Asus Announces Super-slim $200 Eee PC
Is this the Eee PC you've been waiting for?
Asus made a big splash this week at Computex with the introduction of the Padfone, a tablet/smartphone combo expected to launch in the second half of this year. However, the company also revealed another interesting device, this one being an addition to the company’s famed Eee PC line.

Last week, Asus promised us a new model of Eee PC and teased that this one would be thinner than ever. The company also asked a rather telling question via its Facebook page, inquiring as to whether or not users felt Windows was a necessity for netbooks.
This week, the company introduced the Eee PC X101, a 10.1-inch netbook measuring 0.7-inches thick. Though the slim form factor of this device is definitely a selling point (indeed, it’s one of the features Asus is pushing the most), the real point of intrigue about this machine is that Asus is offering a Meego-based option that apparently costs just $200. For those in need of a quick memory job, Meego is the Linux-based OS developed for mobile devices by Intel and Nokia.
So, that about covers the company’s earlier questions about Windows being absolutely necessary, but it’s not the first time Asus has offered an OS other than Windows with its Eee PCs. The very first Eee PC, released in October of 2007, was Linux-based too. However, the strength of the Windows brand prevailed and, as more customers opted for Windows XP-based netbooks, Linux offerings became increasingly scarce. Will things be different this time around? We shall see.
$200 is pretty cheap, no matter what way you slice it, but the OS isn’t the only thing keeping the price down. Liliputing reports that the base model will come with a 3 cell battery and just 8GB of SSD storage. There will be the option to upgrade to a more serious harddrive (think 250GB or 320GB) but that will mean more money and added thickness with the bulkier version measuring in at 0.87 inches.
No word on pricing for the Windows 7 version and the release date for the X101 is still unknown but we’ll keep you posted.
... fusion FTW!!!
Or hows about what this computer is without the extra ram and bigger display for $200? This whole "I'll buy one if it has a bigger screen and more ram" was the entire reason you had to pony up $500 for a laptop with a battery life of over 2 hours and had more than a gig of ram.
I'd love to see this with a low power fusion APU as well though.
ASUS Eee PC X101 Netbook Features
•10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels
•Based on Intel Oak Trail platform
•Powered by a 1.5GHz Atom Z670 single-core processor
•Equipped with GMA 600 integrated graphics
•Runs on Windows 7 or MeeGo OS
•Supports 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity option
•A hard drive or solid state drive
•3.5mm headphone jack
•Two USB ports
•Includes 6-cell battery
•A chiclet keyboard & web camera
•No ethernet port
•No HDMI/VGA output
•No Multiple-in-one card reader
Correction runs Windows or Linux (Ubuntu) and the others, not just MeeGo.
Ubuntu would be the first thing I would put on it.
i pass until one with amd processor come out
I find this interesting, I didn't know these two companies were in the PC OS business (cell phone OS for Nokia is a different deal).
This is basically a cell phone with a very large screen. It could do better on the CPU, by running a slightly more powerful, yet more power efficient option, but that would probably cost more.
The only purpose of this machine, is for internet access and network functionality.
So instead of pinch to zooming everything on your phone, you could instead be doing it on this, while having a battery that lasts for a very long time.
So.....for that intended purpose, and now that we understand what this is made and targeted for; $200 is a decent deal and it doesn't look too shabby ( considering the fact that you could toss Ubuntu on it, it looks even sweeter).
For these additional specs I would be glad to pay $350 for the whole setup.