The Best of The Best
Updated Daily by Tech Labs
Mobiles
Laptops
MP3 Players
Digital Cameras

Asus Eee PC Now in India

Bharti Adhikari, Jan 29, 2008 1940 hrs IST

Initially, the Eee PC 4GB model running on the Linux operating system has been launched only in Mumbai, and will be made available in other cities in March.

E-Mail Print

After a long wait, the Asus Eee PC has finally made it to the Indian market with a price tag of Rs 18,000.

Targeted at user segments like school children, housewives, senior citizens, and teenagers who enjoy simple computing with lightweight gadgets, the 7-inch Eee PC -- weighing even less than 1 kg -- was launched at an event in Mumbai today.

According to Francis Kao, product manager (Notebooks) for Asus India, "The worldwide acceptance of this product is symbolic of its simplicity, robust build quality, and user-friendliness. Although it is primarily aimed at school children and teenagers, even other user groups have shown a lot of interest in the product."

The Eee PC promises the most comprehensive Internet application based on three Es: Easy to learn, work, and play; Excellent Internet experience, and Excellent mobile computing experience.

On the occasion of the launch, Albert Tung, managing director of Asus India, said, "The Asus Eee PC aims at enriching human life like all our other technology offerings. With growing computing demands as well as growing number of users, both young and old, the Eee PC provides users with a new mobile Internet experience like never before."

Based on the Intel CPU and chipset, the Eee PC offers two modes of intuitive user interface for both experienced and inexperienced PC users, and packs over 40 built-in applications. The other specifications include built-in flash-memory, 512MB DDR2 memory, 300K pixels video camera, and WLAN.

However, what is missing from the machine is an optical drive, the reason given being light weight and ultra-compact form factor. Leaving out on the optical drive seems to be the mantra for making slim and light weight notebooks. The very recently launched 'Mac Air' has also missed out on the same, and apparently for the same reasons.

Initially, the Eee PC 4 GB model running on the Linux operating system has been launched only in Mumbai, and will be made available in other cities in March. In addition, Asus is also working on a Windows version of the Eee PC.

The Eee PC will be available starting February 2 evening at Croma stores in Juhu and Malad, as well as at e-zone. It will come in two colors -- Galaxy Black and Pearl White.

Interestingly, HCL just recently launched its MiLeap X series ultra-portable laptops featuring nearly the same technical specifications as the Asus Eee PC. There are very few differences, one of them being storage capacity; the Asus Eee PC has a 4GB internal flash memory while the HCL leaptop has a 2 GB internal flash memory and no Web cam. Minus these two features, the HCL laptop is available for Rs 14,000.

USER COMMENTS

I am an animation student and i wanted to purchase a laptop for its portability.so th main thing i wanted to ask is that does it have a good display or not??and from a student point of view hows it???please help me out....

by Sandeep Tripath, New Delhi, on May 05, 2009 08:37 PM, Report abuse Reply

what is the cost of asus in india

by mdmuzzamil, hyderabad, on Sep 30, 2008 10:15 AM, Report abuse Reply

is it only linux based... can't it be windows based... from where can i get it in delhi

by S P Singh, Delhi, on Sep 17, 2008 11:56 PM, Report abuse Reply

Hi Folks, I've an Eee PC 4G bought abroad: it has Windows XP Home in a foreign language; can anyone, please, tell me if I can switch to the English version somehow? Also, will Linux be pre-installed on this pc?

by Gautam Chakraba, New Delhi, on Aug 21, 2008 06:50 PM, Report abuse Reply

If the foreign language Win XP is just a add-on, then yes you can switch to english. If it'a native language XP, then no. Since u have XP on it, you won't have linux installed on the same.

by Prathip, Chennai, on Sep 09, 2008 03:14 PM, Report abuse

a nice laptop easy to handle, a cheap too.. love to have it

by pooja verma, mumbai, on Aug 12, 2008 04:04 PM, Report abuse Reply

I have seen the 4 Gb version it is useless. when you install windows you have hardly i GB left in memory. If 8 GB version is available it is a better option.

