To be available in the U.S. and Europe starting in November. Plus information about:
- InstantGo (previously known at Connected Standby) from Microsoft aimed to bring smartphone-type power management capabilities to the PC platform, as well as increasing physical security,
- InstantGo combined with ICS (Internet Connection Sharing commonly referred to as tethering) for Connected Standby Hotspot funcionality, and
- touch gestures in Windows 8.1 supported by Smart Gesture technology of the X205 touchpad that is 36% larger compared to the ones found on the 14-inch ASUS laptop models.
Also compare with The growing Chromebook challenge for Windows laptops: promises from Google I/O are getting realized with new Chromebooks introduced at IFA 2014 post of mine as of September 5, 2014.
Information still to come (by November):
- monetization by Microsoft on the back end with Bing integration as well as MS services attach (as just mentioned by Satya Nadella on MSFT July 25 Earnings Conference Call)
See also my already existing posts about Intel Bay Trail-T, especially the Intel CTE initiative: Bay Trail-Entry V0 (Z3735E and Z3735D) SoCs are shipping next week in $129 Onda (昂达) V819i Android tablets—Bay Trail-Entry V2.1 (Z3735G and Z3735F) SoCs might ship in $60+ Windows 8.1 tablets from Emdoor Digital (亿道) in the 3d quarter of April 11, 2014. See also PadNews articles on Type 3 Z3735 (Bay Trail-Entry V2.1) based tablets (i.e. the same SoCs to be used in EeeBook X205):
- Z3735G (http://www.padnews.cn/?tag=Z3735G) and
- Z3735F (http://www.padnews.cn/?tag=Z3735F)
DETAILS
ASUS EeeBook X205 199 Euro Laptop Hands on [Steve Paine YouTube channel] with Intel’s Bay Trail-T (i.e. tablet) platform
http://umpcportal.com for more. This is the ASUS EeeBook X205 a 199 Euro laptop based on Z3000-series running Windows 8 with Bing. The model shown here has 1GB and Z3735G but other models are said to have 2GB RAM.
From ASUS Sep 3, 2014 press release:
EeeBook X205, chic and compact
EeeBook X205 is an affordable, chic and compact 11.6-inch laptop that weighs less than 1kg and is designed for on-the-go students and young professionals. Powered by Windows 8.1 with Bing — for maximum application compatibility — EeeBook X205 offers users a convenient smartphone-like experience, thanks to its use of Connected Standby technology. Connected Standby enables almost-instant resume from sleep mode and gives users an enhanced internet experience, as they are always connected to all their social apps and email — even when X205 is in standby mode. Available in four distinctive colors — black, white, gold and red — EeeBook X205 is designed with smooth curves and tactile surfaces to make it the ideal take-anywhere laptop.
ASUS EeeBook X205 Hands On – $199 Netbook unveiled at IFA 2014 [Mobilegeeks.de YouTube channel, Sept 3, 2014]
ASUS EeeBook X205 http://www.mobilegeeks.com The ASUS EeeBook X205 is 11.6 inches with an Intel Atom Z3735 is based on the Bay Trail-T architecture and is backed by 2GB of RAM and either 32G or 64GB of storage. Connectivity includes 2 USB 2.0, a Micro HDMI port, audio jack, microSD card slot plus WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. Don’t gorget to check out our coverage of the ASUS EeeBook X205 here: http://www.mobilegeeks.com/asus-zenbook-ux305-hands-video-ifa-2014/
ASUS announces the EeeBook X205 at IFA 2014 by Brandon LeBlanc [Blogging Windows, Sept 3, 2014]
Today at IFA 2014, ASUS has announced the EeeBook X205 – an affordable 11.6-inch laptop with Windows 8.1 with Bing priced at just $199 (U.S.). The EeeBook X205 comes powered by an Intel Atom quad-core processor and features InstantGo (previously known at Connected Standby) giving it an almost-instant resume from sleep mode with up 8 hours [up to 12-hours of web browsing see below] of battery life. It’ll run Microsoft Office smoothly as well as other desktop apps and apps from the Windows Store.
The EeeBook X205 has a compact and ergonomic design for people constantly on-the-go – like students for example. It weighs less than 1kg and has a full-size, one-piece seamless chiclet keyboard with 1.6mm of key travel for comfortable typing. It also has a 36% larger touchpad compared to the ones found on the 14-inch ASUS laptop models. And the touchpad uses Smart Gesture technology that supports touch gestures in Windows 8.1.
The EeeBook X205 will come in four colors – black, white, gold, and red – and available in the U.S. and Europe starting in November.
