So why is the S101 so darn hard to upgrade, asks Laptopmag.

While there is a small latch for getting to the RAM, that is about all you can access. We had no problem unscrewing that latch and replacing the default 1GB SODIMM with a 2GB stick of DDR2 RAM; in fact that is the easy part. However, when we popped in the RAM the Windows XP operating system didn’t recognize the extra 1GB, still showing only 0.99GB. Is it possible the BIOS itself won’t recognize more than 1GB? We haven’t gotten an official answer from ASUS about this, but it looks like that’s the case.

Ok so we didn’t really think the Eee PC S101 needed more RAM any way. But a new SSD would be pretty sweet, considering we weren’t all that impressed with the one that came standard on the system. We have a new Eee PC SSD upgrade chip from SuperTalent. However, there is no easy way to access the SSD from the back of the system. Even after we pulled off all the screws we couldn’t get to the internals. We assume you have to pry the keyboard off.

Again, this makes the S101 a no in my next netbook choice.

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Computer repair company RESCUECOM puts out regular reports on computer reliability. Basically, the company analyzes the number of service calls it gets about computers from a particular company with the number of units shipped by that computer maker. Using this method, RESCUECOM concluded that Apple computers were the most reliable in 2008. But for the first quarter of 2009, Asus and Lenovo top the list, with Apple falling to second or third place depending on how you interpret RESCUECOM’s figures.

Check out the full article here.

The Intel Atom processors have been pretty neat, enabling us to have a whole generation of netbooks like the Asus Eee PC that are relatively fast and light on power. The’re pretty good for surfing the net, watching a couple of videos, and for finishing that stupid spreadsheet, but we all know that the Atom can do better.

Intel just revealed its plans for the next-generation CULV chips for the ultra-thin laptop space. From Liliputing:

At the bottom of the line, there will be a 1GHz Celeron U3400 chip and 1.2GHz Pentium U5400 processor. These will have a total power draw of 17 watts, which includes the graphics processor, which is built onto the same chip as the CPU.

As expected, there will also be new ULV Core i-series chips, including the Core i3-330UM, Core 5-430UM, Core i5-540UM, and Core i7-660UM.

These new chips will be rocking a 32-nanometer design which leads to a 12 percent power reduction compared to earlier CULV chips. And you don’t get only power reduction, these chips, according to Intel, also offers a performance boos of more than 30 percent.

CULVs aren’t exactly found in cheap netbooks. You’d be more likely to see these processors on ultra-thin netbooks, which are just as expensive as a mid-range full-sized laptop. Think of these ultra-thins as a high-end netbook where you can do so much more with it and for a longer battery life. The funny thing though, is that some ultra-thins still don’t have disk drives despite the fact that it’s almost full-sized.

Now that the Asus Eee Keyboard is going to be officially launched -along with the Eee Pad, which I am seriously eager to get my hands on – Asus is finally showing off its new all-in-one computer in a series of commercials.

I got this off AllAboutEeePC.com, and here’s more from the site:

EEE keyboard will be in fact an all-in-one computer shaped like a keyboard, all the hardware being placed beneath it and all the ports in the back. Inside you’ll get Atom hardware and all you’ll need to do is connect a monitor and have a ready to go computer. This gadget also features a small multi-touch display on the right part of the keyboard, great for launching all kind of applications and using the device as a Home Theater PC.

In case you were wondering where the video is, here we go:

I’ve panned the Eee PC Keyboard lots of times before, and with good reason. It’s been delayed for a good number of months, and in a world where a gadget is immediately obsolete once it leaves the store, it’s not exactly a good sign.

But the potential for the Eee Keyboard is just great to ignore. I’m actually kind of considering getting one fter watching the video. The only thing keeping me from getting the Eee Keyboard over the Eee Pad would be the fact that the Eee Pad would be rocking a Tegra 2 chip and Android. What about you, what do you think? Are you willing to get the Eee Keyboard or are you going to pass?

It was predicted that 2010 is going to be the year of the smartbook. If you don’t remember what a smartbook is, it’s a device that combines the elements of a smartphone and a netbook into a single laptop-like device. We haven’t seen any of these netbooks hit the market yet (and it’s quite possible that the iPad changed the landscape yet again), but computer manufacturers such as Lenovo and HP are developing smartbooks.

Our favorite netbook manufacturer, however, is thinking of a different approach. They’re thinking of developing a netbook that works as a Modu jacket. So basically, you get to use the Modu phone as an internal 3G model for the laptop.

From The Inquirer:

Andrew Tse, head of UK distributor Purely Gadgets, said the idea is that you can change the phone shell to match your clothes or to get new features such as a camera. One shell takes the form of a photoframe that screens pictures held in the phone.
Tse, who describes himself as ‘chief inspector’ of Purely Gadgets – a reference to the Inspector Gadget cartoon series – said the Modu-equipped netbook is an extension of the same idea. “If you don’t want to take the netbook out for the evening you just pull out the phone and take that.”

Imagine being able to use just one data plan for both your mobile phone and laptop. It’s not clear if you can use the phone while it’s plugged into your laptop, but knowing how functional Modu phone modules are, I won’t be surprised if that’s the case. Heck, I can see myself having one less thing to worry about when I bring my stuff around! Instead of having to worry about pickpockets as I commute, I just stick my phone in my laptop and just take care of one thing. Too bad I’m not exactly a fan of Modu phones though. I’m still willing to give this a try anyway.

