Asus EEE and similar ultraportables
 

I saw a couple students at my school doing some work on one of these and took a quick look. Seems like a handy little machine for not much money, very portable, easy to use.

Is there anyone here who has owned one and can comment about what they are like to live with?


Thanks!

One of my workmates has one of these, and it looks nice.

The reviews I've seen say that one should go for the XP version, not the Linux version.

I've seen and played with them. Nice machines if you really don't want to do much but theres some much better ones from other makers like Hp. the hp one with XP is amazing!

Played around with one at work (4G Linux version), its definitely fun to use and could be quite handy for things like light browsing, but I'd never try to use it for more than basic tasks. Keyboard was too small to do real typing; I had to go to hunt and peck, or I could never strike just one key otherwise. For an ultraportable, I was hopeful for better battery life (never got more than two hours off a charge).

I think the biggest things to keep in mind when looking at a system this size are the screen resolution and keyboard. If you don't need to see much, aren't going to be doing much typing, and want something tiny, it's great.

We're using an HP Mininote at work (same size as an Asus EEE) and it is awesome. The keyboard is almost as big as a regular laptop keyboard. The ONLY thing I don't like about it is the reflective screen, but a lot of laptops come with it nowadays so the average person actually prefers it (ohhh shiny). Make sure whatever you get has 1 GB of RAM or more and you won't be able to tell a difference between it and a Core 2 Quad with 4 GB of RAM in Windows.

Sorry to revive a relatively old thread, but I was looking at the newer release Asus eee PC 1000 with Linux, like this one:
Unlike, the earlier versions, this one has a decent sized 10 inch screen, and 40GB of storage space. Also has a built-in webcam, and a good basic application package from what it looks like.

I see the 40GB SSD and Linux as a good combo. I've read some opinions that SSD life cycle of 100,000 read/writes could be a problem with WinXP, but not as much with Linux. I've also read that SSD boot time is considerably less that regular spinning platter HD.

This isn't meant to be a full, robust laptop for us, but more of an around the house and travelling machine for browsing and watching media/movies.

Any comments on whether this would probably meet our needs/expectations? As a novice (read never) Linux newb, is there anything I should know before taking the plunge?

I recently purchased an MSI Wind and am happy with it.

MSI Wind
U100-439US
1.6 GHz Atom n270
1 GB RAM
120 GB hard drive
10" screen
3-cell battery

I recently upgraded it to 2 GB of RAM just for shits and giggles.

Some thoughts so far: 3-cell batteries just don't cut it if you intend on taking this thing around without the charger. The battery lasts 1:30 with wi-fi on. That's horrible. Will last up to 2:30 with no wi-fi.

The portability is amazing - it's just amazing how light it is. The screen doesn't hinder too much, but it gets annoying sometimes because it's so wide and not tall. Lots of scrolling.

One MAJOR annoyance though: the touch pad is TERRIBLE. MSI recently changed their Synaptic touch pads over to Sentelic (I think that's the vendor) and they are horrible. WAAAY too sensitive, and the adjustments don't help. The worst part? TAP TO SCROLL FEATURE. You can't slide your finger vertically to scroll a web page - you have to tap either the top right or bottom right section of the pad to scroll, and have the time you miss the corner and end up clicking an ad instead. There is a mod to order the old Synaptic touch pad and change it out - as soon as they are back in stock I'm dismantling my Wind and doing it.

Lasereth will enjoy me bragging about this even more, but get a load of this (and keep in mind I bought this 3 months ago):

The netbook was $369.99 on eBay. I had a 10% off coupon from eBay on a single purchase. MSI also had a $50 rebate on the model on the last day the 10% coupon was active. Then, Microsoft's Live.com Cash Back was active for the vendor I purchased the laptop from (Multiwave Video) for 30% - bringing the total to $170, free shipping, no tax.

Yes, $170. VICTORY!!!!!!!

It pays to check Slickdeals.net 30 times a day I suppose.

Pic below of my Wind sitting next to a 17" LCD.

http://www.thetuttletwins.com/wind.jpg

Great to hear someone who's had such a great experience with the MSI Wind since I just ordered one for my wife. She just started taking some college courses again so I wanted to get her something that could handle basic tasks and be extremely portable. The price was hard to argue with (though I didn't get quite the deal you did) but I admit being a little concerned since it wasn't one of the big brands.

