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Asus 1025C vs Asus 1025CE- two Flares to heat up 2012

Mark — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:58:38 +0000

If netbooks are still alive and kicking in 2012, it’s clear that Asus’s EEE PC line will be right there, in the trenches. And there are some brand new entries to keep the flag up, the most exciting for the 10 inch niche being the 1025C and 1025CE netbooks. These mini laptops have all it takes to impress an audience, at least at a first go: they feature Asus’s new design, Flare, a new hardware platform from Intel and features that were not widely available on netbooks before, like HDMI and USB 3.0 ports.

It sounds good, right? And also, the price tags (mostly guessing for now) are not made to break your back, although they’re not ultra-cheap either. With all this in mind, which of the two 10 inch EEE PC netbooks should you choose this spring? Stick around and maybe you’ll get a clearer image after reading our comparison of the two.

Why are they similar?

The two netbooks are built on the same platform, namely Intel’s Cedar Trail platform, and pack the dual core N2800 processor, paired with integrated Intel HD graphics. You’ll be able to play HD content on a 10 incher now, something quite rare before, but don’t expect wonders in terms of performance. The rest of the setup is also the same, including 1 GB of RAM, a 320 GB HDD, Windows 7 and an HDMI port.

The 1025CE (left) and 1025C (right) kick started the 2012 netbook fiesta

The machines rely on 6 cell batteries, which should last around 7 to 8 hours, although Asus enthusiastically claims you’ll be able to squeeze out 12 hours- we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, I suppose. The panels are basically identical, boosting a 1024 x 600 resolution and a welcomed matte finish, while the keyboard and track pad are good and sturdy, even though the touch pad is kind of small, but isn’t that normal on a 10 incher?

Why are they different?

The 1025CE is the more expensive version, thus has a few perks, especially in terms of design and user experience. First thing first, the 1025CE will only be equipped with the N2800 chip, while the 1025C can be paired with a slower N2600 chip if you want to. The same goes for the battery, as the 1025C can opt for a smaller and cheaper 3 cell battery.

Next, the 1025CE has matching bottom and lid finishes, while the 1025C saves some gloss by making the bottom black, with a textured finish. Similarly, the 1025CE looks and feels more quality, but this doesn’t mean the 1025C is an ugly bunny; it’s not, but it’s more modest and less of an eye catcher than the CE. The 1025C comes with a memory bay, while the 1025CE has the memory soldered on the motherboard.

The keyboards and panels on the two netbooks are basically identical

The 1025CE also comes with some classy additions in comparison with the 1025C, including a web cam with Privacy Lock, a USB 3.0 port and Bluetooth 3.0. Another difference is of course pricing, with the 1025C expected to start at $299, while the 1025CE will cost you 20-30 dollars more for the base model.

Update: The Asus EEE PC 1025C is now available in stores and you can get up to date prices for this unit via this link. The 1025CE is still not available for the moment, but I’ll update once it is.

What to do?

Considering the internals of the machines and the screens are virtually identical, there’s no reason to choose the 1025C over the 1025CE, except the pricing, of course. The 1025CE is a more accomplished netbook and a fancier one, but the 1025C also gets all the basics right, including the new Flare design, new hardware platform, a good screen and decent battery.

Sure, as the platform is still quite new, there might be some initial issues due to drivers (as those experienced on the larger 1225C). And if you want something even cheaper than the 1025C, don’t forget about the X101CH, Asus’s entry level netbook also packing a Cedar Trail chip. You can watch a video comparison of the 1025CE and 1025C below, courtesy of www.netbooklive.com. Enjoy.

Photos: www.netbooklive.com

Asus EEE PC 1025C review – a good netbook for 2012

Mark — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:44:04 +0000

Right behind the 1025CE, the other 10 inch netbook Asus released in early 2012, lurks the 1025C, its budget oriented counterpart. Actually, it’s Asus’s move to always couple a fancier netbook with a more affordable version, which most of the time offers an experience similar to that of the more expensive entry.

It’s the case of the 1025C, a netbook that, just like the 1025CE, comes marching with Cedar Trail firepower, but lacks the fine touches of the 1025CE, but it will also help you save some decent mula off the price tag. Stay tuned for our review of the 1025C and don’t forget to check out an extensive video review of the 1025C at the end of this post, courtesy of our friends from www.netbooklive.com.

