I've been wanting to get a laptop for a while now...
Something small, light, and capable of doing basic functions (e.g. word processing, light research, check email, etc...) and affordable. I don't think I will need anything with a large capacity drive or capable of storing a huge amount of files for I still plan on primarily using my home Desktop PC.
I've narrowed it down to the Asus eee. From the research I've done this laptop covers the basics and will definitely not break the bank. It is reasonably fast for it doesn't use XP and runs on Linux, basic programs are pre-installed so no need in investing in additional software. Wireless, yes - super small, light, and again, not expensive.
Do any of you have any experience with this device? What do you think about it?
I've used one, and have considered buying one. I like the fact that it's small and inexpensive. And I can tell you this, out of all these new inexpensive 7"-9" machines, the Eee is probably the best. HP has the Mininote 2133 and Everex has the Cloudbook (and Dell has one coming out soon). Both use a VIA processor which has shown to be much weaker than the underclocked Celeron in the Eee. The Eee will be able to do all those tasks with great ease. You can actually do a lot more than that on it. It's surprisingly powerful for it's specifications. There are a couple other things you should know. One is that the Eee is now available with Windows XP preinstalled and at the same price as the Linux version ($399). Plus, you also get a 4 GB SD Card and a mouse. It's a great deal if you ask me. Also, the 8.9" Eee is coming out soon, so you may want to consider it.
All in all, I'd say it was a great machine. It does what it's supposed to very well, and is able to do even more, without breaking the bank.
| william wrote: |
I've used one, and have considered buying one. I like the fact that it's small and inexpensive. And I can tell you this, out of all these new inexpensive 7"-9" machines, the Eee is probably the best. HP has the Mininote 2133 and Everex has the Cloudbook (and Dell has one coming out soon). Both use a VIA processor which has shown to be much weaker than the underclocked Celeron in the Eee. The Eee will be able to do all those tasks with great ease. You can actually do a lot more than that on it. It's surprisingly powerful for it's specifications. There are a couple other things you should know. One is that the Eee is now available with Windows XP preinstalled and at the same price as the Linux version ($399). Plus, you also get a 4 GB SD Card and a mouse. It's a great deal if you ask me. Also, the 8.9" Eee is coming out soon, so you may want to consider it.
All in all, I'd say it was a great machine. It does what it's supposed to very well, and is able to do even more, without breaking the bank. |
Thanks william! I am still considering this and doing a bit more research and reading reviews and such. I still like the fact that it's small, light, and capable of doing basic functions. The only thing that I am a little weary about is how there seems to be quite a few with issues with connecting to the internet via wifi/wireless.I am a student and I've never had a laptop, but this seems like the perfect thing to take into lectures, lessons etc. because it's small light, and it has so many input ports... even an SD card slot on the side! There's an advantage to taking notes digitally, it saves physical space, its a lot more easier to organise, and its always legible.
Yes, I think I will be buying this laptop soon. I would like to learn more about how to install programs on Linux anyway...
I recently sold a video software so I have enough to buy this along with a few accessories possibly. As soon as the money transfer hits my account I'm going to go for it!!! I am soooo excited!
I've done an extensive amount of research on this little machine. I've found that there are some people that compare it to regular laptops, saying things like you can get a "real" laptop for a little bit more money - but honestly I don't think you can compare this with the regular laptops.
My main thing is the portability and the ability to do the basics and I think this gadget will cover those well.
Hi,
Are you aware that this machine only runs Linux?
If so, and you are already familiar with Linux than it's a nifty little thing! Although personally I think that 7" for a screen is really too small. Portable ok, but if you really want to be portable I'd take a Nokia N810. I really think 7" is just too small to work comfortably.
If you don't know Linux, you must know you can't run Windows programs (like Microsoft Office, MSN messenger) although there are some good open-source replacements.
A lot of people say that Linux is almost as simple to use as Windows, well it just isn't yet although it's getting better (I use Linux for quite a few years now).
The EePC can't run Windows.
A better choice might be the MSI Wind, which is not available yet although it will be soon. This one has the Intel Atom processor and a 10" screen which is much better to work on but still under 1 kilogram and they promise a working time of 7 hours (so in real live 4-5 hours which is still great).
The MSI Wind can run Windows or Linux (or both).
