14 DAY TRIAL // Back in early December, there were rumors according to which ASUS was planning to unveil a new EeeBox nettop PC that would integrate an ATI Radeon graphics solution. The model was said to provide users with a true HD-experience and support for HDMI connectivity, while keeping the same form factor that was available for other EeeBox systems, based on Intel's Atom platform. It now appears that the Taiwanese company is planning the release of an EeeBox PC B208 model, which will boast an Intel Atom 330 processor and AMD's ATI Radeon HD 4530 graphics chip.
The system has already been posted on the company's website and, according to a recent post on Engadget, it should be out in stores sometime in June. Given the technical specifications of the new EeeBox netbook, it will come as no surprise that the B208 will compete with Acer's recently-launched AspireRevo, an Atom-powered nettop that is based on NVIDIA's ION platform.
The EeeBox B208 comes equipped with a dual-core Atom 330 processor, support for up to 2GB of memory, a high-capacity 320GB SATA hard drive and the ATI Radeon HD 4530 graphics. In addition, it also features a wireless 802.11 b/g/n module, multi-in-one card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, 4 USB 2.0 ports, HDMI port a remote control and HD-audio support. Expected to become available at a low price of about $500, the EeeBox PC B208 will be running Microsoft's Windows Vista Home Basic operating system.
There are some differences between the B208 and Acer's AspireRevo, which is why a comparative review between the two will be of particular interest to those HTPC enthusiasts looking for their next low-power computer system. There's no specific release date of the B208, but given that the AspireRevo is due out in the UK in May, ASUS might just have to speed things up a bit.