ASUS announces U/UX series ultra-thin laptops

Looks like the Asus Lamborghini VX5 wasn't enough. Nor the Asus Eee PC 1008HA. Now, Asus announced the U and UX series of ultra-thin laptops, expected to launch sometime in Q2. Both feature an illuminated chiclet keyboard and auto-adjusting LED backlit display. The U series also features a 15.6-inch glossy LCD and a touchpad that uses progressively fading lights to follow your fingertips. Under the hood, there's an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA GeForce G105M, up to 500GB HDD, and Altec Lansing speakers with SRS true surround sound. Press Release below.


Josh's Verdict: There's not much information about the U/UX series right now, but I promise to tell you when there's more information. Just make sure you subscribe to Josh's Blog RSS to ensure you don't miss it!

Light and Light – Introducing the New U and UX Series Notebooks
An Intricately Crafted Series of Notebooks that Provide Both Contemporary Style and Effortless Computing On-the-go.
ASUS, a leader in innovative industrial design, today presented the new U and UX Series, a new range of notebooks that celebrate contemporary styling and effortless elegance. Each of them a masterpiece so immensely desirable, the U and UX Series takes modern day computing to the streets, bringing delight to the users' senses and allowing them to work or play in style.

Immaculate Design for the Discerning Individual

The ASUS U and UX Series are designed for the modern individual who accepts no compromise when it comes to exquisite taste in high fashion and possesses an eye for the latest trends as well as the intricacies in design. Reminiscent of the streets of Paris with the evening fast approaching, the ASUS U and UX Series' newly-adopted illuminated 'chiclet' keyboard lights up brilliantly, not only providing users with the ability to type in the dark, but its subtle yet assuring glow also reminds the user of the star studded skies above. AI Light sensor technology intelligently detects the surrounding environmental lighting conditions and then automatically adjusts the brightness or dimness of the LED backlit display to provide a comfortable computing experience even in adverse lighting conditions. These features can be found adorning a softly contoured chassis, shrouded in a sleek and sophisticated glossy LCD lid and supported by a frame inspired by the curvature of a butterfly's wings. 

UX Series – Gracefully Slim for Added Lightness

The UX Series' strikingly slim profile adds to an impressively minimalistic approach to avant garde notebook design. A slot-in optical disc drive helps the UX Series to maintain its elegant profile, while a contrast of matte and gloss finishes provides a sense of both sophistication and boldness. 

U Series – Delight in Style and Substance

To further complement the illuminated 'chiclet' keyboard, the U Series sports an equally illuminated and interactive touchpad which sends a trail of progressively fading lights to pinpoint the location of the users' fingertips while delighting the senses. Powered by an Intel® Core™2 Duo processor which provides the muscle for extensive multitasking and productivity, the U Series is equipped with a hard disk drive of up to 500GB, providing more than ample storage for documents and multimedia. An energy-efficient 15.6-inch LED backlit display powered by a dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce® G 105M with 512MB memory provides users with stunning visual performance for presentations and entertainment while utilizing very little power. Combined with Altec Lansing speakers-equipped with SRS true surround sound that provides high definition audio-the svelte U Series is truly an all-rounded performer for any occasion or a night out in town.

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Asus announes Eee PC 1008HA

Asus showed off a new Eee PC's at CeBit this year, in Hannover: The Eee PC 1008HA. In addition to this, Asus also showed existing/previously released Eee PC's: The Eee PC 1000HE, Eee PC T91GO, Eee PC 900SDGO and the Eee PC 1003HGO.

The Eee PC 1008HA is meant to replace the Eee PC S101, while this netbook is 1-inch thick and weighs 2.4 pounds, with a curved, shiny plastic "shell" (ASUS calls it "pearlescent") to give a bit more luster than the average Eee PC. ASUS is including 802.11n, Bluetooth, 3G and WiMAX options, and packing in it Eee Sharing and Eee Arena software. 
More details to follow - if you follow Josh's Blog RSS, you'll get the latest details about the 1008HA anywhere! 

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Asus Lamborghini VX5 Laptop with 1TB SSD!

The Asus Lamborghini VX5 laptop is slated to debut tomorrow alongs with other products in CeBit at Hannover, will sport a 1TB SSD, a Core 2 Quad CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 16-inch "Full HD" display. You'll also find a GeForce GT 130M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR3 memory, an illuminated "chiclet" style keyboard and a Blu-ray optical drive to boot. Read


Josh's Verdict: I'll have an empty wallet after buying this.


