14 DAY TRIAL // When Intel developed its line of netbook-oriented central processing units, it set in place a rule that has come to define the netbook market. That rule is that the screen size of a mobile PC powered by an Atom chip should never surpass 10.1 inches. This was meant to ensure that the market share of larger-format notebooks remains protected. Nevertheless, with OEMs looking to raise the performance bar even on this type of machine, Intel agreed to lift this restriction for its new DDR3-supporting and dual-core models. Meanwhile, ASUS decided there was no harm in bypassing this rule altogether.
The Eee PC 1201PN was officially introduced in May and, despite the fact that it uses the same old Atom N450 (1.66GHz), it has a screen size of 12.1 inches and a resolution of 1366 x 768. No doubt the PC maker decided this departure from the norm was worthwhile in order to take full advantage of the NVIDIA ION 2 GPU, otherwise known as GT218. This discrete graphics solution, with its 512MB of dedicated memory, offers advanced multimedia capabilities, including Full HD 1080p video playback.
The other specifications of the entry-level laptop include 2GB of RAM, a hard disk drive with 250GB of storage space, a 0.3 megapixel webcam, a multi-card reader, Bluetooth 2.1, an HDMI output and a 6-cell battery. As for connectivity, ASUS threw in 10/100 Ethernet and, of course, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. Finally, to appeal to a wider consumer base, the mobile PC will sell in multiple color options, including blue, silver, black and red.
Of course, the news this time around is not that the computer is available, since the formal announcement was made last month. The piece of news now is that ASUS will send its offspring to European stores in July, pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows 7 home Premium 32bit. The price point will be 499 Euro.