ASUS Eee PC’s durability & reliability tested during 70 day excursion
Australian explorers Chris Bray and Clark Carter made the daunting expedition across Victoria Island in the Canadian Arctic with nothing more than the bare essentials, and some select gadgets- including a pair of ASUS Eee PC 900s which weighed in at under 1% of their load. With the durability and sheer usability of the ASUS netbooks put to the test, how did they stack up?
Through it all, the Eee PCs proved their durability and withstood the harsh conditions, including freezing temperatures of up to minus 15 degrees, plus the overall rough and tumble of expedition life without skipping a beat. According to an ASUS press release, the duo used their Eee PC 900s primarily for vital communications and mapping during the trip with the use of solar batteries and an iridium satellite phone.
Among other things, the two were able to keep in contact via email, as well as publish updates to their website, download photos from various cameras with the built-in SD memory card reader, and even edit images to upload throughout the entire journey- no matter how harsh the conditions. The team even used their Eee PCs to create mini to-do lists and make modifications to their website structure and ftp new html code directly from the Arctic. Probably the most vital aspect of the experience was the use of the Eee PCs for mapping out the best routes using Google Earth’s satellite imagery.
“Of all the equipment we brought with us on this expedition, it was our ASUS Eee PCs that blew me away the most, in terms of just how well suited they were to our needs and their impressive ability to survive the rigors of harsh expedition life. We’d be in the tent at night, wiping condensation off the screen with our sleeve, rubbing the touch-pad mouse clean from all the mud and chocolate and other grime, shaking the keyboard free of bits of tundra and other rubbish, and accidently bumping, dropping or leaning on them…and they never even flinched! Both Eee PCs soldiered on like true heroes right to the end,” said Chris.
The journey most likely wouldn’t have been possibly without the use of a durable PC, and the ASUS was definitely up to the task. This represents a huge confidence boost for anyone considering an ASUS, or a netbook in general. Being new to the game, and a new technology in general, any tests like this help prove the staying power and reliability of the netbook segment. Given, this type of extreme usage isn’t likely, but it’s good to know netbooks are up to the task.
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