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Asus Launches Eee PC T91, a Touch-Screen Tablet Netbook

Posted by Soulskill on from the netpad-tabbook-subswivelthing dept.

MojoKid writes "Asus today launched yet another addition to their Eee PC netbook product offering. The Eee PC T91 is unlike any Eee PC we've seen before, primarily because the screen can be spun around and flipped down in the style of a tablet. This so-called 'netvertible' sector is still in its earliest stages, making the T91 one of the first netbooks available that also doubles as a full-fledged tablet PC. Unlike the Eee PC 'Seashell' line, which is largely just a sleeker take on the tried-and-true Eee PC netbook, the T91 takes a completely different approach to computing. Its 8.9" resistive touchscreen literally puts a new spin on the netbook and enables a new usage model."

33 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. Does it ... by just_another_sean · · Score: 4, Interesting

    run Linux? Seriously.

    Oh, wait here we go:

    # Intel Atom Z520 @ 1.33GHz, 533MHz FSB; 512K Cache
    # Intel US15W chipset
    # 1GB of DDR2 Memory
    # 8.9 inch LCD (1024x600 resolution); LED backlight, Resistive Touch Panel
    # Intel GMA 500 integrated graphics
    # 16GB ASUS-JM S41 solid state drive (SSD)
    # 16GB SDHC Card Included
    # 10GB Eee Online Storage
    # 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
    # Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
    # No optical drive
    # 0.3 megapixel webcam + Digital Array Microphone
    # VGA Output
    # USB 2.0 x 2
    # RJ-45 (Ethernet 10/100)
    # Headphone / Mic Input Jacks
    # MMC/SD card reader
    # Twin speakers
    # Gesture-enabled trackpad
    # 2.11 Pounds (with battery installed)
    # 0.99 - 1.11 inches thick
    # Non-Removable Li-ion Battery (Up To 5 Claimed Hours of Computing)
    # 8.85" (W) x 6.45" (D) x 0.99 - 1.11" (H)
    # Windows XP Home
    # Color Options: White, Black
    # Protective Sleeve
    # 1-year limited warranty

    Guess we'll have to find out for ourselves (as usual)! :-)

    --
    Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional by CowboyNeal
    1. Re:Does it ... by Shikaku · · Score: 2, Informative

      Consider it bought for me. It's $500 (the price is on the last page).

    2. Re:Does it ... by Marcika · · Score: 4, Informative

      Does it run Linux? Seriously.

      Not very well, probably. From the Wikipedia article on Intel GMA:

      The Intel System Controller Hub US15W for the Atom processor Z5xx series features a GMA 500 graphic system. Rather than being developed in-house, this core is a PowerVR SGX core licensed from Imagination Technologies. Since PowerVR is not cooperative with the open source movement, this has resulted in the reliance of out dated closed source Linux drivers.

    3. Re:Does it ... by jo42 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Why not pick up a real tablet system, like a Dell Latitude XT off of eBay for $600-$700? Core 2 Duo, 3GB of RAM, 80GB HD, 12" LED LCD multi-touch screen, etc. I snarfed one "new open box" for $650 USD a couple of weeks back -- looked brand new/ever used.

    4. Re:Does it ... by Freetardo+Jones · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because this is more portable and power efficient?

    5. Re:Does it ... by shacky003 · · Score: 3, Funny

      # Gesture-enabled trackpad hmm.. with xp, a non-removable battery pack, and just for the hell of it the .3mp webcam (hello 2000!) I've got a gesture for it - I wonder if it'll crash on receiving it..

    6. Re:Does it ... by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why bother? Because it has a touch screen?

      Give me a real keyboard and pointing device over a touch screen any day of the week. Use an iPhone (non-Apple-fanbois only, please) or another touchscreen phone like Samsung Instinct and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. Garbage. They're just incredibly frustrating to work with (I know, I know, you'll get to used to it. What if I don't want to?)

      I can pick up a Dell Mini 10 for under $500 that has the same processor and memory configuration, 4 times the SSD space, a bigger screen with the same screen resolution (or, for an extra $50, one that does 1366x768), everything else being comparable. Oh, and this one actually comes with Ubuntu 8.04 pre-loaded instead of that Microsoft proprietary garbage.

