8.9-inch Eee PC to go touchscreen

Darius Chang | Mar 28, 2008

Editors' note:

A representative from ASUS Singapore has confirmed that the first batches of the Eee PC 900 will not come with a touchscreen. This feature is a work-in-progress which may pop up in future variants. It is also confirmed that there are no plans to incorporate GPS into the Eee PC 900.

It seems like the Eee PC is moving away from its roots as a no-frills portable. According to Digitimes, Kevin Lin, vice president of Asustek's sales department, has confirmed that the next-generation 8.9-inch Eee PC will come with a touchscreen and 8-12GB of storage space.

Since the design looks like a conventional clamshell device, it remains to be seen if the cost of including a touchscreen is a justifiable expense. Lin also hinted at the possibility of a GPS radio being included, which we feel would gain more utility than the touchscreen.

The units are expected to leave the factory in May or June and be tentatively priced at US$500 (S$690.30).