If the Asus EeePC series attracted peoples’ attention because of its price, the newly launched EeePC S101 clearly states Asus move from being a cheap PC manufacturer to be a superior PC brand – one that matches low price with sleek design, innovations and high quality.

Whereas some Chinese brands, such as well known Lenovo, acquire foreign assets to raise awareness and get rid of unwanted associations to the “Made in China = low quality products” label, Asus is investing in its own brand technology and design to broaden general perceptions to enhanced quality matched to reasonable pricing.

The Eee series starts at a very attractive $ 320 with the Eee PC700 and goes up to about 700 with the Eee S101 – a very thin, light, and prettily designed notebook.

With its superior finishes and up to standards tech features, the netbook is clearly targeted at the higher end of the market. As the company itself declares, Asus “knows how to combine aesthetics and technology.”

In fact, more innovations and sleeker designs are under way. We already reported about Asus F6V line of laptops featuring model customized olfactive signatures. Now it seems that the company is working on power-saving “green” motherboards with low emissions and fewer hazardous chemicals than regulations require and Linux-based software that lets users get online quickly, before Windows boots.

To follow Jonney Shih – Asus founder – words “The Japanese established their brand through quality…but today, quality isn’t enough. Innovation is critical, as is communications and marketing.” And Asus is innovating, upgrading it design, marketing their products but more than everything, investing in branding.