Daily Tech Diva
The newest model of Asus’ popular eeePC sub-notebook computer is set to drop in the United States on May 12 for $549. The eeePC 900 features a larger 8.9 inch screen, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and 1 GB of RAM stock. It will come in two flavors–a Linux version with a 20GB SSD, and a Windows XP version with a 12GB SSD. The eeePC 900 will be slightly bigger and heavier than the eeePC 700, but will not feature a new processor or better battery life. The processor is reported to not be crippled from 900Mhz to 630Mhz as it is in the eeePC 700, but otherwise the under-the-hood changes are few and far between.
I am the proud owner of an eeePC 700 4G (my in-depth review soon to come!) and while I see the obvious improvements (bigger screen, bigger SSD), I really feel no need to upgrade. The first thing I did upon receipt of my eeePC was upgrade the RAM from the 512 MB stock to 2 GB. Then I loaded up Ubuntu and added an 8 GB SDHC card to complement the installed 4 GB SSD. It’s so light and small that I can carry it with me everywhere, and I do! I use my eeePC as a portable writing, surfing and media machine, and it does the job impeccably.
I appreciate that Asus is trying to improve on an already great product, but when the eeePC starts getting bigger, heavier, and more expensive, it starts to lose the point for me. When it starts creeping up towards the size and heft of my 12″ iBook, it’s no longer really a sub-portable that I can squeeze into pretty much any purse I own. $549 is only $150 more than I spent on my own eeePC, but it’s enough of a significant difference that it would have been a dealbreaker for me. Now, if the eeePC 900 had included a touchscreen and tablet capabilities, I’d have probably put mine up on eBay and plunked down the extra money. Maybe future releases will include that functionality, which would be a welcome purchase for people like me who are interested in the functionality of a really small tablet PC but are put off by the high prices.
In the meantime, I am still incredibly happy with my eeePC 700. It is an incredible value at $399 (for the 4 GB version) and I have no regrets in purchasing it. My fingers are still crossed for the success of the eeePC 900, because I want to see what else Asus can do with future releases for the affordable sub-notebook category!
2 Comments Received
April 19th, 2008 @6:57 pm
I have to say I would go with the new 900 cause my next major laptop will be the MacBook Pro. I feel the 900 would satisfy me greatly in providing me something I can carry more often and use on the DART train without taking up two seats as my current widescreen 15inch Dell tends to do. I so much want a notebook like computer that I can throw around and just jot something down in digital form. I already carry a moleskine and I will never give those up but want a microbook for my life in the mobile.
April 19th, 2008 @8:43 pm
$549 is still a good deal for what you are getting, don’t get me wrong…and I probably would have EVENTUALLY talked myself into it at that price point. I understand that the larger SSD storage is more expensive, as are the bigger screens, and $150 is probably a good price for those increases. It would have given me pause though. $549 just sounds a lot more than $399…and $399 for this little thing was a no-brainer buy for me.
But, it’s not a significant enough improvement to make me think “Oh no, I should sell my practically brand new one and trade up as soon as it hits in May!” I think it’d be great for exactly what you are needing it for if that extra $150 is worth it to you. Much easier to tote around and use on the go like you are describing than a sexy but large MBP!
I think my sister is going to get an eeePC 900 as well. I’ll be interested to hear how both of you like it if you end up picking one up.
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