Asus Eee PC X101 Unboxing Video! (in Vietnamese)

Yes, it's true!. Although it's said that Asus will start shipping one of their thinnest and cheapest netbook called the Eee PC X101 this month for the US customers but it seems that YouTube has just received a Vietnam user un-boxing video of the X101, for real!.


Update: This actually seems like the X101h model rather than the X101 (although the only difference is actually the OS. X101H runs Windows 7 starter and X101 as promised runs the MeeGO platform).

What's interesting is that the fact it has got a VGA port and a Ethernet port. Of course it's ain't necessarily bad but as you can see from the below video this new "version" of the X101 does not look impressively thin thanks to these ports. Although it's not just sure whether they're just dummy ports (now why the heck they'd do that) but nonetheless it's not as impressively thin as the original version.

But other than that the hardware details seems to be just as Asus promised...

*. Intel Atom N435 running at 1.3GHz (single core).

*. 1GB of RAM (DDR3, max supported 2GB).



*. 1024x600, 10.1 inch WSVGA display screen.

*. 8 GB of solid state disk (SSD) which certainly makes things happen faster but I'd have preferred a SATA disk (even if it was about 100GB, don't you?).

*. WLAN 802.11 and Bluetooth 3.0.

Not impressively thinner as the original version (screenshot from the above video)...

*. 4 Hours of batter life (which of course will change according to your actual usage) of the 3Cell battery.

*. MicroSD card, 2 USB ports.

*. VGA and RJ-45 ports as with this model.

Here a side-view of the original version (which is not "dead" or anything seems like Asus has few versions perhaps??)...

Now as said, Asus may have few different versions (with slight variations), so perhaps for all ya folks who were waiting for a sexy looking, very thin netbook, well perhaps Asus has something that looks like the original one (without the VGA and the network ports). But even with these ports, the thickness is not that much increased actually and other than the fact that Glossy looking screen, can't say anything about it's actual performance, etc either.

But if you're searching for a cheap netbooks under $200 then Asus may have just about the perfect companion. But again I'm a bit disappointed with the SSD drive, although it runs the MeeGO Linux operating system thus that SSD should help to cut out some boot-time yet if they have a separate version with a larger SATA drive for the same price range ;-) it would've been just about perfect!, at least for me. Yes there is a separate MS Windows version with slightly larger HDD and faster processor but we won't be able to grab it for a price around $199-200 nonetheless.  

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Asus Eee PC X101 Secretly Gets a Product Page!

Few weeks ago Asus showed off one of their upcoming netbooks called the Eee PC X101. Concerning the cheap hardware this netbooks had nothing "major" in it, except for the physical design!. This netbook without a doubt will be one of the most thinnest ones in the market and the price range, according to Asus will be under $200!.

Although at that time Asus did not confirm about its launching date but few hours ago it seems to have a dedicated product page in Asus Eee section which appeared kinda secretly because Asus didn't even make any official announcement, but it should be a matter of days if not hours perhaps.

A 10.1 inch LED Backlight WSVGA with screen resolution of 1024x600, Intel Atom N435/N455 (it will have two versions) processor, 1GB of DDR3 RAM (max 2GB), 8GB SSD drive, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2 USB 2.0 ports, audio headphone and a card reader (SD/ SDHC/ MMC), 0.3 MPX front camera, 2 built in stereo speakers, 17.6 mm thin!, 0.92 Kgs of weight...

The only disappointing thing is (there's always one :/) the battery life. According to Asus the X101 will have about 4 hours of battery life which is not bad but when considering some other popular ones and netbooks in general I think it's a bit low for its caliber.

And also it will be able to handle 720p HD videos but not the 1080p ones, I mean, even the Intel Atom dual-core versions struggle when it comes to trying to play some of those. It would've been nice if the X101 came with an AMD fusion version because the Fusion ones have no problems whatsoever playing 1080p videos thanks to the powerful ATI Raedon 6200/6300 HD GPUs.

But I guess it might raise some of that price tag anyway.

There's also a separate MS Windows 7 powered version available, although not sure about the price of that version at the moment, but by default it comes with the excellent MeeGO operating system which must have helped to cut out some of that cost :).

They wouldn't say but from the pictures I don't think it has a full keyboard but it's a Chiclet one and looks comfortable but will have to wait until it's released to see how well it performs while actually touch typing. Oh and it has three color choices at the moment - White, Red and Brown.

So, if you're looking for a very very light weight, awesome looking (well Asus has a bit of a reputation) netbook under $200, then the X101 will be (or maybe) an excellent choice, although in no way it can replace the MacBook Air... but for a price under $200 I really gotta say it "looks" impressive, don't you agree?. 

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Few Cheap Netbooks Under $ 200 - 250

In the past netbooks used to cost a lot than their bigger laptop cousins ;-) because those days the manufactures had to make dedicated CPU/RAM/Motherboard, etc that are smaller + still retaining the performance, although the performance wasn't as high as the Laptops but somewhat closer.

