Asus Eee PC

Asus Eee PC

Developer	AsusTeK Computer Inc.
Type	Subnotebook/Netbook
Operating system	Xandros Windows XP Windows 7
Website	http://eeepc.asus.com

Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook/netbook computer line from ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state drive and relatively low cost. Newer models have added the option of Windows operating system and traditional hard disk drives.

The first Eee PC was a milestone in the personal computer business, launching the netbook category of small, low cost laptops. According to Asus, the name Eee derives from "the three Es," an abbreviation of its advertising slogan for the device: "Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play".

History

Eee 700 series

Black 700 series unit side view showing the SD card reader, two USB ports, the VGA output and the Kensington Security Slot.

Asus announced two Eee PC models at COMPUTEX Taipei 2007; the Eee PC 701 and the Eee PC 1001. The 701 base model Eee PC 4G was released on October 16, 2007 in Taiwan. Three additional models followed. The originally-announced second model (1001) was also expected, but later Asus renounced any plans to release it to the market. Asus sold over 300,000 units in 2007, and planned to sell several million in 2008. Intel has described the Eee PC as in line with its “World Ahead” marketing drive—which aims to provide anyone around the world a chance to own a PC.

Both the price and the size of the device are small in comparison with similar Ultra-Mobile PCs. The Eee series is one response to the XO-1 notebook from the One Laptop per Child initiative. At the Intel Developer Forum 2007, Asus demonstrated the Classmate PC and the Eee PC, and listed specifications for four models of the Eee PC. Asus at the time claimed that models may start at US$199, and range up in price and features to US$399.

The final price and specifications for the Eee PC, officially announced in September 2007, was more expensive than Asus originally intended. The price rose to US$399, from US$199, while the size of the included solid-state drive remained 4 GB. The 2G Surf has since gone on sale with 512 MB of RAM included.

Since October 13, 2007 the Asus website shows revised specifications. In some countries, the products have the marketing names EeePC 8G, 4G, 4G Surf, and 2G Surf, though in other countries the machines are still designated by the model numbers 700 and 701. The 4G Surf uses socketed RAM but some revisions do not have a door to access the slot.

Asus announced a desktop version of the Eee PC, without an integrated display, to be released in 2008. Asus announced that a version of the Eee PC with Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed would be released by the end of the year 2007. It was, however, not released until January 2008. In Japan, the version is known as the 4G-X.

A 4G Eee PC released on February 2, 2008 in the city of Mumbai, India and is being shipped with the customized Xandros OS and not the Windows XP Starter Edition. From April 5, 2008 Asus plans to sell two versions of the Asus Eee PC with Windows XP. One of them will come with 8 GB solid state and a 4 GB SDHC card. The second version will be sold without the SDHC card. The Windows XP and Linux Xandros versions of the Eee PC will sell for the same price. The Windows version is planned to include Microsoft Works 9.0; the Linux version comes with OpenOffice.org.

Eee 900 series

White 900 series

The Eee 900 series was officially launched in Hong Kong on April 16, 2008 and in the UK on May 1, 2008 for £329 (approximately 410 € or 650 US$ including VAT). The system was launched in the US on May 12, 2008. The Eee 900 series with WindowsXP-OS was scheduled for launch in Germany and Austria on June 26, 2008. The Eee 900 series dimensions are a little larger than the 70x models–measuring 225 × 165 × 35 mm (WxDxH) (8.8" × 6.5" × 1.4") and weighing around 1 kg (2.2 lb). The machine has a multi-touch trackpad that allow two-finger scrolling and zooming via a "pinch" gesture and is available with Linux (in some markets) and/or Windows XP (in some markets) configurations.

The Linux version is called the EeePC 900 and comes with a 16 GB SSD. Some of these Eee PCs also have a 4 GB SSD installed similarly to that in the 701 for a total storage space of 20 GB. Those that do not are referred to as the Asus EEE 900 16G. The Windows XP version is called the EeePC 900 Win and also comes in two versions: one with a total storage of 12 GB (one 4 GB SSD and one 8 GB SSD) and one with 16 GB (on a single SSD). The Linux 20G version is sold for the same price as the Windows 12G version. In the case for the 16G EEEs, the Windows version costs more than the Linux version.

