As in the Asus Eee PC, not a girlish scream of shock and horror. I have resolved to buy me one for a number of reasons: 1) I have long said what I look for in a portable device is--drumroll...portability. I don't want or need the latest Windows OS or a 17" monitor. If I want power, and a big display, I'll get a desktop. What I want in a portable is something light and small. (I feel the same way about cell phones but that is another screed for another time.) So this Eee is pretty much what I've been bitching for for years. 2) I have pretty much decided I want to give Open Source a shot. I think the mix of Linux, Firefox, Thunderbird, and OpenOffice will give me everything Microsoft can give me in a smaller, faster, cheaper package. The Eee not only comes with an optimized version of Linux on it, it's limitations pretty much preclude running bloated M$ products on it. 3) It will be a fun challenge to see how much you can do with such a small, limited package and finally, 4) At $350 or so you practically have a disposable computer. So here's where the dilemma comes in: You can get the 2Gb "drive" versions easily, and the 4Gb ones pretty easily. But you need to poke around a bit for the 8Gb version--especially if you want it in black, not white. BUT... They've also just come out with a 20Gb version(!) And while having that much storage kind of takes away a couple of my stated reasons for buying (along with the additional $200 this model will set you back), one thing it has going for it is like, an 8.9" screen (instead of the 7" one), and higher resolution, so you don't have to scroll to view the vast majority of webpages. And to increase the dilemma, they are just starting to get the new 20Gb one in stock in America. So what you think? Get the 8? Settle for the 4? Or hold out for the 20?
Dear Jesus, I fully agree with Volpone. I was pissed off by the trend towards huge, powerful 'portables' too, and the subnotebooks all cost way beyond €2000.-. Got an EEE from a friend who decided it wasn't for him. It's got XP on it, tho, and runs fine. I'm using it instead of pen and paper while working. The HD space isn't much of a concern as it's only text, and I have an 8 gig SD card in it. I only wish it had more battery power. Crap doesn't have a single moving part
I like the idea behind them, but I still consider them far too expensive. For $100 more I can buy a much nicer laptop with many more options. You're paying a premium for the basics with the Asus Eee. J.
Yep. Dell has some basic laptops w/ more power for $500. http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspnnb_1525?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~inspnnb_1525_anav1~~ Dell Inspiron 1525 Too bad it comes with Vista.
Nothing wrong with Vista since the hardware manufacturers realized that there is, in fact, a new MS operating system.
IT guy: "I have to actually do some new configuration work for my place of business after only 7 years?! VISTA SUCKS!!" Developer guy 1: "It gives my users security prompts when I use the same programming methods I used for Win95?!? VISTA SUCKS!!" Developer guy 2: "If enough of our users get Vista, we might have to write a patch for the insecure practices in our app!! VISTA SUCKS!!!" Developer guy 3: "Now I have to test my stuff in ANOTHER OS?! VISTA SUCKS!!" Hardware Vendor guy: "You mean we have to come up with new device drivers after only 7 years?!? VISTA SUCKS!!" Mac fanatic guy: "Hey, this isn't from Apple! VISTA SUCKS!!" Linux fanatic guy: "How can I enhance my nerd-ego without having to edit config scripts and using the command line for everything?! VISTA SUCKS!!" Really-old hardware guy: "I can't magically get shiny new GUI effects to run fast on old-ass hardware?! VISTA SUCKS!!" Blogger guy 1: "I read another blog saying that Vista sucked! VISTA SUCKS!!!" Blogger guy 2: "Maybe if I agree with this popular blog and do a trackback to his post, I'll get more traffic! VISTA SUCKS!!!" Average person guy: "Wow, I've been hearing that Vista sucks. VISTA SUCKS!!!" Can you guess how many of these characters actually used Vista before they began parroting the "VISTA SUCKS!!" mantra over and over? And oh yes, I could've made this list WAAY longer. I've thought about a contradiction list too, but I'll save it.
My dad has been in IT for years and he can't switch over to Vista at work yet because it's too unstable. All my friends who have Vista on their computers describe it as a weak OS, slower than XP, and prone to crashing randomly. One of my friends has a *NEW* laptop that shuts down randomly. So yeah, I have a bad opinion of it. Get over it
I could do the upgrade and it runs rock solid. Whatever that counts for The web jihad against Vista is ridiculous. It's nothing special, but it's not eeeevil either. I wonder how the same people would react if MS abandoned this line completely for something entirely new (like Apple did). All their wishes fulfilled and they'd still bitch and moan.
So, what you are saying is, you are another hearsay person to add to the list. Did you ever stop to consider that maybe dear old dad just doesn't know the ins-and-outs of Vista the same way he knows about XP? We heard this same stuff from IT guys when XP shipped. And win98, and win95... Hell, the IT guys where I work have been bitching for 5 weeks about our move to Weblogic 10... and thats a much smaller context change than an entire OS. It's always nice to see non-quantified responses. "It's 'weak', it crashes randomly!". I've been using Vista since RC1 and I even installed it for my parents who are completely technically inept and they love it. I don't understand all these "random crashes" reports. I don't know a single person IN PERSON who actually has had crashing issues. The only complaints I ever have seen are from speed or from UAC. Is it slower than XP? Yes, marginally. Has any new OS been faster than the previous? No. However, the UI is much better (not only visually, also has better usability). The security is much better. It finally purges COMPLETELY the scum known as IE6 from peoples PCs. Did Vista meet expectations from all the Longhorn hype? No. It was definitely not everything we had all hoped for. Despite being a positive step forward, it still fell short of expectations. This doesn't mean that it is worse than XP. The single biggest contributer is: most people who started finally getting into computers did it on windows XP. It's the only thing they know. I know, I know "Don't make my think!" is a good design practice, but in the real world, we can't just stick with the same old stuff forever.
