Accessories

early in use review - good product
Used linux initially. nice assortment of apps pre-loaded. did not do any timings, but seemed quicker than XP which I later loaded because my way to the net in my home office is via Verizon broadband which has no linux version of its linking s/w (there's a rant here somewhere about major corp's lack of support for linux, but that's not appropiate here).

I had to buy a copy of XP (sp2), not cheap. it loaded without problems. updating all of the security fixes since the win XP sp2 disk was released was a bit annoying and tedious.

XP and general apps use almost 4 gig. i am putting heavy apps on different 4 gig sd cards in the card slot (which seems to always define itself as drive E:), which because of the way i was first loading the general apps using a USB flash drive (now drive D:). works out nicely because the shortcuts don't have to be changed or duped for different drive letters.

as a windows machine it is ok, not great. the weight and size are really nice. a 9" screen would be better and nicely designed would not increase the the size or weight by much, if at all. there is probably one on the way!

using the device at max res (800x600), causes the screen image to move up and down when the cursor gets to the physical edge but not the logical. its a bit disconcerting at first, but I think it's better than 800x480.

keyboard is small, but for me it's ok. I never became a good touch typist. when I first got involved with computers, there were at least 5 different keyboards layouts. so it was easier to hand print code and pass it to someone who knew the layout.


so, finally, i like this machine. it's a bit slow, but it is a complete and very portable machine.

Almost perfect
I've had a model 8G for about a month and am very pleased with the machine.

My one gripe is a problem regarding the cooling fan, which sometimes inexplicably comes on at full speed and stays on. The only fix, per the blogs, is to turn-off the computer and remove the battery for a minute or so. Generally, the fan then functions normally for a few days. Its an easy workaround for an admittedly small problem, but I am hoping Asus will provide a permanent solution. I e-mailed them, but received no response.

Otherwise, the computer is excellent. Although Xandros Linux worked perfectly, my personal preference was for Windows so I installed XP Professional, using an external USB CD drive. I also downloaded and installed Open Office.

For nerdy fun, I installed the latest Java System Development Kit, Net Beans (a heavy-duty programming tool), and Java DB, which still left me with around 3 gig of unused hard drive. The computer fit nicely on an airplane dinner tray and ran for about two hours of heavy usage. On one flight, the stewardess insisted on taking the computer up front, so the pilot could have a look.

The keyboard is small, but I was able to adapt quickly and can now touch-type without significant problems. The video display is bright and crisp.

On vacation, the computer immediately connected to wireless internet at various motels and coffee shops.

This is an inexpensive purchase and well worth the money.

Really great little machine
Having a ball with this little machine. Took it on my first business trip to another island in Hawaii, just right out of the box. Picked up on a neighbor's wifi instantly and was just cruising the rest of my trip. Really like the included Linux system but converted to Windows XP because wanted to run some Windows software. Loaded OK as long as you follow the included directions exactly. Even though the hard drive is only 8 gigs I seem to keep loading more software without running out of space. Load movies and music on jump drives and SD cards. I run Quicken, a wireless printer/scanner, some older games and a Sprint wireless card which plugs into one of the USB slots. Great for out in the field computing and love the virtually instant on and off feature of having a solid state hard drive. 2 hour+ battery life is fine. When I have to do large computing I have a monitor and keyboard in the office to plug into. Pretty much replaced my other notebooks. Run Acronis backup software just to make sure. Cannot beat the price.

very good toy!
It's an amazing device, like a real laptop but with the size of a small chocolate-box. Only one disadvantage: limit the time you spend daily with it until you become accustomed to the size of the screen. Rather than that, I'm very satisfied!

EEE PC great tool
First purchased a 4gb eee pc for my mother (94 yrs old). I was impressed that she could pick it up and resume doing e-mail immediately, even though she had always had a Windows based machine before. Then, I saw the advantage of a small machine like this for travel and bought a 8gb model for myself. Of course, I knew it's limits due to size, but the size and weight were advantageous for travel, overseas especially. I loaded it with Windows XP Pro for compatability with my office & home computers and software, but if I was beginning without being tied to Windows software I would have left the original operating system on the eee as I did for my mother. I will probably replace my hand-held PDA (Mobile Windows based)with this eee pc because it has so much more. The wireless works flawlessly with both OS platforms. For more extended use I did pick up a folding (tabletkiosk) keyboard, but I can accept the size of the on-board keypad for short usage. It is so expandable for storage... 4 gb secure digital card, 8gb thumbdrive. If putting on lots of software I would recommend the 8gb design with documents and books stored on removable drives. Sure, it is not the same as my $2K work laptop, but for travel it fits the bill perfectly, and for elderly parents is much easier to pick up and use than a regular PC. No complaints on our part.