Asus announces Eee PC 901 and 1000

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Hot on the heels of the launch of the Eee PC 900, Asus has announced the UK launch of its follow up.

As we reported previously, the Eee PC 901 offers the same 8.9 inch display as the 900 but now sports Intel’s Atom processor. Also announced was the 1000, which features a slightly larger 10 inch display.

Both the 901 and 1000 sport a 1.3-megapixel camera, and keys that are 92 per cent the size of full-size notebooks. Asus also promises a range of colours with ‘Infusion’ patterns that are inlaid into the chassis itself. Both are available with a choice of Windows XP. The Linux versions offer a 20GB solid state drive and 12GB for Windows XP, whilst 20GB of online storage is also available as part of the package.

Speaking to IT PRO, Helen Ling, spokeswoman for Asus, said that the new machines would not perform as fast as the previous ‘Dothan’ based processor but that this would be compensated the extended battery life of the Atom. Asus claims up to seven hours is possible, thanks to Super Hybrid Engine technology, which offers three power saving modes.

When quizzed why the 901 and 1000 were being released so soon after the 1 May released of the 900, Ling said that Intel would not permit Atom based machines to be released before the beginning of June. “We didn’t want to wait for to get the 8.9in model into the market as there was a niche for it”.

Ling confirmed that the 900 would remain on sale and that Asus wanted to offer more choice to the market. “If you want better battery life then you have the 901, but if you do the benchmarks you’ll find the 900 is faster. It depends on what you’re looking for.”

Asus had not confirmed pricing on the 1000 but the EeePC 901 will be available from 1 July and will cost £272 excluding VAT.

Recently, Acer also announced an Atom-based budget machine, dubbed the Aspire One.

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