Specs

So what’s it all about? The 1025C comes with a hardware spec sheet that’s very similar in some ways to the one on the more expensive 1025CE, including the processor and the integrated video card, but you’ll also be able to configure your 1025C with a slower processor and a smaller battery, in order to keep the price down. Full spec sheet below.

CPU: Intel Atom Cedar Trail N2600 or N2800
System memory: 1 GB DDR3 RAM
Storage: 320 GB HDD 5400 rpm
Video: Intel HD 3650 (460 MHZ)
Display: 10 inch, 1024 x 600 px resolution, anti-glare treatment
Connectivity: Wireless N, fast Ethernet
Ports: 3 x USB 2.0, VGA, HDMI, LAN, card reader, web cam
Battery: 3 cell, 2600 mAh, 28 Wh
Operating system: Windows 7 Starter
Weight: 2.4 pounds
Dimensions (in inches) : 10.3 x 7 x 1.3

At a first glance, we can notice that the major differences between the 1025C and the 1025CE are, in the case of the first one, the lack of USB 3.0, Bluetooth and a smaller capacity battery, as well as a slower CPU as a base option, namely the N2600 instead of the N2800. But, as we will see later on, there are other differences between the two as well, in terms of build quality and user experience.

Build and design

The 1025CE impressed me with its very solid and good looking external cover, which while was clearly made out of plastic, it felt like a very quality finish in comparison with most netbooks out there. The 1025C has a plastic shell as well, of course, but there are a couple of differences between the two.

First off, and this is indeed subjective, the plastic on the 1025CE feels more quality, while the one on the 1025C is a little less smooth on the touch, but that doesn’t mean is not fairly good.

The black finish is sombre and solid, but maybe less pleasing on the eye

Also, the Flare design is used on the 1025C as well, meaning the middle of the netbook is a little thicker, while the edges are thinner, a trick that helps make the netbook feel slimmer than it is. The bottom has a quick access bay for the memory slots.

The color theme is also used for the palm rest, while the bezel around the screen is matte. Overall, the 1025C has a somber look and everything is “prim and proper”, but lacks a certain presence to make it a head turner.

Keyboard and touch pad

The keyboard on the 1025C has tall and sturdy keys, which makes the typing experience very solid. Most keyboards on netbooks have wobbly and flat keys, which shake a lot when typing, but it’s not the case with the 1025C.

Overall, the keyboard is very well put together, while the touch pad is very responsive and pleasant to touch, even for multi touch gestures. Still, I find it a little small, and the click button doesn’t have a left and right button setup.

The keyboard is good and has solid keys

Display

Pretty straightforward, the panel on the 1025C is a standard, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution display, with a matte finish, so you can easily use it outdoor if needed. The brightness is quite good as well, so you can save battery life when you’re using the machine indoors by taking the brightness down. Also, quite surprisingly for a budget machine, the hinges of the 1025C allow to bend the display on its back.

Hardware and performances

The 1025C comes with Intel’s new Cedar Trail platform, namely the N2800 dual core processor, but some versions will run on the slower N2600 in order to keep the price down. There’s also 1 GB of RAM and a 320 GB HDD, as well as integrated Intel HD 3650 graphics, good enough for streamed and local high definition playback.

In short, the 1025C can play 1080p content without a problem, but only after you deal with those DVXA issues the current Intel platform has (check this article for a way to solve them). Overall, performance is not incredibly better than what you had on Pinetrail (HD playback being the exception), especially if you’ll settle for only 1 GB of RAM.

The 1025C comes, unfortunately, without a USB 3.0

Software

The 1025C comes with Windows 7 Starter and a couple of preinstalled software- most of it trial versions and stuff you can do without- which you should, in my opinion, get rid of as soon as possible and save some precious system resources. Also, the netbook comes with Asus’s Instant On! feature, that allows for recovering from sleep mode in just a couple of seconds, similar to the function on ultrabooks.