New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

ASUS N81Vg: first laptop with NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M

Asus just relaeased the world's first (they love being world's first at everything, just like their bamboo laptop) laptop with a Nvidia GeForce GT 120M, i.e. the next generation of Nvidia's graphics card for Mobile. This specific laptop is 14 inches, with an a-la-carte choice of Core 2 Duo processors, 4GB of DDR2 RAM (where's the DDR3 love, Asus?), a 500GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray burner, 1.3 megapixel webcam. The battery life is supposed to last 3-4 hours, which seems a bit more accurate than their Eee PC battery life claims. 

What, you say? What's that new fancy Nvidia GeForce GT 120M? That "thing" has 110M gigaflops of computing power, with Nvidia CUDA technology, 32 processing cores, DirectX 10 and 1080p Video support. Read 

Josh's Verdict: Looks hot. 'nuff said.

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE announced

Asus just released the Eee PC 1000HE (E for Extended), ready for preorders. Oh, who said Traditional companies weren't into Web 2.0? You can only pre-order the new Eee PC if you're in Asus' Official Eee PC Facebook Group. The PC has a 10 inch LED backlit screen, a new chicklet keyboard, and ships with 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 2.0, and 160GB Hard Drive and a 10GB Eee Online storage. The new processor, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280, combined with the Asus Super Hybird Engine - is where Asus claimes the longest battery life for an Eee PC ever - 9 hours.

Josh's Tip: Join the Eee PC Facebook Group and get a $25 discount off the $399 pre-order price.

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Asus' Eee PC Touch new UI - Verdict: It's Awesome!

Having trouble figuring out how a touchscreen Eee PC could fit into your life? No worries, ASUS just did all the heavy synaptic lifting for you with the release of a near 6-minute video showing its new Eee PC Touch UI. A UI teased at CES and built specifically for ASUS' new touchcreen Eees. All in all it makes a pretty case for why you should pick up a new Eee PC T91 or T101H convertible tablet later this year. Let's just hope the processor can cope.

Josh's Verdict: Looks Awesome. I can't wait for one to come to the shops.

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

New ASUS 16" F50 and 17.3" F70 laptops

User Centric Functionality with Exquisite Design
From the LCD lid to the palm-rest, the ASUS F50 and F70 range of notebooks is draped in ASUS' new generation Infusion styling reminiscent of the famed Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights). The timeless design not only looks incredibly beautiful, but it is particularly durable against surface abrasions and maintains its glossy surface even after long periods of use. The ASUS F50 and F70 range of notebooks also comes standard with high definition audio quality and a 16:9 Full High Definition display for high contrast rate, brightness and color saturation, providing users with visual clarity and vibrant colors like that of a top-end entertainment system. An HDMI port allows users to connect their notebooks to larger external LCD displays or other HDMI-capable devices to enjoy a full cinematic experience and entertainment versatility.
A newly adopted ‘Chocolate' keyboard continues in the same functional vein by providing users with concave keys that fit the contours of the users' fingers, offering excellent rebounding elasticity to ease typing over long durations. Narrower spaces in-between the keys provide protection against dust, while a dedicated numeric keypad provides a sense of familiarity to users who are accustomed to conventional desktop keyboards which enable speedy number input. The ASUS F50 and F70 range of notebooks also features the ASUS Express Gate, allowing users to boot up quickly and granting them instantaneous access to a built-in icon-based operating system that runs commonly-used applications such as Skype™, a music player, an email client and an Internet browser.

Versatile Set-ups for a Wide Range of Uses
Catered to multimedia entertainment and versatile computing while on the move, the ASUS F50 and F70 range of notebooks comes in various configurations, providing users with a range of set-ups to suit their prevailing usage. Users inclined to large screen entertainment and massive storage would prefer the ASUS F70SL, the world's first 17.3" notebook with 16:9 golden aspect ratio for cinematic viewing and dual hard disk drives providing up to 1 TB in storage space. Those who prefer lightweight mobility would prefer the ASUS F50GX, which is currently the world's thinnest and lightest 16" notebook in the market equipped with the NVIDIA 9400M G chipset that delivers discrete graphics card performance, or the stunning visual performance of the F50Z, featuring graphics powered by ATI.

