Asus Eee PC: Easy Enough for a Kid
I broke down and purchased the Asus Eee PC (above left) from a retail superstore today. At $299 for the older 2GB model, it seemed like a steal. And compared to my MacBook Pro (above right), the Eee PC is super small. Here are some initial thoughts about the Eee PC, including the most important one of all: The Eee PC shatters the myth that consumers can’t use Linux.
We’ve only been using it for a few hours at home, and the Eee PC certainly has some limitations. But without a doubt, this is a great little Linux-driven computer for selected applications. Perhaps most surprising: My pre-teen kids love it.
Pros:
- Boots up fast: 30 seconds or less. No annoying security software, no craplets, nothing between you and a reasonably fast user experience.
- WiFi: Nice wireless integration. Connecting to my Linksys network was a snap, even for my kids.
- User Interface: The icon-driven user interface is easier to understand than most bank ATM machines. Eee PC destroys the myth that Windows users can’t quickly master Linux. In fact, Eee PC is easier to use than Windows.
- Applications: Simple integrated apps like OpenOffice, and big, easy-to-see icons link you to Skype and other major Web 2.0 applications. Overall, getting started on this machine is a snap.
- Price: At $299, this is a great little machine for email, productivity apps, blogging, and basic functions.
Cons:
- Keyboard: The keys are pretty darn small for my hands but fine for my kids’ hands. I suspect with some practice my hands will get used to the keyboard.
- Screen: At 7 inches, the real estate is pretty limited. Fortunately, Eee PC’s user interface includes big icons. I’ve included photos comparing the Eee PC to my MacBook Pro — and you can quickly see the big difference regarding screen real estate.
To Be Determined:
- Battery Life: I will run it through the paces during some business trips this week.
- Printing: I haven’t set it up to work with my office printers yet.
I’m not suggesting that Eee PC is a perfect machine or a true laptop replacement. I will still depend on my MacBook Pro for most business tasks. But the Eee PC has quickly become a hit with my kids. And I can imagine using it as a low-end secondary notebook around the house and in some business settings. At $299, the Eee PC appears to be an undeniable bargain. And it presents a solid alternative to very low-end Windows notebooks that collapse under Vista’s weight.
Update: In a blog about setting up his boss on on Ubuntu, Works With U contributor Jason Kichen describes how he migrated an Eee PC to a range of Ubuntu options. Here’s Jason’s blog entry.
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you didn’t get the new version with the bigger screen and better track pad???
Niko: This was an impulse buy. At $299, I could stretch the family budget a bit and get it into the shopping cart without much of a debate. I look forward to buying another — perhaps this summer — with the bigger screen and track pad.
[...] sub-notebook. In fact, the Eee PC shatters the myth that consumers aren’t ready for Linux. Here’s why. I’ve had the Asus Eee PC at home for about four hours. But I haven’t been able to get my hands on [...]
You can use screen real estate better if you use applications in full-screen mode–that’s F11 for most apps (Firefox, I believe is one of those). You’d be amazed at the difference.
JB: Thanks for the tip. I’m hitting the road but will leave a note for my sons to give it a try.
[...] Asus Eee PC: Easy Enough for a Kid [...]
Another “Pro” you forgot: The batteries don’t catch fire, unlike your Macbook
(well, that’s what it looks like anyway!)
The Eee PC (all configurations) is a great PC to tinker with. I have gotten more than my money’s worth out of it just installing XP and playing around a bit. Have fun with it, read the Eee PC Wiki and hack it a bit.
Great hardware for tinkering and learning.
I’ve had my EeePC for a little over four months and I love it. It even spent a month with me on a trip through Spain, France, Italy and the UK. The model I have is “one up” from yours (with the 4 GB flash drive) and cost CDN$350.
In my travels I saw them for sale in several shops in France and also in the UK (but they were always sold out…and the store would order one for you!)
Anyway, I just carried around a few USB drives for spare storage…mostly podcasts that I could listen to on train and plane trips. There was also enough drive space so that I could on a daily basis dump the photos from my digital camera on the flash drive for backup till I got home.
I used both wired and wireless connections…no problem. Made use of Skype to “call home” on a number of occasions with it.
In one internet cafe I used in Nice, France I found that the Windows boxes a) had AZERTY keyboards that I found hard to get used to and b)had viruses on them! So the owner let me plug in my EeePC. I was happy!
After a while, you do get used to the somewhat small keyboard.
In recent weeks (back at home) I was setting up someone’s home wifi connection…and had to use an access point instead of a router (first time doing that). But what was nice is that I could use my EeePC to test the connections out…it was very easy to get to a command line (Ctrl, Alt, F12) to do my “ping” tests…didn’t have to use the guy’s Windows box where I was constantly having to reboot every time I made a configuration change.
I also used it recently with a projector for the first time. You can adjust the screen resolution to 1024×768 for use with a projector or external monitor.
I’ve found battery life to be a couple of hours…not great but okay. If you turn the wifi off you can squeeze a bit more out of the batteries.
And yes there is a modified version of “Xubuntu” that’s available for the EeePC (I think a version of Mandriva too)…and quite a lively forum has developed around this little gem.
The newer “900 series” EeePC’S should start hitting the store shelves by the end of May. They have a GB of RAM, a somewhat larger 8.9 inch screen, can do 1024×600 screen resolution instead of 800×480 (so less side-scrolling on websites).
The 900 series has both a Windows XP Home and a Linux variant…and both will sell for about the same price. However I understand the XP Home version will only have a 12 GB flash drive while the Linux version will have a 20 GB flash drive. So if the “Microsoft tax” is included in the price, you sacrifice with a smaller flash drive.
If I recall correctly the 900 series will have the same 900 MHz. Celeron processor…so it would run pretty slowly under WinXP anyway.
I’ll probably buy a 900 series EeePC when they hit the streets and then use my older 700 series machine to play with “eee-Xubuntu”.
The EeePC is a sweet machine…when you’re mobile you don’t have to carry everything including the kitchen sink around with you. Quite a number of my friends have raced out an bought one after seeing mine.
BobinToronto @9: You’ve given me several great ideas worth testing on my oen Eee PC. Unfortunately, I’m traveling without the Eee PC at the moment, but will certainly give eee-Xubuntu a try, along with those WiFi tips you mentioned.
I too await the 900 series with the 9-inch screen. But I will not be running XP on it. I wish Microsoft well and look forward to giving Windows 7.0 a try — if/when it arrives. But I’m done buying/installing XP and Vista on my machines. It just doesn’t seem worth the hassle.
I bought one of these when they first came out nad it was the best time with a new computer since I got my Commodore Vic 20 (seriously).
I installed Ubuntu 7.10 which it had no trouble running including full compiz effects. Like most people my biggest gripe was with the screen resolution (I have small hands so the keyboard was less of a problem).
I eventually gave it to a traveling monk who needed something minimal and am now waiting for the 900 model with the Atom processor to come out to get it again. I’m deliberately waiting for the new processor (expected in June) since this should significantly increase the battery run time.
EEE Asus is great for travellers due to its miniature size and robust on Ubuntu…..