I've been on the waiting list for one of these little PC's for at least 3 months. Last week I got from newegg.com and I couldn't be happier.
The configuration I got was the 4gb with WebCam model, there is suppose to be an 8gb model coming out later this month. Many people think that 4gb is nothing, well - it is small, but look at the intended purpose of an Ultra Mobile or Mid Size PC - it's not to be your primary computer, it is to be a convenient and capable computer for quick edits, presentations and email. The Eee PC assumes you will use a USB Flash Drive for your storage, which many of us do - I just ordered a 4gb flash drive.
Back to the Eee PC. The screen is 7 inches and bright, very sharp and colors are very good. The keyboard is very good for as small as it is - you will have to adjust your typing style though. The touchpad is great and as far as ports, here is the list
VGA Output
Microphone and Headphone
3 powered USB 2.0 ports
10/100 Ethernet
Modem - I haven't used a modem in 5 years...
SD slot
The AC adapter is small, very welcome since the PC is so small.
The 4gb storage is the hard drive, but it's not mechanical - it's solid state. With the default Xandros Linux installed, there was about 1.5-1.8gb free for storage. The base install has Firefox, Thunderbird and Open Office 2.something installed. I installed XP from an external DVD drive, patched it and set my swap file to 256mb and I've got 1.5gb free.
As far as performance, the 900MHz Celeron does very well with Internet Explorer, Firefox and basic video chats with Yahoo and MSN messengers. I attribute the performance to the solid state hard drive - very low seek times. This thing makes virtually no noise, occasionally there is a small fan. The battery life does run about 3.5 - 4 hours.
I tethered the Eee PC with my T-Mobile Dash via USB cable and it works great under XP, same under Linux (I used USB Modem from mobile-stream.com to do this under Linux). I also connected a USB Bluetooth dongle from Ambicon - worked great with a Kensington bluetooth mouse.
I needed a case for it and I could find anything, so I went to the portable DVD player aisle at Target and found a great case for a DVD player that worked great.
I was very close to buying a Fujitsu U810 UMPC for $900, but at $400 this was much better deal even though there was no built-in bluetooth. This is a better deal than the Nokia N810, even though they are different classes of devices.
I've ordered a USB Express Card adapter so I hope to be able to connect my broadband wireless card.
My Macbook Pro is still my primary computer, I use it for running VMWare and developing solutions - but if I need to run out and need a PC or just need to check email or be able to work on a plane - the Eee PC is my solution. Yes - the Eee PC will actually fit on an airline tray and allow you to work.
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4 comments:
Could you post some details on how you configured the bluetooth dongle? I am working on getting this to work on my 701 right now.
Thanks!
Rob
Jason, glad you like your Asus Eee.
I've been trying to figure out how to tether it to my T-mobile Dash, and noted your statement that you had found a way to do this with the USB Modem app. I took a look at the documentation and found it way over my head.
Would you consider providing a walkthrough, and posting it at www.eeeuser.com? Lots of users there could benefit from it. I know that I would!
Many thanks...
Well, the biggest thing is that I was running Windows XP. For a specific piece of hardware I need Windows XP. So I bought a "Zoom" bluetooth dongle from Micro Center for $20. I simply ran the install on the CD and it worked.
On the Dash, you setup the PAN server on your bluetooth software and then go into Internet Sharing in your Dash and select Bluetooth and connect.
Hey thanks Jason! I am using the Xandros install that came with the Eee and enabling and configuring Bluetooth through that is a real bear!
Still trying, though.
Rob
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