The Windows version comes with Microsoft Works and Windows Live Suite preinstalled. It also includes StarSuite 8. The machines are otherwise identical to each other with 1 GB of RAM, an 8.9-inch (226 mm) 1024×600 LCD and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. This model has the same Celeron CPU as the Eee PC 700, running at its full 900 MHz clock speed (rather than the 630 MHz speed seen in the Eee PC 700).

Other Eee 90x models

On June 3, 2008, Asus unveiled the Eee 901 at COMPUTEX Taipei, the 901 was a revision of the 900 series with a different chassis. The 901 features an Intel Atom Diamondville CPU clocked at 1.6 GHz, an "expanded" battery (listed as 6-cell), and "Super Hybrid Engine" software for power management which will provide a battery life of 4.2-7.8 hours. Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi are also included. The 901 uses the Intel 945GME chipset, meeting the requirements for Windows Vista Aero. The Eee PC 901 costs TWD 16,988 (approximately US$559). The 901 is otherwise similar to the 900, shipping in Linux or Windows XP configurations which have different sizes of SSD storage. It was also discovered that the Eee 901 has capacity for a "3GCard" upgrade which may hint at a version of the 901 being released with inbuilt mobile connectivity.

The Eee PC 901 "Linux" model featuring an advertised "20 GB SSD" storage actually contains two SSD drives; one 4 GB and one 16 GB. The 4 GB drive has been reported to be faster than the 16 GB drive. This should be noted for individuals who are attracted to this model's larger SSD storage offering but interested in installing a different operating system (Such as Windows or Linux).

The Eee PC 904HD was one of the first Eee PC models which features an HDD (80 GB) instead of an SSD. This model features an Intel Celeron M running at 900 MHz and gets its power from a 6-cell battery. Like other Eee PC 90x models this Eee PC also features 802.11 b/g WLAN and a 1.3M pixel webcam. Windows XP comes pre-installed.

The Eee PC 900A features almost the same specs as the Eee PC 901 (except the primary SSD, Bluetooth, 1.3M pixel webcam and the 6-cell battery, that has been replaced by a 4-cell battery) but in a case nearly the same as used in the Eee PC 900 model.

Battery controversy

There has been some controversy regarding the battery supplied with the EeePC 900. Versions pre-released to many non UK journalists and reviewers were equipped with a 5800 mAh battery, but the first retail versions in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Singapore were shipped with a smaller, 4400 mAh (76% of that capacity) battery, which commentators note has led to a great variation in the machine's battery life in reviews, in some cases as much as 90 minutes. As a result of the objections to this, Asus provided a free battery replacement program in Hong Kong and Singapore, and ran a paid-for battery exchange program in the UK. The UK battery exchange program ran from June 23, 2008 until July 31, 2008.

Asus has stated that the smaller battery is the standard battery for the Eee 900 in Europe, and a longer warranty is provided in exchange, Commentators have noted that the US version launched with the 5800 mAh battery, and a warranty of equal length. Asus have revised their original statement, indicating that the smaller battery is "[p]resently the standard battery supplied in the UK" and "the default standard battery pack for Asus Eee PC 900 worldwide", however Asus will (from June 10, 2008) be providing a battery exchange to all UK Eee PC 900 customers for £10, and are offering a firmware update internationally which extends battery life by 30 minutes ("BIOS 0601: Updated all battery discharge tables to extend battery life").

In Australia and Italy, the situation was reversed: journalists and reviewers received EeePC 900 systems fitted with the 4400 mAh battery but the retail models are equipped with the 5800 mAh battery (in Italy at least at the beginning of sales).

Customers of Media Markt in Italy received the Eee at the beginning (May/June) with a 5800 mAh battery and later (June/July) with a 4400 mAh battery.

Best Buy's custom variants of the 1000HD and 900A also both include a 4400 mAh battery.

