COMPUTEX 2007 動手玩:Asus Eee PC 701



華碩的 Eee PC 701(即 Classmate 的更新版)自然也是展場的大熱門,要擠進去照張相跟上戰場一樣。小編是找了個空擋鑽進去摸了實機兩把,之後就只好乖乖的排隊給模型機拍照了。不過在和 PM 聊天的過程中我們也挖出了不少在官方新聞之外的小道消息,這裡一併給大家參考。

Eee PC 701 將先配備英語系的 OS,最快 8 月就有可能上市。雖然 Windows XP 列在選項裡面,但實際出貨時仍將搭載 Linux,另會提供 Windows XP 的驅動程式。SSD 到上市的時候選擇可能會比現在更多,從 1GB 到 32GB 都有可能。另外,3G 網路將是上市時的選項之一,但還無法確定會是內建的,還是以 Dongle 的形式出現。

最後 199 美元的價錢似乎是來真的。雖然還是不知道 199 能買到什麼樣的配備,但是行銷人員一再保證這台一定是「199 起」。就算只配 1GB 的記憶體,這也夠做很多事啦!

It's practically a warzone in front of Asus' Eee PC 701 today, as everyone tries to get a closeup look of the wee machine. We did manage to sneak through the wall of people and snapped a few shots of a working machine, and the Asus people were kind enough to lend us a mock-up so we could shoot a few closeups of our own. We did manage to get a few scoops from the product manager, like the fact that while Windows XP is successfully tested on the machine, the final product would likely be preloaded with Linux only, but XP driver support will be provided. The PM also gave us a much wider range of possible SSD options, ranging from 1GB to 32GBs, and hinted at the possibility of an optional 3G module either built-in, or provided as a dongle.

The $199 price tag seemed to be for real, but that's probably just the starting point. A version for "English speaking countries" could hit the streets "as early as August this year". Judging from the fact that the demo machine seem to be in perfect order, that date could be a real possibility indeed.