Model	F50GX
Processor and Cache Memory	Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600/ P8400/ P7450/ P7350/T6600/T6400/T5900/T5850/T5800/T5750; Intel Pentium Processor T4200/ T3400/ T3200/ T2390; Intel Celeron Dual-Core Processor T1700/ T1600; Intel Celeron Processor 585/ 575
Chipset	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G
Operating System	Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Home Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Premium Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Business Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Ultimate
Main Memory	DDR2 800 Up to 4 GB
Display	16" 16:9 HD Panel (1366 x 768) 15.6" 16:9 HD panel (1366 x 768)
Hard Drive	2.5" 9.5mm SATA HDD SATA 250 GB/ 320 GB / 500 GB; Support 5400 RPM
Optical Drive	SATA – Super Multi Blu-ray
Video Camera* (optional)	1.3 MP Fixed type video camera
Fax/Modem/ LAN/WLAN	WLAN Integrated 802.11b/g/n On board 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Built-in Bluetooth v2.1 module (optional)
Dimensions and Weight	380mm x 265mm x 36.3mm ~ 41.7mm 2.85kg

Model	F50Z
Processor and Cache Memory	AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile Technology Dual Core CPU ZM-86 / 84 / 82 / 80, 2.4-2.1 GHz, DDR2 800 MHz, 2M L2 cache, Hyper Transport 3.0; RM-70, 2.0 GHz, DDR2 800MHz, 1M L2 cache, Hyper Transport 3.0 AMD Athlon 64 Mobile Technology Duo Core CPU QL-60, 1.9 GHz, DDR2 667MHz, 1M L2 cache, Hyper Transport 3.0
Chipset	AMD M780G
Operating System	Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Home Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Premium Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Business Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Ultimate
Main Memory	DDR2 800 up to 4 GB
Display	16" 16:9 HD Panel (1366 x 768) 15.6" 16:9 HD panel (1366 x 768)
Hard Drive	2.5" 9.5mm SATA HDD SATA 250GB / 320GB / 500GB; Support 5400RPM
Optical Drive	SATA – Super Multi Blu-ray
Video Camera* (optional)	1.3 megapixels fixed type video camera
Fax/Modem/ LAN/WLAN	WLAN Integrated 802.11b/g/n On board 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Built-in Bluetooth v2.1 module (optional)
Dimensions and Weight	380mm x 265mm x 36.3mm ~ 41.7mm 2.85kg

Model	F70SL
Processor and Cache Memory	Intel ® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9550/P8700/P8600/P8400/P7350/T6600/T6400/T5900/T5850/T5800; Intel ® Pentium™ Processor T4200/T3400/T3200; Intel ® Celeron™ Dual-Core Processor T1700/T1600; Intel ® Celeron™ Processor 585/575
Chipset	SiS 671 DX + SiS 968
Operating System	Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Home Basic Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Home Premium
Main Memory	Up to 4GB (2GB*2) DDR2 800
Display	17.3" (16:9) HD+ (1600*900) LED LCD
Hard Drive	Single HDD: SATA 250/320 (7200/5400 rpm)/ 500 GB (5400rpm) Dual HDD: SATA 500GB/640GB (7200/5400 rpm)/ 1TB (5400rpm)
External USB Optical Drive	DVD Super Multi BD Combo
Video Camera*	1.3M pixels CMOS Camera (Optional)
Fax/Modem/ LAN/WLAN	WLAN Integrated 802.11b/g/n On board 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Built-in Bluetooth v2.1 module (optional)
Dimensions and Weight	466mm x 309mm x 39mm ~ 47mm 4.10kg with 8 cell battery

Source: Asus Press Release

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

New Eee PC 1004DN has an Intel Atom N280 1.66Ghz

Wait, another Eee PC? Oh yes. But look at the processor: it's an Intel Atom N280, which is currently not out yet.
Anyways, here's what we know about the new processor so far (according to liliputing ): 

The Intel Atom N280 features a 1.66GHz clock speed, compared to the 1.6GHz speed of the N270. And the N280 has a 667MHz bus, compared with the 533MHz bus on the N270.
Will users notice a major difference in performance or battery life? It’s not likely, but anything’s possible. An Asus spokesperson tells me that a handful of new Eee PC models will feature the new Intel Atom N280 CPU, while most older models will keep the N270.
Oh, and I noticed two other things when I went and took another look at this netbook for this post. It also features an ExpresCard slot and an 8-in-1 card reader instead of the usual SDHC/MMC card slot that Asus uses for Eee PC netbooks.
CNet reports the N280 also features the new GM40 chipset which will offer better graphics performance, particularly with HD video playback.