Heat, noise, speakers and connectivity

The 1025C comes without a USB 3.0, which is pretty much of a shame on a 2012 computer. Also, in comparison with the 1025CE, there’s no Bluetooth, but I guess one can live without that. Everything else is there in terms of connectivity, including USB 2.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, while internet options include Wireless N and Ethernet.

Like the 1025CE, the 1025C rarely gets hot, even if you use it continuously for many hours and force the hamsters inside to burn that wheel down. Also, the 1025C doesn’t get very noisy- actually, you can barely hear it hum once in a while.

As for speakers, they’re not much, to be honest, but will let you enjoy the odd Youtube video or Skype chat without a problem, but for anything else you need some headphones or external speakers.

The 1025C can be equipped with either a 3 or 6 cell battery

Battery life

The base 1025C model comes with a 3 cell battery, which can sustain around 3 hours of HD playback or almost 4 hours of normal use, including browsing, text editing, other light apps, listening to music and keeping the brightness of the screen over 50%.

However, you can get even more juice out of the 1025C if you take the brightness down and work offline, with the wireless modem off, focusing on text editing and other resource friendly apps.

Prices and availability

The exact asking price for the 1025C is not yet available, but Mike from netbooklive.com hinted that the 10 incher might have an asking price of around $299 for the 3 cell battery version. Again, we don’t know if this is for the N2600 or N2800 equipped version, but if the $299 version will indeed come with the N2800, the 1025C is a good deal. If not…well, the better equipped version will end up costing almost as much as the 1025CE, which has a bigger battery, better chassis and a USB 3.0 port.

Update: The Asus EEE PC 1025C is now available in shops in the US and you can find up to date prices for this unit via this link.

Final thoughts

The 1025C is deemed to be a success, because gets all the basics right. It’s indeed ultraportable, comes with a new, improved for multimedia hardware platform and the design and build is decent enough not to annoy anyone.

Having said that, the 1025C has its limitations which will not make it a choice for those looking for something a little more high end, but Asus is not hunting that demographic, but a more budget conscious one.

Additionally, the 1025C is also, as I see it, an appetizer Asus is offering, signaling more interesting netbooks and ultraportables to come in 2012. But for now, we can be satisfied with the 1025C, a worthy “poor man’s” version of the 1025CE.

Asus 1025CE review – we like it, but there should be more of (in) it

Mark — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:43:18 +0000

Alive and kicking. That seems to be the message Asus wants to send across with their new 1025CE 10 inch netbook. Asus was one of the companies to help create the netbook standard, so it shouldn’t come as a very big surprise that the Asian giant is coming forth with a new machine in all the ways that matter: hardware and design.

In a time when netbooks seem like the old fashioned cousin you want to avoid calling at your 2012-2013 gadget fest, considering quad core tablets and 0.8 inch thin laptops are the new, the 1025CE is a fresh entry in this troubled niche, one that should be quite attractive for users on a tight budget or those looking for a basic portable computer.

Of course, what’s “basic” comes under scrutiny as new hardware generations emerge and the 1025CE has its perks, that’s for sure, including HD support, but is that enough? Stick around and find out from our review of the 1025CE netbook from Asus.

Specs

The 1025CE opens the 2012 fest and it surely has some fancy boots to strut around. The 10 incher is powered by Intel’s new N2800 dual core processor, but can be equipped only with 1 or 2 GB of RAM, at least in some territories. Full spec sheet below.

CPU: Intel Cedar Trail N2800 @1.86 GHZ
System memory: 1-2 GB of DDR3 1066 MHZ RAM
Storage: 500 GB HDD, 5400 rpm
Display: 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 anti-glare screen
Video: integrated Intel HD 3650 graphics
Connectivity: Bluetooth 3.0, Wireless N, Ethernet
Ports: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA, LAN, card reader, webcam
Battery: 6 Cell 5200 mAh 56 Wh
OS: Windows 7 Starter
Weight: 2.7 pounds
Dimensions (in inches): 10.3” x 7” x 1.3”

Build and design

If it’s 2012, it’s Flare, as Asus decided to leave the Seashell standard behind and introduce a brand new concept, called Flare. Hints of this design are also used on the Asus ultrabooks and other Asus laptops out in force this year, so the new design shouldn’t surprise you that much if you’re an Asus fan.

