Asus compact Eee

The Asus compact Eee compact laptop is one of several compact PCs to hit the market. Of late it competes with other manufacturers such as the Intel Classmate and One Laptop Per child XO. The Eee is a great little device with its 7 inch screen, and weighting in at only .92kg, Low end Intel mobile CPU, 512MB of Ram and 4GB solid state hard drive, there is also an 8GB model available. This compact laptop isn’t going to be your video or photo editing laptop for high end work loads with those kind of specifications but for day to day general computing needs this device has got it covered. With Wifi 802.11 b/g, built in camera, SD slot, Linux OS modified by Asus with an easy to use interface and a fast start-up time, it also comes with a ton of built in application, a tough shock proof design, and 3.5hrs of battery life I found the Eee great for most of my general computing and communication needs on the go.

Technical specifications

• LCD Display: Color 7″ TFT LCD with LED backlight at 800×480 resolution
• Intel CPU: 900MHz Intel Celeron-M ULV 353, Dothan-512 ultra-low-voltage, 90 nm
• Chipset: Mobile Intel 915GM Express Chipset with GMA900 GPU
• Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 900 graphics processor using shared RAM
• Audio: High-Definition Audio CODEC with stereo internal speakers
• Input: Full size (for a notebook) keyboard and capable touchpad (as a mouse)
• Operating System: Linux, custom Xandros version. Able to run Windows XP (not included).
• LAN: Built in 10/100 Mbit Ethernet by Attansic Technology Corp.
• Wireless: 802.11 B/G WiFi, Atheros chipset
• Memory: 512 MB DDR2 (Non-upgradeable).
• Hard Drive: 4GB S.S.D. Storage (does not corrupt due to bumps and shakes)
• Card Reader: One slot reads MMC/SD/MS/SDHC cards
• Audio: Built in High Definition audio, Stereo speakers, Microphone.
• USB: 3 x USB v2.0 ports for maximum device connection
• Video-Out: Standard analog 15pin port for an external monitor (1600х1200 max)
• Audio-Out: Standard stereo 3.5″ jack for headphones or external speakers
• Battery: 4 cell, 7.4V 4400 mAH NiMH battery, around 2.8hrs of normal continuous use*.
• Other: AC adapter, recovery CD, a manual are all included.
• Major Applications: Firefox, Thunderbird, Open Office, Adobe Reader, Skype, Media Player
• Measurements: 9″ wide, 6.5″ long, 1″ high when closed, 2.25LB with battery.

What I really like about this product

I really like its portability, and of course the $399 price is great for what you get. The Asus Eee is great as a second computer or a PC you won’t mind taking with you on holidays or business trips because of its low cost. If it was stolen, lost or broke you wouldn’t be so worried compared to losing your Mac Book Pro. If you are in the market for a device for young kids to start their PC learning experience, this computer is definitely worth taking a look at.

Things that really need improving

For me there’s always a negative going to compact PCs, I have large hands and the first time when I used the Eee I did find myself mashing keys a bit but soon got used to the compact keyboard. I found this device to be a little sluggish when multi tasking as to be expected but single tasks usage it performed great. Also the low resolution screen could be upgraded in future models. Last but not least the size of the hard drives was a problem with all those application pre-installed on the Eee they was only 2 GB left of the 4 GB, these days that is just not enough, if your like me I don’t like to carry around extra USB drives and have thing hanging off my laptop to cover my storage needs but the nice thing is you can pop in an 4GB SD card and double you storage.

Pros

• Ultra portable sleek solid design.
• Very low cost.
• Great device to travel with.

Cons

• Cramped keyboard
• Needs more than 4GB or 8GB storage space.
• Could do with a higher resolution screen

Final Thoughts

Over all I like the Asus Eee its a great device to keep in touch, browse the net, for a traveling companion, and an excellent first PC for kids. With just a few tweaks in future models the Eee is surely going to keep making waves in the ultra compact PC market. With more and more of these devices been release and whispers of Apple releasing its own ultra compact laptop in early 2008 they will need to keep making great improvements to this range of compact PCs to stay in the top of the market.