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Laptop users have more choices than ever, thanks to devices that are shrinking in size but retaining at least some of the horsepower of their larger brethren. It’s for this reason that ASUS Eee PC met with success upon its release last year, as it appeared to hit the sweet spot for a small, affordable device that delivers plenty of computing power.

Much of the ASUS Eee PC allure comes from its simplicity. Asus markets the Eee PC as a device that has no technical manual and works directly out of the box. Further, it’s compatible with a variety of lifestyles, particularly mobile-minded ones, because the Eee PC uses a solid-state drive that can withstand shocks and helps to conserve power. Of course, thanks to a form factor that’s roughly half the size of a standard notebook, the Eee PC is pretty darn portable.

Now, the ASUS Eee PC is moving into new territory, but that move is prompting some to question whether Asus is pushing its luck. The 4GB SSD (solid-state disk) version of the Eee PC, but now Asus is launching the Eee PC 900 in Linux and Windows XP versions at a much higher price.

Whereas the first-generation Eee PC includes a 7-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480, the Eee PC 900 has an 8.9-inch display with a 1,024 x 600 resolution. Furthermore, most models of the original Eee PC come with just 512MB of DDR2 (double-data-rate 2) RAM, but the new model increases that amount to 1GB. The Eee PC 900 also includes a new multitouch trackpad that allows two fingers to be used simultaneously on the trackpad to zoom in or out.

Also included is a 900MHz Intel Celeron-M ultra-low voltage processor and a 1.3MP camera, up from the 0.3MP camera included with some versions of the first Eee. Aside from those upgrades, the 900 retains essentially the same features of the first Eee iteration, including three USB 2.0 ports, integrated 802.11b/g wireless, MMC/SD card reader, and a VGA (Video Graphics Array) port.

Despite the still-small size, it’s undeniable that Asus is slowly pushing the Eee PC into territory currently occupied by larger notebooks, particularly when considering the larger screen and more powerful components. Tack on the larger price tag, and the allure once boasted by the Eee begins to wear away. While consumers might be willing to shell out a few hundred bucks for a small, relatively underpowered device, the Eee PC 900 could have them seriously considering larger, far more powerful notebooks at roughly the same price.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 at 8:28 am and is filed under Computers, News, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.