Part of the above problem extends from the fact that the entire range were substantially more successful than Asus had originally anticipated. Currently, Asus has several large complexes scattered throughout Taiwan and China, with the largest in the city of SooChow (China), being the size of eight football fields. Upon the unexpected success of the range, Asus factories worked around the clock to keep up supply and further development. Consequently, even within Asus testing labs in Taipei, many variations were found within test models. Generally, however, Asus does inform reviewers that the final retail model may contain different features from those offered in the review model.

Eee 1000 series

Black 1000 series; 1000HD model shown

The 1000 series launched at COMPUTEX Taipei on June 3, 2008. It features a new 10-inch (254 mm) screen and a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom CPU, although built in power management software can increase the speed to 1.7 GHz. The 1000 model ships with Linux, 8 GB SSD and a 32 GB SSD (total: 40 GB); the 1000H model ships with Windows XP Home or Linux and an 80 or 160 GB SATA HDD. Both the 1000 and the 1000H support up to 2 GB of DDR2 RAM of 667 MHz. The 1000 has a rated battery life of 4.2–7.5 hours, while the 1000H is rated for 3.2–7 hours. It also offers a keyboard that is 92% the size of generic notebooks, aiming to make it more comfortable to type. Like the Eee PC 901, the new machines feature 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. WiMAX is not currently supported. The 1000HD released in September 2008 is a slightly cheaper version of the 1000 series. It features the same specifications as the 1000H except it uses a 900 MHz Celeron CPU chip.
The 1000HA released in October 2008 also costs less than the 1000H but has the same Intel Atom 1.6 GHz CPU, 160 GB HDD, and 1 GB of RAM. It also has wireless and some models present Bluetooth. The 1000XPH has the same Intel Atom 1.6 GHz CPU, only 80 GB HDD, and 1 GB of RAM. 10/100 LAN, 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN, Integrated Webcamera but no Bluetooth.

In February 2009, Asus unveiled the 1000HE, using the new Intel Atom 280 processor with a 10-inch LED-lit display, 6-cell battery, 160 GB HDD, Bluetooth, 802.11n wireless networking, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a revised keyboard. Asus also claims the battery will last up to 9.5 hours.

Asus 1005HA-V, with "seashell" design; the screen hinges to sit behind the base

At CeBIT 2009, Asus unveiled the 10-inch EEE 1008HA, introducing the new design concept "Seashell".

The 1005HA comes in three models, from least to most expensive they are the 1005HA-B, the 1005HA-V and the 1005HA-P. The 1005HA-B has a removable 3-cell battery with rated 4 hour life, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and uses the N270 processor. At the higher end, the 1005HA-P has a removable 6-cell, 5600 mAh, 63 Wh battery with rated 10.5 hour battery life, a 1.3 megapixel camera and uses the N280 processor. There is also a 1005HA-H model, sold in Poland, equipped with 6-cell battery, N270 processor and 0.3M megapixel camera.

Asus officially announced the first Eee with Nvidia Ion graphics, the 1201N on November 19, 2009. After months of speculation around the exact specifications, it eventually featured an Intel Atom 330 series processor, a desktop-intended chip which has dual core, another first for the Eee line. It began shipping in mid-December in the US, with a European launch at the start of January. It was priced at cost $499 (US) and £399 in the UK. That was replaced first by the 1201PN and in August 2010 with the 1215N, with a more powerful dual-core processor Atom D525 and Ion 2 graphics.

Future models

Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Asus regarding a version of Windows 7 optimized for platforms such as the Eee. Future models will ship with WiMax in the later part of the year. Asus announced on September 25, 2008, that they will be including built in 3.75G HSUPA on the 901 starting in October, 2008. They will be including 3.75G in the higher models such as the 1000 series after this time. At CES 2009 Asus presented the T91 and the T101H models which will feature a multitouch trackpad and a convertible touchscreen. The T91 also features GPS and TV tuner. The models are said to be available within the first quarter of 2009, however a representative unofficially stated that the T91 should be available within the 3rd–4th quarter of 2009 in the US, due to the fact that the units are still being tested as of late June 2009.

