14 DAY TRIAL // Although it might not come as a surprise to many, ASUS is said to be planning a new S101-like notebook computer system that it will launch before the end of the year. The interesting aspect regarding the new portable system is that, although it is featured with technical specifications similar to those of the company's recently released Eee PC S101 netbook, it will boast a 12-inch display, and will not be part of the Eee family, but will instead be offered as a fully-fledged notebook.
According to recent details, the new notebook could be launched even before the end of the year, thus expanding ASUS' impressive lineup of over 50 different models of laptops.
According to a recent article on Digitimes, the Taiwanese manufacturer is working on the release of a new 12-inch ultra-thin portable system that is built on a similar industrial design as the Eee PC 10.2-inch S101 netbook. However, the new portable system is going to be part of the company's new ZX series, being meant as a fully fledged notebook and thus respecting the limitations set by the company's CEO, Mr. Jerry Shen, who said that systems with a display above 11-inch should not fall in the same category as netbooks.
There aren't any specific details available regarding the new ZX-series from ASUS, aside from the 12-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and the expected price tag of less than NT$30.000, which is approximately US$912. The estimated price tag could also indicate that the system is most unlikely to be powered by another Intel processor than the highly successful, netbook-loving 1.6GHz Atom CPU.
With the end of the year almost here, we could soon get to see if said notebook is actually going to make its debut, as well as whether ASUS is planning to bring us yet another Atom-powered notebook to go along with the N10 it launched earlier this year.