Now when you get yourself a netbook, you don’t really think much in the way of multimedia, right? I mean, netbooks are perfect for some light web browsing, getting some work done on your favorite word processor, and watching a couple of YouTube videos, but that’s just about it. They’re underpowered by today’s standards, and watching a 1080p HD video on your netbook would be, well, crazy. The video’s going to end up as choppy as hell.

Asus thinks that the 1005PR Eee PC might change the way you think about netbooks. You see, this intrepid netbook has a HD display and HD content playing capabilities, thanks to a Broadcom accelerator card. Wait, what the heck is a Broadcom accelerator card anyway? It’s an extension chip connected on the mini PCI-e slot, and it’s meant to enhance the graphic performance of the Intel PineTrail processor running the Eee PC.

As promising as it can be, All About Eee PC has a different opinion on this netbook:

However, improvements are only visible in terms of video playing and not on games, as the chip provides H.264 decoding capabilities. As a result, the Asus EEE PC 1005PR can play up to 1080p self-stored clips and 720p flash videos. 1080p Flash might work or not, according to the bitrate of each individual clip.

Playing HD content on a 10 inch 1024 x 600 px display wouldn’t have been much of an improvement, thus Asus equipped the 1005PR EEE PC with a HD ready 10 inch 1366 x 768 px screen. On the bright side, this translates in a bigger working area. But, having a bigger resolution will also translate in a bigger weight on the shoulders of the PineTrail hardware, which we already know ain’t the best in terms of performances. Thus, the 1005PR might be somewhat more sluggish than a standard Asus 10 incher in everyday tasks.

Oh, wow. What do you think? Personally, I’m sold on the HD-playing capabilities of this netbook, but I’d like to hear your opinion.

Netbooked was able to get their hands on a netbook suspiciously resembling Macbook Pros -the Asus Eee PC 1201T – and they took it out for a spin. The verdict? They’re pretty much satisfied with this new netbook from Asus. Well except for a few caveats:

I am pretty pleased overall with the ASUS Eee PC 1201T apart from the battery life (2-3 hours), limited upgradability and perhaps the noise. Other than that the form factor allows for comfortable usage for long periods of time. Keyboard is great to type on and the trackpad is large and has responsive scrolling.

If you’re looking for something more powerful than a netbook but don’t want to pay the prices that dual core CULV notebooks reach, than the ASUS Eee PC 1201T is one to consider. When it comes to games, it’ll cream most netbooks and even Intel CULV notebooks powered with Intel GMA graphics.

If you’re wondering what the specs of this impressive-looking netbook are, look no further:

• 12.1” 1366 x 768 display (glossy)
• AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor (1.6GHz single core)
• AMD M780G chipset
• ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics
• 2GB RAM
• 250GB HDD (5400 RPM, 2.5” SATA)
• 10/100 LAN
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• VGA, 3x USB 2.0, headphone and mic jacks, kensington lock, RJ45, card reader
• 6-cell battery (5.2 hours)
• 0.3MP webcam
• Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
• 1.45 kg / 3.2 pounds
• 295mm x 205mm x 22 – 29mm / 11.6” x 8.1” x 0.87” – 1.14” dimensions
• There are three available colors: silver, black and red.

Honestly, I was disappointed to read that the 6-cell battery only provides 2-3 hours of juice. I know of a lot of netbooks that can provide you with longer running time with a 6-cell battery. And to be quite honest, I’m not impressed with AMD processors as well. I guess we’ll just have to watch the net to see if people start raving or ranting about this netbook.

Netbooked.net was able to get their hands on an Eee PC 1008-KR Karim Rashid Edition, and they’ve published a pretty in-depth review. They say that it feels more solid than other Eee PCs – in fact they’re saying that it’s a step up from the other netbooks produced by Asus. It’s not as thin as light as you might expect, but it’s still better than most netbooks. The beefier specs aren’t so bad too.

However, the netbook has a few shortcomings, mainly the 4-hour battery life (one battery) and the $500 price tag.

Netbooked.net lists the Asus Eee PC 1008-KR Karim Rashid Edition’s pros and cons:

Speaking of specs, the Eee PC 1008-KR’s specs are:

• 10.1” 1024 x 600 display (glossy, edge-to-edge)
• Intel Atom N450 processor (1.66GHz)
• Intel GMA 3150 graphics
• 2GB RAM
• 320GB HDD (2.5” SATA)
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 10/100 LAN
• 1.3MP webcam
• Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
• 2x USB, mini-USB (VGA dongle), headphone, microphone jacks
• 2x Li-poly batteries (4 hours each, 8 total)
• Multi-touch trackpad
• Stereo speakers
• 1.15 kg / 2.5 pounds (1x battery)
• 260 x 180 x 18 – 26.2mm / 10.2 x 7.1 x 0.7 – 1 inch

Getting one with Windows 7 Home Premium is definitely a good deal, although I wish they could’ve sold one with Linux preinstalled or with no OS at all. heck, we’d like a cheaper Asus Eee PC. What do you think?

