The ASUS Eee PC 1215B is a new AMD Fusion powered ultraportable that delivers an impressive performance in a small package, and delivers great battery life at the same time. The Eee PC 1215B is available from Amazon.com for around $430, which is in line with many other AMD Fusion mini notebooks. Unlike the other notebooks, the Eee PC 1215B has a 12.1″ display that gives you a bit more room to work.

ASUS Eee PC 1215B Specs

The Eee PC 1215B has a 1.6Ghz AMD Fusion processor, AMD Radeon HD 6130 GPU, 2GB RAM and a 250GB hard drive. The 12.1″ display has a 1366 x 768 resolution and there is an HDMI port to connect to your big screen. The display has a .3MP webcam. The notebook has USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0 and Wireless b/g/n.

ASUS Eee PC 1215B Hands On Video

Asus Eee PC Impressions

We had a short time to play with the Eee PC 1215B, which a friend purchased for a trip to South America this month. We had originally recommended the HP dm1z, which is part of our AMD Fusion Ultraportable Roundup, but the ship date was too far out for comfort. Looking at the Eee CP 1215B in person, we’re glad he made the choice as it is a great notebook that has a collection of features note found on other mini notebooks.

The keyboard is either full size or very close to it, and offers nice travel and spacing. The only issue was a small right shift key, but that’s hardly a deal breaker. The mousepad is fairly large and offers a pretty good multitouch experience and has a single bar for the mouse buttons.

From performance, we were able to pull up Hulu quickly and stream without an issue and based on past performance with similar systems we would expect HD content to play well. In terms of using the computer for the web, Skype and office tasks as our friend plans to, this notebook will handle all of it well.

The webcam was important for our friend who uses it to keep in touch with family and friends. The images are good for a .3MP webcam. It’s no HD webcam, but it does well even in a not too bright coffeeshop setting.

The Eee PC 1215B battery is rated for 8.5 hours and based on the life left during our time of playing with the notebook, that’s probably on the high side, but not by much. We didn’t have time for a full battery test since he is on the way out of the country, but with the screen brightness on high the system was reporting around 5.5 hours of life on a charge.

ASUS Eee PC 1215B Gallery

ASUS Eee PC 1215B Specs:

• AMD E350 CPU 1.6GHz
• 2GB DDR3 RAM (1x2GB), 2 Slots, 4GB Max
• 12.1″ WXGA (1366×768) LED screen
• ATI HD 6310 graphics
• HDMI VGA out
• 320GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
• No Optical Drive
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth 3.0; 10/100 LAN
• 0.3MP Webcam
• 2-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC)
• 3 x USB 2.0 Ports; 1 x USB 3.0 Port
• Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System
• Up To 8.5 Hours Battery Life

ASUS Eee PC 1215B with AMD Fusion Hands On (Video) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Taking styling cues from one of the most recognizable sports cars and putting them in a notebook without looking cheesy is a tough thing to do, but with the ASUS Lamborghini VX6 Eee PC, ASUS has succeeded in creating a beautiful looking notebook that carries some of the refinements of the Lamborghini.

The ASUS Lamborghini VX6 Eee PC is a 12.1″ ultraportable notebook powered by a 1.8GHz dual core Intel Atom D525 processor which is supplements with NVIDIA ION 2 Graphics. In addition to the main power the VX6 has 2 GB DDR 3 RAM, USB 3.0, HDMI out and a sound system that has been engineered by Bang & Olufsen.

The 12.1″ display supports a 1366 x 768 resolution, the notebook runs Windows 7 Home Premium and with the 6-cell battery weighs in at 3.31 pounds.

The use of an Atom processor may not scream “Lambo” to you, but we expect that the dual core Atom CPU combined with a NVIDIA ION GPU will yield performance that exceeds a notebook with just an Atom processor. That said, we’ll have to reserve final judgement until we see some reviews coming out.

The ASUS Lamborghini VX6 Eee PC retails for $699 in the U.S. but you can find it as low as $674 with free shipping at B&H, according to Liliputing.

Here’s a video from ASUS showing off the ASUS Lamborghini VX6 Eee PC with a collection of glamour shots and engine revving.