The 1025CE comes with an all plastic exterior that’s a little bulkier in the middle and slimmer towards the edges, a trick that might make people think the netbook is slimmer that it actually is. It’s all about mimicking ultrabooks these days and the 1025CE does that honorably. The chassis is all plastic, as I said, but it fells very metal like when grabbed, so no resemblance to those wobbly netbooks that gave the budget category a bad name.

The Flare design comes with thinner edges and an all plastic body

Unfortunately, at least for the Central and East European Market, there’s no option to manually upgrade the system memory and you’ll have to settle for the amount the netbook has out of the box. This might be different in other territories, as it usually happens. Overall, the 1025CE is quite a handsome netbook if I can say so, upping the game a little in terms of design, as the Flare concept is definitely catchier than the rusty Seashell.

Keyboard and touch pad

In this aspect, things haven’t changed that much and you get a type of Chiclet keyboard used on 10 inch EEE PCs before. The keys on the unit we saw have a silver finish that makes the keyboard a little classier maybe, but might get dirty quicker, to be honest. Also, the keys are quite sturdy and a little taller than the usual setup on an EEE PC, thus making the typing a little more “consistent”, as the keys are less wobbly and have a longer travel.

As for the track pad, it’s responsive and smooth enough, although not very spacious. This is a problem most 10 inch netbooks have anyway, so you can’t really blame it on Asus, but rather this standard. The click pad is easy to use and is fairly responsive, although a clear, left and right mouse button setup would have been more up my alley.

The keyboard feels solid, with tall and sturdy keys

Display

What you get is simple and efficient, namely a 1024 x 600 matte display. That’s what you get on 90% of all 10 inchers anyway, so no reason to dwell too much on it. Still, it would have been nice for Asus to try to offer a slightly better panel, considering the newly added HD possibilities of this netbooks, which won’t be enjoyed thoroughly directly on the display, but rather on an external display via the HDMI port.

Having said that, for a mediocre panel, the one on the 1025CE behaves decently, having good viewing angles, while the bezel is made from a dark, matte plastic strip that’s less likely to gather smudges.

Hardware and performance

The most exciting thing about the 1025CE is the Cedar Trail N2800, running at 1.86 GHZ, chip inside. We talked about this new platform throughout 2011, waiting for Intel to finally release and see it in action, as it promised what Pine Trail processors couldn’t do: HD playback. Even so, don’t expect wonders, as the Cedar Trail platform is just an updated version of Pine Trail with superior video support and some improved cooling systems, stuff that might not translate into a massive performance boost in real life.

Actually, for now, there are no comprehensive drivers for the platform on the 1025CE, but what we could make out of it is that the netbook can stream HD content pretty decently, something you didn’t had on entry level netbooks before. As we said, don’t expect wonders in terms of overall performance, as having more than 2-3 apps running at the same time might choke this fragile little slugger, especially if you can count on only 1 GB of RAM. But still, the 1025CE is a step forward, even if not a big one.

Software

Like virtually any netbook out there, the 1025CE comes with Windows 7 Starter. Additionally, you’ll find enough bloatware to decrease the out of the box performance of the netbook, so it’s better if you get rid of them as soon as you buy the netbook. On a brighter note, there’s also Asus’s InstantOn! technology on board, which allows for ultra fast recovery from sleep mode, a feature we’ve seen on ultrabooks lately. Still, because of some driver issues, this function doesn’t work properly on the 1025CE, but some future update should fix this.

Ports, heat, noise and speakers

The 1025CE comes with, in addition to standard netbook ports, with an HDMI port and a USB 3.0 port, adding some flexibility to the experience. Also, in terms of connectivity, you get faster Wireless N and Bluetooth 3.0. Thanks to the Cedar Trail platform, the 1025CE doesn’t get very hot, especially on the top side, only the bottom being slightly warm after using the machine intensively.

The plastic bottom of the netbook doesn't get very hot in comparison with older generation netbooks

Somehow complementary, the netbook barely makes any noise, considering there’s not much to vent. The quiet profile also describes, sadly, the speakers, which have a rather low volume, although the sound quality is good. But if you want to use this one for soundtracking a party, you should have some external speakers available.