The folks at All Touch Tablet were able to get their hands on an Asus Eee PC T101MT – way before its release – and now they’re posting a video review of the thing.

A heads up for those who are thinking of buying this touch screen netbook: apparently it has disappointed quite a few people. According to Slashgear:

It’s also no performer, either, with opening windows sluggish, 480p YouTube video pushing CPU use to 100-percent, and a 10 to 15-percent CPU load even when the netbook is sitting idle. The touchscreen, meanwhile, shows a worrying lack of accuracy around the edges, which ironically is where ASUS’ own touch-menu shortcut resides. They’ve shot some hands-on video, which you can see below, but for €499 ($676) there seem a few too many compromises.

The T101MT has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail CPU and GMA 3150 graphics. It also packs 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and Windows 7 Home Premium.

You can watch a video review here:

ASUS EEE PC T101 MT hands on and preview from John Pope on Vimeo.

We know that there are like a million and one versions of the Eee PC already. In fact, they’re so darn confusing (with very little variations between versions) that even I tend to forget which iteration of the Eee PC is made up of what processor and other parts – and I’m the one writing on the Asus Eee PC-themed blog here.

Anyway, the Asus Eee PC 1201T is yet another seashell-themed netbook. It may sound like a bad thing, but believe me, we need Asus to manufacture more seashell Eee PCs. The main difference of the Eee PC 1201T from the other seashell netbooks is that the Eee PC 1201T has an AMD Neo MV-40 CPU and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, as opposed to the usual Intel Atom processor-powered netbooks like the Eee PC 1201N, 1201HA, and 1201NL.

Does it actually perform well against its Intel Atom-powered brothers? Let’s see the review done by Yugatech, as recounted by Liliputing:

• The Eee PC 1201T comes with the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium (most other models have the 32-bit version).
• The computer has a Windows Experience Index of 3.1 (with the graphics notching the lowest score and the CPU weighing in at 3.2). By comparison, the Eee PC 1201N has an Index of 3.3, with a 4.3 graphics score, but a 3.3 for the CPU.
• HD video appears to be a mixed bag, with the Eee PC 1201T playing 1080p HD video locally without a problem, but struggling with 720p and higher resolution Flash video.
• Battery life was pretty sad, with the computer lasting about 2.5 hours with a 4400mAh battery.

Batterly life alone seems to be a dealbreaker. I’d rather stick with Intel Atom for now. What about you?

I finally went through with something I was planning a few months back. I installed a Linux distro on my Asus Eee PC 701. Actually, the main reason I didn’t push thru with installing Linux is that I didn’t want to leave the comfort of a Windows installation. I know there are a lot of Linux fanboys among you readers, but I really depend on Windows a lot and I really can’t afford turning Linux into my main operating system.

Once I was able to get my hands on a brand-new laptop, I didn’t hesitate removing the Windows XP installation on my Asus Eee PC so I can put Jolicloud on it. As I have the only the 4gb Eee PC, I went for the Pro Install. I downloaded a Jolicloud ISO and was able to quickly mount it on a flash drive. The Jolicloud website has the easiest instructions, and because of that I was able to get Jolicloud up and running on my mini laptop in no time.

Jolicloud Pre-Beta’s interface does not differ significantly from Ubuntu Netbook Remix. In fact, save for a couple of shade changes, it’s exactly Ubuntu Netbook Remix. But the biggest difference would be the installation process. Just like the app store on an iPhone or iPod touch, you’d get to an App Directory and all you need to do to install them would be to click on the install button, and the app of your choice would be downloaded and installed immediately.

The apps available on the directory are a bit of a mixed bag. We’d get apps like Pidgin and Google Chrome, which are must-have programs to install on any computer, regardless of operating system. I saw an app for Twitter, and I promptly installed it. I was hoping for a TweetDeck-like experience where Tweets are integrated into the Jolicloud UI, but I only got a Mozilla Prism window leading to the Twitter website. Meh.

I’d be satisfied with Jolicloud if the audio didn’t keep on disappearing on me during random intervals. I can’t find anything anywhere that can help me out with that issue. Also, the fact that I never once upgraded the RAM on my Eee PC (I’m holding on at 512mb!) made running Jolicloud a not-so-pleasurable experience. Everything is choppy and lag time is a bit huge. Ok, I know it’s my blasted 701’s fault more than anything else, so I’m giving Jolicloud the benefit of a doubt here.

