Asus rolls out another Eee PC model — the 1000H

Third time is a charm. Asus recently launched the third series of its popular line of mini notebooks, giving consumers more choices in terms of features and price points.

The new Eee PC 1000H comes on the heels of the Eee PC 900, which the company rolled out quite recently, too. Although a welcome development, the company admits that releasing fresher models so near from the last one runs the risk of displeasing some earlier buyers.  

“That’s our pain, too, but the prices of the earlier models are at least different from the Eee PC 1000H so (hopefully) the consumers would understand and see the difference,” Leon Yu, Asus Philippines country manager, told Networks.

The Eee PC 1000H starts selling at P29,990, which is P5,000 more than the Eee PC 900.

Features

The Eee PC 1000H proves that great things could indeed come in small packages. Under its hood, an Intel Atom processor takes care of grunt while the user types away on a bigger keyboard that Yu said is now 95 percent the size of average keyboards used in notebook computers.

Memory includes a 20GB Internet storage to accommodate at least 5GB worth of downloads a day, file encryption and accessibility from both Windows and Linux platforms. Connectivity features consist of Wi-Fi 802.11n and built-in Bluetooth. The stereo speakers now support Dolby Sound Room high-definition audio.

We wager that mobile users would be pleased that the Eee PC 1000H is less susceptible to shock damage because of its built-in SSD (Solid State Drive) technology and that it consumes less power with its use of a six-cell battery plus Asus’ exclusive Super Hybrid Engine that offers a choice of performance and power consumption adjustments to suit varied needs.

The new model is available either on Windows XP Home or GNU Linux operating system.

Still to come is the Eee Stick — a brand new wireless gaming accessory that Asus will make available in September to add a 3D experience to its platforms.

Yu said the Eee Stick, which gets its inspiration from the remote control stick of the Nintendo Wii, will introduce a whole new level of interactivity with any games available on the Eee PC and could even serve as a mouse or pointing device.

In addition, Yu said they plan to introduce a 30GB hard disk for the Eee PC 900 and the Eee PC 1000H.

Eee Box

Asus also introduced another head-turner, the Eee Box, which is the company’s latest attempt in miniaturizing the classic desktop PC.

The compact Eee Box is only 1L (liter) in size, which pertains to its total bulk. As slim as an average paperback novel, the Eee Box reclaims users’ precious desk space and it doesn’t help either that it comes bundled with a VESA LCD display.

With the exclusive Express Gate — Asus’ fast boot technology — users can access the Internet, manage pictures or communicate over IM or Skype just seven seconds after boot-up, depending of course on the hardware and software configuration, the officials quickly added.

Every Eee Box runs on an Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) and comes bundled with a Microsoft Windows XP Home. It has an 80 GB hard disk capacity and multiple card readers.

The Eee Box also supports the latest Wi-Fi 802.11n wireless standard — providing up to eight times faster connectivity than previous 802.11b/g wireless. Users can download a 30-minute video in only 44 seconds — minimizing the wait and allowing time for twice as many movies.

The Asus thermal solution integrates a unique heat dissipation module with the AI fan — allowing quiet (26db) and comfortable computing.

Compared to full-sized desktop solutions, the Eee Box’s energy-efficient performance reduces power consumption by up to 90 percent. The Eee Box also utilizes Green Design and is made with only earth-friendly materials for reduced CO2 emissions, and conforms to stringent RoHS and WEEE standards.

The Eee Box is priced at P24,999 with LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse.