If you were considering purchasing an Asus, whether it be an Eee PC or a regular notebook, you may want to think about making that purchase before March 1. According to some new reports, Asus is planning to raise prices by as much as 20%, which could mean that newly released $399 Eee PC 1000HE will go up to $479.

While these prices hikes have still not been made official, the reasons behind the proposed increases are due to higher cost in parts and manufacturing as well as the current financial climate. Asus also has their Q4 2009 financial meeting scheduled for tomorrow, and more information is expected to be announced in regards to the potential price hikes.

Asus has announced the new B51 notebook which is being touted as a ruggedized machine that can withstand harsh treatments such as drops, shocks, spills and scratches. The B51 is built with a lightweight strong magnesium alloy chassis and buffered against shock with rubber bumpers along its edges. It also has a protective film to shield it from scratches.

Like all ruggedized notebooks in its class, the B51 was said to have passed military specifications namely the ‘MIL 810F Method 516.5 Procedure IV’ which simply means that it can withstand fall from a height of up to 75 cm (about 2.5-feet). Even the data stored in the hard drive will be protected from corruption by a sponge protection system which also protects its keyboard.