Fast booting ASUS Eee Box hits the desktop

Davey Winder
Wednesday, 30 July 2008 18:11

Your IT - Home IT

Although not actually available until September in the UK, ASUS has announced the full specification of its new Eee Box which promises to deliver a little revolution in desktop computing...

Everyone and their Auntie seems to be spinning cartwheels over the Eee PC, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that there is a little surge of nervous energy running through my fingertips as I write about the UK launch of the new Eee Box.

It is, of course, as small as you would expect: the size of a paperback novel, and with the option to VESA mount it to the back of an LCD monitor to save even more space. The curvy design is cool, the touch sensitive buttons cooler, but the fast boot technology is red hot.

Using the ASUS exclusive Express Gate firmware, the Eee Box can fast boot from cold to being Internet ready in just 8 seconds, ASUS claims. The truth is, like all such figures, this is a best possible scenario.

The actual boot time will vary depending upon hardware configuration and Eee Box model. Still, anything around that time is undeniably fast and impressive.

As is, it has to be said, the attention to energy saving detail. The Eee Box comes with an Intel Atom Processor, and ASUS claims the use of hybrid technology means it can reduce power consumption by up to 90 percent compared to a standard full-sized desktop machine.

It's quiet as well, courtesy of the proprietary thermal solution which integrates an ASUS heat dissipation module with the AI driven fan. This means an average 26db output, or around 50 percent of the average desktop noise, says ASUS.

The green credentials run through to the design itself, with the Eee Box being made entirely from "earth-friendly materials" whatever they may be. Still if it helps reduce the CO2 emissions of the process, that's cool as well.

So how much will it cost and what are the full specs? Find out on page 2...

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