Battery life

The 1025CE is hailed as being able to run on a single charge for about 12 hours, but that’s not really the case. Using the netbook intensively will deplete the battery in about 6 hours, while light use and taking down the screen brightness under 50% will give it little over 8 hours of autonomy. Still, the numbers are pretty good for a netbook relying only on its default battery and if Asus will offer an extra battery slice, you might get to 12 hours…and more.

Prices and availability

As the 1025CE is not yet available in stores, we can’t give you official pricing details for the US or Western Europe. A little further to the East, in Romania, the 1025CE will be available for the equivalent of 350 bucks, so this might be a decent rough estimate for how much the netbook will cost somewhere else too.

Anyway, soon enough the 1025CE will be less attractive than it is now, as other manufacturers will launch netbooks, so the 10 incher might go under the $300 barrier quite soon. Fingers crossed.

Final thoughts

You know what they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same. While the 1025CE has a few exciting features to brag about, on paper, like the new design and hardware platform, the actual user experience won’t change that much in comparison to that you could enjoy on 2011 netbooks.

The 1025CE- a good netbook, but there's room for improvement

Besides the still not fully supported, driver wise, HD playback galore brought by the new integrated graphics, the processing power, operating system and display are all strikingly familiar to the seasoned netbook enthusiast. And with a starting price of over 300 bucks, the 1025CE might not perform stellar at the box office, as many other netbooks (some of them still to come and boosting Cedar Trail goodies as well) cost and will cost less or offer better value for money.

As it stands now, the 1025C is a good netbook, no doubt about it, but it needs a touch here and there to make us fall for the 10 incher yet again. Stay tuned for an in depth video review, courtesy of our friends from netbooklive.com. Enjoy.

Asus 1025C and the X101CH – two new budget-friendly 10-inch netbooks (video)

Adrian — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:34:32 +0000

After unveiling what looks like a premium 12-inch ultraportable laptop at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, Asus has come up with two new 10-inchers as well, the 1025C and X101CH. Both netbooks are set to hit the market starting this February and are targeted towards technology enthusiasts on a budget looking for stylish computing devices to take on the road.

First off, we have the Asus 1025C, packing a 1.66 GHz Cedar Trail N2600 dual-core processor and featuring 1 GB of RAM. That won’t offer exactly the gaming experience of a lifetime, but then again if you need a computer for video games and HD content, the 10-inch netbook market niche should definitely not be your target.

The Asus 1025C sports a 10.1-inch screen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution and, while we aren’t that surprised by this display in question, we won’t hide the fact that we’re a bit disappointed by it. Other features include a 320 GB HDD, three USB 2.0 ports, WiFi, Ethernet, HDMI and an 0.3 MPx webcam.

The Asus 1025C looks pretty decent and will feature some nice tech specs as well.

In terms of design, this netbook is pretty sleek and slim, weighing in at just 2.7 pounds and measuring 1.3-inches thick. That’s not exactly ultrabook material right now, but it’s pretty darn close and should be easy to carry around. We should also mention that the netbook will be made available in no less than five different models, in gray, blue, red, pink and black.

The Asus 1025C is set to feature a 56 Wh battery, capable of an estimated autonomy of up to ten hours (not bad, not bad at all!) and will hit the market in a few short weeks for 299 dollars.

The second 10-inch netbook from Asus you can check out from the hands-on video below is the X101CH, featuring pretty much the same specs as the 1025C, including the N2600 dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and all those ports and connectivity options.

The X101CH is lighter, cheaper, but comes with a poorer battery.

The Asus X101CH will also sport a 10.1-inch screen with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution, but will in fact be a tad lighter and thinner than its sibling. On the other hand, that six ounces difference in weight is due to the using of a smaller, three-cell battery, only capable of up to four hours of autonomy.

As the Asus 1025C, the X101CH will be up for sale starting next month and will only cost 269 bucks, which is quite decent, if not more affordable than we had hoped.

Don’t forget to check out this short hands-on video of the two 10-inchers from Asus, brought to you exclusively by the guys at netbooklive.com:

Asus EEE PC X101CH unboxed and previewed – Cedar Trail Atom for 2012 netbooks

Andrew — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:47:44 +0000

Three years ago, netbooks were incredibly hot and everyone craved for a cheap 10 inch mini laptop they could easily grab along when traveling. Today, netbooks are not near as popular as back then, but that doesn’t mean producers aren’t working on improving them: the Asus EEE PC X101CH is a proof of that, and I’ve got to unbox and test it (in the next days) over at netbooklive.com .

