Both have non-fingerprint attracting matte finish metal lids as well as palm rests. A big complaint with Asus netbooks was that their shiny plastic cases attracted fingerprints, and it looks like they’ve addressed that here. Another improvement is that the netbooks are only 0.7″ thick at their widest point and only 2.4 pounds, making them more portable than ever.

They have the usual netbook innards (Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, Windows 7 starter, GMA 3150 graphics) and so aren’t impressive on the performance end. They’re PCMark scores are just average, which is what we expected:

Their battery tests only show around 5 hours of battery life, but the production models are supposed to last closer to 10 which is nice.

Asus Eee PC 1018P

Asus Eee PC 1015P

They both feature great “island” keyboards and large touchpads. They also include the Expressgate quick-boot software, but why wait 15 seconds for a quick-boot when you can wait 30 for full Windows?

As you can see these netbooks are all about looks and at $350 they are about the same price as the 1005PE but with updated innards (and one with a metal exterior). The 1015P is available now starting at $349 and the 1018P is on backorder and listed at $527 .

via engadget

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• Processor: Intel Atom N450 1.6GHz with GMA3150 graphics
• Display: 10.1″ glossy
• Ports: 3 x usb, vga out, LAN, headphone, mic
• Price: $379

As you can see this model will be released at a very reasonable price, and should be reason enough to pick up one of these new models. It features Asus’ very nice chiclet keyboard, and engadget said their review model has no keyboard flex at all and is a joy to type on.

The 1005PE has a glossy exterior like most Asus netbooks, and the weight is very light at 2.8 lbs.

It’s the usual netbook story when it comes to graphics, HD youtube is bad but 720p is no problem. I assume they used flash 10.0 and not 10.1 so no word if that would help playback. Here are some test results when compared with the 1008HA:

As you can see the results are all around better than the N280, and the 3Dmark06 is around 50% better. It isn’t as fast as the Nvidia Ion gpu in graphics but it’s alot better than the N280.

The big breakthrough on this processor is battery life. Even though it’s faster than the N280 it uses 20% less power, resulting in much longer battery life. During their video playback loop test with 65% screen brightness the battery lasted 8 hours and 10 minutes. The ones availalbe now on Amazon have up to 14 hour batteries, which is incredible.

Basically if you’re looking for something really impressive you won’t find it here, but if you’re looking for a nice solid well-priced 10.1″ netbook then this is what you want. The 1005PE is a great update to the best-selling 1005HA, and if you get this netbook you won’t be disappointed.

Available now from Amazon for $379 (that’s with a 14 hour battery), and already number 1 on the best-seller’s list.

If you’re looking for a something to handle HD graphics then you might want to check out the HP Mini 311 or Asus 1201n.

via engadget

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The 1201n also includes the Nvidia Ion graphics processor and as a result of the dual core processor and Ion graphics this netbook really blurs the lines between netbook and laptop. Here are the specs:

• Processor: 1.6GHz dual core Atom N330
• Ram:  2GB DDR2, 8GB max
• 250GB hard drive
• Nvidia Ion graphics
• 12.1″ 1366 x 768 glossy display
• 802.11 b/g/n wifi, bluetooth
• Windows 7 Home premium 32 bit
• 5 hour battery
• 3 usb, vga, hdmi out, headphone, mic, etc

The reviews all say the same thing, this is the fastest netbook ever made but it also costs the most. When compared to the HP Mini 311 it performs better in processing tests (about twice as fast). When compared on graphics the tests are about equal.

It features the usual full-size chiclet keyboard and glossy fingerprint magnet exterior. One reviewer noted that since it’s 12.1″ the netbook felt kind of flimsy with its plastic frame, unlike the Nokia 3G which has a metal frame.

Another downside is the battery life. With its dual core processor in real world usage you will only see around 3 hours or so of battery life. If you use a couple of power saving techniques (wifi, bluetooth off, etc) you may actually see 5 hours from a charge.

With a $499 price tag you would have to really want a slightly larger screen with slightly better performance to justify choosing the 1201n over the HP Mini 311. And for 100 dollars less the Mini 311 is still number 1 in my book.

The engadget review basically sums it up, if you’re looking for something in-between a netbook and a CULV then this is what you’ve been waiting for.

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• Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz, 533MHz FSB)
• Intel US15W Chipset
• Intel GMA 500 Graphics
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 8.9” LED-backlit LCD with Resistive Multitouch
• 32GB SSD
• 1GB DDR 667MHz
• 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
• 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth v2.1
• 0.3 Megapixel Webcam
• 2x MMC/SD/SDHC Card Readers
• Measuring 225mm x 164mm x 25.2-28.4mm, Weighing 2lbs
• Integrated Lithium Polymer (5 hours battery life)
• 1 Year Warranty
• MSRP: US $532.00

As you can see the current price is $532 which is a little higher than most netbooks, but it is a multitouch netvertible and is very cool. If you’re not sure what a net-vertible is it means the screen swivels to allow the netbook to transform into a touchscreen tablet.

