ASUS N10 Hands-On (LAPTOP Mag)

Asus N10 LAPTOP Magazine now has a 10.2″ Asus N10 netbook – wait, scratch that.

Asustek is now calling it a notebook. It’s no longer a netbook. The Asus representative that dropped it off at LAPTOP Magazine made it a point to call the upcoming (end of September) ultraportable a notebook and the difference apparently is the larger HDD, HDMI out, and NVIDIA graphics (available on the N10J).

The N10 is based on a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, with a 10″ 1024×600 LED-backlit display, and a 160GB HDD or a 320GB HDD, along with 2GB of RAM. Those last two are important – Microsoft has imposed RAM and HDD limitations on “netbooks” in regards to being sold with Windows XP Home versus Vista. As a result of breaking those limits, the N10 comes with Vista (although it can be downgraded).

They also pack an ExpressCard slot, a fingerprint reader, and a DisplayPort/HDMI video out.

As pointed out previously, there are basically two versions (at least in the US):
#1 Asus N10E – Starts at $599 and has integrated Intel graphics
#2 Asus N10J – Starts at $699 and has the ability to switch between integrated Intel graphics and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 9300 MS chipset (along with a larger hard drive).

Read:
LAPTOP Magazine – Video Hands-On
LAPTOP Magazine – Photos