I’m pretty sure the Asus X101CH EEE PC is going to be Asus’s cheapest 10 inch mini laptop in 2012, with prices starting at about 200 bucks. What we have here is a sample unit, as the device is scheduled to hit the stores in February 2012 and will replace the current Asus X101H line. This particular EEE PC series is hardly available in the US, so the successor might as well target mostly developing markets, like eastern Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. But who knows, maybe it will come to the states as well.

On the outside, the X101CH EEE PC is pretty much identical to the current slim EEE PC X101 line. In fact, there are two main differences: the screen has a matte bezel, and on the left side you now get a HDMI port. The rough textured case, the slim shape, the island keyboard and the trackpad haven’t changed a bit, but that’s not a bad thing, as the X101 is one of the most solid built 10 inchers available right now, at least in my eyes. They’re not shinny or stylish, but the matte plastic case does make them way better for rougher conditions, traveling or for handing them to your youngsters.

The Asus EEE PC X101CH is going to be Asus's cheapest netbook in the first part of 2012

The real goodies lie inside this machine, as it boosts the new Intel Atom Cedar Trail processor, with a dual-core Atom N2600 CPU and improved graphics, next to 1 GB of RAM, 320 GB hard-drive and Windows 7 Starter.There’s also good connectivity, a matte 10.1 inch 1024 x 600 px display and 3 Cell battery, all inside a 1 kilo portable notebook.

I haven’t got the chance to play with it for long, as I only have the X101CH on my desk for a couple of hours, but I will get back with more tests and benchmarks. Early impressions are pretty good, the X101CH is decently snappy, especially if you’re going to compare it to the Atom N435 powered X101H. However, since we’re talking about a dual-core CPU, it should be put side by side to the Atom N550, but I think the N2600 is going to be cheaper and more energy efficient, while providing similar everyday punch. That’s yet to be tested though. As for the graphics, well, the new Intel Cedar Trail platform is far superior to the older Pine Trail, able to deal with HD content and even Full HD clips. The clip below shows you that I was able to run 720p Youtube video pretty well, but I’ll look more into that before posting the review.

That’s about it for now, more details will follow though and you should also check out the unboxing on netbooklive.com for extra info.

While not much has changed outside, the new platform is definitely faster than before

If you’re going to ask what do I think about this mini laptop right now, after only an hour or so of playing with it, I’d say I like it. It’s slim and solid built, comes with a matte 10 inch display, it’s decently powered and based on what I know right now, this config will sell for about 230 Euros here in Eastern Europe. Cheaper versions might be available as well, so if you’re looking for an inexpensive laptop perfect for young users, for school or as a secondary computer when traveling, the X101CH could be a very good pick. Of course, that 3 Cell battery won’t offer proper autonomy, but I’m pretty sure Asus will offer some versions with a bigger battery as well.

However, hold your horses for the final review I’m going to post here and on netbooklive.com next week.

Asus 1025CE and 1025C EEE PC – new generation Asus netbooks

Mark — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:52:00 +0000

The 1025CE and 1025C are two future netbooks that will launch in late 2011 and which will signal the changing of the guard in terms of design for Eee PCs.

If you know your Eee PC history, you know that most 10 inch netbooks from the series were built using the Seashell design. The back of the netbook (hosting the battery) was a little bulkier, with the thickness decreasing towards the palm rest.

This was (and is) the official design running around for the last two years, since Asus entered massively in the netbook market; the design was good enough for holding a larger battery and required lots of space for accommodating all of the internals. But with processors getting smaller and smaller and SSDs taking over hard disk drives, a new type of design takes over the minds of Asus designers. The two future netbooks will have a plastic finish which is said to imitate the feel and consistency of aluminum.

The build is inspired by the U design that can be found on other Asus mini laptops. That means you get slightly sharper edges and a more thin design for the body, with significantly smaller fans.

