When you think of Asus and Eee PC, you think “cheap Linux netbook”. With their latest offering, the S101, Asus tries to shatter this stereotype by designing an elegant netbook. The folks over at UMPC Fever got their hands on an S101 and have put together the most extensive collection of photos of this slim and sexy notebook to date. We already have covered the specs of the S101 and they fall right in line with all the other netbooks out there. So what does the Asus S101 have that sets it apart from its competitors and permits it to command its higher price tag? First, it is super thin and tapers to only 18 mm which is a slightly more than the height of a Hong Kong dollar. It is also ships with a few extras like a suede leather pouch with straps instead of the cheap cloth pouch found on the standard Eee PC models. It even includes a pouch for its very compact 12V power adapter. The Asus S101 has upgraded the the design of the casing with a brushed aluminum arm rest, a trackpad with a single button and faux diamonds embedded in the hinges (kind of gaudy?). It features a keyboard that is 92% the size of a standard keyboard (nice!) and the internal look is uncluttered and sleek. Only two buttons and three LED indicators are present near the inside hinge and there is a 0.3MP camera at the top. Most of the peripherals (SD slot, RJ45 port, VGA out, power, Kensington Lock) connect in the back, giving the sides and front of the netbook a smoother look and feel. The bottom of the netbook houses the battery, a door to access the RAM and the stereo speakers. So what do you think? Will the new S101 set the new standard for elegance in netbooks or is it a MacBook Air wannabe with unimpressive specs and a tawdry exterior? Hit the jump for more pictures than you can stand.

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S101 in packaging

S101 in suede leather pouch

S101 closed

S101 open with brushed aluminum arm rest

S101 left side

S101right side

S101 back

S101 bottom

S101 closeup of trackpad with single button

S101 diamond-embedded hinge

S101 is slightly thicker than a Hong Kong 50 cents and one dollar coin

With every computer manufacturer and their chip supplier’s barber now jumping on the netbook train, it’s clearly about time for Asus to step it up a bit. Many would credit the Eee line of ultra-portable laptops with popularizing the new breed but now that Asus is competing the likes of top manufacturers, the Eee is in danger of becoming like a Hollywood actress over 26 – still pretty good at what it does but no one in tinseltown wants to look at it anymore. Fear not Asus lovers, the S101 might be just the botox injection the Eee line needed. Don’t let the relatively hideous shade of brown pictured above fool you; the S101 means business. A variety of SSD drives to choose from, an ultra-slim body (tapers to 18 mm, just thicker than the MacBook Air) and pretty solid specs make the S101 very buzz worthy. Check it:

• 264 mm (w) x 180.5 mm (d) x 18 ~ 25 mm (h, tapered)
• 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
• Windows XP Home (base model) or GNU Linux OS
• 10.2-inch wide LED-backlit TFT display, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. 252K colors
• Intel Atom processor
• 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM
• 3 USB 2.0 ports and a VGA port for an external monitor
• Integrated 4-in-1 multimedia card reader
• Multi-touch touchpad
• 2450 mAh battery, not removable
• Available in brown, champagne and graphite

But what about storage – you said it had SSD drives? Calm down, we’re getting there. The S101 will be available in three different trims and here’s what they look like:

• Windows XP, 16 GB SSD or 20GB SD – $699
• Linux, 32 GB SSD – $699
• Linux, 64 GB SSD – $799

So what do you think? Is the S101 the face lift Asus needs or is it just another Joan Rivers?

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