I will be happy to provide some feedback once she has had time to use it for a while.

I got my wife an Acer Aspire One; basically the same thing as an MSI Wind. It's nice little package... I have a little trouble with the keyboard sometimes, but she loves it. The trackpad buttons on the sides instead of on the bottom take a little getting used to on the Acer, though they are changing that to a standard layout on the new 10" model. The trackpad also supports gestures which is cool. No complaints about the screen size. I put in another 1GB of RAM and a better wifi card (I think the stock one is an Atheros AR5000 something... can't remember, but its flakey).

When I was in Tokyo 3 years ago last fall, I saw dozens of miniPCs in electronic stores. They were kind of pricey though. I've picked up a Nokia N-800. Its an internet tablet, sort of like a iTouch. Very cool little device. Much smaller than even a miniPC.

that's a great deal on the MSI! I would have bought one too for that price.

i have one. nice

I have the Asus Eee with Linux. To me, it's really just ok. It would be better of it wasn't so hard to type on it. That's really my only complaint, but I feel like it's a big one because I need to type a lot. I find myself having to go back over what I type way too much.

I've had the Acer Aspire One for about 4 months or so now and I love it. The keyboard is very small and somewhat cramped, but then again I have small hands so that's really a non-issue. The touch pad is responsive, and the buttons being in a somewhat nonstandard layout takes some getting used to. It is not a gaming rig by any means but has handled all of my web browsing without a hiccup and have found it to be perfectly adequate for playing various forms of media, as long as it is used with external speakers. The internal speakers suck ass. Then again, it is a laptop and a very inexpensive one at that, so that was no surprise or disappointment.

I did end up getting the eee 1000 mentioned above from Amazon. It shipped really quickly and we had it the day after we placed the order. So far, I'm really happy with it. It set up flawlessly with our wireless network. It boots quickly, plays videos well. Even comes with Skype on it, so I connected up with the built-in webcam and video chatted with my wife... in the next room.

Honestly, I was a bit nervous about Linux having not used it before, but it seems to be really transparent to use. I'll need more time to spend looking around and seeing what applications I might want that it doesn't have currently, if there are any.

We're about to take a trip to Colorado. It will be nicer to travel with a sub-3-pound netbook than our regular laptop which tops 8 pounds with the power cord and all.

a friend just told me about his netbook...

linux, XP, MacOS

Install Mac OS X to Acer Aspire One A150 from version 10.5.2 – 10.5.5 - InsanelyMac Forum

a cheap mac portable... now that sounds interesting!

I'm not very tech savvy (thus why looking for tips on here). But I was looking at amazon.com and they are supposed to be releasing a new one soon (or may have already release it).

The reviews I have seen look good but isnt it like an oversized mobile phone. Anybody else have some positive reviews here on the most recent models. Thanks. http://www.hostimagehere.info/imgs/P/N.gif

I'm selling my Wind. I want the 1000HE. 9 hour battery ftw. I put it on Craigslist yesterday.

Cynth - you can put OSX on Winds as well.

thanks! Nice to know. He just did some WiFi upgrade so that the OSX works with it natively, whatever that means.

It seems like a nice little accessory to get one day.

My wife has Acer Aspire One. She absolutely adores it because she travels to conferences all the time and uses it when she needs to connect while between discussion groups and lectures. I have big fingers so I have some trouble with the smaller keys. And I don't recommend the small screen for extended use, but obviously its not designed for that in the first place. Other than that it acts like any other computer. It runs Windows XP Home so if you're used to Windows then there is nothing you'll miss from a software perspective.


For $300 dollars its an excellent on the go alternative to a full size laptop.

I picked one of these up a few days ago and it's well worth getting your hands on. My most serious gripe with the unit so far is that it picks up fingerprints too easily - not a serious complaint yet. And with 9.5 hours of battery life (7.5 with wifi and such on) I really can't see myself regretting the purchase.