The resistive touchscreen works very nicely with the included stylus and of course with Windows 7 now installed it also works with your fingers and multitouch (pinch to zoom).

The keyboard for the T91 is the standard Asus Eee PC keyboard which is very nice and I’ve never heard a complaint about. This is an 8.9″ netbook so the keyboard is slightly cramped if you’re used to a fullsize one like on an 11.6″ netbook, but it works fine.

The touchpad does include the “unibutton” bottom button which we would have preferred to be 2 seperate buttons, but you can’t have everything that you want.

Of course the standard ports are on the outside, vga out, headphone, mic, 3 x usb’s, multi card reader, and LAN. It does include 802.11n wireless also which is nice. The downside is that it only has the Intel GMA500 graphics which is very weak (here’s why), but this is due to the fact that it’s made to be carried around and used primarily as a tablet pc and not a desktop replacement. Overall the T91MT is very cool and if you want a netvertible this is one of the best.

Here’s a video demonstrating the multitouch operations.

You can get one here from Amazon now for $532.

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Here are the hardware specs:

• Intel Atom N280 processor (1.67GHz)
• 6 hours battery life
• 1GB RAM (upgradeable to 2GB)
• 10.1″ LED backlit LCD display (1024×600 resolution) non-glossy
• 160GB SATA 2 5400 rpm hard-drive (250GB Windows 7 model)
• Weight: 2.4 lbs
• integrated 802.11 b/g/n wireless
• integrated low-light webcam
• Windows XP or Windows 7 OS

Asus’ effort to update and reinvent the 1005HA was largely successful, but not so successful in other ways. It is a refreshed and clean exterior look with its hidden ports, and it is definitely thinner and lighter. The only problem is that to make it thinner and lighter they had to remove the bottom access doors so it’s not an easy task to upgrade the RAM. Instead of a simple unplug and replace operation like with the 1005HA, upgrading the RAM in this bad boy involves taking the computer apart and can be quite an ordeal.

The ports on the outside have been covered with doors and access ports, which looks nice but can slow you down at times.

funky vga port

The battery is also non-removeable so you’re stuck with 6 hour max battery life, which isn’t too bad after all.

Now that I’ve covered the negatives here’s a look at where they all payoff, in the 1 inch thick design. For a slightly higher price tag you get a very beautiful netbook.

the 1008HA sitting on its portlier cousin, the 1005HA

The thin design is very beautiful and at it’s also over 1/2 pound lighter than the 1005HA, which is very light in itself. Overall the effect on the 1008HA is that it is the most portable and lightweight netbook you can buy. If you like the 1005HA (which everyone does) but want something a little lighter and more portable than the 1008HA is the way to go. It’s available from Amazon preloaded with Windows 7 for around $400.

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• Intel Atom N280 processor (1.67GHz)
• 6 cell battery with 10.5 hour battery life
• 1GB RAM (easily upgradeable to 2GB)
• 10.1″ LED backlit LCD display (1024×600 resolution) non-glossy
• 160GB SATA 2 5400 rpm hard-drive (250GB Windows 7 model)
• Weight: 2.9 lbs
• integrated 802.11 b/g/n wireless
• integrated low-light webcam
• Windows XP or Windows 7 OS

The keyboard is very nice to type on at 92% of full size, and the keys have a nice style with a small lowered ledge around the keys that provides nice tactile feedback when typing. Like all other netbooks the direction keys on the bottom right are a little small, but that is my only problem with the keyboard.

There is also a cool over/underclocking feature on the processor to either save battery life or boost performance for apps. You can see the icon on the left side of the spacebar, and you activate it by hold fn+spacebar.

Of course the 10.5 hour battery life is a max spec and if you’re running wireless and alot of power hungry apps with the overclocking turned on you might only see 7. This is still long enough to make it through almost any trip or flight on one charge though and is also longer than most other batteries.

The 1005HA has the usual external ports with a 10/100 ethernet plug, headphone jack, microphone jack, 2 usb’s and an SD card reader on the right side.

On the left is a vga output, usb port and power port.

The 1005HA model also has wireless n which is nice because you use wireless almost exclusively on a netbook. Another very nice feature on the 1005 series that Asus did away with on some of their newer models is the easily removeable access panel on the bottom to upgrade the RAM.

You can remove the panel with 1 screw and replace the RAM in about 30 seconds. I used the Crucial 2GB stick and I’m satisfied with it so far.

The RAM upgrade really improves video performance as well as gives you a speed boost when running multiple apps. Overall this is the best 10.1″ netbook (in my opinion) because of its blend of performance and value. I am looking forward though to some of the upcoming Asus netbooks with 12″ screens to see how they stack up.

You’ll want to get it pre-loaded with Windows 7, and Amazon has it here for around $270. That is with the 10.5 hour battery, and they also have one with an 8 hour battery for less at $325.

Basically if you want to a 10.1″ netbook this is the one to buy, you will not be disappointed.

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