Technical overview

Asus Eee PC 701, with fountain pen for scale, running Ubuntu Netbook Edition

Processor

The earliest Eee PC models used a 900 MHz Intel Celeron M processor underclocked to 630 MHz. Later models shipped with this processor at normal speed. Current models use a 1.6 GHz or 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor. The Atom is a simple, scalar, in-order execution microprocessor that is significantly slower per-clock than the Celeron M due to its microarchitecture. Still, 1.6 GHz and 1.66 GHz Atom-equipped Eee PCs tend to perform similarly to their Celeron-equipped counterparts, due to the higher clock speeds and Hyperthreading. The desirability of the Atom lies in its low power consumption compared to even mobile-rated processors such as the Intel Celeron-M.

Budget models, and versions of current models, also feature Celeron processors. For instance:

• 1000HD (distinct from 1000, 1000H and 1000HA)
• 904HD

Display

The Eee PC 700 has a 800×480 pixels 7 inch (178 mm) display, measured diagonally. The screen does not cover the entire space within the lid; instead it is flanked on the sides by stereo speakers and, above, by the (optional) camera in the trim at the top. The Eee PC 900 and 901 come with a 1024x600 pixels 8.9-inch (226 mm) display, almost filling the lid.

The Eee PC 1000 comes with a 10-inch (254 mm) or 10.2-inch (259 mm) display with 1024 x 600 display.

With all models, an external display can be supported through a standard VGA connector. The manufacturer does not give any specifications on maximum resolution and display configuration (mirroring, extended desktop), but most models can handle an external display at native resolution of 1440 x 1050, and even 1600 x 900 although performance starts to slow down. Models that ship with Xandros do not have access to the full capacity of the external VGA output by default, allowing only 'mirroring'. Users must reconfigure their xorg.conf file, or install a more feature-rich OS such as Eeebuntu to allow the higher resolution output.

Keyboard

On a normal, "full size" computer keyboard, the 10 keys Q–P measure 190 mm (7.48 in). The 700 and 900 series are equipped with similar keyboards, 82 % size of a generic one, meaning that the Q–P keys measure 155 mm (6.10 in). The 1000 series, as it fits in a more spacious case, has 92 % of a full size keyboard, where the Q–P keys measure 175 mm (6.89 in).

The 1000HE's revised keyboard is similar to keyboards used in Apple computers and Sony's VAIO series, where the keys are reminiscent of Scrabble tiles, being spaced apart and raised from the actual surface.

Storage

Removable 8 GB SSD in Eee PC

The early model Eee PCs use a solid-state drive for storage (instead of a hard drive), which consumes less power when in use, allows the device to boot faster, generates no noise, and is less susceptible to mechanical shock damage than hard drives. A down side of SSD storage (flash memory) is that an individual sector can be written only about 100,000 times. This problem can be partially mitigated by intelligent wear leveling, resulting in a MTBF comparable to conventional platter-based hard drives.

In the 2 GB and 4 GB models of the 700 series of the Eee PC, the SSD is permanently soldered to the board, speculatively to reduce manufacturing costs. In the 8 GB model, the SSD is a card connected via the internal PCI Express Mini Card connector, leaving the original SSD area on the motherboard empty.

The Eee PC 900 comes with a removable PCI Express Mini SSD module, with or without four additional 1 GB memory chips soldered on the main board. Different models come with different-sized SSDs. One Linux version has 4 GB, an XP version has 8 GB, and all remaining ones (XP or Linux) have 16 GB.

The Eee PC 1000 contains a fast 8 GB internal SSD and a slower 32 GB internal flash drive.

Some models, such as the 1000H and 904HD do not have a SSD, and instead have a SATA internal hard drive of either 80- or 160 GB, which can be upgraded by the user.

All Eee PC models also include a memory card reader, supporting SD, SDHC and MMC cards for additional storage while the Eee pc S101 also has support for Memorystick and MS-PRO.

Eee PC 1004DN is the first model with a Super-Multi optical disc drive (ODD) that reads and writes data to DVD or Compact Disc.

RAM

Most EEE PCs use 533/667 MHz DDR2 RAM via a standard SO-DIMM module, which can be swapped out. The 700 and 701SDX have RAM soldered to the motherboard.

