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Title: RM Launch new Asus miniBook Post by: Graham on June 18, 2008, 03:47:53 PM (http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/7900-7344IMG3341s.jpg) RM have launched their new Asus minibook which is now spec'd with an 8.9" screen and runs Windows XP home edition. Priced at a handsome £285 they predict sales of around 50,000 units in the coming year: http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/06/16/rm-delivers-linux-fuelled-eee Quote Specifications for the education aimed lite-laptop are exactly as the ASUSTeK 900 model itself, with this SKU shipping with 12GB SDD and a 1GB memory. When querying an Asus spokesperson at the event about which battery will be shipping with said units, we were informed that the new models will soon have the standard extended one that’s seen elsewhere in the world. Saving the local education authorities the £11.75 they are currently charging for swapping out the old one for the new. One of the clear reasons why RM has gone down this route with Microsoft is the simple fact that most educational software is designed to run on Windows. This in turn makes it easier for schools to add their favourite curriculum software to the RM Asus Minibook. “The Minibooks have proved a popular choice since launch and we are very excited to be expanding our range to include the Windows version. At around the £200 mark these devices mean that no pupil in the UK should be disadvantaged by not having access to the very best learning and the very best technology.” said Tim Pearson, CEO of RM http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/06/16/rm_relaunches_eee_900/ Quote The XP-based miniBook will ship with a new release of Windows XP Home Edition that, according to Microsoft, has been tailored for Small, Cheap Computers with Flash drives. That means automatically writing less data to the main drive to prevent undue wear on its write-limited memory cells. http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/news/2008/06/16/RM-Unveils-miniBook-Branded-Eee-PC-For-Education/p1 Impressed as I am with the EEE PC I'm wondering whether at £285 the price is going in wrong direction. Any thoughts from our members? Title: Re: RM Launch new Asus miniBook Post by: jont on June 19, 2008, 02:59:26 PM We have both devices here and the new device is nice...but its price is a bit high.
and in europe we seem have got the inferior battery. Asus hit a sweet spot with the original device (remember the reaction at last years hhl) but at this price many will opt for a cheap laptop. Perhaps more importantly it will be more difficult to justify the Asus when compared on paper to a laptop to your innovation prevention offices (ie bean counters/ purchasing officers/accountants , IT managers who think we all need Windows and Office, you know the sort of people I mean) It is now likely to be compared to laptops more and will of course, on paper look inferior.(the Norman Gravity well effect at work again if the gravity well reference makes no sense go and read the "invisible computer") When offered a new device last week I had the choice of the original small screen or the new larger screen and chose the original smaller screen version. (I reckon its battery life will be better ) Give the original a touch screen and more memory that would be interesting... Mind you an adequate screen size for the windows GUI is more like 17 inches :-) Jon Title: Re: RM Launch new Asus miniBook Post by: wolfluecker on June 19, 2008, 06:43:57 PM Quote One of the clear reasons why RM has gone down this route with Microsoft is the simple fact that most educational software is designed to run on Windows. This in turn makes it easier for schools to add their favourite curriculum software to the RM Asus Minibook. Isn't that all going to change now that we have the Open Source Schools project (http://213.232.94.135/merlinjohnonline/news.php?extend.336)? *ducks* W Title: Re: RM Launch new Asus miniBook Post by: jont on June 20, 2008, 09:30:03 AM Interesting, is this more pseudo-open source or real I wonder?
Title: Re: RM Launch new Asus miniBook Post by: David Perry on June 20, 2008, 03:59:13 PM I have some reservations about Windows (!) on these things - if you'd like to see them I've just posted some thoughts here:
http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,58/topic,1305.0 Responses welcome. David Perry |