I like clever things, and the EeePC is one of the few computer products of recent times that has struck me as being particularly clever. It is well thought out, well designed, and offers outstanding value for money.

I’ll admit, it’s not for everyone, or for every situation, but as I’ll explain, the EeePC fulfils a certain need, very, very well.

The EeePC is a small Linux-based subnotebook that costs just US$399 (AUS$499 in Australia). I reviewed the 4G model, which is powered by a 900 Mhz mobile Celeron, and comes with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of solid state storage. It has a 7 inch screen (with a resolution of 800 x 400) and no, it doesn’t come with an optical drive. But if you were going to ask that question, you’ve already missed the point of the EeePC.

Sound under powered? No, actually, it’s just perfect.

For me it really was love at first sight. I was strolling around the local office supplies megastore (looking for envelopes of all things) when I came across the much talked about EeePC. For some time I’d been looking for a replacement for my aging Hewlett Packard Jornada 600, which was essentially a PDA with a keyboard dating from 1999. As soon as I saw the EeePC I knew I had found what I was looking for.

There are a lot of reviews around, but I’d like to look at the EeePC from the perspective how it solves a particular problem, which I’ll outline below. If you want a more technical review, check out my colleague’s Jonathan Schlaffer’s review where he installs Windows XP.

In addition to being the publisher at BLORGE.com, I also do a lot of consulting. I often visit clients in their offices, and while I usually work from home, I sometimes like to work from a cafe. For the past year, I’ve been lugging a notebook around, which isn’t exactly light, and to be honest with you is a bit of a pain. I’ve been looking for a subnotebook computer, which would be easier to carry around, but I haven’t been able to justify $2500 plus price tag.

That’s why the US$399 (AUS$499) EeePC caught my eye when I saw in the office supplies megastore. It took me all of one day to decide to go back to the store and buy a unit. The EeePC meets all my requirements for a small computer that I can comfortably take around with me, and do what I need it to do. Here’s why:

• It’s remarkably small, and light – about the size of a large paperback (approx 22.5 cm x 16 cm x 2.5 cm), and it weighs less than a kilogram
• It feels solid – yes it may be low cost, but it’s not flimsy
• Looks good – you won’t feel embarrassed carrying this into a meeting
• Comes with comprehensive suite of software – OpenOffice is installed and works fine, and allows you to work with Word and Excel file, Firefox allows you access the web, and a host of other preinstalled programs, allow you to get to work as soon as you switch on the computer
• Easy to transfer files – I had no problems hooking into the office wireless network, and the EeePC has USB port (for memory sticks) and also accepts MultiMediaCard and Secure Digital memory cards.
• The keyboard is smaller than a standard keyboard, but still big enough for most people to be able to type quite quickly. It does take a little bit of time to adjust, but once you get used to it, it’s fine. Obviously they’ve had to shrink the keyboard in order to keep the small form factor.
• The screen is small but big enough to, for example, comfortably work on a Word document, and to generally see most of a web page. Maybe not perfect, but worth the minor compromise to keep the computer so small.
• You should be able to get two or more hours from the battery between recharges, but in any case, the power adapter is like a mobile phone charger adapter, so it’s fairly easy to carry around.
• It’s much cheaper than full-spec subnotebooks.

I’ve never used Linux before, so one of my concerns was that it might take time to adapt. However this wasn’t a problem at all. The EeePC is set up so that most Windows (and Mac) users won’t have a problem adapting to the GUI. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use. For example, I found the wireless networking much easier to set up on the EeePC than it was to set up on my regular notebook.

Obviously, the EeePC is not a replacement to a desktop computer, but it really does make portable computing portable. Really. If your mobile computing needs are anything like mine, which basically involve word processing, spreadsheets, web, and email, this machine is more than capable of looking after you.

The thinking behind the EeePC was obviously to develop a machine that could do things, rather than simply develop yet another faster computer with a bloated operating system and software. And it delivers on this admirably.

There’s a comment on a post about $200 Linux computer on TECH.BLORGE.com where the reader says that we’re heading towards a “post Windows era”. While I think it’s premature to say that, I do think the very clever EeePC is evidence that there’s a certain amount of truth in that statement.

I have to say that I’ve been skeptical about Linux, but if the EeePc is an example of the clever kind of products we can expect to see, I say bring on the post Windows era, post-haste.

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Related:

ASUS EeePC with Linux hacked out of the box

Asus launches EeePC with Windows XP in Japan

Asus EeePC made to support Pentium M processor

Forget the EeePC 900, here’s the 10-inch Atom-based EeePC

Asus announces EeePC with 9-inch display

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Entry was posted on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 5:33 am under Notebook, Reviews.  Print

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