Eee Box B206 reviewed. Verdict: Meh.

UK site Register Hardware has a review up for the Eee Box B206. Leading up to this point, the B206 was supposed to be the first killer nettop because of its discrete HD graphics. Apparently it handles 720p sometimes and 1080p never. Lame. Asus, why did you ship this thing with an HDMI if you can't play full HD vids on it? Did you not know that the entire geek world has been clamoring for this since forever? To play devil's advocate, VLC and Quicktime do not offload to video cards, so the CPU does all the heavy lifting. If all video apps supported this, we might be saying 720p rules on the B206. Well, hopefully the B208 packs a little more punch when it's released.

Eee Box B208: It's BACK!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Oh happy day. Asus re-announced the PC I've been waiting for: the Eee Box B208. No word yet on price or availability, but they seem to have updated the specs:

The only thing that looks different from before is that the B208 does not have an internal UPS (battery backup). While this is pretty lame, I have to say that I'm pretty excited about the impending release of this machine, and the clones that are sure to follow from other manufacturers.

Uh, maybe not.

Tax Day came and went, but neither the Eee Box B204 nor B206 was released in the U.S. So much for taking Asus at their word. Stay tuned for more on this.

Eee Box B204/B206 U.S. Release Date: April 15

Looks like eco-nerds in America will actually have something to celebrate on Tax Day this year. I called Asus' US Sales department and asked them when the Eee Box B204/B206 will be released. Their answer: April 15. Finally. No word on price, though. This gets the ball rolling for nettops with HD graphics chipsets. Asus is once again ahead of the game. I'm probably going to hold out for their nettop with a 330 dual core chip (B208?). Either way, hooray for Asus.

Asus Un-Announces Eee Box B208

Asus just destroyed my hopes and dreams for a low-powered, low-profile dual core HD HTPC. The listing for the Eee Box B208 has disappeared from their site. Hopefully, this won't be a permanent deletion. Asus, if you're listening, give the people what the want, ney NEED.

My future HD DVR: Asus Eee Box B208

Asus just announced this wonderful little toy a couple days ago. Frankly, I've been waiting for a PC like this for a long time. There are several Eee Boxes on the market, but they're pretty low-end for everyday desktop usage. The newly annouced B208 has the following specs (from event.asus.com):




Wow. Where do I start? Finally, something that I can use to stream 1080p HD content into my living room. And at 36W, it draws 90% less power than either of my existing low-end frankenstein systems. AND I can finally get rid of my power-sucking UPS units. If this things steps in below the $500 price point, I may buy two. This is, of course, assuming that it passes 1080p benchmarks upon release. It even comes with a remote. I love you, Asus.