When we were about to close the chapter on MeeGo, yes the Linux based Operating System earlier found to be running on tablets and phones, ASUS comes out with EEE PC X101 which is a netbook and has both windows 7 and also MeeGO versions on it. We sure had expected some tablets and phones demoed at the Computex running MeeGO but the netbook by ASUS really caught us by suprise.
The ASUS EEE Pc X101 is priced at just $200 is very thin and light weight. MeeGO did not receive the attention which Intel had expected when it was released. Very few manufacturers adopted it, but ASUS is one of the major manufacturer taking a shot at MeeGO. We would assume a lot of Intel collaboration to make this happen. However It has been reported that currently the X101 does not have the Appup app store, we have no idea whether ASUS intends to add it during the release.
MeeGo running on the X101 has undergone an upgrade giving you various panels, like the people panel for social network and chat clients. ASUS also has an ASUS-Vibe panel for all the media files. The overall MeeGO experience in this device looks smooth but this is still not a final product, so we can expect a better performance when this goes to retail.
The X101 includes two USB ports, MicroSD card slot, powered with an Intel Atom N455 (1.6 GHz) processor coupled with 1 GB of RAM. It will also include a 16 GB SSD. There will also be a Windows 7 variant which will cost more than $200 and certainly not dual boot with MeeGO.
Well in the past we had seen netbooks powered by Android going down the dumps, MeeGO is also an OS which was aimed at Mobile phones and tablets, will it survive in the netbook market? It sure looks tempting with its sleek design and $200 price tag. There is still no official word about the shipping date, but ASUS will be announcing it soon.
MeeGO has had a rocky start with Nokia opting for Windows 7 (leaving Intel as the sole driver) but its encouraging to see other manufacturers taking it mainstream. All the best MeeGO!
“will it (Meego) survive in the netbook market?” Well, I think Meego is much more oriented to Netbooks than Android. I tried it one year ago and it was already pretty cool. I’m going to try it again in the next weeks to see what’s new.
Meego’s known weekness is the smartphone version. Nokia is to be blamed for that since they failed to do their part of the deal.
The strong point is that Meego offers much more advantages and possibilities than Android both to users, developers or manufacturers. Intel is doing a really great job.
Now with support from Asus, Acer, Lenovo and others, I believe Meego may still become a major player in just a few years.