Asus Eee PC
The ASUS Eee PC is a netbook computer line from Asus, and a part of the ASUS Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a lightweight, Linux-based operating system, solid-state drive, and relatively low cost. Newer models added the options of Microsoft Windows operating system and rotating media hard disk drives, and initially retailed for up to 500 euros.
The first Eee PC was a milestone in the personal computer business, launching the netbook category of small, low-cost laptops in the West. According to Asus, the name Eee derives from "the three Es", an abbreviation of its advertising slogan for the device: "Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play".
In January 2013, ASUS officially ended production of their Eee PC series, citing declining sales due to consumers favoring tablets and Ultrabooks over netbooks. However, they subsequently restarted the line with the release of the EeeBook series in 2015.
History
Eee 700 series
ASUS announced two Eee PC models at Computex Taipei 2007: the 701 and the 1001. The 701 base model Eee PC 4G was released on 16 October 2007 in Taiwan. Three additional models followed.Both the price and the size of the device are small in comparison with similar ultra-mobile PCs. The Eee series is a response to the XO-1 notebook from the One Laptop per Child initiative. At the Intel Developer Forum 2007, Asus demonstrated the Classmate PC and the Eee PC, and listed specifications for four models of the Eee PC.
In some countries, the products have the marketing names EeePC 8G, 4G, 4G Surf, and 2G Surf, though in other countries the machines are still designated by the model numbers 700 and 701. The 4G Surf uses socketed RAM but some revisions do not have a door to access the slot.
ASUS released a version of the Eee PC with Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed in January 2008. In Japan, the version is known as the 4G-X.
Some early 700-series models drained the battery approximately 10% per day when the unit was completely powered off and not plugged in, thus emptying the battery even when not in use.
User modifications
Some users of the 701 physically modified the machine to replace the 4 GB solid state drive.The 8 GB versions of the 700 series leave the SSD area on the motherboard empty and connect their SSD as an internal PCI Express Mini Card. Replacing the SSD requires only an SSD compatible with the connector. The SSD area on the motherboard may also be used to install other devices, accommodate physically larger SSDs, or even hard-solder an SSD salvaged from a 2 GB or 4 GB 700 model. As this requires only soldering on a new device without removing an old one, the risk of doing so may be acceptable to some users.
Eee 900 series
The Eee 900 series was launched in Hong Kong on 16 April 2008, and in the UK on 1 May 2008 for £329. It was launched in the US on 12 May 2008. The Eee 900 series dimensions are a little larger than the 70x models–measuring 225 × 165 × 35 mm and weighing around 1 kg. The machine has a multi-touch touchpad allowing two-finger scroll and zoom via a "pinch" gesture, and is available with Linux and/or MS Windows XP configurations, depending on the market.The Intel Atom version is named the EeePC 900a and comes with an 8GB or 16 GB SSD. Some of these Eee PCs also have a 4 GB SSD installed similarly to that in the 701 for a total storage space of 20GB. Those that do not are named the Asus EEE 900 16G. The Windows XP version is named the EeePC 900 Win and also comes in two versions: one with a total storage of 12 GB and one with 16 GB. The Linux 20G version is sold for the same price as the Windows 12G version. In the case of the 16G EEEs, the Windows version costs more than the Linux version.
The Windows version comes with Microsoft Works and Windows Live Suite preinstalled. It also includes StarSuite 8. The machines are otherwise identical to each other with 1 GB of RAM, an 8.9-inch 1024×600 LCD and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. This model has the same Intel Celeron CPU as the Eee PC 700, running at its full 900 MHz clock speed.
Other Eee 90x models
On 3 June 2008, Asus unveiled the Eee 901 at Computex Taipei. It was a revision of the 900 series with a different chassis. The 901 features an Intel Atom Diamondville CPU clocked at 1.6 GHz, an "expanded" battery, and "Super Hybrid Engine" software for power management which will provide a battery life of 4.2-7.8 hours. Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi are also included. The 901 uses the Intel 945GME chipset, meeting the requirements for Windows Vista or 7 Aero. The 901 is otherwise similar to the 900, shipping in Linux or Windows XP configurations with flash memory storage of different sizes. It was discovered that the Eee 901 has capacity for a "3GCard" upgrade.The Eee PC 900D has 8GB flash memory and Windows XP preinstalled.
The Eee PC 904HD was one of the first Eee PC models which features an 80 GB HDD instead of an SSD. It features an Intel Celeron M running at 900 MHz and gets power from a 6-cell battery. Like other Eee PC 90x models, it features 802.11 b/g WLAN and a 1.3M pixel webcam. Windows XP comes pre-installed.
The Eee PC 904HA's dimensions are 266 mm × 191.2 mm × 28.5 mm~ 38 mm. The 8.9-inch screen has a native resolution size of 1024×600 pixels. The CPU is an Intel Atom N270 @ 1.6 GHz, and the standard model came with 1 GB DDR2 RAM occupying the single memory slot. The 160 GB Hard Disk Drive had Microsoft Windows XP Home pre-installed. Also standard are the 6-cell battery, the 1.3M pixel webcam and integrated microphone, and both Ethernet and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g network connections.
The Eee PC 900A features almost the same specs as the Eee PC 901, but in a case nearly the same as used in the Eee PC 900 model.
On 17 June 2009, Asus released the Disney Netpal, which is similar to the Eee 90x models.
