets the hands-on treatment and we have to say – for yet another Windows Mobile handset with an all-too familiar form factor, we’re kind of digging it. The build is reportedly quite solid (mmm, metal and pleather), the responsiveness is spry and the spiced up Glide UI is a welcome facade. Don’t get us wrong, we love TouchFLO 3D but it’s nice to see something new thrown into the mix in an effort to make the user experience less, err, Windows Mobiley. On the down side, the 800 MHz processor that the Glaxy 7 was rumored to house is nowhere to be found. Instead, a 528 MHz Qualcom MS7200A processor makes the handset tick and puts its performance and speed on par with like models. In any event, it’s a solid showing from Asus and while we won’t exactly be jumping out of our seats to snag one we also probably wouldn’t kick it out of bed.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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Asus has finally released the first version of its much-awaiting all-in-one offering, the Eee Top. For the time being, one version is available to the public, the ET1602, though a slightly beefier version is expected to become available shortly. Of course it’s only available in Taiwan for the time being but the roll out in other markets shouldn’t take long. As for seeing this puppy here in the US any time soon? That remains to be seen but we’re definitely not holding our breath. A recap of the specs:

• Intel Atom processor (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache)
• 1 GB DDR2 667 RAM
• 160 GB SATA II 5400rpm hard drive
• Graphics Card: Shared Graphics (128MB)
• Windows XP Home (SP3)
• 15.6″ (16:10 Wide Panel) touchscreen
• Graphics: Shared Graphics (128MB)
• Webcam: 1.3 Megapixel
• Mirophone: Digital Array Microphone
• Audio Chips: 2 x 4W Hifi Speaker + SRS
• Communication: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
• WLAN: WiFi 802.11b/g/n
• IO Side Ports: Memory card slot (SD/SDHC/MS/MS Pro) / USB ports x 2
• IO Rear Ports: Audio Ports x 3 (Microphone, Line in & Line Out) / USB ports x 4 / Gigabit LAN port
• Ships with: StarOffice, Adobe Reader 8.0, Norton Internet Security (90 day trial version), Express Gate, Skype, Eee Memo, SoftStyles, Eee Cam and Eee Cinema

Asus’s more timid ET1602 will run about $580, not bad at all. Our favortie thing about the Eee Top by the way, is the fact that it runs XP SP3 and yet the product page begins with a huge banner reading, “ASUS recommends Windows Vista Business for Business Computing / ASUS recommends Windows Vista Home Premium for Personal Computing”. Excellent.

[Via Engadget]

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Asus announced on Friday the P565, a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional extraordinaire that comes with a blazing 800 MHz processor and a 2.8″ VGA touchscreen display. The black, leather-backed handset is targeted for the business folk and features its own Glide UI that is optimized for the touchscreen device. It also packs the SIRF Star III GPS chipset that is found on most stand alone GPS devices. The rest of the specs for the new Asus P565 are pretty standard for a smartphone:

• HSDPA 3.6Mbps, UMTS 2100, EDGE/GPRS/GSM 900/1800/1900, Class 10
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• 2.8″ TFT, 65K-color Touchscreen, VGA (480 x 640 pixels) Display
• Marvell TavorP 800 MHz Processor
• 256 MB Flash + 128 MB DDR SDRAM
• MicroSD with SDHC support
• WLAN 802.11b+g
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• GPS : SiRF Star III with InstantFix
• WAP Browser / SMS / MMS / Email / MSN / Push E-mail
• Battery : 1300 mAh Li-Ion
• Standby Time : 250-300 hrs with 3G and 200-250 hrs with 2G
• Talk Time : 3 hrs with 3G and 4 hrs with 2G
• Dimensions : 102 mm x 60.5 mm x 16 mm

No pricing or release date but with the phone missing the US 850MHz band and the US 3G bands, we wouldn’t expect to see it come stateside in its current form. Nonetheless, we applaud Asus for upping the ante and releasing the world’s fastest handset with a high resolution screen and a stylish form factor.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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It looks like Asus isn’t just stepping its game in the netbook market next year. Hot on the heels of launching its first Windows Mobile handsets, company sources revealed today that Asus may be jumping feet first into the Android handset market as well. Its first Android-powered handset is expected to debut in the first half of 2009 and will be launched initially in Taiwan. Customized and possibly rebranded models for overseas markets are then expected soon thereafter. With Asus going Android along with the rest of the world, 2009 is shaping up to be a banner year for the Google phone.

