Asus’s release of the Eee PC 1225B in 2012 is a good sign that netbooks will not be going the way of the Tucker Sedan. Netbook sales have taken a huge hit from the influx of tablets into the market. But Asus, at least, still believes there is a need for their portable computing devices. Indeed, with the cost and limitation of many tablets, netbooks offer something a little different.

The Eee PC 1225B has upped the ante on previous models with up to 4GB DDR3 RAM and a hard drive in the range of 320 to 750 GB. It totes AMD’s dual-core 1.65GHz E450 APU, an 11.6-inch (1366×768) display, VGA and HDMI outputs, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, optional Bluetooth V3.0+HS, and perhaps best of all, up to 7 hours of battery life (depending on configurations). It’s not an ultrabook, but at its rumored price of approximately $455, it offers a lot of computational power at a much-more accessible price.

At present, tablets still have many limitations that sustain the need for portable devices like the netbook. Tablets may be the way of future, but they have ground to cover. And maybe the battle over Flash is over. However, tablets still have to address the real issue: being able to use the device as a fully-functioning PC.

Apple’s flashy iPad commercials aside, most people have little use for their tablets beyond the customary internet browsing or playing a game with some angry birds. This is where netbooks still bridge that gap between the desktop and the laptop. Netbooks are here to stay—at least for now.

Asus has introduced yet another Sandy Bridge-based laptop – the 15.6 inch Asus K53E. Two configurations are currently available in the US: the Asus K53E-A1 with Intel Core i3-2310M and K53E-B1 with Intel Core i5-2410M processor. Both models have Intel GMA HD integrated graphics, 6GB of DDR3 memory, a 640GB hard drive, DVD burner and a 6-cell battery. The 15.6 inch LED backlit display has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

The Asus K53E also has a 0.3 megapixel webcam, Altec Lansing speakers, Gigabit Ethernet port, 3 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, a 4-in-1 media card reader and WiFi 802.11n. The design of the notebook incorporates the IceCool Technology which places heat producing components away from the user so that the palm rest area is kept cools.

The Asus K53E-A1 and K53E-B1 are available in dark brown. They are priced at $631.38 and $723.18 respectively. Both models run Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

A brand new Asus U30S notebook packing a Sandy Bridge processor has been spotted overseas. This is the first Asus notebook in the mainstream U and UL series to sport a Sandy Bridge processor.

Precisely, the Asus U30S has an Intel Core i5-2410M Sandy Bridge processor, 8GB of RAM and NVIDIA’s 520M discrete graphics with Optimus automatic graphics switching technology. The notebook comes standard with an 8-cell battery rated at 84Whr. It reportedly runs over five hours on a single charge.

The U30S has a 13.3 inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Other specifications include a 500GB, 7200rpm hard drive, built-in DVD-RW optical drive, WiFi 802.11N, Bluetooth 3.0, Gigabit LAN, HDMI, VGA, webcam, card reader and 3 USB 2.0 ports. The laptop runs Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. No word on pricing at the moment.

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Asus has unveiled a new 17.3 inch multimedia notebook. The Asus K73 is powered by Intel’s 2nd generation Core i series Sandy Bridge processors.

The Asus K73 will be available in two models – the K73SV has the NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M discrete graphics with 1GB or 2GB of video RAM, while the K73E relies on Intel’s integrated GMA HD graphics. The available processor options on both models are the dual-core Intel Core i3-2310M, i5-2410M and quad-core i7-2630QM processors. Other specifications include up to 750GB hard drive, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and DVD or Blu-ray combo drive.

The 17.3 inch LED backlit display has a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. The Asus K73 also has Altec-Lansing speakers, HDMI and VGA outputs, a 0.3 megapixel webcam, WiFi, Gigabit LAN, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Bluetooth (optional) and an SD/MS/MMC media card reader. It comes standard with a 6-cell battery and weighs about 7 pounds.

Regarding design, the laptop sports an aluminum textured finish. No word on pricing or availability at the moment.

Excaliber PC has started taking pre-orders for the Asus Eee PC 1015B and 1215B laptops. The Eee PC 1015B and 1215B feature AMD’s new Fusion APUs. The 1015B has a 10.1 inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. It can be configured with the 1.2GHz AMD C-30 single core or 1GHz AMD C-50 dual core processor. However, the model currently up for pre-order has the C-30 single core processor. It looks like we will have to wait a little longer for the dual core versions. The Eee PC 1015B is priced at $289. It will be available in blue, black, red or white.

The Eee PC 1215B has a larger 12.1 inch display. It will be available with your choice of the dual core AMD C-50 Ontario or E-350 Zacate processor. The C-50 model has the Radeon HD 6250 graphics, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. It is priced at $379. The E-350 model has the Radeon HD 6310 graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and Bluetooth 3.0. It is priced at $449. The laptops are expected to start shipping in April.

Via Netbook News