Category: New Products

Categories
New Products Rumors

Asus Eee PC Price in the Philippines

Asus Eee PC 701

The Asus Eee PC is probably the hottest non–Apple tech gadget today, and for good reason. Offering the mobility of ultraportable notebooks/laptops at the price of an advanced PDA or smartphone (hint: iPhone?), geeks and mobile warriors are quick to appreciate the goodness this device provides.

So how much will it (Asus Eee PC 701) retail in the Philippines? 17,999 pesos. Insiders have leaked this price though it is still unconfirmed until we see it in the stores. At the said price, it is actually cheaper than the announced price of USD $399, if converted using 44 pesos to a dollar. It’s cheaper to get the Asus Eee PC here in the Philippines!

But wait, knowing how unscrupulous some local retailers are, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it selling for more than twenty thousand pesos, especially considering the holiday buying rush. Needless to say, I want one. Want it enough that I’m reconsidering if I really want one of those new MacBooks now.

Categories
Laptop Reviews New Products

Asus Eee PC: Holiday Bestseller?

Asus Eee PC

Despite the weird name, the Asus Eee PC is a well–anticipated mobile computing device that’s sure to be in most geeks’ wishlist this Christmas. It isn’t exactly a workhorse, and spec–wise it may as well be a good cross between a laptop/notebook and an advanced PDA. The 4GB version, known as the Asus Eee PC 701, is reviewed by NotebookReview.com, with its features listed as:

  • Processor: Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHz
  • Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 900 GPU
  • Storage: 4GB of Flash-based storage (SSD)
  • Memory: 512MB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
  • OS: Xandros Linux (Asus customized)
  • Screen: 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution
  • Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
  • Webcam (0.3 MP)
  • Battery: 4-cell 5200 mAh 7.4V Li-Ion (rated at 3.5 hours)
  • Wireless: 802.11b/g Atheros
  • Input: Keyboard and Touchpad
  • Weight: approximately 2 lbs with battery, 2.5 lbs travel weight with AC adapter.
  • Two-year warranty

The folks at NotebookReview.com gives this device an “Editors Choice” rating, a tag they rarely give out, suggesting something special about the Asus Eee PC.

In the end, the Eee PC is the single most impressive notebook we’ve seen priced below $400. The technical specs might look sub par, but the usability and overall performance of the Eee PC rivals notebooks costing several thousand dollars more. Granted, you can’t install Photoshop on this little notebook and you can forget about playing Bioshock on this thing, but the Eee PC can do just about everything you “need” to do with a notebook while on the go.

Now I’m sure you’re almost ready to get one soon. Be sure to familiarize yourself with it so you’d know what to expect, and read this helpful tweak guide to get the most out of it.

Other reviews of the Asus Eee PC:

Categories
Apple New Products

Updated MacBooks

Apple MacBook

Yes, the new MacBooks are here!

But they’re not exactly new. It’s the same Intel–based MacBook that we’ve had for some time now, updated to “Santa Rosa” specs, though not exactly Santa Rosa since Apple chooses to use its own wireless card instead of Intel’s.

Listed below is the current specs for Apple’s mainstream notebook:

  • 13.3-inch glossy display
  • 2.0GHz or 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Up to 4GB memory
  • Up to 250GB hard drive
  • Apple Remote with Front Row
  • Built-in iSight camera
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
  • Slot-loading optical drive
  • Built-in AirPort Extreme
  • FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Now with 800MHz front side bus, a better though still built–in graphics card GMA X3100, a new maximum RAM of 4GB DDR2, the new updates are very much welcome and should be good enough for those holding out on getting a MacBook, like me. The keyboard layout has also been updated to reflect the changes in the recently released thin aluminum wireless keyboards, and can be seen in this page. Additionally, rear vent fins are spaced farther, detailed in this list of differences in the new MacBook compared to the previous ones.

One problem though is price. At the same price levels, there are several win–tel offerings that pack more punch, or you could get a similarly functional machine with less of the bells–and–whistles for much less cash. The Apple MacBook might still be competitive enough, but I doubt it will catch a good chunk of the pie, especially not this coming holiday season.

Unless Apple has another surprise up its sleeves.