The black model EEEPC 4G SURF (4GS-PK008), and newer white models (4GS-W010) have a removable panel on their underside that allows the user to change the RAM without fully disassembling the system. The older white models (4GS-W010) lack this access panel, and require some disassembly in order to access the RAM.

The hardware supports up to 4 GB (2 GB for the 1000 series, and some of the 900 series), but the preinstalled Xandros kernel of the 700 series only supports up to 1 GB.

Cooling

In an EE380 talk (video archive), an Asus engineer mentioned that the Eee PC uses the keyboard shielding as a heat sink to absorb the heat generated by the processor. The Eee PC has a fan, and some vents to also cool off the system.

Compatible operating systems

As the Eee PC uses a standard x86 processor, most operating systems can be installed with little effort, though full hardware support varies, especially for the latest models.

The following operating systems are known to work:

• Microsoft Windows
• Linux, BSD, Solaris, and other Unix-like systems
• Mac OS X v10.4
• Android
• Syllable
• Haiku (Developmental releases)
• MeeGo release 1.0.

Linux on the Eee PC

Xandros

OpenOffice.org Writer running on the Eee PC

Xandros, a Linux distribution, boots in 20–22 seconds on the Eee PC, substantially faster than the boot time for an installation of Windows XP on the same hardware. Xandros on the Eee PC runs a custom tab-based interface, uses IceWM as the default window manager, and comes with forty bundled software applications including OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox, Skype, Tux Paint and other educational entertainment software, e-mail and Internet radio applications, and look-up tools for Google Docs and Wikipedia.

The operating system drivers for the ACPI and Wireless devices supplied with the pre-installed Xandros operating system are versions of software licensed under the GNU General Public License. The company released the source code as a ZIP file along with the product; however, it has been reported that a small percentage of the source may be missing, and some device driver software appears obfuscated. In the absence of necessary source code, other Linux kernel versions and distributions on the device are less easy to use with some of the hardware. Asus has requested people help by identifying specific source code which is still missing and has since released the source code for the ACPI module. They have also released the patched Linux kernel sources and their Busybox sources.

The Synaptic Package Manager and apt-get can be used to install additional software through the repositories.

Forks and other distributions

Ubuntu Netbook Edition

Current Asus Linux development policy generates forks of code as they change. This means that their changes do not go directly into upstream versions and remain available only through Asus source code releases. If one wants to change to another distribution or update the software, it is necessary to determine what has been changed (using, for example, the diff utility) and port into a newer version or other distribution. For example, the Eee PC 900 model has a sound card that required some modifications to the Linux kernel driver in order to work. Asus' modifications were against version 2.6.21.4 from June 2007. This problem was removed with the kernel 2.6.28 and above.

