Finally, a Netbook with Brawn (and Dual-Core Processor)
Finally, a Netbook with Brawn (and Dual-Core Processor)
Posted 11/20/2009 at 5:41am
| by Paul Lilly
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Asus said it was switching to Nvidia's Ion platform for future netbooks, and making good on that promise, the Eee PC maker on Thursday announced the Eee PC 1201N Multimedia Netbook.
Up until now, a multimedia netbook could be considered an oxymoron, if not a cruel joke, but that certainly isn't the case here. Pushing the boundaries between a netbook and notebook, the 1201N sports a 12.1-inch LED display and comes built around Nvidia's pixel-pushing Ion platform. That's great for graphics, but it doesn't stop there. Instead of the ubiquitous Atom N270 processor found in most netbooks, Asus equipped the 1201N with Intel's Atom 330 dual-core processor.
On the storage front, the new netbook comes with a 250GB hard drive and 500GB of online Asus WebStorage. The online storage space is provided for free for the first year, and after that, you'll have to pony up for a subscription plan.
Other specs include 2GB of DDR2 memory, Wi-Fi, three USB2.0 ports, a 6-cell battery good for up to 5 hours of run time, and Windows 7.
No word yet on price or availability.
Image Credit: Asus
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samduhman
November 20, 2009 at 8:31am
So is this going to be priced so high that you may as well get a notebook? I can get this for $400 and change at Best Buy of all places.
Unless you absolutely "need" small then I don't see netbooks being worth the cost of admission when notebooks are just a little more. So what is the draw of getting a netbook other than size, am I missing something?
Obsidian
November 20, 2009 at 10:25am
You're correct for the most part, however the following things are better with this unit: Graphics - Ion is able to process 1080p for HD TVs, most $500 laptops won't; Battery life - this will have 5 to 7 hours of it, in comparison to the 2-3 hours for a small laptop; Portability - like you mentioned, if size is an issue or a status symbol like for the coffee shop crowd then small and sleek is percevied to be the better tech.
This thing would make a great GPS unit in a pinch, or a nice school computer for a kid. In my opinion the killer deal with the 1201n is the HDMI and 1080p delivery. If it faulters on that statistic then it will be a complete failure of over-promises.
The Gateway you linked to has the Intel 4500 graphics chip which is total garbage despite Intel's lies about it's great performance. The Gateway weighs in at 6.5 pounds and the 1201n will be around 3.5 or under. People are willing to pay for portability to an extent. I don't know who would buy the Sony X-series Laptops that start at $1200 but the product is there and it comes in at 1.7 pounds, so there's a market for more portable computing devices ... that aren't phones.
Obsidian
November 20, 2009 at 7:12am
This product announcement was first picked up in September of 2009 or even before. The stats were identical and no price was announced then either. Then after Windows 7 broke out in October there were pre-order prices on some Chinese sites for about $500 USD. Still no product. Now it's the end of November and other sites have already scooped MPC's news on this one stating that the 1201n will be delayed until sometime in December.
I'll be impressed when/if this product ever makes it out the door. The real benefit here is the specs that MPC doesn't list, like HDMI out (with sound). This thing could become a much more functional HTPC, being that it could be very easily moved from TV to TV. Even at five bills it still competes in price with those kinds of devices.
Why wouldn't they max it out with 4GB of Memory? That's just idiotic that they put only 2GB in the system. Here's to hoping that stat is wrong. I think the 330 Atom might even be capible of running a 64-bit OS, I don't know that you'd WANT to do that however ;)
sbud4u
November 20, 2009 at 7:00am
Isn't the Intel Celeron SU2300 a duel core? ACER already has a Netbook with that option available. The Acer Aspire AS1410-2801.
lostjuan
November 20, 2009 at 5:23pm
Big screen, bigger processor hmm I wonder if they burn more watts???? One of the strength of netbooks aside from being cheap is the battery life. I bet both take a hit.
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