Battery controversy
There was some controversy regarding the battery supplied with the EeePC 900. Versions pre-released to many non-UK journalists and reviewers were equipped with a 5800 mAh battery, but the first retail versions in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Singapore were shipped with a smaller, 4400 mAh battery, which commentators note has led to a great variation in the machine's battery life in reviews, in some cases as much as 90 minutes. As a result of the objections to this, Asus provided a free battery replacement program in Hong Kong and Singapore, and ran a paid-for battery exchange program in the UK.Asus has stated that the smaller battery is "presently the standard battery supplied in the UK" and "the default standard battery pack for Asus Eee PC 900 worldwide". Asus provided a battery exchange to all UK Eee PC 900 customers for £10, and released a firmware update which claimed to extend battery life by 30 minutes.
In Australia and Italy, the situation was reversed: Reviewers received EeePC 900 systems fitted with the 4400 mAh battery but the retail models were equipped with the 5800 mAh battery. Customers of Media Markt in Italy received the EeePC 900 at the beginning of sales with a 5800 mAh battery and later with a 4400 mAh battery.
Best Buy's custom variants of the 1000HD and 900A also both include a 4400 mAh battery.
Part of the above problem extends from the fact that the entire range was substantially more successful than Asus had originally anticipated. Asus has several large complexes scattered throughout Taiwan and China, with the largest in the city of Suzhou, being the size of eight football fields. Upon the unexpected success of the range, Asus factories worked around the clock to keep up supply and further development. Consequently, even within Asus testing labs in Taipei, many variations were found within test models. Generally, however, Asus does inform reviewers that the final retail model may contain different features from those offered in the review model.
Eee PC 1000 series
The 1000 series launched at Computex Taipei on 3 June 2008. It featured a new 10-inch screen and a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom CPU, although built-in power management software can increase the speed to 1.7 GHz. The 1000 model shipped with Linux, an 8 GB SSD and a 32 GB SSD ; the 1000H model shipped with Windows XP Home or Linux and an 80 or 160 GB SATA HDD. Both the 1000 and the 1000H support up to 2 GB of DDR2 RAM of 667 MHz clock speed. The 1000 has a rated battery life of 4.2–7.5 hours, while the 1000H is rated for 3.2–7 hours. It also offers a keyboard that is 92% the size of generic notebooks, aiming to make it more comfortable to type. Like the Eee PC 901, the new machines feature 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. WiMAX is not supported.The 1000HD is a slightly cheaper version of the 1000 series. It features the same specifications as the 1000H, except it uses a 900 MHz Celeron CPU chip.
The 1000HA also costs less than the 1000H, but has the same Intel Atom 1.6 GHz CPU, a 160 GB HDD, and 1 GB of RAM. It also has wireless and on some models, Bluetooth.
The 1000XPH has the same Intel Atom 1.6 GHz CPU, an 80 GB HDD, and 1 GB of RAM. Other amenities include 10/100 LAN and 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN adapters, an integrated webcam, but no Bluetooth. The 1000HG features a Huawei 3G-Modem.
In February 2009, Asus unveiled the 1000HE, using the new Intel Atom 280 processor, with a 10-inch LED-lit display at 1024x600 physical but 1024x768 virtual, 6-cell battery with an advertised 9.5 hours of battery life, 160 GB HDD running at 5400RPM, Bluetooth, 802.11n wireless networking, 1.3-megapixel camera, and revised keyboard similar to Apple's keyboards.
Although the screen resolution on the 1000 series is 1024x600, it has pixel mapping which covers a virtual 1024x768 desktop. One could choose with a simple Fn key combination what graphics mode to operate in: either 800x600, 1024x600, virtual 1024x768 compressed, and 1024x768 with panning. The latter mode would display only 660 vertical pixels at a time, but as the pointer approached the top or bottom of the screen the display content would shift the "hidden" pixels into view to better display certain websites. It also freed more screen real estate for other tasks, such as web browsing or office applications, by allowing the user to move some things, like the top empty grey window frame area off-screen. A similar panning effect can be achieved on other Linux systems using xrandr.
At CeBIT 2009, Asus unveiled the 10-inch EEE 1005HA, introducing the new design concept "Seashell".
The 1005HA comes in three models. From least to most expensive, they are the 1005HA-B, the 1005HA-V and the 1005HA-P. The 1005HA-B has a removable 3-cell battery with a rated 4-hour life per charge, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and uses the N270 processor. At the higher end, the 1005HA-P has a removable 6-cell, 5600 mAh, 63 Wh battery with rated 10.5 hour battery life, a 1.3-megapixel camera and uses the N280 processor. There is also a 1005HA-H model, sold in Poland, equipped with a 6-cell battery, an N270 processor and a 0.3-megapixel camera.
Asus officially announced the first Eee with Nvidia Ion graphics, the 1201N, on 19 November 2009, later replaced by the 1201PN and 1201NL and the 1215N, with a more powerful Atom D525 dual-core processor and Ion 2 graphics.
The 1215 series then saw the release of the 1215B, which came with an E-450/E-350/C30/C50/C60 processor, a "Zacate" APU. The 1215B has USB 3.0 ports, as well as a CPU and BIOS that support full hardware virtualization in both Linux and Windows. The 1215B is the first of the Eee PC line of computers that supports virtualization. The 1215B was subsequently replaced by the upgraded 1225B, which replaced the E350 APU of the previous model with the E-450 APU which provides a minor speed bump to the CPU and turbocore for the GPU.