The next generation Eee
PC laptop by Asustek Computer will come with a multi-touch trackpad in addition
to the larger screen, better Web cam and increased data storage, a company representative
said Thursday.
The Eee PC 900 boasts an 8.9-inch screen, larger than the 7-inch display on
the original Eee PC 701 model, along with a 1.3-megapixel camera and 12G-byte
solid-state disk drive (SSD). The Web cam on the Eee PC 701 is only 0.3-megapixels
and the largest SSD is 8G-bytes.
The Eee PC 900's oversized touchpad works similar to the Macbook
Air. Using two fingers, a person can zoom in and out of documents and photos,
scroll up and down, and more, an Asustek representative said.
A picture
of the Eee PC 900 can be found on the Federal Communications Commission's
Web site, where details were submitted for approval by the U.S. government regulator.
A few things the Eee PC 900 will not have include a touchscreen and GPS (global
positioning system), the Asustek representative said, despite some news reports
to the contrary.
The Eee PC 900 will come pre-loaded with either Microsoft Windows XP or Linux
OSs, the representative said.
The first devices will likely hit some markets by June this year. Pricing will
vary by country, but in Europe, the new Eee PC will cost around €399 (US$626).