The two computers will come in different color versions, namely 3 for the 1025CE and 7 for the 1025C (expect the usual-red, white, black, blue and probably pink and a couple of other colors). But maybe the most important changes will take place on the inside. Pine Trail processors (Atom Nxxx) will be replaced bu Cedar Trail chips (Nxxx), which require way less energy to run, as well as having a better graphics engine than the previous version.

The 1025C/CE will have the same finish on the lid and the palm rest

The 1025C will run on Windows 7 Starter and has a base price of $249, while the more expensive 1025CE, starting at $279, will have a secondary OS (Asus Express Gate), a USB 3.0 port, WiFi N and Bluetooth 3.0 (the later two being available on the 1025C as well). Battery life is of course a highlight, as the 6 cell version will be capable of going for about 14 hours on a single charge; of course, the base model will run on a 3 cell juice maker.

This is the first batch of info we’ve got about these two groundbreaking (at least in terms of design) netbooks and there’s a chance we’ll find out more during Computex.

Asus Eee PC 1015BX with AMD C-60 processor available in Europe

Adrian — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:37:25 +0000

The Asus Eee PC line of ultraportable, light and affordable netbooks is very popular right now and we can’t say that we are surprised of announcing the release of a new model.

The 1015BX is already available for pre-order on Amazon Germany and should pretty soon come to the rest of Europe and probably also the US.

The 1015 BX’s most important upgrade is the AMD C-60 processor, the latest low power chipset from AMD. This new 1.33 GHz processor should offer a small, but noticeable performance boost from the older C-50 dual core chipset. Also, it comes with a Radeon HD 6290 graphics card that offers support for HD video playback, as well as DirectX 11 graphics.

The rest of the technical specifications are pretty straightforward, with a 10.1-inch LED-backlit anti-glare display with 1024×600 pixels resolution, 1 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive. Asus’s new netbook is set to be powered by a very powerful 6 cell 5200 mAh Lithium-ion battery and will also feature Bluetooth 3.0, LAN, Wireless, as well as an HDMI and one USB 3.0 port.

The Asus 1015BX could come to the US in the near future.

In terms of software, the 1015 BX is set to run Windows 7 Starter, while when it comes to the design and the product weight it follows the footsteps of all the other 10-inch mini laptops from Asus, being elegant, chic and highly portable.

The Asus Eee PC 1015 BX is available on Amazon Germany, as we already told you, and its price tag is pretty affordable, if you ask us. The mini-laptop goes for 205.94 euro right now, which means that if and when it will come in the United States, it could cost around 200-220 bucks.

The Asus EEE PC X101 available online in the US

Mark — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:08:48 +0000

If you’re shopping for a budget netbook (or intend to) which won’t bend your back carrying it, the Eee PC X101 is one of your top picks this September. Announced a couple of months back, this light 10 inch machine was recently made available by a couple of US online stores, but for now you can only pre order it from most of them. Don’t despair, though, as it should be shipped in the next couple of days, considering that in Europe you can already buy it for 169 euros.

Excalibur PC has the best price for it right now, namely 199 bucks, exactly the price Asus advertised for the netbook. Besides the price tag, expect to pay at least 9 bucks for shipping. Retailer CDW asks for the same netbook 209 bucks plus tax and shipping, while Amazon offers it for $226, but you might get free shipping for it.

For now, it’s not very clear when you’ll actually get this 10 incher on your front porch, but considering that, initially, the mini laptop should have been available even sooner, we should expect it to be shipped before the end of the month. As for the actual netbook, the X101 keeps it light, both in terms of hardware and body. The 10 inch weighs just under 2 pounds and is only measures 17 mm in thickness, but considering what’s on the inside, it doesn’t really need more more space or weight.

The X101 comes in a variety of colors, including black, but also red and brown

The netbook is powered by a 1.33 GHZ N435 single core processor, which is the slow cousin of the anyway modest N455. You also get a 3 cell battery which should take you through a maximum of 4 hours of usage time . There’s also 1 GB of RAM and a 8 GB SSD, which should be enough to store the light OS- MeeGo- and ultra relevant local files, while most of your data is stored in the cloud.