New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Shuttle X50: Asus Eee Top copy

First, it was the whole netbook thing that Asus started. And now, nettops? After Asus released their Eee Top a few months, ago, it looks like there are a few copycats already, although this Shuttle looks a load nicer, a perhaps more like the white iMac. More shots after the break.

Anyways, the specs are exactly the same as the Eee Top, except for a smaller hard drive and a $100 difference.
Screen: 15.6 inches, with a 1366x768 res
Processor: Intel Dual-core Atom N330
Chipset: Intel 945GC, GMA950 Integrated Graphics
Memory: 1GB
Hard Drive: 80GB
OS: WinXP Professional
Price: US$499

Thanks to Xfastest!

 2K9s,`#t5?
 www.xfastest.com*K9s$F2@)S#A9`.Q4}

No, that Core 2 Quad is meant for another computer. Sorry :(

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE unveiled

A even bigger keyboard from the Eee PC 1000H - The shift has been moved to the right of the arrow keys, giving the keyboard more room. The "E" in 1000HE means "Extended", for your information. The keyboard is also a chicklet style (like the MacBook Air) and  comes with a six-cell pack full of 2.9 amp batteries (versus 2.7 amps in the 1000H). This also comes with 8011.2n and Bluetooth, while a cheaper model, 1000HAE, won't have these two functions. 

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

How to: Install Mac OS X on your Eee PC

Don't be a twat. Buy a MacBook.

Asus Eee PC T91 convertible tablet

It's been expected for months, now Asus has announced its Eee PC T91 convertible tablet ripe for a fresh Windows 7 tossing. The 2-pound (right, two!), 1-inch thick tablet features an 8.9-inch LED backlit touch panel riding atop Intel's Z520 Atom processor. It also features a TV-tuner and built-in GPS. No other details yet but it won't be long. Picture from Engadget.
New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Asus S121: comes with 512GB SSD!

Pfff, forget those itty bitty Eee PC SSDs. ASUS' 12.2-inch mini laptop weighs less than 3-pounds and offers 8-hours of unplugged freedom with some help from Intel's Atom Z520 processor and ASUS' own Super Hybrid Engine tech. Most notable is that massive (price too we expect) 512GB SSD, a world's first in a laptop according to ASUS. No price or dates yet, expect those along side the official press release later today.
New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Asus S121 spyshots

We really don't have much to go on at this point beyond the photos, but this is apparently ASUS' new S121. It looks uncannily like the sleek n' slim 10.2-inch Eee PC S101, but this model's supposedly going to be 12.1-inches. And by the looks of the spyshots below, no Eee branding at all. There aren't any other details regarding specs, pricing or availability yet, but we'll let you know when we do, because we love sharing our discoveries. We really, really do. Check out some more photographic evidence after the break. Read

Josh's Verdict: Sweet! Reminds me of the Asus N10: The netbook without any Eee branding. But this is a 12inch.. so technically it's not a netbook anyways..(But is the Dell Mini 12 a netbook then?)

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

ASUS R50A UMPC reviewed

ASUS's R50A UMPC has been sort of lost in the company's flood of Eee PCs, and maybe for good reason -- the crew at UMPC Portal just reviewed the $2,000 handheld and came away unimpressed. Although the software package overall was described as "atrocious" and the lack of a keyboard was annoying, the biggest problems were all essentially related to running Vista on the 1.33GHz Atom Z520 CPU with 1GB RAM -- you can delete bloatware and use a bigger stylus, but you can't fix "pretty bad" performance on the lowest possible graphics settings. Ruh roh: Sony's upcoming VAIO P supposedly has a similar 1.33GHz Intel chip in it and runs Vista. Here's hoping Sony's got something a little more impressive up its sleeve for us than what ASUS managed to put together here -- otherwise the full R50A review at the read link might be discouragingly prophetic. Read

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Asus offers Eee branded keyboard / mouse combo and remote

If your Eee Box experience is lacking something that you can't quite put your finger on, we're 85.32% sure we know what'll fill that void. According to Eee PC News, ASUS is gearing up to ship an Eee-branded wireless keyboard / mouse combo in both black and white motifs, and if that's still not enough Eee to cure your fever, the multi-function remote should handle those media center duties with ease. There's no mention of a price or release date, so we suppose you should assume these are completely fictional until proven otherwise.