by K.P.Tunga, Bangalore, on Apr 11, 2008 10:33 PM, Report abuse Reply

i've installed xp, ms office 2002, and a bluetooth software and still have 2.65GB left in my eee pc 4G

by riju, kolkata, on Jul 19, 2008 11:42 PM, Report abuse

HI I JASS CONTACT US I CAN SHIP EEE PC FROM CHINA WE HAVE OFFICE IN =CHINA CONTACT U S<> 008613418573733

by JASPREET SINGH, SHENZHEN, on Jun 24, 2008 10:13 AM, Report abuse Reply

Where is ASUS EEE PC available in Bangalore? I am looking for one with basic browsing and DVD.

by Vijayashankar, Bangalore, on Jun 12, 2008 07:31 AM, Report abuse Reply

Totally a third class overpriced product. I agree that its for a complete different segment but whats the point if one cannot watch a movie on a vcd or dvd - a pity it has no optical drive. Do our teenager do not watch a movie?. Secondly, what will the 4 gb memory serve- in this age of mp3 and movies. In my opinion its better to invest bit more and opt for aci or hcl's low end model with 40 gb hard disk

by Abhishek, Bhagalpur, on Jan 31, 2008 01:46 PM, Report abuse Reply

How many places can u carry your laptop and get it out to do some work? you want to connect to the net pronto and u search for a cafe.... unfortunately in India we dont have wireless net available as easily as they do abroad. So its true potential is not being recognized such a waste of such a wonderful product. I pity such people who compare oranges to apples. Grow up grow up.

by Ranjit, Pune, on Apr 02, 2008 12:23 PM, Report abuse

u can play DVD through a DVD drive connected through the USB port,it works fine also add your HDD with an external HDD dongle connected through your USB again,,,,,isnt that a plenty

by kaushik, delhi, on Jun 10, 2008 08:19 PM, Report abuse

i;m based in mumbai..n would like to knw if its available here in mumbai...n if yes where?

by sonia, mumbai, on Mar 28, 2008 11:39 AM, Report abuse Reply

IT IS AVAILABLE IN CROMA STORE IN DELHI. YOU CAN TRY CROMA IN MUMBAI.

by AJAY, DELHI, on May 19, 2008 01:32 PM, Report abuse

where do i by it in india.i would like to know the contact no or the add

by sunesh, mapusa,goa, on May 02, 2008 12:55 AM, Report abuse Reply

I saw n spencer plaza @ laptop zone. It was priced 17k

by vignesh, chennai, on May 10, 2008 05:26 PM, Report abuse

Black EEE, 1 GB RAM and XP Home is quite Decent. The small screen size is more apparent on the white models, on the black models, the screen looks fine. The webcam could be improved but there is a better cam in the 900 series apparently

by SteveJB, Kochi, on Apr 25, 2008 10:08 AM, Report abuse Reply

It would be much more nice and also it would be appreciated if you could add some more pictures

by Sapna, Madurai, on Mar 04, 2008 11:34 AM, Report abuse Reply

I am based in Delhi and want to know if I can buy this in Delhi.

by MSS, New Delhi, on Mar 02, 2008 03:38 PM, Report abuse Reply

Good product ,compact, I could do with some more details and a brochure if possible

by Sonal Chadha, New Delhi, on Feb 29, 2008 12:14 PM, Report abuse Reply

I HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED EEE 4G. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER I CAN INSTALL OFFICE APPLICATIONS? ( WORD / EXCEL / POWER POINT / OUTLOOK ) AS I KNOW ONE CAN USE OPEN OFFICE ORG ON THIS. PL ADVISE IMMEDIATELY.