Well, hope I didn't make your choice any more difficult!
bye!
Actually, the Eee is available with XP as an option for $399. Great deal if you ask me, since you get more storage than the Linux version, plus accessories. Also, the modified Xandros Linux the Eee runs is actually very easy to use, and it's one of the few things that "just work." Remember, easy to learn, easy to work, easy to play. It comes preloaded with most of the applications you'll need. In most cases you won't need to install anything, but terminal is there if you want. Now, the MSI Wind is interesting. But it just looks like another company wants to enter the market Asus created. Thing is, it will retail from $470 to over $1000. Not worth it in my opinion, since one of the best parts of the Eee is price. Also, the Eee should get a refresh soon enough. The 8.9" model is out in Asia, and coming here soon. We will see Atom and increased storage.
Anyhow, you've got a lot of choices, and I'll be honest that the Wind is the only one right now that looks like a good competitor to the Eee's performance. We'll see how it turns out. It just might be a little expensive.
Anyhow, as I said, it's a great machine. If you want something small for basic tasks, the Eee is hard to beat. Plus, if you want some more power out of it, there's a simple mod that brings the underclocked Celeron from 630 MHz to the full 900 MHz. That's a really nice jump.
I wish you luck with your purchase. New subnotebooks from other companies (Dell, MSI, Acer) are on the horizon, but from the looks of it, I doubt any of them could match the performance, portability, and price of the the Eee.
Can't wait to see how it turns out! Good luck! 
thank you both for your thorough response! Watson (that's what I've decided to call mine! ) is coming in tomorrow afternoon - i am sooooooooooo excited!!! I've done research on this for MONTHS.
Yes, I am aware that it runs on Linux. I considered getting the version of the laptop which has XP but I decided to go for Linux, as I've always been curious about it. Like I've said... I don't plan on using the laptop as my main computer as I still plan on using my home desktop as my primary computer.
I am REALLY looking forward to learning about Linux, and to having the convenience of being able to basically have computer access anywhere.
I've got finals this coming week but at the end of the week or a little later I'll see if I can post up a review after getting settled with it and everything. 
Played with an EeePC this weekend, the G4 to be exact.
Amazed again how small it is.
Tried typing a letter, the keyboard is just too small. then tried importing some files in OpenOffice 2, remembered again why I hated it a few months ago. Opening simple Word documents is working quite nice, but the ones with tables are messed up. Forget Excel files, just terrible.
The resolution of 800x480 is just unworkable. For watching movies it's quite nice but for documents and internet browsing it's a pain.
The Xandros 4 OS is worked out quite nice on the EeePC and does what it's designed for. In my opinion they've thought about everything. It's really an out of the box and work experience.
The wireless LAN works perfectly and Firefox also works perfectly (don't forget to upgrade to 2.0.0.14).
Later today we tested one with XP installed, didn't see it before. We also managed to overclock it to 1.2 GHz. but I think XP is just too slow on this machine.
Batterylife is adequate but I expected more of a LED backlighted LCD screen, solid state disc and a low consumption CPU. With normal use (WLAN on) battery life is about 3.5 hours, just half an hour more than my 15 inch hp dual core notebook (wich weighs 3 times the Eee, I know).
My opinion is that the Asus EeePC is a forerunner of a whole new breed of notebooks but I think that the competition (MSI, Medion, HP) will be more interesting than the EeePC is now, both in price and what you get for it (in all cases a bigger screen size with at leas 1024 pixels in width).
Let's see how this will go. I'm waiting for your experiences KatanaSky
in my opinion this pc is a toy. a fun hacker toy with real uses for casual computer users. I would only buy this to mod it cause it seems like a fun, powerful hobby project.
i think it looks stupid...
If anybody is planning to get one of these after reading this thread, MAKE SURE you go and touch one in person first. Even in all the pictures of people holding them, comparing them to real-world objects, it's hard to appreciate just how tiny the little chicklet keys are, and how small the screen seems once you're standing in front of it. At the very least, consider the 9" model, which runs at a more respectable 1024x768 instead of 800x480.
I almost ordered one for my wife, but then I got her to actually try one (they had them at Micro Center) and she said it was just way too small -- and she was looking for an "ultraportable".
We wound up getting a 12" tablet -- I'll be posting in this forum about it soon.