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Well hello there Mr. Shen. If anyone was wondering what Asus had up its collective sleeve in the coming months (through 2010 actually), CEO Jerry Shen just sat down with Laptop and seriously broke it down. He wasn’t shy at all in talking about where the company is now and where it’s headed. Here are some highlights from the hour-long interview:

• First and foremost among the interesting morsels taken from the Shen interview, Asus will be skipping Vista entirely and jumping right from XP to Windows 7. Burn!
• Asus has currently sold about 4 million Eee PCs and it’s hoping to hit the 5 million mark before 2009 rolls around. Ambitious.
• The all-in-one Eee Top will start shipping very soon. Ok, well we already knew that.
• The Eee Stick gaming controller will soon be released along with compatible games. It will be offered as part of a bundle and as a stand alone accessory at a price point south of $100.
• Next year, Asus will offer an Eee PC that hits the $250 price mark – in the first half of 2009 in fact. Two new models will be announced at CES this coming January.
• Last but most certainly not least, Shen claims that Asus will release a touchscreen Eee PC rocking Windows 7 sometime in 2H 2009! You hear that Microsoft? Time to get the lead out…

[Via Engadget]

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When you think of Asus and Eee PC, you think “cheap Linux netbook”. With their latest offering, the S101, Asus tries to shatter this stereotype by designing an elegant netbook. The folks over at UMPC Fever got their hands on an S101 and have put together the most extensive collection of photos of this slim and sexy notebook to date. We already have covered the specs of the S101 and they fall right in line with all the other netbooks out there. So what does the Asus S101 have that sets it apart from its competitors and permits it to command its higher price tag? First, it is super thin and tapers to only 18 mm which is a slightly more than the height of a Hong Kong dollar. It is also ships with a few extras like a suede leather pouch with straps instead of the cheap cloth pouch found on the standard Eee PC models. It even includes a pouch for its very compact 12V power adapter. The Asus S101 has upgraded the the design of the casing with a brushed aluminum arm rest, a trackpad with a single button and faux diamonds embedded in the hinges (kind of gaudy?). It features a keyboard that is 92% the size of a standard keyboard (nice!) and the internal look is uncluttered and sleek. Only two buttons and three LED indicators are present near the inside hinge and there is a 0.3MP camera at the top. Most of the peripherals (SD slot, RJ45 port, VGA out, power, Kensington Lock) connect in the back, giving the sides and front of the netbook a smoother look and feel. The bottom of the netbook houses the battery, a door to access the RAM and the stereo speakers. So what do you think? Will the new S101 set the new standard for elegance in netbooks or is it a MacBook Air wannabe with unimpressive specs and a tawdry exterior? Hit the jump for more pictures than you can stand.

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S101 in packaging

S101 in suede leather pouch

S101 closed

S101 open with brushed aluminum arm rest

S101 left side

S101right side

S101 back

S101 bottom

S101 closeup of trackpad with single button

S101 diamond-embedded hinge

S101 is slightly thicker than a Hong Kong 50 cents and one dollar coin

Well if there’s one thing a devastated economy is good for, it’s price drops. Prices on plenty of goods and services are dropping, gas has dipped well under $3.00 per gallon in many areas… And now you can get your Asus netbook on for less than $300. Well, not really considering taxes take you over $300 but you know what we mean. The Asus Eee PC 900A, which is a 900 with an Atom processor, is now available from Best Buy for a more-than-reasonable $299.99. A check brush up in terms of specs:

• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor
• 8.9″ 1024 x 600 WSVGA widescreen display
• 4GB solid state drive
• 1GB DDR2 SoDIMM RAM
• Linux OS
• Integrated WiFi
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• Weighs 2.2 lbs and measures 1.3″ thin

For $300 and change after taxes, you really can’t go wrong with this puppy.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