Via Liliputing

ASUS Lamborghini VX6 12″ Eee PC Notebook Shipping is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The ASUS Eee PC 1015PEM is a 10.1-inch netbook with a dual-core Atom N550 processor. It is now ready for customers to pre-order at J&R.com for $379 or available now for $399 at Amazon (from a 3rd party Amazon partner).

The 1015PEM is one of the early dual-core netbooks on the market for under $400. As the folks over at Netbooksnews.com said, even though it doesn’t have the NVIDIA ION 2 graphics chip, it still should handle HD youtube video just fine.

To go with the new dual-core processor this netbook has fairly ordinary specs. The screen resolution is 1024×600. There is 1GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB hard drive, Wi-fi and Bluetooth, 10/100 LAN and a .3MP webcam. Promised battery life is pretty high at 13 hours with a  6-cell battery. Another standout spec is USB 3.0, the newer version which should give very good performance for any external drive capable of 3.0 speeds.

Asus Eee PC 1015PEM Dual Core Netbook Available for Pre-order is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Recently, President and CEO of Asus, Jerry Chen, blamed Apple and its iPad for Asus’s loss in netbook sales. As a result, Asus will soon be entering the tablet PC market.

[Asus] saw sales of its netbooks in the second quarter fall short of expectations mainly due to competition from Apple’s iPad, and has downward adjusted its target shipments for the third quarter, the traditional peak sales period, to 1.4 million units,” Chen said to investors in a conference call last week.

Though Chen recognized the increasing competition from the iPad and other tablet devices, he remains committed to the Eee PC line. However, Asus is diligently working towards creating their own line of tablets, known as the Eee Pad line, which will run Android, Windows 7, or Windows Embedded Compact 7.

Electronista pointed out why netbooks, such as the Eee PC line, may be slowly failing.

“Netbooks can run more software and cost less but are often subjectively slower due to the higher overhead of Windows and the relatively low power Atom chip. They also usually have shorter battery life while still measuring roughly twice as thick and heavy.”

Additionally, netbooks fail to provide that wow factor that most tablets, especially the iPad, can provide.

Via LAPTOP Magazine, Electronista

Asus Blames iPad for Loss of Sales is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

Everyone thinks about getting a PC for their kid going off to college, but increasingly students in Middle or High School still at home need their own computer to do homework and for entertainment and social interaction. In this guide we will share some recommendations ranging from a budget model and a netbook on up to the powerful high-end system for that really creative geek hopefully still keeping the price down a little.

Netbook

Netbooks are a great solution for younger kids with smaller hands and for those who want something very light to carry with them all the time. One of the best-selling netbooks is the Asus Eee PC 1005PED-PU17. (as lows as $375.99 in our new Laptop Finder). This series has been very popular because of its size and basic specs and of course battery life. This specific model has a 10.1-inch display, an Intel Atom N475 1.83 GHz Processor, 1 GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. Those are pretty ordinary specs for a netbook. The standout figure is the battery life, getting up to an advertised 10 hours with the 6-cell battery that comes with this specific model. Also, instead of the anemic Windows 7 Starter, this one comes with the Home Premium edition.

Below is a video from Netbook News of the very similar 1005PE model.

This is a great notebook for kids who don’t plan to do any fancy gaming because they have a dedicated gaming console. They will be able to do all their homework on this, unless they are taking some serious creative classes in video or photo editing. Online tasks and document creation are the primary focus of a netbook like the 1005PED models. It is available in a number of different colors, although this specific model is black. The keyboard is an island or chicklet style, which should making typing with smaller hands very easy.

Budget Notebook

Budget notebooks are for people with netbook budgets but notebooks tastes. Maybe you like the prices of netbooks but your student couldn’t  imagine typing on a something as small as a 10 or 12-inch computer. For under $600 you would think that the best you could do is an old Celeron or last generation Athlon processor, but the Lenovo G560 model comes with an Intel Core i3-350M Processor (2.26GHz) and a decent sized 15.6 inch display.  The base model only has 2GB of RAM but for just another $65 you could go with 4GB and keep the cost at the $600 mark. The G560 comes with a 250GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and of course the other basics like Wi-Fi and a webcam. Lenovo is known for their high quality keyboards. Direct from Lenovo the G560 is currently priced at $600.80 with the additional RAM.