But the technology has advanced thus the manufactures have come up with different solutions such as cheaper versions of CPU that aren't as fast as the desktop or the "usual" Laptop versions but in general they've been able to cut the price quite significantly not just by manufacturing "cheaper" versions of the hardware devices (subtle plastic out-fits, LCD screens, etc) but the main reason is the growing demand the "market" which is now quite expanded thus this is one of the reasons for the price being somewhat lower than in the past.

Anyhow, if you want even cheaper versions then yes it is possible to find cheap netbooks under $200 or $ 250 but please be aware of the fact that, in my opinion, if you want a netbook that's a closer match to a usual Laptop than you'd be better of with something that starts with a price range of $350+. But that being said... there are few netbooks around $200-250 that are quite powerful and useful nonetheless.

Also remember, for a such cheaper price you won't be getting a larger screen (I'm talking about 11"+) and as a result all these netboks will have a smaller keyboard thus if you're a touch-typist then again, think twice before you purchase since they're certainly not that comforting neither efficient because of the smaller size (you won't be able to achieve your usual typing speeds with these keyboards).

But that being said in this small list that I compiled has  two 10.1" screen netbooks that the manufactures have been able to include a full size keyboards nonetheless!.

Anyhow if you're ready then I don't have a huge list since I tried to come up with reasonable ones rather than cheap shitt* stuff (these are all highly rated products, 4/5 or more user ratings) ... so here it goes...

1. ASUS Eee PC 1001PXD-EU17-BU 10.1-Inch

Buy directly from Amazon!

This is a beautiful looking Netbook from ASUS EeePC family, and from the beginning the Asus Eee PC family had one of the best looking netbooks in comparison with other products. When considering the hardware details and customer feedback, its asking price it is more than acceptable.

Hardware details in brief...

*. Comes with three color choices (Blue/Black/White). 

*. Intel Atom N455 (1.66GHz).

*. 1 GB DDR3 (max up to 2GB).

*. 250GB Sata HDD with 5400 rpm.

*. No CD/DVD drive but can plug-in a separate external drive nonetheless.

*. 10.1-Inch Matte 1024X600 WSVGA LED Display.

*. Wi-Fi, 0.3MP front web camera, Reader MMC/SD(SDHC).

*. 4 Hours of battery (will change according to the usage).

*. Comes with Windows 7 Starter pre-installed.

*. Total weight (including the battery) is about 1.1 kg. 



2. ASUS Eee PC 1001PXD-EU17-BK 10.1-Inch 

Buy directly from Amazon!

As you can see from the name this is almost "copy" of the above mentioned model (including the hardware details) So what's the catch ;-) ?. Well it's the price. It's about $20 cheaper than the above model but it weights a bit higher which is about 1.5 kg. Other than that little weight increase I think this is an excellent netbook around $200-250 range.



3. Toshiba Mini NB255-N245 10.1-Inch 

Buy directly from Amazon!

This one is from Toshiba and in my experience they're not the ones with cheaper prices usually. You can buy this netbook from Amazon but please be aware that they don't have brand new ones only have used and refurbished ones only. But again this is another product that has a lot of positive user feedback and importantly you can expect for a 8 hours + battery life from it as well. 

Hardware specifications...

*. 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 processor (512 KB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB).

*. 1 GB DDR2 RAM and expandable up to 2GB (note: unlike with the other models on this article... this one comes with the a bit older "ddr2" RAM module thus there may be a slight decrease in performance but since the processor FSB is also 667MHZ it doesn't make a lot of sense to have a DDR3 on the other hand either).

*. 160 GB SATA hard drive.

*. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 up to 250MB shared memory.

*. Wi-Fi.

*. Has an excellent Full size keyboard which is very rare for a 10.1 netbook!. Excellent for touch typists.

*. Memory card reader and 3 USB 2.0 ports.

*. 6-cell battery with up to 8 hours of battery life (this again will change according to the usage from the user).

*. Total weight of 1.04 kg and is one of the most lightest too.

*. Comes with MS Windows 7 Starter edition. 



4. Acer Aspire One AOD257-13876 10.1-Inch

Buy directly from Amazon!

Another beauty form Acer Aspire series. If I'm not mistaken I think it was actually Acer who was among the first few manufactures to introduce the whole "mini Atom Netbook" thing -;). Although they do have the never AMD Dual-core versions but it costs a bit high at the moment... but this model is another netbook under $250 range and comes with powerful hardware and is certainly more powerful than the above mentined models since this one comes with a dual-core processor!.

*. Intel® Atom? Dual-Core N570 1.66Ghz with 1MB L2 cache.

*. 1GB of DDR 3 Memory.

*. 250 GB Sata HDD (5400 rpm).

*. 10.1 WSVGA Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit Display.

*. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 (64MB dedicated).

*. 4 Hours of battery life (will change according to your application usage, etc).

*. 3 USB 2.0 ports.

*. Card reader.

*. About 1.2 kg of weight. 

*. 0.3MP front camera and Wi-Fi are among the main hardware details.

So as said these are actually a few cheap netbooks under $200 - $250 range (more likely under $250 actually)  and if you have more suggestions or recommendations, I'm more than willing to hear. Good luck.

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