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Despite any feelings that you may have regarding netbooks, it is hard to argue against their popularity.  And if there is any doubt as to how popular they really are, you may want to ask Asus.  The whole netbook revolution is just barely one year old, and Asus CEO Jerry Shen has just given up some details on the sales figures for the Eee PC.

It turns out that they have already sold nearly four million Eee PCs, and have plans to reach the five million mark by the end of 2008.  Given the lower pricing that we have been seeing lately, coupled with the never ending lineup of new models, it seems only safe to believe they will reach that goal of five million.  Of course, that belief is coming from a regular netbook user.  I cannot help but wonder how many of those four million sales came from buyers (like myself) who started with an Eee PC 701 and moved on to other models in the Eee PC lineup as they were introduced.  Continue reading after the break.

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Perhaps due to the overabundance of options in the netbook market, Asus has begun to lower the prices on several of their Eee PC models. The latest two seeing a price cut are the Eee PC 901 and the Eee PC 1000H.

The Eee PC 901, which features an 8.9-inch display with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 12GB SSD and 6-cell battery is down to just $499 on Amazon.

The second model seeing a price cut is the Eee PC 1000H, which features a 10-inch display with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 80GB hard drive and 6-cell battery is being found as low as $449 on MWave and $505 on Amazon.

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Asus has yet to even get the Eee PC 901 or the 1000H into the US market, however the latest rumor has them working on getting an Eee PC 904 and 905 ready. The new 904 and 905 is expected to keep the same form factor as the Eee PC 1000, but include a smaller 8.9 inch display, which means it will have a slightly larger bezel around the display, similar to the Eee PC 701. The 904 and 905 is also expected to feature a slightly bigger keyboard, but there was not any mention on what is expected to happen (if anything) in terms of storage capacity or battery size.

As of now, there is not any expected time frame to see these new models begin shipping, however it is estimated that they will be priced in the same range as the Eee PC 900 or 901.

I hate to say it, but what started out as a great little, low-cost laptop it has turned into a confusing range of notebooks. With so many similar model numbers and little change between them spec wise it is becoming harder and harder to keep track of.

Via [I4U News]

• Asus unveils the brushed-metal Eee PC 1002HA
• Asus Eee PC 1002HA now available with US retailers
• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales

Asus has already launched both the Eee PC 901 and 1000H in Taiwan, and have announced a July 1 launch for the UK, but up till now the US release date has remained a mystery.

However, according to an Asus pre-sales department rep, both the 901 and 1000H will become available in the US on July 8. While still not an official announcement it is at least a date to hope for. Of course, this would not be the first time that Asus has had to push a launch date back. Hopefully for their sake they will hit this one, because with the impending launch of the MSI Wind, which is expected to retail for $479, Asus is going to have some competition.

Via [Liliputing]

• Asus Eee PC 1002HA now available with US retailers
• Sony preparing a WWAN-equiped VAIO? The FCC says yes
• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales

With Computex just about to begin, we should be seeing more than a few new announcements coming tomorrow, but it seems Asus could not wait that one extra day and let the Eee PC 901 out today, choosing to show it off during the WiMAX Expo. While this comes with few surprises, it is at least, now official.

The official specs for the Eee PC 901 include a 8.9-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, 1GB of RAM, WiMAX, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, built-in card reader and will be powered by a 1.6GHz Atom processor. The Eee PC 901 will also feature a 12GB SSD on the Windows version and a 20GB SSD on the Linux version. It is estimated to give anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of battery life, and of course will come in either black or white.

While Intel still has not made the official announcement for the processor, this Eee PC 901 has not had its launch date or pricing announced yet. However with Computex beginning tomorrow I would imagine we will be seeing that information coming sooner than later. It was however, previously speculated that it will be available June 3 and retail “at a price below” $650.

Read [PC World]

• Asus Eee PC 1002HA now available with US retailers
• Asus unveils the brushed-metal Eee PC 1002HA
• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales

With little surprise, some recent images of the Asus Eee PC 901 has shown its face in black. As best we can tell the newly surfaced black model will follow the pattern of the current Eee PC 701, where the specs are the same, just a different coloring on the outer shell. Unfortunately its looking like the Eee PC 901 will not include the originally rumored WiMAX, however its still expected to retail for $649.99.

Keep reading for a few more images of the Eee PC 901 in black, along with a close up of the newly designed trackpad.

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With not much longer before the Eee PC 901 is expected to hit the market, the latest reports are claiming that Asus has chosen to drop the option for built-in WiMAX. Up till now we are still awaiting the official specs to come from Asus, however as always rumors have been trickling in, the latest removes the WiMAX support.

What we can confirm is that the Eee PC 901 will feature an 8.9-inch display, Bluetooth and the ‘fancy’ metal trim around the trackpad and hinges. With the constant delays of WiMAX we cannot help to think that Asus has made a smart move, even with the recent the recent WiMAX deal the coverage would be so limited that it still would not be worth it. Asus is however planning to still integrate WiMAX into their future 14.1 and 15.4-inch notebooks.

Via [I4U News]

• Asus unveils the brushed-metal Eee PC 1002HA
• Asus Eee PC 1002HA now available with US retailers
• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales

It looks like June is going to be another big month for the ultra-mobile PC market. In addition to the MSI Wind dropping on June 3, we will also be getting the Eee PC 901.

The Eee PC 901 will retain most of the same styling and features as the 900, except the 901 will feature an Intel Atom processor, built-in Bluetooth and have some metal allow parts added to the keyboard and hinge. The touchpad will also receive a metallic border. It was also confirmed, as we noted from the last images that the 901 will loss the Asus logo in favor of an Eee logo.

DigiTimes is also reporting that the notebook will be “at a price below” $650. Which would mean its pretty safe to say that it will retail for $649.99.

Via [DigiTimes]

• Asus Eee PC 1002HA now available with US retailers
• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales
• HTC Touch Pro now available with Verizon

The follow up to the recently released Eee PC 900, the 901 has been revealed in pictures. The Eee PC 901 will be an Intel Atom-based mini notebook and has most of the changes on the inside, there are however a few minor, but noticeable differences on the outside. The power jack has been moved to the left side and they have added a few extra buttons between the keyboard and battery. There is also one interesting change on the outside, the Asus logo has been removed in favor of an Eee logo.

These images show the 901 in white, however we would only assume that it will show up in at least black as well. Hopefully we will see some more information filter out soon, as any release date and pricing is still unknown. Keep reading for some more pics…

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