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And there you have it people – the touchscreen Eee PC from Asus is finally available for pre-order from Play.com in the UK. With a scheduled release date of November 20, this discount all-in-one has some real potential. We first heard about this touchy feely Asus back in July but people were pretty unclear as to what it was. Mystery solved. Specs please:

• Intel Atom processor (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache)
• 1 GB DDR2 667 RAM
• 160 GB SATA II 5400rpm hard drive
• Graphics Card: Shared Graphics (128MB)
• Windows XP Home (SP3)
• 15.6″ (16:10 Wide Panel) touchscreen
• Graphics: Shared Graphics (128MB)
• Webcam: 1.3 Mega Pixel
• Mirophone: Digital Array Microphone
• Audio Chips: 2 x 4W Hifi Speaker + SRS
• Communication: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
• WLAN: WiFi 802.11b/g/n
• IO Side Ports: Memory card slot (SD/SDHC/MS/MS Pro) / USB ports x 2
• IO Rear Ports: Audio Ports x 3 (Microphone, Line in & Line Out) / USB ports x 4 / Gigabit LAN port
• Ships with: StarOffice, Adobe Reader 8.0, Norton Internet Security (90 day trial version), Express Gate, Skype, Eee Memo, SoftStyles, Eee Cam and Eee Cinema

Play.com lists the all-in-one Eee PC at £399.99 which works out to $678 US at today’s exchange rate. Not bad at all.

[Via Engadget]

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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?

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For real, no joke here guys or shall I say “gals” since this product is obviously targeted at you. Now available online from DataVision is the Asus F6V scented laptop that comes in such fragrances as floral blossom, morning dew, blue ocean, and dark musk. For a mere $1275, you can garner attention with the F6V’s striking color patterns and the odoriferous fragrance that emanates from the LCD cover. For those actually considering such a weird unique laptop, the specs are not too bad: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.26GHz, 13.3″ LCD Display, 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM, 320GB SATA Hard Drive, and Windows Vista Home Premium. We think this Asus is a bit over the edge, even for the ladies out there in BGR land. Not to mention the fact that every Tom, Dick, and Harry will be sticking their nose on your laptop in order to get a whiff of that enticing scent. Yuck!

[Via Laptopmag]

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Video conferencing phones weren’t all too popular in the past, but this new one from ASUS looks pretty wicked. Let’s rephrase that… it looks horrible, but we might just be able to overlook that. The AiGuru SV1 boasts a 7″ display, speakerphone, mic, and Wi-Fi so you can make calls via Skype without having to connect it to a computer. The best part of it all? In true Skype fashion, the calls are all free for Skype users. Another cool feature is the video-conferencing capabilities — perfect for business users or extremely bored friends. Available for pre-order as of this writing in Europe and North America, the AiGuru SV1 will run about $300 and will officially go on sale in early October. To make life easy, the directions for getting this little bad boy started are simple:

1. Connect to Skype via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable

2. Log in or create new Skype account

3. Start video calling!

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What would you do if you put in your recovery disk for your Asus laptop and your anti-virus software alarms started going off? You would do what a reader over at PC Pro did. You would do some investigating. He first realized that something was amiss when his anti-virus was kicked off  by the presence of a keygen (credited to Freddy Kruger) for WinRar on the recovery disc. Unusual to say the least. A little file searching on the recovery disc pulled up a directory named “crack” which apparently contained serial numbers for other software packages. That is not the worst of it, further searching pulled up another directory that contained confidential Microsoft documents for PC manufacturers and associated keys and program files. Lastly, he located some internal Asus documents that detail “major problems” identified by Asus as well as source code for Asus software. He isn’t alone as other Asus owners report the same keygen and other unusual files on their recovery discs. According to PC Pro, Asus is investigating at a high level and was unable comment on how the files got on the disc. Psst, Asus, you may want to have a little talk with those people compiling the recovery discs for you. Tell them to lay off Pirate Bay and keep the confidential files on the “internal” servers where they belong.

