The Asus Eee PC T101MT still isn’t shipping to customers yet. But the folks at All Touch Tablet got their hands on a review unit of the first 10 inch touchscreen tablet-style netbook from Asus. And they’ve posted a short review of the laptop.
Asus wisely decided to drop the sluggish Intel Atom Z520 processor used in its 9 inch Eee PC T91MT tablet. Instead the T101MT has a faster 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail CPU and GMA 3150 graphics. It also packs 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and Windows 7 Home Premium.
Review John Pope says the build quality is decent, with little flex in the keyboard and a solid hinge that doesn’t feel like it’s going to break off. On the down side, he says the hard drive is kind of noisy, and the touchscreen wasn’t very precise near the edge of the display — although this may be the result of a defective screen on the demo unit.
He says the computer also feels overall pretty sluggish — although it’s not clear if it’s actually any slower than any other Atom-powered netbook. Clearly, a more powerful processor will provide zippier performance. But there are few budget tablets available with Intel CULV or faster processors.
System specs @ a glance
1.66 GHz Atom N450 CPU with hyperthreading
10.1 inch screen, multi touch capable with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution
2 GB RAM and 320 GB HDD at 5400 RPM
WiFi 802.11n
4 cell 2400 mAh and 35 Wh battery pack, removable
0.3 megapixel webcam
chiclet keyboard
metallic retractable magnetic stylus
Windows 7 Home Premium (it will ship with Windows 7 Starter)
3 USB ports, VGA output, Ethernet, Kensington Lock, Mic and Headphones jack and Card reader
