Event Coverage

ASUS Eee PC S101 Launch - 101 Guide to Gliding Bamboos

By Seow Tein Hee - 23 Oct 2008

The ASUS Eee PC S101

Trilogy of Netbooks

Undeniably, when the very first ASUS Eee PC came into being just shortly a year ago, demand for netbooks just skyrocketed without much prompting from the various manufacturers. Being one of the very first few manufacturers to introduce and popularize the netbook genre, ASUS seems bent in upping the ante with its latest range of netbook, the ASUS Eee PC S101. And since the netbook fad is one that's considerably mainstream, the S101 will cater to those with an eye on aesthetics more so than performance with three varying colors: Brown, Champagne or Graphite.

Nonetheless, performance will still be playing a major role in the S101. Here's another overview of the S101 and some of its key features for you to take stock of:
 

 The ASUS Eee PC S101 sitting snugly in one corner before we got our hands on it.

 

ASUS Eee PCS101 Key Features
Processor:
  • Intel Atom N270
Operating system:
Display:
  • 10.2-inch WSVGA Wide Active Matrix LED Backlit TFT screen
Memory:
  • 1GB DDR2 RAM
Storage:
  • 16GB SSD (Solid State Drive) with 30GB online Eee storage
Battery:
  • 2450mAH/cell Polymer battery
Dimensions:
  • 264mm x 180.5mm x 18~25mm
Weight:
  • 1kg

According to the specifications, the S101 would be one heck of a thin netbook, measuring in at almost 18mm in thickness. Furthermore, unlike its 1000 series netbook, the S101 manages to shed quite a bit of weight to its current 1kg measurement. Other bells and whistles added onto the S101 would include hi-definition audio CODEC, a multi-touch mouse pad (not exactly new since it has appeared on its previous Eee devices before) and interestingly, it also comes with a 30GB online storage, essentially increasing your storage space so long as you get yourself connected onto the net. We're getting a bit long-winded, so we'll let the images do the talking from now on.
 

 The S101 holds the standard 3 USB ports (one as shown here, the other two on the opposing profile) and comes with a 3.5mm audio jack and a direct mic array.

 Being thin equates being light, and that definitely is the case with the S101's 18mm thickness, which matches its light weight measuring at 1kg only.

 A 10.2-inch netbook does have its advantage, as the keyboard experience comes close to the normal full QWERTY keyboard that is used on most notebooks.

 While we can't comment on its ability to adapt to sunlight glare, we can safely say the S101's 10.2-inch LED backlit screen is easy and comfortable on the eyes.

Availability

According to ASUS, the S101 will be retail ready by the 24th of October, though choices will initially be limited to the Brown variant. Both the Champagne and Graphite variation will be available by November, and for all three versions, the retail price has been tagged at S$1098.
 

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