ASUS EeeBook X205TA [product page]
Easy to Learn, Work and Play.
Windows 8.1 with Bing
Weighs 980g with compact, space-saving design that fits in a small suitcase and carry bag.
12 hours of battery life* for an Always On Always Connected experience
Windows 8.1 with Bing provides 100% capability with software and peripherals compares to other OS.
*Disclamer: 12-hours of web browsing
EeeBookX205 is an affordable, chic and compact 11.6-inch laptop that weighs less than 1kg and is designed for on-the-go students and young professionals. Windows 8.1 with Bing gives EeeBook X205 maximum application compatibility; while Connected Standby technology gives users a smartphone-like computing experience.This enables almost-instant resume from sleep mode and gives users an enhanced internet experience, as Connected Standby means they are always connected to all their social apps and email, even when X205 is in standby mode. Available in four distinctive colors — black, white, gold and red — EeeBook X205 is designed with smooth curves and tactile surfaces to make it the ideal take-anywhere laptop.
Specification
Processor
Quad core Intel® Atom™ Bay Trail-T Z3735 processor running at up to 1.83GHz
Display
11.6-inch LED backlit HD (1,366 x 768)
High-contrast gloss finish
Operating System
Windows 8.1 with Bing
Storage
eMMC 32/64GB
115GB Microsoft OneDrive free for 2 years (15GB for life)
500GB ASUS WebStorage free for 2 years
RAM
2GB
Connectivity
802.11a/b/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.0
Input
2x USB 2.0
Micro HDMI out
1x 3.5mm headphone/mic combo jack
Micro SD card slot (SDXC, up to 64GB)
Camera
Front-facing VGA
Audio
2x 2W high-quality stereo speakers
High quality microphone
Battery
38Wh, 12 hours for web browsing
Dimensions
286 x 193.3 x 17.5mm
Weight
980g
Colors
Black, White, Red and Gold
We should note here that the Bay Trail SoCs for the EeeBook X205 are the specifically developed ones according to the following Intel slide:
1MRD7 and MRD8/10 are Android* only. Windows is for selected ODMs with committed volume.
A significant SoC and PCB cost reduction effort (with design for “China Technical Ecosystem”) is lying behind those, so called Bay Trail Entry Z3735F/G products:
The original Windows capable Bay Trail-T already used in tablets since Oct’131:
The Bay Trail-Entry version of Bay Trail-T specifically designed for heavy PCB cost reduction (used in X205):
- Z3745D (1.83 GHz, 25×16 LCD)
with DDR3L, and 8L2 HDI3 (Type4 packaged SoC based) PCBs
1 Dell Venue 8 Pro ($299+, now $249+)
28L PCB = 8-layer Printed Circuit Board;
3HDI—High Density Interconnects (aka Type 4 packaging) PCBs are utilizing blind, buried or microvia technologies.
- Z3735F (1.83GHz, <=2GB, <=19×12 LCD)
- Z3735G (1.83GHz, 1GB, <=12×8 LCD)
both with DDR3L, and 6L4 Type 3 packaged SoC based PCBs
46L PCB = 6-layer Printed Circuit Board
+ New PMIC for higher integration
In broad respects see the latest Z3735E, Z3735D, Z3735F, Z3735G comparison table of Sept 6, 2014, and in the most specific form the below table (taken from Z3600 and Z3700 Series Datasheet as of April 2014 when Type 3 SoC related information was added):
From MSFT Earnings Conference Call [July 22, 2014]
Satya Nadella, chief executive officer:
We feel good about the progress we are making with Windows. Developed markets continue to show stability, and we’re encouraged by the initial response from OEMs to our new consumer offerings like Windows with Bing.
…
In April, we released an update to Windows 8.1. To start, we improved the core desktop experience with mouse and keyboard advancements. For enterprises, we released Internet Explorer Enterprise Mode and extended our mobile device management capability. With the Windows 8.1 update, we also lowered the hardware spec required so OEMs can build tablets and clamshells at lower price points.
In addition, we made the decision to evolve the Windows business model. Now, Windows licenses are zero dollars for any OEM building a device less than nine inches. We also added a low-cost Windows offering with Bing integration for OEMs. This new offering combined with lower hardware specs means OEMs will bring a fantastic line-up of value-based notebooks and tablets to market this holiday.
…
We will have our OEM monetization, and some of these new business models are about monetizing on the back end with Bing integration as well as our services attach, and that’s the reason fundamentally why we have these zero priced Windows SKUs today.
