With every computer manufacturer and their chip supplier’s barber now jumping on the netbook train, it’s clearly about time for Asus to step it up a bit. Many would credit the Eee line of ultra-portable laptops with popularizing the new breed but now that Asus is competing the likes of top manufacturers, the Eee is in danger of becoming like a Hollywood actress over 26 – still pretty good at what it does but no one in tinseltown wants to look at it anymore. Fear not Asus lovers, the S101 might be just the botox injection the Eee line needed. Don’t let the relatively hideous shade of brown pictured above fool you; the S101 means business. A variety of SSD drives to choose from, an ultra-slim body (tapers to 18 mm, just thicker than the MacBook Air) and pretty solid specs make the S101 very buzz worthy. Check it:
- 264 mm (w) x 180.5 mm (d) x 18 ~ 25 mm (h, tapered)
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
- Windows XP Home (base model) or GNU Linux OS
- 10.2-inch wide LED-backlit TFT display, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. 252K colors
- Intel Atom processor
- 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
- 1 GB DDR2 RAM
- 3 USB 2.0 ports and a VGA port for an external monitor
- Integrated 4-in-1 multimedia card reader
- Multi-touch touchpad
- 2450 mAh battery, not removable
- Available in brown, champagne and graphite
But what about storage – you said it had SSD drives? Calm down, we’re getting there. The S101 will be available in three different trims and here’s what they look like:
- Windows XP, 16 GB SSD or 20GB SD – $699
- Linux, 32 GB SSD – $699
- Linux, 64 GB SSD – $799
So what do you think? Is the S101 the face lift Asus needs or is it just another Joan Rivers?
