14 DAY TRIAL // Countless articles have been written on ASUS’ upcoming netbooks these past few months. At one point, some even claimed that the Taiwanese manufacturer was considering putting an end to its Eee PC brand, which would have meant future netbooks would feature only the ASUS label. One of these small-sized, ultra-portable computer systems is the S101, which was showcased by the company's CEO Jerry Shen in early August. Coming to infirm most of the rumors, it turns out that the S101 has surfaced on the FCC website, bearing the Eee PC branding.
Not many details are available about the new S101 portable system from ASUS, which means that each piece of information we get allows us to make a more or less educated guess on the netbook's features. According to previous rumors, the sub-notebook will also be powered by an Intel Atom processor running at 1.6GHz, much like almost every other Eee PC in the company's production line. The S101 could come with either 32GB or 64GB SSD configurations, and be priced between US$699 and US$899. As you can see, there aren't that many differences between this ASUS 10.2-inch portable system and many other netbooks in the company's Eee family.
Up until now, it was believed that the S101 will not be part of the company's Eee PC lineup, but recent details coming from the FCC indicate that the S101 will still be Eee PC branded. This does create a certain amount of confusion nevertheless, as we still have to wait until the company finally unveils its “high-end” netbook system to get an official, set in stone, name. On the bright side, given that the ASUS S101 has hit the FCC, one is free to assume that the portable system is this close to making its debut on the market.
The probable reasons for which ASUS is allegedly preparing to ditch the Eee PC brand are yet to be revealed. With all that, they must be pretty strong, especially since many consider the Eee PC brand one of the company's most successful products. Until not long ago, every new netbook that came out was first compared with an ASUS Eee PC, and this thing alone cries volumes. Regardless of the branding, most people still believe, and will continue to do so, that an Eee PC is basically a small-sized portable computer system that is, to cap it off, also fun and easy to carry around.