Windows 8.1 with Bing for OEMs [April 2, 2014]
The Windows 8.1 with Bing edition sets Bing as the default search engine within Internet Explorer. Users will be able to manually change default search settings and install additional browsers of their choice.
Windows 8.1 with Bing is based on the feature set available in Windows 8.1 Core and incudes all of the latest updates, including Windows 8.1 Update. Windows 8.1 with Bing is available for 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.
What’s new for OEMs?
Windows 8.1 with Bing is similar to other editions of Windows and should be imaged, updated, and deployed the same as any other Windows edition. However, OEMs will not be able to change the default search engine with the SearchScopes unattend setting, Registry key, or 3rd party installation tools. When a user starts Internet Explorer, Bing is automatically set to the default Search Engine and will override any OEM-configured search provider. No other Internet Explorer defaults are changed.
…
Helping our hardware partners build lower cost Windows devices by Brandon LeBlanc [Blogging Windows, May 23, 2014]
Over the next couple weeks leading into Computex in Taipei, you’re going to see many of our hardware partners announce new Windows devices.
Microsoft was built on the foundation of partner opportunity and our goal remains mutual success for us and our partners. This means a continued commitment to helping ensure our hardware partners are able to build innovative, differentiated and competitive devices on the Windows platform. Over the past year, we have done a lot of work to scale Windows to an even greater number of customers with more partners and new devices at a broader range of price points. In 2013, we began to ease our approach to device certification and reduced some hardware component requirements, helping to empower our partners to drive further device differentiation and price competitiveness. And most recently with the Windows 8.1 Update, we are enabling our hardware partners to build lower cost devices with only 1GB of memory and 16GB of storage that provide customers with the fast and fluid experience they expect from a Windows device. We also announced that Windows will be available for 0 dollars to our hardware partners for Windows Phones and tablets smaller than 9-inches in screen size.
As we move forward, many of these lower cost devices will come with a new edition of Windows called Windows 8.1 with Bing. Windows 8.1 with Bing provides all the same great experiences that Windows 8.1 offers with the Windows 8.1 Update, and comes with Bing as the default search engine within Internet Explorer. And of course customers will be able to change that setting through the Internet Explorer menu, providing them with control over search engine settings. This new edition will be only be available preloaded on devices from our hardware partners. Some of these devices, in particular tablets, will also come with Office or a one-year subscription to Office 365.
The end result is that more people—across consumer and commercial—will have access to an even broader selection of new devices with all the awesomeness that Windows 8.1 provides, and get Office too, all at a really affordable price. Additionally, as reach expands, the opportunity for developers and their apps also increases.
We’re excited for our partners and the new devices that will be in market soon, and we’ll continue to work closely with our partners deliver innovative and high quality devices based on the Windows experience.
Stay tuned for more as these new devices get announced by our hardware partners over the coming weeks!
InstantGo: a better way to sleep by Kevin A Chin [Blogging Windows, June 19, 2014] (see also the InstantGo article on Wikipedia)
You may have heard about InstantGo in Windows 8.1 (known as Connected Standby in Windows 8 and Windows RT), and how it has replaced the traditional sleep or standby function in many Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 systems. What you might not know is how fundamentally different—and better—it is, and why.
First, let me give you a little background. These days, a lot of modern computing is performed on System on Chip (SoC) designs. These single chips tightly integrate the components for what used to be a complete motherboard, and allow for hardware that is thinner, lighter, and more power efficient. There are SoC designs with processors from both Intel and ARM running Windows.
These innovations in hardware go beyond just extending battery life—they actually make new user experiences possible. InstantGo is a great example of what SoC makes possible: network connectivity with very low power consumption and instant resume capabilities. With the right hardware, whether it’s a Windows powered tablet, or a convertible 2-in-1, it’s always ready for interaction.
What is InstantGo?
InstantGo maintains network connectivity when your screen is off in standby mode, allowing the system to update things in the background, and keeping it ready to instantly resume. For example, it can sync your email while your screen is off so new mail is ready and waiting as soon as you come back. Or if you want to be reachable via Skype even when you step away from your PC, you can go ahead and turn the screen off, and your calls will still come through. Power consumption in this connected standby mode is very low, and yet the system is always ready to spring back to life with your next interaction.