The display is a standard 1024 x 600 panel with a matte coating, while the keyboard is kind of cramped, with low, small buttons that might be tough to master from the get go. We’ll let you know as soon as other stores have the X101 on their shelves and hopefully we’ll enjoy some discounted units soon enough. Stay tuned.

Photo credit: Francesco Tenuta

Asus Eee PC X101H – new Windows 7 netbook with PineTrail

Mark — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:41:44 +0000

Only yesterday we’ve told you about the X101, which is Asus’s new 10 inch netbook running on MeeGo OS and now we’re back with info and a video with the X101H, which is the same machine, basically, but running on Windows 7. The X101H is more interesting for what it has above the hood than under it; it is one of the first Eee PC netbooks to have the new design, which is a departure from the traditional Eee PC Seashell design, moving towards sleeker, slimmer and lighter territory.

If we’re to believe the rumors, all future Asus netbooks will get the treatment and the design will probably be used for 2 to 3 years, which was the case with the Seashell design as well. Sure, it doesn’t look completely alien, but you’ll see for yourself in the video below that it’s a clear move away from current or older generations.

Moving on to the internals, the X101H packs an Intel N435 ~~Cedar Trail~~ Pine Trail processor (thanks James, we forgot to update this post), which is the entry level, single core processor from Intel’s line of ultra-low CPUs. Think N455, only slightly slower, more efficient and cheaper (which will reflect on the price of the final product). There is 1 or 2 GB of RAM (the new architecture seems to have the same 2 GB cap when it comes to system memory), and a 250 or 320 GB hard disk drive instead of the SSD drive you had on the X101.

The X101H will be available in black, red, white and brown

There’s also WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 3 cell battery, but probably there will be a version with a stronger juice maker. The display has a standard 1024 x 600 resolution and has a matte finish, while the keyboard has been redesigned a little. The keys are more square than before and there’s more space between them. Hopefully they won’t flex too much and won’t make too much noise. The X101H is 22 mm slim and weighs around 1 kg with the 3 cell battery, being a truly portable computer, also being able to boot from both Windows 7 Starter and Asus’s Express Gate.

For now, this is all we’ve got about the X101H, with configuration and availability info to be disclosed by Asus tomorrow or the day after. We could speculate that the starting price for the X101H might be around 250 bucks, with the premium version going over $300. Hopefully the next couple of days will enlighten us regarding this brand new Eee PC netbook. Hit the video below and tell us what you think about Asus’s new approach to 10 inch mini laptops.

Asus 1015PW EEE PC now rocks Atom N570 chip

Mark — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:25:11 +0000

The 1015PW is one of the many, but many Asus 10.1 inch netbooks currently populating the market. If you don’t remember about what netbook we’re talking about, it’s the one that Asus hopes will break the aesthetic deadlock for the company. Asus was accused of delivering bland machines when it comes to design, and always failing to outmatch Samsung or Toshiba in terms of looks.

The 1015PW, however, has a textured, wave like finish on the back, which looks either like the calm, blue sea or the back of a book, depending on your reference library. It looks not necessarily fantastic, but it’s surely a step forward in comparison with the matte plastic we see on Eee PCs way too often. This is only on the outside, as on the inside, the 1015PW is almost identical to the 1015PEM, which was declared the best dual core netbook back in 2010.

The good news we have today about the 1015PW is that it finally gets a long awaited upgrade to Intel Atom N570, which is a dual core, 1.66 GHZ chip. This way, you get an interestingly looking netbook, packing one of the best processors (of course, from Intel) for mobile devices currently available . The netbook appeared listed on Amazon for a starting price of $319.99 and is currently available for purchase.

One of the many colour options for the N570 powered 1015PW

This version comes with 1 GB of RAM, a 250 GB HDD, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, an 8 hour battery life, 1024 x 600 display and Windows 7 Starter. Of course, in order to take advantage of the decent processor, you’d better immediately upgrade to 2 GB of RAM and maybe take it up a notch also in terms of OS, with Windows 7 Home Premium being a much more accomplished option.

In terms of connectivity, you get WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, while ports include USB, 3 in 1 card reader, a VGA slot, Kensington lock, audio jack. As always, Asus throws in the mix 500 GB of web storage, which is free for the first year, and after that you can keep it for There are also a couple of colour options, most of them seeming aimed at a female demographic.