by RAJENDRA JOSHI, PUNE, on Feb 25, 2008 07:03 PM, Report abuse Reply

it does'nt have a cd rom drive !!! shockin

by shiv, new delhi, on Feb 21, 2008 09:58 AM, Report abuse Reply

i want

by irfan, mumbai, on Feb 18, 2008 12:13 PM, Report abuse Reply

i want eee pc black 8 gb SDD 512 Ram wireless and lan 100/10 Mbps

by irfan, mumbai, on Feb 18, 2008 12:12 PM, Report abuse Reply

i have to tell everyone that is posting here, that i have held and used the asus ee pc on a import piece from china. it looks smashing, plays movies from pendrives, runs windows xp, lets u browse the net, listen to songs, yes the screen is small, but that is where the price is cheaper but for basic work, it rocks, u dont need power hungry notebooks, that wont last u for more than a hour and a half, even if for 21,500. this lasted a solid 2 hrs, 35 mins. Dont get confused, as is the usual trend here. This is not a mainstream product, its a supplement to your desktop that u can carry with you, on a drive. and work on. Why compare it to others and spoil the segment its targeting. People worldwide who are buying this like crazy cannot be fools. We are none the wiser.

by Jai Malhotra, Gurgaon, on Feb 15, 2008 04:55 PM, Report abuse Reply

I love it, but how much does the 8gb one cost and does it have a cd drive???

by Anish Jajodia, Kolkata, on Feb 13, 2008 12:28 AM, Report abuse Reply

Too Expensive!!--Just put Rs. 3000 into this inflated cost of 18000 for this 7inch screen lappy & buy a Acer AS 4315 NWXCI Laptop with 14inch screen-Celeron 1.73GHz, 1MB Cache from Future Bazaar.

by vijayshimla, Shimla 171001, on Jan 29, 2008 10:03 PM, Report abuse Reply

This caters to a different market segment segment. It is not easy to lug around a 2.5 kg notebook all day. It can do more than a PDA at less price also the spec is good enough to run Windows XP. Show me a ultra portable laptop at this price. Also check the international sales figure for this. It has sold like crazy in all parts of the world. Also this is nice notebook for kids.

by majums, Kolkata, on Jan 29, 2008 10:54 PM, Report abuse

totally agree with vijay. Toooo expensive.

by Saket Iyer, Navi Mumbai, on Jan 30, 2008 09:19 AM, Report abuse

Asus has overpriced this laptop for the indian market. A big problem is the small screen due to the silly speakers on both sides. It spoils the experience of this ultra compact PC. Otherwise, it's a good unit and time and again proves the fact that if you give the customer really good value for money, he will buy and your business will grow. Pricing a UMPC at some 80-90K is just plain stupid. What is the practical use of a UMPC besides the initial fascination? Only for use by professionals on the move who have to check their email. You can do that for 50 bux max at a cybercafe or at a hotel(and how many really want to read their mail on a plane?). Now, at a low cost, people will consider this as a useful addition besides their main PC and will use the Asus PC as a portable device, or at least, a mini server or for downloading files due to it's low power consumption.

by dookie, Bangalore, on Jan 30, 2008 10:10 AM, Report abuse

I am shocked at this kind of a statement. It is like saying why buy a 10" Sony Vaio with 1 GHz Core duo processor for 75k when you can get a nice HP 17" laptop with Core 2 Duo 2 Ghz, 2 GB ram etc. I and how is this overpriced ? HCL has a similar laptop priced at 15k without a webcam and with 2 GB memory less. Plus this is a better brand.

by Brendon, Mumbai, on Jan 30, 2008 02:05 PM, Report abuse

ACi is going to launch with price tag of Rs.14,999 which has intel based CPU, 512MB Ram and 40GB HDD with Web Cam inbuilt

by Ambani, Karachi, on Jan 30, 2008 04:21 PM, Report abuse

Brendon, the price is inflated especially for the indian market when compared to other markets. The HCL mini PC is not comparable given it's design and the fact that it's HCL. Any sensible person would not go for laptops from that company. They have no decent after sales support and their brand image is questionable.