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A mysterious Asus phone dubbed the “Omnia Killer” due to it’s Omnia-like appearance, showed up recently on the Intertubes. Speculation has been running rampant (an 800mhz processor?) about the possible details of the phone. Thanks to wmpoweruser.com, the phone has finally been given a name and some specs to go along with it. From now on it shall be known as Asus Glaxy7 (its’ codename is missing an “a”?) and it shall have the following specs:

• GSM Connectivity : GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSDPA/HAUPA
• GSM Frequency : 850/900/1800/1900
• WCDMA Frequency: 900/1900/2100
• Screen: 3.5 “WVGA 800 x 480 / 65K Color TFT Screen
• System: Microsoft WM 6.1 Professional
• UI: Glide 1.5
• Camera: 5MP (2592×1944px) with  autofocus
• Video: MPEG4, H.264 encoding & decoding – resolution unknown
• Communications: Bluetooth 2.0, Wifi, USB, aGPS
• Audio: AAC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, EVRC, QCELP, AAC + + EAAC, MP3, MIDI, PCM, WAV
• Standby : 200 hours
• Talk time: 4 hours
• Memory: 4GB flash
• Expansion: microSD
• Dimensions: 115×59×13.8mm
• Trackball
• Accelerometer
• Construction: stainless steel

All rumor and speculation so far but if true, the Glaxy7 may be another stellar windows mobile device to compete against the Samsung Omnia, HTC Touch Pro HD, et al. We probably won’t ever see this one stateside if it comes to fruition, but we can still enjoy the sneak peek and all the rumor-mongering.

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It’s a bundle of 3G joy for you mini notebook owners. Starting in November in Taiwan, the Acer Aspire One netbook is expected to ship with integrated 3G for $95 (NT$3,000) more than the standard non-3G model. Add in some bundled 3G service through Taiwan Mobile and you can save yourself $155 (NT$5,000) instead. Woohoo! Not to be outdone, it appears as if HP and Dell may be offering similar bundles in Japan. A post at jkOnTheRun has the newspaper flier above that appears to offer the recently announced Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and the HP 2133 mini notebook with a respectable $370 subsidy. The subsidy requires a two year commitment to a 3G data plan with Emobile. Wow! Not too shabby considering Dell just announced the Inspiron Mini 9 last week. Cant wait to see a similar bundle coming stateside. Sooner rather than later, please.

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We just got our hands on some interesting photos of the upcoming ASUS N10 notebooks set to be released the third week of this month. For starters, they’re pretty tiny. You know, with them rocking 10.2″ screens and all… In terms of specs and features, here’s what we got from the leaked docs:

• 10.2″ LED 1024×600 screen
• Windows Vista / Windows XP
• 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 9300M GS 256MB graphics card
• 2GB RAM
• 250GB 5400rpm HD
• One ExpressCard slot
• One HDMI port
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Fingerprint reader
• 3.5 lbs

You also get around 6.5 hours of runtime with the included 6-cell battery, a switch to toggle either the built-in motherboard graphics, or the sexy NVIDIA chip, Altec Lansing speakers, and a totally cool face recgozition software that will enable you to securely unlock your PC. That sums up most of the specs, but what about price? Well, the specific model we listed above is the ASUS N10J-B1 and will retail for $849 in the next couple weeks, but look for the N10J-A1 to retail for $749, and the N10E-A1 to run you $649. Check out all the slides in our gallery, ok?

Click on over to our ASUS N10 notebook gallery!

Well what do we have here? A few upcoming Eee PCs were recently uncovered as images made the rounds earlier this week but here we have something completely new from Asus. So what is it exactly? To be completely honest, we’re not really sure. The unit is reportedly called the Eee Monitor and it had been discussed briefly at Computex earlier this year but the Taiwanese computer company made sure to sit on many key details. Well say hello to our little friend. Several shots of the Eee Monitor are now swimming around the internet and it looks like a gem. As was the case before, details are still a bit scarce but a quick look at the display, the logo in the bottom right corner on the face of the unit and the ports on the back of the unit lead to some pretty probable speculation. How about a self-contained PC with built in Denon audio hardware, a 19″ display and a rumored integrated TV tuner? We’ll take two, thanks. Word on the street is that there will be a 19″ and 21″ model and the price point will start at… Ready? $500.

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