Common misconceptions
We’ve seen some misconceptions about InstantGo out there on the Internet, so I’d like to clear up a few of these. First of all, if your PC doesn’t already have Connected Standby (in Windows 8 or Windows RT) or InstantGo (in Windows 8.x or Windows RT 8.x), you can’t just add it as a feature – as mentioned, it’s built into the hardware and the operating system, and so it’s either there from the beginning or it isn’t. Furthermore, it isn’t limited to a particular processor architecture – it might be present on ARM, x86, and x64 systems. Finally, InstantGo is not just for tablets. You can have it on a 2-in-1 system that looks very much like a traditional laptop. You might even see two systems running the same CPU or SoC architecture, and one of them has InstantGo while the other one doesn’t. It’s really up to the hardware manufacturer to decide which systems they want to design with this capability.
Here’s a summary of the common misconceptions:
Misconception
Fact
InstantGo is a Windows software feature.
InstantGo depends on tight integration between hardware, software (drivers), and operating system to deliver new user experiences.
InstantGo only runs on ARM architecture systems.
InstantGo systems exist for ARM, x86, and x64 architectures.
InstantGo is only useful if I’m connected to a network.
All InstantGo systems allow you to turn the screen on and off almost instantly.
InstantGo is only available on Surface Pro and Surface 2.
Numerous systems support InstantGo. Examples include: Dell Venue Pro 8 , Dell Venue Pro 11, Asus T100TA, ThinkPad Tablet 2, Surface, Surface 2, and more.
InstantGo runs exclusively on Windows RT.
All Windows RT systems support InstantGo. But Windows 8 and Windows 8.x systems with the proper hardware may also support InstantGo.
InstantGo only runs on tablets.
InstantGo systems include tablets, convertibles with docks, and even some laptops.
Do you already have InstantGo?
As InstantGo is not limited to a particular form factor (tablet or laptop), or a particular architecture (ARM, x64, or x86), you might not know if you have it or not. InstantGo requires Windows RT, Windows 8, or any of the updates released after Windows 8, as well as tightly integrated hardware and software. You can see if you have it or not by running the powercfg option from a command prompt. When you type powercfg /a and press Enter, you’ll see the Standby (Connected) option only if you have InstantGo:
After using Windows on an InstantGo system, I’ve come to expect all my computers to have long battery life and still instantly resume from sleep.
For more on InstantGo (known as Connected Standby in Windows 8), see these articles:
MSDN Connected Standby
Introduction to Connected Standby (downloadable document)
In my next blog post, I’ll talk about Sleep Study — an easy way to measure your battery life while in the connected standby state.
Windows 8.1 ICS and InstantGo (Connected Standby Hotspot) [Steve Paine YouTube channel, Oct 17, 2013]
http://umpcportal.com with a 3G-capable, Connected Standby capable Windows 8.1 PC. Demonstration of a hotspot under Connected Standby conditions.
See also:
Creating and configuring Internet Sharing experiences [Windows > Dev Center - Hardware > Device experience > Mobile broadband > Mobile operator scenarios, Aug 27, 2013]
In Windows 8.1, Internet Sharing, commonly referred to as tethering, has been added to enable users to share their mobile broadband network connection with one or more other devices that are not mobile broadband-capable. Traditional tethering mechanisms include Bluetooth and USB. However, Wi-Fi can provide the fast and easy mobile broadband connection sharing mechanism, such as personal hotspots, mobile hotspots, and so on, since it requires little configuration, enables high-speed data transmission, and relies on the familiar Wi-Fi connection process.
Windows 8.1 extends the Internet sharing capability further by enabling customers to turn on and connect to PCs that have Internet Sharing configured, known as a tethering access point, just as if it was a standard Wi-Fi network.
…
Using ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) [Windows Help, April 27, 2013]
Metered Internet connections: FAQ [June 1, 2012]
steps to create hotspot connection in windows8 [Microsoft Community, from July 2013 and on]
Sleep Study: Diagnose what’s draining your battery while the system sleeps by Kevin A Chin [Blogging Windows, June 26, 2014]
In my last post, I introduced you to InstantGo (previous to Windows 8.1, we called this Connected Standby), a new power model used on some Windows 8.x systems. InstantGo is a tight integration of software (firmware, drivers, OS) with System on Chip (“SoC”) hardware to provide a sleep mode with long battery life and a connected, instant-on user experience.
In this post, I’d like to introduce you to Sleep Study, a new tool available on Windows 8.x systems with InstantGo that can help you identify sources of battery drain that occurred while the PC was in sleep mode (that is, when the screen was off).
