Asus Eee PC the Wave of the Future?

The latest gadget on my “I want I need” list is this little gizmo. The Asus Eee PC.

It might not look much but I think it is a vision of things to come.

While Apple was making big about their thinnest notebook, Eee PCs were delivering something equally remarkable, perhaps more so.

This machine comes in at just over £200, less (even as low as $299) if you are lucky enough to live in a more reasonably priced country and choose the base model.

It weighs just 2 pounds. I have books that are heavier and bulkier.

You see, for me, thin is not much of a selling point. Light is. Add to light cheap, and you have right there a winning combination.

For travelers, being able to pack power into a compact and light unit, delivering everything you need without going over your weight allowance or getting funny looks from the nice TSA folks, has real benefits. Even better having it at a low enough cost that you don’t convulse into panic every time someone waves their Starbucks over it.

The benefits don’t just end there. It runs Linux, hence the low price, but you can install XP if you have to. Wifi is built in, and has no hard drive so is power efficient. You can plug in external monitor and keyboard but the keyboard is well equipped for touch typing. Some models even have mic and webcam.

Of course the clones have arrived, but the Asus is still the leader. The question I have is how are Dell and Apple going to respond? This machine has found a niche in the market full of hungry consumers. Could it lead them to create an ultra compact and lower cost device to compete? You could argue the iPhone is kind of in that market but not quite.

I’m seriously considering buying one of these Eee PCs for my next trip in May, but I hear there is a 9″ screen model with 1024x resolution coming so I might just try and pick one up while I am there :)

Anyone used one of these bad boys? What is the user experience really like? Is it cramped or comfy? Please share in the comments …

Posted on March 27, 2008 by Chris Garrett 
Filed Under IT

Comments

6 Responses to “Asus Eee PC the Wave of the Future?”

  1. Corey Goldberg on March 27th, 2008 6:22 pm

    I bought Eee PC and it is pretty cool. It is definitely a cramped experience in terms of screen resolution and keyboard size.. you gotta sorta poke at the keyboard since it is too small for my hands to touch type.

    aside from that it is a really cool machine. Fun to have a little Linux machine around.

  2. Alwaysa Rodriguez on March 27th, 2008 6:51 pm

    In a word, Awesome!

    Don’t hesitate to get one. Even if it’s the 7 inch, you won’t regret it.

    So very tweak-able and pimp-able. The eeeuser.com forum and wiki will amaze you with the enthusiasm everyone has for theirs and how to enjoy it more.

    If you have big hands you may not be able to touch type as easily as you’d like. My average hands are fine with it. I don’t type on it for long long durations.

    So eeeasy!

  3. Jack @ The Tech Teapot on March 27th, 2008 8:39 pm

    Looked one over in Dixons and wasn’t impressed. For a bit more money you can get a full sized Dell laptop with XP built in. Not entirely sure what it is for? I couldn’t work on it, surfing would be a pain on a such a small screen…

  4. razvan on March 27th, 2008 10:39 pm

    the most useful gadget i ever bought…

  5. Chris Garrett on March 27th, 2008 11:51 pm

    @Corey – Are websites still usable even though screen is small?

    @Alwaysa – the community does seem really helpful

    @Jack – I see it as a step up from my PDA. XP holds no appeal to me, and the weight and size are big issues when I am flying and just want something to shove in hand luggage

    @razvan – Good to know :)

  6. Benjamin on March 28th, 2008 11:40 am

    I’m waiting for the larger screen one too… And I’m with Chris – I see it as a giant PDA. Mind you, I am a guy with a 17″ MacBookPro as a laptop, so any thing else seems like a big PDA!

    I think these things are definitely 2nd PC material (ie not a main machine), due to lack of expandability and power, but excellent for on the road/place – especially given today’s luggage allowances. I’d be reliant on Plaxo or something to sync contacts and diary.

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