About Technology

The Asus 901 - Is It Really As Great As It Seems?

by Troy Winters

Asus's latest release named the Asus 901 is a great little nifty laptop computer.

The Asus Eee PC 901 is essentially a suped up version of the earlier Eee PC 900 with better styling. The casing is much more sturdier than its predecessor. The edges are much smoother and the hinges are more solid in their actions.

The Asus EEEPC 901 is a lot less 'square' like the previous one. The 901 is definitely more durable and ready to take on hard knocks with its new design. Yet, after all this, the screen is still 8.9 inches with a great 1024x600 resolution.

The keyboard is exactly the same as the previous version. However, the keys are wide enough to use your fingers with ease. However, it would be better to use a standard keyboard when writing for long periods of time.

I would recommend keeping minimal items open when watching a video. The processor along with "no moving parts" inside the casing, also results in a cool computer while letting you get on with your strenuous tasks. The small slits (vents) cuts down the decibles, leaving the Asus Eee PC 901 working as a silent operator.

The connectivity options on the Asus 901 include wifi networking and bluetooth as standard. The other stuff, such as the battery pack, make the EEC 901 fractionally bulkier than its counterpart at 1.1kg, although it's hardly noticeable. In fact, it's negligible.

If you buy the Linux version of the Asus 901, the operating system will boot up incredibly fast compared to the Windows XP version. It will beat it by about 19 seconds and that is a great way of saving time. The display shows off some pre-installed items on tabs: Work, Play, Learn, Settings, Internet and Favourites. You get the standard links which are provided to major sites such as Yahoo.

Skype (the telephony application) is also a part of the software installed and it works with the 1.3 megapixel small camera (plus microphone) allowing for video conferencing. The "Work" tab leads to any of the OpenOffice programs; The Learn tab leads to a resource of educational programs (good for kids). in my opinion, the best feature is "Play" which houses all your Games, Photos, Music, Videos, Webcam and Sound Recorder software.

Overall, the Asus EeePC 901 has a user friendly display. In fact, it's so easy to use, Asus have gotten rid of the technical manual. Have you ever wondered what the EEE stands for in the model name? Easy to Play, Easy to Work and Easy to Learn (as demonstrated by the tabs). If you prefer the Windows XP version, you can simply buy it with XP pre-installed or you can install it on your own your choice.

The Asus 901's battery life (6-cell Li-Ion, 6600 mAh 7.4V) gives outstanding performance which is generally something found in the large 1000 models. The processor is also better; the previous 900 MHz Intel Celeron gives way to the more powerful and energy efficient 1.6GHz 'Atom', noticeably giving beter performance with more workload.

The Asus Eee 901 is available at a great price for under $440 (or even cheaper by the time you read this). Taken as a whole, the Asus Eee PC 901 is better value for money compared with the larger 1000 model.

About the Author

To get the absolute lowest price on a brand new or used Asus 901 Notebook, go to Asus901.com

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Asus U3 Series Notebook

By:lapasia

Sneak Peek Asus U3 series notebooks are very compact and stylish notebooks with 13.3" display and a full sized keyboard. Even though it lacks an optical drive, it remains a firm choice and provides a variety of features rarely seen on notebooks of its class.
Design

On the looks front, the Asus U3 is a very classy and elegant. The top of the lid is covered with a glossy black finish which gives it a stylish look. Whereas its inside is covered with a silver keyboard and it has eye-catching chrome highlights. Its fingerprint reader and a leather-like material surrounding the touchpad make the complete package of the laptop very attractive.

Core Information

The very first thing to notice in Asus U3 is the dual graphic setup. With just tapping a small switch on the side frame of the notebook, the U3 gives you the opportunity to select amongst the incorporated Intel graphics, or a more powerful 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G. This saves a lot of battery and you don't need the battery-hungry NVIDIA chip. But you are looking up-on this laptop as a game-board then you are mistaken this device is not made for playing games.

Cutting Edge Technology

Just above the display, there's a 1.3 megapixel webcam, with headphone and microphone ports to be found on the left side of the frame. The display is crisp and lucid and the LED backlight looks great for multimedia, particularly video substance. Contrast and color is excellent and the glossy finish combined makes Asus U3 a must have laptop.

For wireless connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g and n are provided, in addition to Bluetooth 2.0. The U3 has all the usual ports; three USB 2.0 ports, an ExpressCard slot, S-Video out, a memory card reader and FireWire. Amazingly, ASUS has further added a single HDMI port and an eSATA port which are very useful.

A set of other programs in general which are kept aside for higher end notebooks are built-in HSDPA and an incorporated GPS receiver is present in the Asus U3. However you get an external DVD multi recorder in the sales package. Keep in mind though that you'll only be left with two USB ports when this is attached it does consume battery life drastically. The 6-cell battery returned a more favorable but still not outstanding 2hr 57min. Do note that adjusting power plans in Windows Vista's control panel should result in somewhat better statistics.

Conclusion

The Asus U3 Series Notebook is a good buy but gamers and multimedia enthusiasts are better advised to take a look at the other available models before settling with this Asus U3.

Pooja Lapasia is a well known author and has written articles on Laptop Computers , Laptop store, Asus Laptops, online shop and many other subjects. Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_621330_10.html

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The EeePC - My Thoughts

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Graphics Card: Asus Eah2600xt

By:Santana Bhatnagar

So far Nvidia has been mesmerizing us with its DirectX 10 graphics monsters; but this time around it’s ATI’s turn. The first DirectX 10 card from ATI, the Asus EAH2600XT can be compared to Nvidia’s GeForce 8600 GTS, for it more or less shares the same specifications.

FEATURES

One of the most interesting features of the 2600XT is the lack of an external power connector, due to the 65nm manufacturing process which is why it consumes less power compared to other mainstream graphics cards. Another advantage is its wide heat sink that covers the RAM chips, keeping them and the rest of the card cool and dissipating heat evenly. The EAH2600XT is equipped with 256 MB of DDR3 RAM running at 700 MHz on a 128-bit interface. Its core runs at 800 MHz and comprises 120 unified shaders. The two DVI connectors allow the option for dual display, and the TV-out/S-video connector allows connection to a TV.

PERFORMANCE

The EAH2600XT is a good performer, but when compared to the Nvidia 8600 GTS, it’s clear why no one would go for ATI. The card was tested using an AMD 690G chipset-based motherboard, an Athlon 64 X2 6000+ processor and 2 GB of DDR2-800 RAM working in dual channel mode. Game benchmarks such as Doom 3 and F.E.A.R. were used at resolutions of 1024x768 and 1280x1024, both with and without anti-aliasing. For a mainstream card, it gave pretty decent scores. But when it was compared with the 8600 GTS using the same rig, it was disastrous! The 8600 GTS battered this card without mercy. 3DMark was tried on Windows XP as well as Windows Vista. The card couldn’t run this test on either of the operating systems, but this cannot be pinned down to a problem with the card, the drivers, or 3DMark itself.

VERDICT

Investing in a graphics card is something we don’t do very often, and at the end of the day we want our money’s worth, right? It’s simple; when the Nvidia 8600 GTS is available with a negligible difference in price, there is no reason for someone to settle for the ATI Radeon HD 2600XT.

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