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ASUS Eee PC 1201N - The Death/Birth of the Useful Netbook

Posted by Daniel Shain

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ASUS' latest Eee PC netbook stretches the term "netbook" as much as any computer ever has, with a 12.1" display, dual core processor, HD graphics capabilities, and a price that's not too different from a low cost full laptop. Depending on how you view a netbook, this could represent either the most useful or more heinous spin on a netbook yet.

Netbooks have been getting bigger and badder for months, nay years now - the trend is not new, and we've talked about it before. The line between a netbook and a notebook has been blurring, and the Eee PC 1201N may just cross whatever is left of that line. Depending on your point of view, this could be either good or bad.

Before we go any further, let's have full disclosure on the key stats that any netbook shopper needs to know. It's powered by a nettop-strength dual core 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330, 2GB of RAM (up to 8GB), a 250GB HDD, and Ion-powered graphics capable of full 1080p HD. That tops pretty much every other netbook on the market. The 12.1" display has a 1366 x 768 resolution, it weighs a mere 3.2lbs and is only 1.2" thick. It has HDMI. Battery life is about one viewing of The Fellowship of the Ring including the special edition features (about 3.5 hours), except that if you're actually watching an HD movie the whole time, life shudders down to about a Dark Knight (2.5 hours).

Oh, and the price is about $500.

$500 has been the price for premium netbooks for a while, but in most cases you didn't get something like the 1201N. You got an SSD. You got a weight of under 3lbs and a girth of under 1". You probably got integrated 3G. The 1201N doesn't have any of that. For many people, that might make it worthless as a netbook, especially at that price. There's a reason the $509 Dell Inspiron Mini 12, which is 12" but lacks most of those features, is all but discontinued (I found it here, but try searching for it on Dell's site. It took hunting even to find dead links there.)

About 6 months ago, I said the following: "13-14" display, HD resolution, lots of RAM, dual core processor and a $500 price point by 2010 [the 1201N begins shipping in January] you say? Sign me up!" So frankly, I'm excited, as this is the closest thing to that yet. But I also mentioned that I recognized the value of netbooks as a companion device, and if they all start looking like this, then they stop being useful in that capacity.

And frankly, is it so very different from a low-cost notebook?

Well, the answer is yes. The CPU isn't quite as powerful, but the 3.2lb/1.2" profile is a little easier on the ol' shoulders than the low end CULVs I just saw on Amazon, most of which were closer to $600 and up anyway. It is a perfect crossover for those who want not a companion netbook, but an extremely portable notebook that is underpowered - but not grossly so. It's no full notebook, but it's closer than ever to being one while veering only just over the price and portability given by your average netbook. The one hangup is the battery life - users who will want to enjoy the portability of this notebook will feel hamstrung by the 3.5 hour lifespan, and probably ought to travel with a spare battery.

When you try and do two things at once, often you end up doing a bad job of both. The 1201N is neither as portable as a netbook nor as powerful as a full sized notebook, and $500 could get you either just as easily. But for those willing to compromise a little on both of those fronts to get it all in one package, the 1201N may be the closest thing yet to your dream notebook. Er, I mean netbook.

What do you think?

Check out Engadget's review of the 1201N, which helped inspire this post.

EDIT: It's amazing how short my memory is - I actually covered a similar netbook from DosPara way back in June, right before the post I quoted above. Though I'd like to note that notebook cost $600, weighed 4.2lbs and was about 1.4" thick - basically, a crappier version of the 1201N, but then it was 6 months ago. Have I mentioned that I see a trend before?

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Comments

  • By: Richard Mar 12, 2010 3:34 PM

    This one looks really good. Thanks for the review. Spa Breaks

  • By: Jean Jan 14, 2010 9:34 AM

    The performance of the smaller notebooks computers may not be able to match some of the more expensive notebooks computers on the market today, but they are certainly nothing to sneeze at http://www.notebooks-computers.org/.

  • By: Jean Jan 14, 2010 9:32 AM

    I have owned 6 notebooks computers so far, and I keep learning more about them..

  • By: arian pitogo Jan 09, 2010 10:04 PM

    i had my toshiba loptop and my battery is dying...huhuhu..battery is very important,,this notebook is great!!!

  • By: Daniel Dec 24, 2009 11:15 PM

    Glad you liked the article! Nice to hear a firsthand account of what can be done on a standard netbook. We're in sync about the battery life - much of what's great about this laptop is that it's still pretty portable, but the short battery life really takes away from that benefit. If Pine Trail is any indication they're going to get better and better with netbook battery life, so I have high hopes that these sort of crossovers will continue to improve.

  • By: Ravnos Dec 19, 2009 4:22 PM

    Good article, and basically how I feel about this device for the most part. I've been incredibly happy with my EEE 1000HA; after installing Linux on it, I found that it was able to do most of the computing tasks I do in a day. I couldn't do audio or video editing on it, or serious gaming, but I have a dedicated workstation for the former and consoles for the latter. On the other hand, I can browse, check my email, run OpenOffice, do some minor photo editing, code and compile, watch SD video, all that fun stuff. I've even done some audio "sketching" with Hydrogen and Audacity. These little laptops are surprisingly capable when set up properly, and this new EEE is almost exactly what I've been after to step up from my current one. At this price though, I think they should be selling it with at least a 9-cell battery. Relying on a machine like this, battery life is important and it's really the only place where I feel this thing falls short. I'd prefer it to be a little smaller as well at the same resolution, but that's not a deal breaker. I'm personally going to wait and see how the 1201T compares, but in a general sense, if this is the direction netbooks are heading, I have no complaints. Just figure out a way to do it without sacrificing battery life please!

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