Mid-level Do-It-All Notebook

For some teens, being able to write papers for school and surfing the web is not enough. They want more power to play games, watch Blu-ray movies or create a video masterpiece. For their parents, going over a grand in the budget is not acceptable. To fit both needs, a good mid-level multi-purpose notebooks is the $700 HP Pavilion dv6-3040us Notebook. This dv6t model comes with an AMD Phenom II N830 2.10GHz processor, 15.6-inch display, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics chip, 4GB of memory and 500GB of hard drive space. It also has a Blu-ray disc reader that will also burn DVDs and CDs. The 1366×768 display is a high enough resolution for 720p HD movies. These specs offer the performance needed to play some games, watch movies and even create multimedia content. And of course the student can still get online for research and create documents for homework. Our very own Josh Smith reviewed this notebook’s cousin, the Pavilion dv6z recently which has higher specs, but also costs a little more at $800.

Gaming Notebook

One of the best known names in gaming systems is Alienware. You could go all out and pay thousands of dollars, but one of the best gaming choices for the money might be the Alienware M15x. Of course you get the newer and more portable M11x, which has only an 11-inch display or the M17x which comes with a large 17″ display and is less portable; but the 15-inch M15x will likely be a good fit for most students.

You could configure it as you like direct from Dell, but the above model priced at $1274.00 has a powerful Core i7-720QM processor, 4GB of RAM, 320GB of hard drive space, a DVD burner and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M graphics powering the 15.6-inch display with a high 1600×900 resolution. Of course the Alienware line also has a really unique look, which will likely appeal to many students.

High End Creative Notebook

As much as the biggest Windows PC enthusiast hates to admit it, for a really creative kid who wants to create the next independent film masterpiece or edit photos that will compete with her budding Ansel Adams friends, one of the best options is a MacBook Pro. Our publisher Xavier Lanier recently reviewed the very high-end 17-inch MacBook Pro. At nearly three grand, that system may be overkill for a student. But Apple does offer more reasonably priced models like this 15-inch MacBook Pro model which comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, a 15.4 inch screen, 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. It is only $1,630.74 with a $100 rebate bringing the total down to almost $1,500.

One of the nice things about the new MacBook Pro line is the nVIDIA GeForce HD GT 330M which powers on when you need the graphics power, but switches to a power-saving mode for less intensive things like web surfing and document creation. This gives users really great battery life at about 10 hours. Also, Apple allows you to run Windows using a technology called Boot Camp in case your child needs to use a Windows only program for a class. To do this you will need to buy a retail copy of Windows but it allows you to get the stylish Apple hardware along with their great software for creative kids, while also maintaining the ability to run Windows tools and some games.

Hopefully these systems will give you a starting point to help you find a system for your teenager or pre-teen child still at home with you. If you do not like what you see, the new Notebooks.com Laptop Finder is a great place to begin your search. If you’re looking for a college age student check out our Back To School Notebooks and Netbooks for Campus.

Back to School Notebooks for the Kids Still at Home is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The Asus Eee PC 1215N netbook is now available for pre-order. The NVIDIA ION 2-powered netbook features NVIDIA Optimus Technology, which improves battery life when not using graphics-intensive applications. The Eee PC 1215N is available for $499.

The Asus Eee PC 1215N has been getting a lot of hype, due to the many features that are not found on many other netbooks currently on the market. The Eee PC 1215N features NVIDIA ION 2 with Optimus Technology, USB 3.0 ports, and Bluetooth 3.o. Recently added was the new dual-core Intel Atom Processor.

Full Eee PC 1215N specs:

• 12.1-inch LED backlit display (1366×768 resolution)
• 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom D525 processor
• 2GB DDR3 RAM
• 250GB HDD (previously 320GB)
• NVIDIA ION 2 with Optimus technology
• 802.11b/g/n WiFi
• Bluetooth 3.0
• 1.3-megapixel webcam
• 2 USB 3.0 ports
• USB 2.0 Sleep’n'Charge port
• HDMI port
• VGA out
• SD/MMC card reader
• 6-cell battery
• Windows 7 Home Premium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sAfW8193Ws&feature=player_embedded

The ASUS Eee PC 1215N is available for pre-order from ExcaliberPC for $499 with an estimated ship date around August 31st.