Specifications

Eee PC models

Component		700 (2G Surf)	701 (4G Surf)	701 (4G)1	701SD	702 8G	900	900 16G	900SD	900HD	900A	901	MK90H	904HD	1000HD	1000H	1000HA	1000	1002HA	1000HE	1005HA-P	1008HA	1101HA	1201HA	1201N
Display	Diagonal	7 in (17.8 cm)					8.9 in (22.6 cm)								10.2 in (25.9 cm)								11.6 in (29.5 cm)	12.1 in (30.7 cm)
	Resolution (px×px)	800×480 (WVGA)					1,024×600 (WSVGA)																1,366×768 (WXGA)
	Type	TFT LCD with LED backlight					TFT LCD
Storage	SSD soldered (GiB)	2	4				4		8		8 or 4 (US) or 0 (US/DE)	4 (removable)						8 (removable)
	SSD removable (GiB)				8		8 (XP) or 16 (Linux)	16	Only insertable if WLAN removed		16 or 8 (DE), 0 (US), or 4 (US)	8 (XP) or 16 (XP/Linux)						32
	HDD (GB)				30 external in some markets					160			160	80	80 or 160		160		160		250 / 320
Processor	Model	Intel Celeron-M ULV 353									Intel Atom N270 (45 nm Diamondville, Socket 437 FCBG8A)			Intel Celeron-M ULV 353		Intel Atom N270 (45 nm Diamondville, Socket 437 FCBG8A)				Intel Atom N280 (45 nm Diamondville, Socket 437 FCBG8A)			Intel Atom Z520		Intel Atom N330
	Frequency (GHz)	0.8 @ 0.571; 32 kB L1 cache	0.9 @ 0.63 (70 MHz × 9)				0.9				1.6			0.9 @ 0.63 (70 MHz × 9)		1.6				1.66			1.33		1.6
	Cache	512 kB L2 cache RAM, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size																							2 × 512 kB L2 cache RAM
Memory (GiB)	Default	0.5 (DDR2-400 onboard)	0.5 DDR2-533/667			1 (DDR2-400, supports 533/667)						1 (XP), 1 or 2 (Linux) (DDR2-400, supports 533/667)	1	1 (XP), 1 or 2 (Linux) (DDR2-400, supports 533/667)	1 (DDR2-533/667)								1 (DDR2-667/800)
	Sockets (max. upgrade)	soldered RAM	1 (2 GiB)						Not upgradeable	1 (2 GiB)														1 (4 GiB)	2 (4 GiB)
Graphics		Integrated GMA 900 (SMA), VGA port (up to 1,600×1,280 pixels)										Integrated GMA 950											Integrated GMA 500		NVidia Ion
Chipset			Intel 910GML				Intel 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express					Intel 945GSE													NVIDIA Ion
Battery	Cells	4										6	4	6					2	6		4	6
	Capacity (Ah)	4.4		4.4 or 5.2						4.4	4.4 or 5.8	6.6		6.6					4.2	8.7
	Voltage (V)	7.4		7.4						7.4	7.4 or 7.2	7.4		7.4					7.4	7.4
	Approx. run time (h:m)	2:45		Unknown or 3:30							Unknown or 3:30	4:15–7:45		4:15–7:45					5:00	9:30
	Type	Li-ion												Li-ion					Lithium-polymer
Camera (Mpx)		No		0.3; up to 640×480, up to 30 frame/s			1.3		0.3	0.3	0.3, or none	1.3	1.3								0.3 or 1.3 (on HA models)	1.3	0.3
Dimensions (mm)	Width	225										226	248	265.9					264	266
	Depth	165					170					175.3	173	191.3					181	191.2
	Height	~21–35					~20–38					22.9	~24–28.7	38.1					27.6	~28.5–38
Weight (g)		922					990					1,140	1,100	1,400	1,450			1,330	1,200	1,450					1,460
Communication	LAN (Mbit/s)	10/100 (Attansic L2)																		10/100					10/100/1,000
	WiFi (802.11)	b/g mini PCI-E card (Atheros- or Ralink-based). Eee PC 901/1000: Ralink RT2860.																		b/g/n mini PCI-E card					b/g/n
Bluetooth		No										Yes	No			Yes	No	Yes							Yes
Operating system	Linux	Xandros2 running KDE and IceWM							No		Xandros2		No	Xandros2			No	Yes	No		Yes
	Win. XP	Yes
	Win. 7	No																			Yes
Other	Audio	Realtek ALC662 Hi-Definition Audio 5.1 codec; built-in stereo speakers; built-in microphone
	Connectors	3 × USB 2.0 ports, MMC/SD (HC) card reader, Ethernet port, modem port (non-functional, empty), microphone input, headphone jack, AC power jack, VGA out, Kensington lock slot.
	Colors	Pearl white (pure white for Surf models) or galaxy black; lush green, sky blue, blush pink (spring 2008)
	Expansion	2 × PCI Express Mini Card connectors: 1 occupied by the wireless network card; 1 empty, accessible on some models from opening on back of unit, which supports only Asus-approved SSD expansion units. The second PCIE connection is unavailable on many current-generation Eee PCs and some older models.
		MK90H is provided with reinforced parental control. Available in blue and white. Mickey Mouse special editions, with Disney trademarks stamped on cover.

¹ In the UK, the Eee is also promoted as the RM Asus Minibook, which is targeted at students; however, the unit itself is no different.

² 701 4G (non-Surf) late releases have Windows XP pre-installed without Microsoft Works and Windows Live Suite, excluding the disc, or either Xandros OS pre-installed.