The audio problem’s a really big pet peeve though. Restarting my Eee PC doesn’t guarantee the audio will go back – in fact it took around three to four restarts just to get it back, which is annoying. I’ll try my luck with CrunchBang Lite one of these days.

I’ve been waiting for Asus to come out with its own Pine trail-powered netbook for the longest time, and since the advent of Intel Atom, the Asus Eee PC 1005PE is probably the first significantly different Asus Eee PC. It’s the first one in a long time to not have the first-generation Atom 1.6 processor. Again, we know that we’re not supposed to expect any difference off the new chip, but everyone is obviously curious as to how the new processor stacks up.

The Asus Eee PC 1105PE is actually a slightly updated version of the Asus Eee CP 1005HA, and since there isn’t that big a difference from the previous iteration, we’re expecting the reviews to focus more on the new processor over the laptop itself. Now let’s see if the hype surrounding the Asus Eee PC 1005PE is indeed worth it.

According to Engadget,

So, what kind of difference does the new single-core 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 make? Coupled with 1GB of RAM and a 5,400rpm 250GB hard drive that boots Windows 7 Starter, the 1005PE felt slightly snappier than netbooks with Atom N270 or N280 chips, but not by much. We didn’t wait around for programs to launch or have any problems running Firefox 3, TweetDeck, and iTunes simultaneously. It’s possible to run Photoshop, but editing a batch of photos still requires the patience of a grade-school teacher — just like on N270 or N280 machines. The benchmarks say the same: On Geekbench the 1005PE notched 942, while the 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 powered 1008HA scored a lower 756. Either way, the performance gain isn’t going to blow you away, and keeps netbooks in line with their original purpose — light productivity and web tasks.

Okay, so do you think getting a pine trail netbook a great idea or would you rather stick to your current netbook? Tell me about it!

One of the biggest concerns I had when switching from the default Linux installation to Windows XP on my Eee PC 701 is that I’m moving from a world of relative security by obscurity to an operating system targeted by virus makers and hackers from all over the world. I had to look for a free anti-virus software that will be light enough and will not spam me with ads to upgrade to the paid version.

For more than three years, Avast! has been my anti-virus of choice. What’s not to love about it? It’s free and it has an amazing detection rate. It doesn’t even muck up my system, unlike some users of Norton and McAfee that I encountered before.

However, as any longtime Avast! user knows, everytime it updates its virus database, we get a slowdown before we hear the notification “Your virus database has been updated.”

Okay, for netbooks running on limited resources (particularly the Eee PC 701 – which I own) this slowdown could mean crashes. And it has happened way too often for me.

Fed up after a bad day when all my apps just kept on crashing one after the other, I went ahead and downloaded Panda Cloud Antivirus. I’ve been pretty much apprehensive of cloud applications. Especially when it means you have to entrust your entire security to a cloud-based app.

But I went and installed it anyway. The installation was pretty quick and painless, which was surprising for an anti-virus. The initial setup was pretty simple too: sign up for a Panda Cloud account, and log in to activate the anti-virus. There was a bit of a problem with the initial connection – it looked like Panda Cloud Antivirus took ages to connect (check out the screenshot on top) but somehow it was just a bug and the UI just didn’t refresh to display that it was already connected.

After a couple of hours testing this thing (doing scans, checking out my Panda account), my system was running way lighter than before. Now I haven’t done anything heavy duty yet. I’ll get to that in my next post. For now, all I can say is that I still won’t trust Panda Cloud Antivirus with my main system, but for netbooks it’s perfect.

A more in-depth review soon.

Download Panda Cloud Antivirus here.

Joana Stern of Gizmodo pitted a bunch of the newfangled Windows 7 13-inch CULV notebooks against each other, and guess who won.

If the title of this blog (and blog entry) doesn’t give away the answer yet (poor you), it would be the ASUS UL30A-A1.

It was stacked up against the Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T-8737, HP Pavilion dm3, and Toshiba Satellite T135.

The ASUS UL30A-A1 is our number one pick for a 13-inch ULV based system. It is thin, light, and comfortable to use for its over 6 and a half hours of juice. The Acer keeps a close second to the ASUS with its long run time and sleek bod. The HP Pavillion dm3 and the Toshiba T135, while still affordable and adequate performers, simply aren’t the best.

[via]

He got a model with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and a 13.3 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display and Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics.

The Asus UL30A with Intel integrated graphics gets a higher Windows performance score (3.9).

Here is the unboxing video, by the way: