14 DAY TRIAL // Asustek's Eee PC enthusiasts can say that the wait is nearly over, as the PC vendor has just unveiled a new version of the sub-notebook, the Eee PC 900. The new version has been announced back in January during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The highly-anticipated update will offer a 9-inch display, as the previous version would only offer a 7-inch workspace with a limited resolution of 800x480 pixels. The notebook is on display at this week's event in Hanover, Germany, but, apart from its screen size, its other technical specifications are still a mystery. The manufacturer would not let press start the small notebook up, and this is mostly due to the fact that they do not want to disclose the internals of the new offering, especially its CPU and chipset.
It is for sure that the notebook will come with an 8.9-inch display to run at a maximum resolution of 1024 x 600, as well as an update in the storage capacity, that will increase it up to 12 GB from the current 8 GB value. The increase in the screen space did not affect much the device's portability, but it dramatically increased the notebook's appeal. The resolution update will allow users to run other operating systems at decent resolutions, such as Windows XP and even Windows Vista.
At the same time, according to the manufacturer, the screen's increased size will have a minimal impact over the battery's performance, and Asustek rated the battery lifetime at 2.5 to 3 hours. Unfortunately, the size update did not affect the tiny keyboard, that makes typing an uncomfortable operation. However, the touch-screen has been also refurbished, and it is now bigger, in order to enhance the fingertip navigation.
The most important surprise, however, is the secret hardware configuration. Rumor has it that Asustek's Eee PC 900 will not be powered by Intel's Mobile Celeron processor, but rather by the CPU manufacturer's latest Atom chip. The company said that the Eee PC 900 12G will launch in mid-2008 and will hit the market at a price tag of ?399 ($600 USD).
The tiny computer will be showcased during the CeBIT 2008 show. Softpedia is also present at the event, so stay tuned for additional details regarding the newest member of the Eee family.