Asus Source:

Configurations

The 700 series units were shipped in 3 colors besides black and white.

Naming of the 700 series of models of the device appears to relate to the size of installed SSD, camera, and battery size. The Eee PC Surf models include the 4400 mAh battery pack and no webcam, while the non-Surf models have the 5200 mAh battery pack and a webcam installed.The model numbers (700, 701) may still be the same as has been seen on pre-production samples. Asus may offer upgrades for the SSD storage via the empty Mini PCIe slot, which has been shown to be labeled FLASH_CON in take apart photos of the 4G. When a Mini PCIe card is inserted into the spare empty slot, the internal SSD gets disabled, making the device unable to boot from the original SSD. There are also signal lines for a USB port on the Mini PCIe pins which have been used to connect various USB devices internally. Some 701 models with serial numbers starting at 7B do not have a second mini PCIe slot soldered onto the motherboard, though the circuit traces and solder pads remain. The Eee PC laptops always use a universal Eee PC battery ASUS 90-OA001B1100 compatible with these models:ASUS Eee PC 2G , ASUS Eee PC 2G Surf , ASUS Eee PC 4G Surf , ASUS Eee PC 701 , ASUS Eee PC 8G , ASUS Eee PC 900 . The final Eee PC 700 series specifications and pricing differ substantially from Asus' original announcement. A 2 GB SSD model was in the initial announcement for US$199, although many news stories carried the information incorrectly much later and indicated that a 4 GB model would be offered at US$199. It was reported that the price of the low-end model rose from US$199 to US$245 (reportedly at least partly due to rise in prices of 7 inch (178 mm) LCD displays), while the solid-state drive went from 4 GB to 2 GB, and the VGA camera was dropped when Asus published the Eee PC models with the Surf/non-Surf model names.

A controversy over a "warranty void if removed" sticker on the RAM access cover panel has prompted Asus to release a statement clarifying the matter, stating that "merely breaking or removing this kind of seal will not void the Asus Limited Warranty" (emphasis is original). Since then, Asus has offered to replace the labels with ones specifying merely that Asus will not be held "responsible for the damage caused by improper hardware change." Furthermore, Asus altered their Limited Warranty to "eliminate any provision stating that the Asus Limited Warranty will be voided simply because the product is serviced by a non-Asus-approved service facility, or if non-Asus-approved components or software are installed or used."

EeePC in its case

In the 70x series, the pre-installed Xandros operating system has a Linux kernel with a kernel option set limiting the detected RAM size to a maximum of 1 GB, even if a larger RAM module is installed. The actual capacity is shown in full in the BIOS setup and under other OSes. However it is possible to recompile the kernel with support for more RAM. The 900 and later laptops had the kernel pre-configured to support up to 4 GB of memory address space.

Educational use

On November 8, 2007, Fresno Unified School District, in Fresno, California announced a digital portfolio and laptop pilot program, in which 16 schools will use the mini-laptops in the classroom at a ratio of one laptop for every two students. Eventually the district expects that all 78,000 students will create and manage their own web-based portfolios from kindergarten through 12th grade.

In the UK, RM Education, a large supplier to the educational field, contracted as a distributor of the Eee PC and distributed their re-branded versions – renamed RM Asus miniBook – to schools and colleges.

According to Computer Aid International, in April 2009, the netbook was an "overall winner" in a test of information and communication technologies in education devices conducted independently by three African universities, thus becoming the preferred ICT4D device.

Popularity

Sales

Asus shipped 700,000 Eee PCs in September 2008 and total shipments reached 1.7 million in the third quarter of 2008 (behind the 2.15 million shipment of Aspire One).

Books

Three books were published about the Asus Eee in 2008: Asus Eee PC For Dummies by Joel McNamara (a For Dummies book), Using the Asus Eee PC by Bill Lawrence, and Asus Eee PC by Christian Immler.

See also

• ASUS Eee
• ASUS EeeBox PC
• ASUS Eee Top
• Comparison of netbooks
• Comparison of netbook-oriented Linux distributions
• Comparison of subnotebooks
• Internet appliance

External links

• Eee PC home page
• Official Eee Forum