Via Liliputing

Asus Eee PC 1215N Available For Pre-order is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

The Asus Eee PC 1005PX with a matte screen for high outdoor visibility has been outed on the Asus website. The Eee PC 1005PX is a 10.1″ netbook which is in the line with the 1005p and 100sPE series but the newest version offers fewer USB ports.

This 10.1″ netbook is one of a few consumer level netbooks to come with a matte screen that doesn’t reflect the sun and your surroundings like most consumer netbooks and notebooks these days.

The specs other than the matte screen are pretty standard for a netbook. The 1005PX has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1-2GB of RAM and includes WiFi, Bluetooth and a .3 megapixel webcam. It comes with your choice of Windows 7 Starter or Windows XP and hard drive options ranging from 160GB up to 320GB. The battery life is rated at 8.5 hours. The Eee PC 1005PX comes in blue, black, pink and red.

No pricing or availability information is available yet.

Via NetBookNews and EeePCNews

ASUS Eee PC 1005PX with Matte Screen Outed is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

ASUS has announced a new netbook in the Eee series of netbooks with a Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator that makes watching HD content on the go enjoyable. The new ASUS Eee PC 1005PR makes use of the new Intel Atom N450 processor and includes the new “hybrid storage” model that ASUS has been pushing to combine 250GB of local storage with 500GB of online “ASUS WebStorage” for a total of 750GB of storage space.

Thanks to the Broadcom Crystal HD accelerator card, this netbook avoids many of the issues that occur when trying to playback HD content on a netbook such as lag, stuttering and other issues. The HD accelerator chip allows the computer to offload this heavy lifting to it and provide a smoother more enjoyable viewing experience as shown in the video demonstration below.

The ASUS Eee PC 1005PR includes a 10.1″ screen with a 1366 x 768 resolution which is my new must have resolution for netbooks as it allows for much more usable space when working on documents or browsing the web. The Eee PC 1005PR also makes use of a chiclet style keyboard for an improved typing experience.  The ASUS Eee PC 1005PR is already available for Pre-order at Amazon.com for $399.

You can see the rest of the technical specs of the ASUS Eee PC 1005PR below.

• Intel Atom N450  (1.66GHz)
• INTEL UMA Graphics with Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator
• 1 GB of RAM (Expandable to 2GB)
• 802.11 b/g/n
• .3 MP webcam
• Bluetooth
• Windows 7 Starter
• a claimed battery life of up to 11 hours

Additional ASUS Eee PC 1005PR images:

ASUS Announces HD Friendly Eee PC 1005PR Netbook is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

As someone who has been in the IT community for 15+ years, I get asked ALL the time the following questions:

• What notebook/netbook/PC should I buy?
• I need a new phone, what should I go for?
• What kind of equipment do you use?
• Hey, what is that you are holding?  Can I try it?
• I have problem X, what <insert hardware/software> should I use?

So, in response to all of these questions and more, here is a quick tour behind Amy’s mobile makeup—

For cellphones:

Right now, my latest cell phone is a Blackberry Curve 8900, complements of T-Mobile.  I have been with T-Mobile since they were Voicestream and they still have the best customer service in town.  As for Blackberries?  I have been using one since they first came out and were email only.  I think I had the 850 model.  Why do I stick with them?  Because I need a phone for communication, whether it’s a phone call, email, instant messaging, or the other social media applications.  And, because I have long fingernails, I need something with a physical keyboard.    I have a Nokia 6301 that I use as a backup phone.  I STRONGLY believe in backups, for phones as well as PCs.  Why?  Because what happens when your primary phone’s OS crashes and you still need a cell phone.  If you need a phone for strong communication needs, get a Blackberry from whatever carrier you are with.  If you want one that is more “playful”, go for the iPhone.

For notebooks:

I have been through enough Windows based notebooks to last me for the rest of my life.  I use one at work all the time.  At home, I want something easy to use.  People are always saying to me, “You must have a lab at home and do all those ‘geeky’ things?”  Answer: not really.  I am like most people in that when I get home, I really don’t want to use a computer unless I have to, and even then it’s to check email or go online.  So, last year I got myself a 13″ Macbook from the Apple outlet.  I love it.  Its easy to use, has all the programs I use on a daily basis, and powers on in 45 seconds or so.  What more could I ask for?  It does have one “geeky” bit though.  I use VMWare Fusion to do virtual machines.  I have a Windows 7, Windows XP, and Fedora Core 11 image that I use for testing and training.  I wholeheartedly recommend a Mac to anyone and everyone.  But, if the cost is a bit much, try an HP.  I have had HP laptops on and off for the last 5 years that they are really reliable.  I had one last 6 years before I needed to start replacing parts.