      --
      My blog
    7. Re:Does it ... by RiotingPacifist · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If you want power efficiency why use x86? This comes in cheaper ($299-$399), has a battery life of 10+hrs (3-5 for the cheap one)

      --
      IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
    8. Re:Does it ... by Shikaku · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Why bother? Because it has a touch screen?

      Um, yes!? I'd use it to take notes, draw pictures, and it also has A KEYBOARD, so I can use it as a regular laptop too.

      Oh, and play http://osu.ppy.sh/ too. All work and no play and all that jazz.

    9. Re:Does it ... by Nursie · · Score: 2, Informative

      Umm, no. Intel GFX chips are in general well supported with new, FOSS drivers. nVidia have modern closed drivers. ATI have some of both. Any of those would be better.

    10. Re:Does it ... by csimpkin · · Score: 4, Informative

      The Intel GMA500 graphics are very broken on linux right now. I wouldn't buy this if you want 3d acceleration to work. Also, if you want to use it for watching HD video, you should wait until the driver problems are addressed.

    11. Re:Does it ... by diegocgteleline.es · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In other words, is very Linux-unfriendly. So I won't buy such crap. It's sad that we have lost a company that supports linux, fortunately there are others.

    12. Re:Does it ... by mopower70 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Saying that performance per watt is the same as power efficiency is like saying that horsepower per hour per gallon is the same as miles per gallon. If that were the case, there would be no difference in gasoline efficiency between a gas electric hybrid and an equivalent standard vehicle.

    13. Re:Does it ... by Locklin · · Score: 2, Informative

      If you want power efficiency why use x86? This [alwaysinnovating.com] comes in cheaper ($299-$399), has a battery life of 10+hrs (3-5 for the cheap one)

      Because they haven't built or sold one yet?

      --
      "Knowledge is the only instrument of production that is not subject to diminishing returns" -Journal of Political Econom
  2. Does it run... by argent · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Does it run GoogleOS?

    1. Re:Does it run... by Drantin · · Score: 2, Informative

      ChromeOS you insensitive clod

      --
      Actio personalis moritur cum persona. (Dead men don't sue)
  3. Does it.. by popeyethesailor · · Score: 2, Interesting

    make phone calls? :P

  4. Re:How much? by TaggartAleslayer · · Score: 3, Informative

    Last page of the article states: "The T91 is less powerful, more cramped and has a less spectacular display than pretty much any other newly released netbook, yet it is priced at $499."

  5. I'm still waiting... by damn_registrars · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... for a netbook to ship with a trackpoint instead of a damned touchpad. When someone (are you listening, lenovo?) finally brings out an affordable netbook with a trackpoint, I'll bring out my checkbook. Until then I'll keep to my old thinkpad, thank you very much.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:I'm still waiting... by PatrickThomson · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I couldn't agree more. Using a trackpad is like trying to use a mouse with a broken arm swaddled in plaster. you're lucky if you can get the pointer 1/3 of the way across the screen without reseating your finger, and at higher sensitivities it's even more of a cumbersome pain to use.

      --
      I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
    2. Re:I'm still waiting... by jobin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I use macs only occasionally, and find this feature extremely annoying. It completely throws off my eye/hand coordination. I'm sure it's wonderful if you're used to it, but it makes it annoyingly difficult to put the cursor where I want it. If I want to move it just couple of inches to the left, I move the mouse slowly, and it only moves a few pixels. If I speed up, acceleration kicks in and the cursor is halfway across the screen when, according to my (linear, subconscious) estimate, it should be on target.

      This would be fine if I could find the option to turn it off.

  6. Weak screen mount? by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Although the computer looks nice, I am a bit concerned as to the quality of the screen attachment. I have friend who has a computer with a similar configuration and after a year the screen would become wobbly, probably because of wear on the joint. Does anyone know whether Asus has taken care of this?

    --
    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    1. Re:Weak screen mount? by Tx · · Score: 5, Funny

      Although the computer looks nice, I am a bit concerned as to the quality of the screen attachment. I have friend who has a computer with a similar configuration and after a year the screen would become wobbly, probably because of wear on the joint. Does anyone know whether Asus has taken care of this?

      As a time-traveller from July 2010, I can assure you that this newly-launched product which hardly anyone in 2009 has even touched, does not, in fact, get wobbly after a year of use.

      --
      Oh no... it's the future.
    2. Re:Weak screen mount? by RiotingPacifist · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Thats one of the things i love about this, the screen comes of entirely and i assume/hope that you can just flip it over entirely so there is no joint to break.