Well all know that Asus releases netbooks from the Eee PC line a lot. Sometimes they tend to release way too many netbook models with the same guts, and with only numbers to differentiate model one from the other, you’re really going to have a hard time figuring out which Asus Eee PC suits you best.

However, if I were going to buy me a netbook right here, right now, I’d go for the Asus EEE PC 1018P in a heartbeat. You know why? Because it’s gorgeous.

The exterior and internal casing is made of brushed aluminum, colored in black or silver. Imagine how solid it will feel in your hands. It’s only 18mm thick, so this is probably the slimmest netbook from Asus yet. As a plus, it also has the chiclet keyboard that made typing on the Eee PC such a pleasure. Well, compared to the original Eee PC 701. It seriously reminds me of the Macbook Air.

Now we actually don’t know the processor, memory, and storage space (also will it have HDD or SSD?) of this mini laptop, but rumors suggest that it will have Intel Atom N455/N475 processors with DDR3 support, 2GB of memory and up to 500 GB storage space. Yep, you read it right. Whoa. I find the RAM a bit disappointing, but it’s easy to upgrade, right?

Now All About Eee PC drew some conclusions from the publicity pictures released by Asus:

• the device comes with a chiclet keyboard and a big trackpad with a single click button and a scrolling area on the right (I love this particular feature)
• it will offer USB 3.0 ports, as anticipated by the BLUE ports on the side
• Bluetooth 3.0 is also rumored to be present on-board, next to wireless Wi-Fi N (not sure about 3G/HSPA though, but it would surely do great on such a business mini-laptop)
• there’s a fingerprint reader on the right, something we haven’t seen on netbooks before
• it will come with Web-cam, card-reader, VGA output and 3 USB ports, but no HDMI (so will use low-powered ATOM platforms)

Since there are no official specs released yet, it’s pretty obvious that the Asus EEE PC 1018P is not yet available. Pricing is expected to reach $600.

If you ask me, it’s worth it, though. What do you think?

So, you guys still remember the Eee Keyboard? You know, the computer in a full-sized keyboard that had us excited since it was announced? But the thing is, it was announced a couple of years back and obviously any enthusiasm we had for this ll-in-one computer waned. You see, Asus planned to start shipping the Eee Keyboard back in October 2009, and, well, since it’s May 2010 already, it’s really hard to be excited for a computer with last year’s guts running it.

But if you’re interested in getting your hands on the Eee Keyboard, it is powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor and supported by 1GB of DDR2 memory. It’s really gorgeous though. It reminds me of the Apple Keyboard. Made out of aluminum with a durable UV-coated underside, but it’s surprisingly lightweight at just 2.4 pounds. ASUS has announced that in response to user input the EK1542’s “LED-backlit keys are precisely calibrated to ensure consistency in mechanical responsiveness, latency, and actuation pressure.”

It has a touchscreen on the right side with a 800×480 pixel resolution. The Eee Keyboard also carries with it a variety of ports: HDMI, VGA, Wi-Fi + UWB antenna, LAN, 3 USB, audio out and mic in. The HDMI port is most interesting, because you can just plug this into your HDTV and you can easily set up your own media center.

Sadly, the operating system looks like it is going to be Windows XP Home. XP has been a strong and sturdy operating system, but I don’t mind paying a little extra for this to run Windows 7 Home Premium. Especially if you plan to use this as a media center. If they’re using XP to cut costs, it’s not really convincing, because right now the US$599 price still looks a little daunting.

[via]

The long-awaited Eee might finally see the light of day. It looks like we don’t have to wait for it as long as we have for the Eee Keyboard too – we might finally get our hands on one come summer. It might come out late July, to be exact.

More from Liliputing:

The Asus Eee Pad is expected to be powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset, which features a low power ARM-based processor and a graphics core capable of handling HD video and 3D graphics as well as Adobe Flash.

Unlike the Apple iPad, the Eee Pad will have a USB port for connecting peripherals and an integrated webcam.

According to DigiTimes, the tablet could run about $480 to $510. And that’s including a subsidy from mobile broadband providers, although it’s not entirely clear if that’s the global price or just the price the Eee Pad is expected to sell for in Taiwan.

Honestly, I am a bit disappointed in the price. The $510 price is apparently “after bundling with telecom carrier services.” I know I shouldn’t expect a tablet computer for the price of an original Eee PC 701, but I was expecting it to be marginally cheaper than an iPad. Oh well then.

What do you guys think? Is the Eee PC Pad tablet computer worth checking out, or are you passing it in favor of the iPad or another tablet computer? Give me your thoughts in the comments.

From Engadget:

We’ve been hearing about the ET2010 model since CES, then got another glimpse at CeBIT a few weeks ago, and now the all-in-one machine is making its international debut — and ASUS has more than one to share with us. The five models range from the ET2010AG, with an AMD Athlon II processor, up to the ET2010PNT, with an Atom D510. All models have a 20-inch, 1600 x 900 displays, but only two of them sport multitouch. Storage ranges from 160GB to 500GB, 1 or 2GB of RAM is available, and graphics options include an integrated Intel GMA chipset, ATI’s Radeon HD 5470, or, most interestingly, Ion 2 graphics in the two Atom-powered options. All offer a DVD drive and all sport the same, wall-mountable and 1-inch thick design. What we don’t know is when these will be shipping or how much they’ll cost, but you’ll surely be the first to hear after we do.

Honestly, that is one sweet-looking nettop, and I’d love to get my hands on one of those.