14 DAY TRIAL // After popping up in leaked images, ASUS' upcoming high-end Eee PC, the S101, has finally received a still-unofficial specifications list and, as it turns out, we are yet again looking at an incarnation of Intel's highly successful Atom N270 processor. No word on the official release just yet, but it looks like we should see the vast Eee PC lineup getting a new and highly anticipated member soon.
According to a post on the HardwareZone forum, Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS is going to power its upcoming Eee PC S101 with an Atom-loving chipset. The upcoming portable system will sport a 10-inch display, much like the one on the 1000H, but the overall design makes the S101 a slimmer and much better looking version of the 10-inch Eee PC. Moreover, thanks to a recently leaked image meant to promote the upcoming Eee PC, we could actually see that ASUS was planning to market its new low-power, small-sized netbook as a competitor for Apple's MacBook Air – nevertheless, that is yet to be officially confirmed.
Aside from the 10-inch display size and the Atom chipset, the new S101 Eee PC will also sport 1GB of RAM memory and SSD storage, with capacities going up to 64GB. You will also get wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth, which is considerably better than what you get on any of the current Eee PC models.
Other features include three USB ports, 10/100 Ethernet connectivity, 4-in-1 memory card reader and VGA ports, 0.3MP webcam, a choice of a Windows XP Home or a GNU Linux operating system, and a weight of 2.2 pounds. One of the most interesting things about the new Eee PC is that it will sport a multitouch trackpad, probably similar to what you can find in Apple's MacBooks.
Price-wise, ASUS' upcoming Eee PC further pushes the upper limits of the company's current Eee PC offering, as it is expected to cost around $699, for which you will get a 16GB SSD version, running on Windows XP. The same amount will also buy you a 32GB SSD model, but running on Linux. A 64GB Linux-enabled S101 will set the price higher by an extra $100.