Another Asus Eee: S101 for the Fashionista
In the old days of the PC, there was only one color, beige. Even the first Compaq portables were in beige. Then the changes began, but slowly, first there were changes in beige, becoming off-white and in some, refrigerator white. In most cases, the color was really just cosmetic, with no significant difference between computers of a certain class.
Now comes the latest Asus Eee, the S101 which comes in fashionable colors of Champagne, Brown and Graphite. I have no idea where the choice of colors come from, but this is one ultra-mini which has a more sophisticated color scheme. It might be an improvement to the pastel colors of earlier Asus Eee models and even the Sony Vaio netbook line.
Asus didn’t just repaint this ultra-mini. It also did some redesign, including a slightly wider case around the 10-inch monitor. This is relatively good news for users, the original Eee netbooks are a problem for touch typists and those with large hands and fingers. And this latest incarnation also sports a multi-touch trackpad.
Among its features, it supports WiFi and Bluetooth V2.0. Like its predecessors, the S101 uses a shockproof Solid State Drive (SSD) of up to 64Gb depending on the model. It also has a 4-in-1 card reader. The supported flash memory types are MMC, SD, Memory Stick and MS-PRO. This is more than what older models can read.
Running on an Intel Atom processor, with up to 2GB memory, it has a 10-inch WSVGA 1024 x 600 LCD monitor capable of 252K colors. It comes standard with a LAN port (RJ-45), 3 USB slots, and a 15-pin VGA monitor output. It has a built-in 0.3MP camera, as well as audio jacks for the speaker/headphone and mic. Asus also has an improved polymer battery capable of running for five hours between charging. It weighs in at 1kg.
For someone who has spent a lot of time lugging notebooks with 15-inch screens and a computer bag which weighs as much as the notebook, I can’t help but think that it looks very much like a toy. In this instance, however, there was a big effort at making this machine cute. Software wise, there’s nothing cute about this netbook. It can have either Windows or Linux installed. The good news is that the netbook comes pri-installed with some MS applications, including Live Messenger and Live Mail, as well as Microsoft Works. The GNU Linux install comes with over 50 applications for office productivity, learning and entertainment purposes.
Even though the S101 is slightly larger or wider than the current Eee models, the Eee branding will remain for now. However, the name might change once it finally gets released. As a higher-end model, the S101 will be selling between US$699 to US$899 depending on the model’s specifications.
No matter what other manufacturers may say, the Asus Eee is still an elegant looking computer. Light, rugged, and very portable. Although the more expensive price tag seems to run counter to the price concept it was built on when the Eee brand was first introduced.