We'd just hear bitching about how their 15-year-old applications don't run anymore. And MS would risk losing the corporate clients who are really the core of their cashflow. This is why we have a new, more secure, much better implementation with Vista. And it is also why we have a goofy UAC system that allows the shittier old system to still work. And developers, just like anyone else, are lazy and don't want to learn new stuff. So we even have NEW applications being written FOR VISTA that are using the old, wrong way of writing to the system area. Not many people realize this, but if an application is actually programmed FOR VISTA, you will never see a UAC prompt past installation. All the data that needs to be changed will be safely in the user space rather than in the system space. I see MS's strategy as politely (okay, rudely) harassing users with UAC in order to bludgeon software developers into adopting the more secure practices so that they can eventually shed the legacy support and move to a more unix style system the way OSX did.
So, to step aside from Vistagate for a second, yeah, they had an XP-based 4G at Best Buy and I can see Scorp's observation. It does look a little rinky-dink. But hey, doesn't Yoda answer that issue at some point? And yes, you can buy a full-on laptop for marginally more. But then you also have an 8 pound device to lug around that is about the size of a substantial 3 ring binder, instead of something that has the form factor of, say, 25 sheets of typing paper, folded in half. Finally, the one they had at Best Buy didn't have a wireless link, so I couldn't check out browsing on the display. How is it Cass? Do you have to do a lot of side-scrolling? I mean yeah, it's a 7" monitor, so the viewing is going to be a pain any way you slice it, but how annoying is it? Is it worth a wait of a couple months and $150 outlay to have the 8", higher resolution screen?
Surfing is a pain in the ass, but then, I don't do it much. I use the thing strictly as a pen-and-paper replacement and maybe looking up something on Wiki once a week. It's good enough for that. For my usage pattern waiting makes no sense. But of course that's a personal thing.
I do software imaging and data recovery for Dell. I work with about 400 OS installs a day. Vista sucks. J.
They appear to have a hit on their hands. That or they have crappy distribution. It is impossible to find the Eee 900 in black anywhere and the couple places I found that were selling it in white were out of stock. You can get the 2G and 4G versions with a little looking, but I think I'll sit tight and wait for the 20G Linux one to be available.
You should check out the MSI Wind. Basically it is in the same category as The Eee but its a teeny tiny bit bigger and quite a bit faster. Price is supposedly the same as the Eee. http://gizmodo.com/365720/msi-wind-laptop-to-make-eee-pc-cry-eeek
You know, it took me forever to get into regular computers because by the time I'd find a box that I was interested in and it was actually available, they'd have news of a newer, sexier box that was shipping in a couple months that would render the one I was set to buy obsolete. Now I'm in the same boat here. I'd have to see more on this "Wind" to see if it blows or not ( ), but if they don't have a release date on it...
My giant gorilla hands are physically too large to type on the Eee's keyboard or use the mouse at all comfortably. It is utterly unusable for me. I've been debating picking up one of the smaller ones, tearing it apart, then adding a touchscreen and building an easy car PC, but I'm not convinced it's remotely worth it beyond the "cool factor" yet.
Ooh. You need a '95 Monte Carlo then. There's a big, honkin' hole pre cut in the console--around 10"x10" and at least a foot deep, perfect for it. It is set up with a crappy fake velvet lined thing for holding audiocassettes. Rip that out and through in a computer. I even have one I could be persuaded to let you have at a fair price.
Hey now, with the Audrey, you also get the creepy factor. You've got the giggle and the very careful wording to ensure the manual never says something like "To turn on Audrey..." Hahahah, subtle. But a 2001 Ford Focus' audio system area is just the perfect size for an Eee's screen, and deep enough to slide in the rest of the components. And, oddly enough, I have access to said Ford Focus. Of course, were I to actually do this, it would probably destabilize the atomic bonds in the car and cause it to explode or something.
I've decided to go with the 4G. As cool as the 900, with it's bigger screen and 20G of storage is, it is getting, as is mentioned here, up into a price where I could get a regular laptop. Granted, a regular laptop wouldn't weigh 2# and even the affordable ultramobiles coming out (I think) are saddled with a slow old hard drive and a bloated OS. Also if I wait for the 900, by then something cooler will be just 2 months from release (and another 4-6 months before you can find one), so I might as well just get one I can get my hands on. Cass, what do you have, the 2 gig or the 4 gig?
I wound up getting the 20Gb Linux one with the bigger screen. And here's something that'll wind up in my Blue Room Rant thread: Anyone who goes on about how wonderful it must be to live in "paradise" can suck my dick. Amazon had the sexy 20Gb model--in black--in stock. So I logged on and ordered the bugger. Or tried to. Because I live in a security building, it is a bit of a pain in the ass to have something delivered there. Theoretically you can have security take possession of the package, but I'm told that can be...challenging. So I was going to have it shipped to my PO Box. "We are unable to deliver to a PO Box". So then I ran around, trying to find the guys who handle shipping at work, to get my work address and have it shipped here. After finally scrounging that up (with everyone away for lunch) I was told "we are unable to ship to that geographical location." So I read the notes and nothing seems to indicate that I can't have it shipped to Hawaii, so I'm thinking maybe it is because of the military address. So I grudgingly put in my apartment address. "We are unable to ship to that geographical location." So apparently, if you live here, it is impossible to order a computer online. Ultimately, I have a mailbox at the UPS Store in Portland, so I made a quick call to them before finishing the order. I'm going to have to have the computer shipped to Portland, where they will, in turn, mail it to me in Hawaii.
Ah, you should have waited for another month. The Acer Aspire One looks extremely tempting. Think I'll eBay the eee and get one of those. There seems to be a very large bandwagon building up with these devices. Competition is good.
