The netbook revolution has been all about bigger and faster, but Asus is taking things in the opposite direction with the Eee PC 900AX.
Liliputing noticed a couple weeks ago that the 900AX passed through Federal Communications Commission approval, and now the netbook has its own product page on Asus' Web site. It's not clear when the 900AX will go on sale, or where.
Asus' tagline for the netbook, "Discover New Perspectives with the New 8.9 inch Eee PC 900AX," is amusing considering that it brings absolutely nothing new to the table. The 900AX has an 8.9-inch screen with 1024-by-600 resolution and an Intel Atom N270 processor, running Windows XP.
The other specs are also as far from cutting-edge as you can get, with 1 GB of RAM, a 160 GB hard drive, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a 0.3MP webcam and a 4 cell battery that's supposed to last four hours on a charge.
For comparison's sake, consider that Asus is preparing to sell a $400 netbook with the latest generation Atom processor, 250 GB of storage, 802.11n, an HD media decoder and a 10-inch, 1366-by-768 screen. Clearly, Asus is able to offer a superior machine within a reasonable price range, so what gives?
Maybe the answer lies in pricing, which remains unknown. Given the inferior specs, could we be looking at a $250 -- or even $200 -- netbook? A killer price would make the Eee PC 900AX a lot more interesting than what's on paper now, especially if you want to mess around with alternative operating systems.