Sleep Study tells you how well the system slept and how much activity it experienced during that time. While in the sleep state, the system is still doing some work, albeit at a lower frequency. Because the resulting battery drain is not easily perceptible (you can’t see it draining), we built the Sleep Study tool in Windows 8.1 to allow you to track what is happening. We thought of simply using traditional logging to do this, but ironically, the logging itself would drain the battery. With this in mind, we designed the Sleep Study tool to minimize its own impact on battery life, while tracking the battery draining activities.
The Sleep Study report
You can use Sleep Study to see which apps and devices are most active during a sleep session. Sleep Study reviews all the sleep sessions longer than 10 minutes and provides you with a report that color codes each session according to its power consumption. A session is defined as the period from Screen Off to Screen On. In cases when the system is plugged into AC power, the policies are less stringent than when on battery power. While the tool still tracks connected standby activity on AC power, it is more useful to identify unexpected drains on battery, or DC power.
To help you easily identify apps, devices and services with higher power consumption, these are highlighted in red or orange in the report, and represent opportunities to extend your battery life.
In this video, we walk you through a typical Sleep Study report.
[SleepStudy powercfg command for connected standby]
…
The ASUS EeeBook touchpad uses Smart Gesture technology that supports touch gestures in Windows 8.1: Touch: Swipe, tap, and beyond [Windows Help, Nov 12, 2013]
If you want to know what we mean when we mention swiping, tapping, or other ways of interacting withWindows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1 when you’re using a touchscreen, take a look at this table.
What we say
How to do it
What it does
Tap
Tap once on an item.
Opens, selects, or activates whatever you tap. Similar to clicking with a mouse.
Press and hold
Press your finger down and hold for about a second.
Shows info to help you learn more about an item or opens a menu specific to what you’re doing. For example, press and hold a tile on the Start screen to rearrange, resize, or pin it. Only works for some items.
Similar to right-clicking with a mouse.
Pinch or stretch to zoom
Touch the screen or an item with two or more fingers, and then move the fingers toward each other (pinch) or away from each other (stretch).
Visually zooms in or out, like with pictures or maps. A good place to explore this is the Start screen.
Slide to scroll
Drag your finger on the screen.
Moves through what’s on the screen. Similar to scrolling with a mouse.
Slide to rearrange
Press and briefly drag an item in the direction opposite the way the page scrolls, then move it wherever you want. (For example, if you would scroll left or right, drag the item up or down.) When you’ve moved the item to the new location, let it go.
Moves an item. Similar to dragging with a mouse.
Swipe to select
Swipe an item with a short, quick movement in the direction opposite the way the page scrolls. For example:
• If the page scrolls left or right, swipe the item up or down to select it.
• If the page scrolls up or down, swipe the item left or right to select it.
Selects an item, and often brings up app commands. A good place to explore this is in the Mail app.
Swipe or slide from the edge
Starting on the edge, either swipe your finger quickly or slide across the screen without lifting your finger.
• Open the charms (Search, Share, Start, Devices, Settings). Swipe in from the right edge.
• Open a recently used app. Swipe in from the left edge. Keep swiping to switch between all of your recently used apps.
• Open another app at the same time. Slide in from the left edge without lifting your finger and drag the app until a divider appears. Then move the app where you want it, and slide the divider to adjust the app size.
• See a list of recently used apps. Slide in from the left edge without lifting your finger, and then push the app back toward the left edge.
• Show commands for the current apps, like New and Refresh. Swipe in from the top or bottom edge.
• Close an app. Slide down from the top edge without lifting your finger, and then drag the app to the bottom of the screen.
Rotate
Put two or more fingers on an item and then turn your hand.
Rotates items in the direction you turn your hand. Only some items can be rotated
Filed under: consumer computing, consumer devices, Microsoft survival, notebooks Tagged: ASUS EeeBook touchpad, ASUS EeeBook X205, ASUS EeePC revival, Atom Z3700 Series, Atom Z3735F, Atom Z3735G, Bay Trail Cost Reduced options, Bay Trail-Entry SoC, Bay Trail-Entry V2.1, Bay Trail-T, Bay Trail-T Z3735, China Technical Ecosystem, competitive Windows offering against Chromebooks, Connected Standby, Connected Standby Hotspot, EeeBook X205, ICS, InstantGo, InstantGo Hotspot, Intel Bay Trail-T, Internet Connection Sharing, Microsoft, Sleep Study tool, Smart Gesture technology, SoC and PCB cost reduction, tethering, touch gestures in Windows 8.1, touch gestures support by a touchpad, value-based notebooks, Windows, Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 laptop, Windows 8.1 with Bing, Windows laptop, Windows laptops, Wintel, Z3735D, Z3735F, Z3735G