by dookie, Bangalore, on Jan 31, 2008 11:48 AM, Report abuse

I am not denying the Asus is overpriced. I am just saying you cannot compare an ultraportable laptop with a standard laptop. Compare apples with apples

by Brendon, Mumbai, on Feb 01, 2008 11:11 AM, Report abuse

i think acer 4315 is wise investment, one may use this toy for some time, one or two software crashes, the craze will evaporate, moreever anybody knows who will give service for this toy. what is price of acer on future bazaar, in mumbai santron computers is offering for 20500 all inclusive wth carybag

by sainath, mumbai, on Feb 11, 2008 08:31 PM, Report abuse

A toy for a child, worth 18000 Bucks!!!! USELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Tamanna, Gurgaon, on Feb 01, 2008 11:24 AM, Report abuse Reply

You obviously know nothing about this product. It is not a toy. I run the Eclipse IDE for software development on it.

by Rimbaud, London, on Feb 10, 2008 06:34 AM, Report abuse

This is nothing but an inflated mobile phone. It has limited functionalities and There's no windows in this product !. They seem to be working on a windows model but I bet its going to cost much more..... Its already looking stale right from the launch. sigh.

by Jayesh, Mumbai, on Jan 31, 2008 05:53 PM, Report abuse Reply

Guys you need to understand that this notebook is not a substitute for fully functional notebook. To achieve compact size, reliable speed and light weight you need to sacrifice optical drive. Go for an external DVD ROM drive. It is available for just 1500/-. In fact this should be called as a notebook as this is just the size of ordianry cardboard bound student note book and weighs less than 1kg. Memory is not a big deal. You can opt for 16GB or 32GB HCSD (High capacity SD card). If you compare this to sony viao umpc or cloud book, this is awsome at this price. Do you ever compare a laptop with a desktop to compare prices? In the same way dont do it between this and laptop too. Guys, dont convert the exact dollar price to ruppees. It is a known fact that hardware is costlier in India than US. In US you can get iPod shuffle for 99$. Do you think you can get it in India for 3960 ruppees. This markup is common with all hardwares and we need to deal with it. You can even Install Win XP or Windows Vista to these laptops and they work great. If any of you need help in installing XP or Vista drop a mail at sathvikv[at]gmail.com. I will be glad to assist you.

by Sathvik V, Bangalore, on Jan 31, 2008 07:23 PM, Report abuse

Aww boo it uses Linux. What is your problem. I ditched Windows years ago and only use Linux at work. It is vastly superior.

by rimbaud, London, on Feb 09, 2008 06:31 PM, Report abuse

Santron Computers Sion has it for 15901.

by vijayshimla, Shimla 171001, on Jan 30, 2008 09:25 PM, Report abuse Reply

Hi, i read Your Comeent On new Laptop By HCL N Other New Player Can You Tell Me The Santron Computers Address

by SAntosh, Mumbai, on Jan 31, 2008 09:05 AM, Report abuse

Shilla House Shop #93 Sion Circle Sion Mumbai - 400022 Landmark: Next to UTI Bank ATM Phone: 022-24025338

by Test, test, on Feb 01, 2008 02:50 AM, Report abuse

I can't wait until ASUS put outs their line of Linux TVs. I just read about here http://linuxhow2.com/News/Linux_Assimilation_Asus_and_the_World.html

by AmazingKip, Bearsville, on Jan 31, 2008 10:30 PM, Report abuse Reply

Good deal !

by A.Shanmuharajan, Chennai, on Jan 31, 2008 05:35 PM, Report abuse Reply

pls read this artical.

by dinesh, chirawa, on Jan 31, 2008 03:19 PM, Report abuse Reply

It's go for teenagers,student salso for basic computer education , it's so Lightweight nd Cheaper in brended company laptops , it's good for normal uses.

by Jitendar Kumar, Ghazabad, on Jan 31, 2008 12:14 PM, Report abuse Reply

It is available in HK for 400US$ i.e.below 16000 so why in india it is for 18000?

by bharat, Mumbai, on Jan 31, 2008 11:51 AM, Report abuse Reply

I dream for the day good laptop will be available on the price of 10 K,I think the time is getting nearer.

by revribhav, ajmer, on Jan 30, 2008 04:37 PM, Report abuse Reply

Pearl white is sexy. I saw it. Looks cool.

by jams, Mumbai, on Jan 30, 2008 10:13 AM, Report abuse Reply