For netbooks:

I just got myself an Eee PC 900A.  I augmented the RAM to bring it up to 1.5GB and am considering a hard drive upgrade.  It was running Xandros Linux, but I didn’t like it much.  So, I upgraded it to the Easy Peasy Ubuntu Linux, made specifically to run on Eee PCs.  It works for me.  I love this little netbook.  It fits in my totebag.  It has Wi-fi.  It’s great for using the web.   Would I recommend one of these for just anyone?  No.  It’s more of a “geek’s” netbook.  For everyone else, I would get the Acer Aspire One netbook.  Several people I know have one and they love it.  It runs Windows without any problems and it’s great for using MS Office and the Internet.

For tools to make life easier:

I am a Google person.  What does that mean?  It means I tend to use almost all of Google’s services to run my life.  In no particular order:

• Gmail- Great email program.
• Google Gears- I have this on my Macbook so I can store my Gmail offline on my hard drive and back it up
• Google Docs- great to use in a pinch when I can’t use MS Office
• Google Reader- I love to read RSS feeds and it’s just easy here.  It’s now more fun since they added the new icons.
• Google Wave- I am still learning this one, but it’s an interesting way to collaborate with my fellow authors and editors.
• Google Open DNS- I gave this information to my web hosters to make hosting my web sites easier.
• Google Dictionary- Just because I have a degree in English does not mean I can spell sometimes.
• Google Checkout- Just as handy to use as PayPal for online transactions.
• Google News- I read this as my news site of the day when I want to know what is going on in the real world.
• Google Groups- I use this to talk to some of my writing cohorts.
• Google Blogger- Yes, I still have a Blogger.com blog somewhere.
• Google Voice- I am still working on getting this working.

Other non Google tools:

• Chrome: It’s a clean browser without slowing down my machines.  The version for Mac isn’t out yet but I am waiting.  I use it at work and on my Windows images.
• Pidgin: This is my all in one instant messaging client for AOL, Yahoo, MSN, and GTalk.  It’s free and just works.
• LogMeIn:  I use this to help my family with computer issues.  It allows me to remotely access their machines over the Internet and fix things.  I also use it to connect to machines for work related incidents.

Staying Mobile:

How to I manage to stay mobile when I use all of this?  Consolidation and really using all the functionality of the tools.  Most of what I used is web based, so as long as I have an Internet connected device I am good to go.  I always have my Blackberry so I have access to all my communications.  It’s also great to use as a cell modem when needed.  I also have my netbook in my totebag.  So, as long as I have Wi-Fi access, I can do my work.  If I don’t have that, I have a 1st generation iPod Touch.  You would be surprised on how much you can get done with this little device.

What is next for this mobile diva?  I really want is the Verizon MiFi, then I can have my Internet connection wherever I go.

Amy’s Mobile Makeup – How She Does it is a post by Amy from Notebooks.com.

Good news for fans of AMD processors, Asus was seen showing off the AMD powered Eee PC 1201T recently which sports an Athlon Neo mobile processor  instead of the almost ubiquitous Intel Atom processor powering most netbooks. The AMD powered 12″ netbook will reportedly be able to handle streaming 1080P video and other high definition content thanks to an AMD Radeon 3200 GPU which will help it compete with the current crop of ION powered netbooks.

Pricing and availability aren’t known but given that it shares many of the same specs, aside from the processor, as the Asus Eee PC 1201HA that just went on sale in the U.S. it’s possible that we’ll see it for around the $330. No operating systems is identified, but the screen of the demo on NotebookItalia looks like Windows 7 starter, which some users will prefer over XP which is standard on the 1201HA model.

More specs are below the image.

Detailed Asus Eee PC 1201t specifications

Via Electronista

Asus unveils EEE PC 1201T with AMD Athlon Neo is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.