After thorough considerations, Asustek Computer has decided not to introduce its Asus Eee PC S-series machines aimed at higher-end market under Eee trademark, but sell it as affordable Asus-branded notebooks.

At a news-conference in Taipei, Taiwan, Asustek Computer’s chief executive officer Jerry Shen demonstrated Asus Eee PC S101 laptop with glossy brown surface and said that the company had decided to drop the Eee brand-name from this model since it is usually associated with simplistic and inexpensive devices, not a laptop aimed at users without budget constraints, reports HKEPC web-site.

As a result, the S01 machines will be new entries into the Asus family of notebooks and, in fact, will be the first non-Eee PC branded netbooks from Asustek Computer. The decision also means that Asustek wants to maintain the Eee family as a family of inexpensive gadgets and has no plans to introduce high-cost Eee-branded devices. Instead, the company seems to have plans to make products sold under Asus brand-name a little more affordable.

The Asus S101 mobile systems will feature 10.2” screen with LED backlight and will be based on Intel Atom N270 processor (1.60GHz) as well as Intel 945GME core-logic set. There will be two models of the S01: the one with 32GB solid state drive for $699 as well as the one with 64GB SSD for $899.

The new S01 laptops are not only small and light, but also pretty thin: only 16mm – 21mm in thickness. By contrast, Asus Eee PC 1000-series netbooks with 10.2” screen are 38.1mm thick.

Asus S101 notebooks are projected to emerge on the market sometime in September, 2008.