I was considering Dell's Mini 12*, which has the same "guts" as an EeePC / Wind / Aspire but with a larger 12.1" screen. A friend suggested I wait for the new Mini 10 which is supposed to be getting GPS and TV Tuner capability in the near future. Does anyone know anything about this? I'm not sure what "near future" means...

*I'm mainly looking at Dell because I like the simple design and I get a company discount, making it the cheapest option for me.

I just bought a refurb eeePc 900a for $180 shipped from mwave.com..I'm happy with it!

Here's me checking my facebook wirelessly in small, medium, and large!

http://i41.tinypic.com/29bkn15.jpg

(Linux Xandros, 8.9" screen, 4 cell battery, 4gb SSD, 1.6g atom, 1gig ram)

I had a HP 2133 Mininote but am changing it for a Samsung NC10 since Linux will work better on that one (HP uses Via Chrome9 for graphics that does not work too well on Linux). Still loved the HP though, great keyboard and build quality is awesome. We'll see how good the NC10 is once I get it.

i just got a Medion Akoya E1210 for only 250 Euros!
Same as the MSI Wind.
My complaint is the keyboard layout.
Bigger complaint is you have to use the OS that comes with it.
There is something in the bios (I guess) that won't let you install your own version of Windows. I wanted to install an English version and tried many.

Try harder, I did a quick google search and saw videos of the e1210 running both Ubuntu and OSX

Do any of these low buck ultraportables or netbooks come with serial ports? I'd like to pick something up for programming my ignition and nitrous controllers at the race track, but the hardware is very picky about USB to serial adapters.

twistedmosaic, you miss my point. Those OS's came with the product. or
Perhaps it's only Windows that is blocked. Please don't insult me by telling me to try harder.
I tried Windows XP SP2 and SP3 OEM, Retail both Pro and Home. I tried usb stick and usb cdrom.
Only the version that came with the machine would install.
Put me down after YOU install a Windows OS of your choice on the E1210.

Thread re-revival. Just wanted to give an update on what I've found.

I did a lot of research after reading through this a month ago and decided on the Asus EeePC 1000HE. It seems like the overall top 2 on the market at the moment are the Samsung NC10 and the Asus 1000HE, with the Asus taking the edge for me because it's cheaper and has a higher rated battery life. I think the NC10 comes in a Special Edition with an even better battery than the other two, but again it's the most expensive option. With rebates and such, the 1000HE can be had for around US$350.

NVIDIA's Ion platform will bring high performance netbooks in the near future, so you probably still have a bit of a wait if you want an ultraportable that can handle all of your multimedia (DirectX games, 1080p, etc.). When that goes mainstream, I think we can expect significant price drops on some already very affordable hardware.

Good choice. My 1000HE has officially become my all day - everyday computer while the towers and other laptops are only powered on when I need a bigger screen or a bit more processing power.

I've seen a few reports and those ION gpus look promising but you'd be surprised what you can get from the 1000HE if you care enough to try. I've overclocked past 2.0 GHZ and am currently testing to see how far and long I can underclock to get more battery life out of it....:thumbsup:

Don't buy one from Best Buy. For some reason they only sell scaled down models with slower processors, no bluetooth and much less battery life.

Well I've had my Samsung NC10 for a little more than a month now and after replacing Windows XP with Ubuntu 9.04 NBR I absolutely love it. Awesome keyboard, feels sturdy yet light, and the battery time is great. The touchpad is a little small but other than that I have no issues with it. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a netbook (Or whatever the hell they're supposed to be called).

I just bought an Asus 1000HE and just love it. I'm on it right now. With a 2GB memory upgrade and a few tweeks I'm playing lots of games on it and getting tons of use out of it. I find myself using my desktop to watch TV on whiel I use the netbook to surf. Great investment.

Had my NC10 for a month or two now and love it. I wouldn't say I use it for everything (there are a few things I do that it just doesn't have enough processing power to do), but I carry it around with me a lot and it's a great, great machine. I'm planning to try a Hackintosh setup on it at some point.

I'm curious as to how it's treating you a couple months later, twisted, as I've been keeping an eye on that site and am about ready to purchase the ASUS eeePC 900 myself. I'm looking at the model with the 16GB SSD.