Asus unveils yet another Eee PC

Except for its diminutive form factor, the latest Eee PC model from Asus breaks away from its predecessors in terms of design and price.

The new Eee PC S101, at 1.8-cm thick and 1kg light, is Asus’ most striking netbook to date with a refined finish that clearly speaks to the fashionable set of users who would fall for stylish things no matter the price.

In brown, champagne and graphite colors accentuated by crystal hinges, the Eee PC S101 costs P34,990, almost double the price of the original Eee PC that went for about P17,000 when it was launched almost two years ago.

Well, improvements usually come with a price and the new Eee PC S101 has certainly undergone a lot of improvements compared to its forerunners that include its use of Intel Atom, better ergonomics, a much elegant finish, more storage and shockproof Solid State Drive (SSD), among others.

Every Eee PC S101 comes with an encrypted 30GB Internet storage facility known as Eee Storage, allowing users to store and subsequently access their important document and media securely.

Buyers can opt to buy units with SSD from 16GB, 32GB to 64GB storage. In addition, it has an integrated four-in-one flash card reader that supports more formats than other Eee PC models. It supports Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth V2.0.

The Eee PC S101’s vibrant 10.2-inch wide active matrix LED-backlit display is capable of running at WSVGA resolution for wider views. It also features the exclusive Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) that greatly enhances its energy efficiency and battery life for up to five hours of continuous use.

SHE also offers a choice of performance and power consumption modes that allow users to make quick and easy adjustments to suit their requirements.

The new Eee PCs are available with either Microsoft Windows or GNU Linux. The Microsoft Windows version also includes Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, and Microsoft Works. The Linux version comes with over 50 pre-installed applications that span learning, productivity and entertainment.

Touch computing

Remember ET, the extra terrestrial being from the classic sci-fi movie by Steven Spielberg? One of the most memorable images from the movie was when ET pointed a glowing finger to his human friend, as he was about to enter his spaceship.

Today, another ET comes to us to make finger-pointing vogue again.

Asus just introduced two new models of its all-in-one touch-screen computer. Equipped with 15.6-inch five-wired resistive touch panels, the new Eee Top ET1602 and Eee Top ET1603 enable users to manipulate what they see onscreen by applying direct pressure with their fingertips, greatly enhancing the interactivity and simplicity of performing daily computing tasks.

The Eee Top ET16 Series comes with touch-optimized applications spanning pro-ductivity, entertainment and communications, enabling users to do virtually anything, easily.

Great things come in small packages, as we say, and the new Eee Top ET16 Series offers quite a number of rich features all packed in a compact LCD monitor form factor. It’s a plug-and-play unit that has Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity for Internet access, built-in high fidelity speakers, and an integrated 1.3-megapixel Web camera and microphone array for Web conferencing.

Asus pre-installed the Eee Top ET16 Series with applications that are mostly tailored for touch panels. These include the Eee Memo that enables users to write messages on desktop “stickies” with their fingers, and the SoftStylus that allows text to be inputted using a virtual keyboard alternative.

Surfing the Internet is also possible without a mouse with Opera Touch, a rich-featured Web browser enhanced for touch-screen use that supports drag-and-drop functions, widgets and “speed dialing.”

There is also the Eee Cinema, a full-featured multimedia center for photos, music and videos that can make good use of Eee Top ET16 Series’ Hi-Fi speakers and SRS TruSurround HD technology.

All these applications can be enjoyed at an “Easy Mode” setting for novice users who prefer to locate and access their most commonly used applications easily.

The Eee Top ET16 Series uses a 15.6-inch widescreen LCD complemented by the Eee Splendid Video Intelligence Technology that ensures that the display remains vivid and clear regardless of any lighting conditions.

For added graphics, it features ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450 graphics solution to support graphic-intensive 3D applications and games.

The Intel Atom N270-powered computer also has a carrying handle that’s noteworthy as it doubles as a keyboard holder.  

The Eee Top ET16 Series costs P32,990.