Josh's Verdict: Seriously, I just brought a Eee Box yesterday. The keyboard/mouse that comes with it is branded as "Vento by ASUS", which isn't too bad to be honest: It's waterproof, and it's pretty easy to type with. But boy, that new keyboard sure looks nice :) I'll show some unboxing shots later.


New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

ASUS officially launches iPod-friendly AIR3 internet radio

Not that this debut is anything shocking, but we're still stoked to see ASUS get all official with its AIR3 sound system. Sure, it's not exactly treading on new ground, but for those looking for a touch more functionality in their iPod sound system, the internet radio inclusion is one that's much appreciated. ASUS talks pretty big about the device's audio prowess, noting that it utilizes a Texas Instruments Class-D amplifier and HDSS (High Definition Sound Standard) certified drivers. Also of note, the unit includes S-Video / composite video outs and supports UPnP sharing via 802.11b/g WiFi or Ethernet; if that's not enough to catch your eye, there's also a useful auxiliary input and built-in weather forecast display that pulls down updates from the world wide web. As ASUS always does, we're left hangin' sans a price or release date, but we suppose it's teaching us a lesson in patience... or something. Read


New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Mac OS on a netbook? Here's the compatibility list.

Who needs Psystar?
Apple says it's had "pretty interesting ideas" for a Mac netbook, but it's everyday users who've already taken action. Due to their similar technical underpinnings, most of the popular netbooks can run OS X, but there are plenty of caveats: non-functioning components which lack drivers and need to be replaced—or which simply can't be gotten to at all.
Unfortunately, the Googles are choked with info, and much of it's out of date. I'd like to maintain a one-look chart to help people figure out out if their netbook (or one they've got their eye on) will run it well enough to their needs.
The short answer: get an MSI Wind or Dell Mini 9. Thanks to new WiFi drivers (direct download), the Wind runs the whole show out the can.
Now, I'm 100 percent sure this first version has errors and omissions: post updates and corrections to the comment.
If you're thinking about making yourself a Hackintosh, know that it's still not a no-brainer. For starters, standard OS X disks won't work: you'll need to grab a hacked version of it from the tubes. This contravenes Apple's EULA, even if you own a legal copy. The following guides also generally require an external DVD drive and familiarity with the terminal.

How To Guides:
Running Mac OS X on a Netbook: Guide, Tips, Tutorial, Walkthrough [Ditii]
Run Mac OS X on an Eee PC [Wired]
Installing OSX on Eee 1000h [Wikidot]
OS X For the Eee PC 901 and 1000H [Mac Eee]
Install OS X on the MSI Wind [Make]
Guide to Installing OS X on a Lenovo Ideapad s10 [Netbook Tech]
OSX on a Samsung NC10 [Wired]
Again, corrections and updates are most welcome!

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

ASUS Galaxy 7 touchphone Review

Photos of the ASUS Galaxy 7 touchscreen phone have been popping up for months now, and due to a resemblance a certain Samsung device, it's been referred to more than once as an "Omnia-killer" (of course, we understand the urge, but we have to ask if it's even worth the effort). Now it looks like the folks over at Mobile Review have their hands on the thing, and they've been kind enough to share their thoughts. Right off the bat, they were disappointed to learn that plans for a 800 MHz processor had been scrapped in lieu of the far less exciting 528 MHz Qualcom MS7200A, but they then go on to give props to the phone's Glide interface (on par with TouchFlo3D, it seems) and its build quality -- the handset itself seems sturdy, well considered, and it even integrates some leather for that touch of "class" that only a dead animal can bring. Other than that, it's pretty much what you were expecting: a WinMob phone with a 5 megapixel camera, a 3.5-inch (800 x 480) display, 512MB memory, 4GB storage and a microSD slot. The phone should be available early next year. Read


New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!

Asus unveils Celeron-based Eee Box

It looks like all those crazy rumors are true -- we've just received word that the Celeron-based Eee Box B203 has popped up on Asus' website. Aside from the the Intel C220 processor, very little has changed from the Atom-based Eee Box B202: it sports Windows XP Home, ships with up to 2GB RAM and 160GB storage, and measures a diminutive 222 x 178 x 26.9 mm (roughly 8.7 x 7 x 1 inches). Of course, it still ain't the prettiest device we've ever seen -- but if it's cheaper, faster, and small enough to fit behind your monitor anyways, we'll gladly overlook the paint job. Read

New to Josh's Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don't miss anymore great stuff!