      --
      IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
  7. Sweet timing... by Zocalo · · Score: 2

    I'm having some back problems at the moment and tend to most comfortable in positions that don't suit either a desktop or full size laptop setup. I was just thinking last night how useful a subnote with a flippable screen would be for letting me do things like reviewing and marking up documents that don't really require a fast startup and processor but is beyond the capabilities of most (all?) eBook readers.

    SOLD! When does it ship in the UK?

    It is going to ship in the UK, isn't it?

    --
    UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  8. Non-removable battery?! by Diabolus+Advocatus · · Score: 4, Informative

    Non-removable battery? What if I'm traveling for hours and my battery runs out? Oh I'll just pop in my spare! Or not...

  9. None of this is new. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    I've had a touch-screen tablet netbook for years. It's a Fujitsu P1510D (there was an article on Slashdot a little while back about alternative operating systems that mentioned it specifically). It's got a touchscreen, half a gig of memory, 30 gigs of hard drive space, a biometric sensor, et cetera. Oh, and in lieu of a touchpad it has a trackpoint. :)

  10. the T91 takes a completely different approach.... by MattGWU · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Does it? Does the T91 take a completely different approach to computing? Really? What is this marketing fluff?

    It's a touchscreen. We've seen that. It spins around. We've seen that (GRiD 2260 anybody? Ruggedized convertable laptop from 1992. Incidentally, only eBay auction I ever got screwed on, but it was resolved) It's small. Damn sure we've seen that. Were touchscreen laptops ever that big of a deal? They were The Next Big Thing a few years ago but never got the impression people liked them that much.

    Maybe I'm not 100% clear on what 'a completely different approach to compting' looks like (why I'm here, doing what I'm doing, and not out buying my new car for the day), but I'm pretty sure the T91 isn't it.

    --
    "These people look deep within my soul and assign me a number based on the order in which I joined" --Homer re:
  11. Finally a tablet at a reasonable price. by phorest · · Score: 3, Informative

    I recently was gifted a Dell Inspiron Mini 10. I have no complaints (for what it is). It runs fine and what I really like about it is the HDMI output lets me easily hook it up to my plasma and watch movies with netflix. If this was available a month ago I would've seriously considered it, even though it has VGA out. Put an HDMI connector in it and I'd be in heaven.

    I have always wondered why they charge such a premium for tablets, just like I still wonder today why I can't buy a large non-widescreen format LCD monitor for < an arm and a leg...

    --
    God: When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
  12. Netvertible? by CopaceticOpus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's call the Windows based version a winnetvertible, and the Ubuntu version a netvertibuntu. If they add the ability for the Ubuntu version to make calls, it's a netphonevertibuntu. The aquatic version which comes with tools to help you catch fish and move boats will be a fishnetphonevertibuntugboat.

    Or, we could stop making up stupid names for shit.

  13. Re:Uh this has been around for years.. by MattGWU · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Ha! You think these things were invented THIS century? You're going to go back a bit further than that.

    "In 1992, GRiD released another tablet PC called the GRiD 2260 Convertible. This version now had better software/application support in the form of the Windows for Pen Computing operating system. It used a 386 processor in its base model or a 486 processor in its pricier configuration. The GRiD 2260 also had an attached keyboard that swung on hinges and could be clipped around back. "

    (emphasis mine) That's just their first convertable. Their first tablet was the Gridpad 1900 in 1989. http://everything2.com/title/GRiD%2520Computer%2520Systems

    --
    "These people look deep within my soul and assign me a number based on the order in which I joined" --Homer re:
  14. It's the price. by maillemaker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    >Is it relevant because they shrunk the overall thing and now its a "netbook" ?

    No, it's relevant because it's $500 instead of, say, a $2000 Fujitsu Lifebook.

    --
    A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
  15. YOU ARE WELCOME by osjedi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hi everybody. Just wanted to stop by and say you are welcome. My now obsolete Eee non-touchscreen netbook was delivered yesterday. My decision to finally purchase thus ushered in this new generation of netbook (2 days later) for you all to enjoy. I'm getting tired of waiting for Android phones too so I better go buy a G1 so that 3 new Android phones will be released the next day. Otherwise we'll just have to keep waiting indefinitely.

    --
    -=-=-=-=- osjedi uses Debian GNU/Linux. -=-=-=-=-