ASUS WiMAX Equipped Eee PC 1000HG

ASUS, the pioneer and leading producer of ultra-mobile Internet devices, will showcase how 3.5G-equipped Eee PCs running Windows 7 allow users to reap the benefits of high-speed mobile broadband connectivity at the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona held from February 16–19, 2009. These Eee PCs will be among the world’s first to boast 3.5G capabilities designed around Windows 7 mobile broadband architecture, delivering the easiest-to-use, most stable and highest-speed wireless networking experience.

Enabling the Eee PC’s 3.5G connectivity is Huawei’s high performance EM770 embedded module, one of the world’s first 3.5G embedded modules developed for Windows 7. The seamless marriage of the Eee PC’s ultra mobility and Windows 7 will perfectly realize ASUS’ vision of anytime, anywhere connectivity at home, work, and on the go.

For the purposes of the demonstration, ASUS will be installing Windows 7 Beta in two of its latest 3.5G-equipped Eee PC models: the Eee PC 1003HA and Eee PC T91. The Eee PC 1003HA is a slim and elegant device with a 10” LED-backlit display that comes with 160GB of hard disk storage and an additional 10GB of online Eee Storage. It is slated for sale exclusively through telecommunications carriers. The Eee PC T91 features a rotatable touchscreen and a suite of touch-optimized programs that enable users to browse through photos, create digital scrapbooks, scribble handwritten desktop memos for loved ones and much more.

Still on the topic of ubiquitous wireless connectivity, ASUS also revealed that it has an Eee PC™ with both WiMAX and Wi-Fi capabilities on the horizon. The Eee PC™ 1000HG will feature IEEE 802.16e, WAVE2 and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n support in the 2.4GHz~2.7GHz and 5.1GHz~5.8GHz bands.

It would have been a rough couple of days for WiMax given that ClearWire may have to delay the network expansion if it doesn’t come up with $2 billion, but a WiMax capable ASUS Eee PC may just turn that frown upside down. Beyond its new nuvifone offerings, ASUS is also showing off some new netbooks at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress including one with a WiMax chip.

It would end up like the case but I think a lot of that is due to unneccasary numbers across the board right now. I would possibily imagine companies are not much interested to invest in a new rollout right now when everyone is feeling the pinch of the current contraction. Still, at least WiMax has begun the long rollout process while LTE is nowhere to be seen. I think the end result will depend on whether trying to depoly WiMax during a recession will take up too much money and ruin the effort or if it will be the headstart needed to keep moving once things settle down a bit in a few years.

Also, for what it's worth, I've not had any issues indoors. The only time I dropped a signal was when handing off between towers in a sparsely covered area but that was more of a coverage issue than anything. Not trying to turn this into some preferred-brand cheerleading, just pointing out that it's an uphill battle for any new network infrastructure upgrade right now and there is still a lot to come.

I think ASUS will apparently offer this 1003HA exclusively through carriers, presumably with data contracts. althoigh There’s no word on release dates or geographic availability for the 1003HA, nor whether the T91 will reach the market with the Huawei WWAN option or what it might cost.