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Review of Asus Linux-Based Eee PC 701
Bongo Bob writes "CNET.co.uk has up a review of the Asus Eee PC 701 that runs Linux. According to the reviewer. 'It's hard to fault the Eee PC, mainly because of its price. It can be difficult to use because of the cramped keyboard, but it's better than similar-sized laptops like the Toshiba Libretto. If you're in the market for a second PC, or looking for something you can take with you almost anywhere, the Eee PC is definitely worth buying.'"
This is just what I want - a small, cheap thin client. I think this one will be on my xmas list.
Being solid state - i'm thinking that this thing will be ultra quite too.
Yes, it does run Linux.
Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
If they advertise this right they could see big sales among students. I'm going to be taking some programming classes next semester and this looks like it would be great to carry around to practice with.
And the Gutsy Gibbon seems to run great on them too! http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10006278o-2000331777b,00.htm
Here's a .
And if it's slow, here's the coral cache: pic1
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I've gotta say, this is one lovely machine. Full Linux installation etc. What irritated me was the comment that 'you can install Windows XP, for those of us who don't have beards'.
Ha. Ha. Ha. It's funny. Laugh.
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Eee PC is slighty more expensive and has a shorter battery life. And the Alphasmart's keyboard is better for normal adult sized hands.
But the flexibility of applications and significantly more powerful wordprocessors available for the Eee PC makes it pretty attractive. Plus the ability to use wireless internet to have access to very complete online dictionaries, thesauruses and encyclopedias makes the EeePC a bit more versatile for writers. assuming you can get used to the keyboard.
I'm planning on getting two EeePCs, one for a writer and one for a programmer(myself).
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Great Unboxing / Hands on review.
Can't wait for them to go on sale stateside.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
The wikipedia article implies that there is a fan and the next version of the Eee due in April 2008 will be without one.
The price is also important. It sucks if it gets dropped or stolen but not as much as if it happened to a Vaio costing 4x as much. I expect people will be tossing these eee devices into backpacks rather than hauling around enormous laptop cases. If I were Microsoft I would be very scared by the trend these ultracheap laptops will start. Not only do they demonstrate that Windows is not a necessity, they'll act as a wedge for Firefox, OpenOffice, and Linux too.
The same applies to the OLPC assuming they produce a commercial variant. They really should since I predict there is a lot of money to be made if they did.
Seeing as everything from a battleship to your grandparent's electric blanket will run Linux, I think we need a new meme...
You are correct, nobody talks about it. All of the technical specs only say 'Intel chipset' and don't actually say that includes the video, but it does. Downloading the Chinese WinXP driver and extracting it shows it's either:
Intel GMA and part of the G965 series.
Mobile Intel(R) 910GML Express Chipset
I'm betting on the latter, and the rest is just stuff they forgot to remove when they were hastily throwing together the XP driver.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
See first comment in TFA :)
I worked for the company that makes the AlphaSmart machines for a while.
The Dana is pretty impressive for a PalmOS machine. However, it is worth pointing out that the Dana's odd screen size causes problems with a lot of PalmOS software. A lot of programs run, but are confined to traditional PalmOS screen formats. Other programs crash-and-burn.
The "mysterious" expansion slots are SD/MMC slots. IIRC, the machine has two of them and one of them is SDIO compatible. The "word processing" program included is basic, but a lot more powerful than the PalmOS memo pad function. It also includes Documents2Go, which means you have access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents on the machine (and Documents2Go does support the Dana's odd screen configuration).
It's a bit of an odd machine, however. The keyboard isn't horrible, which is a big plus. I don't know if the one I had was the latest and greatest PalmOS, but it seemed a little bit crash-prone compared to other PalmOS devices I've owned.
Battery life was.. fantastic, however. It can run on 3 AA batteries.
"And it is enough to start the revolution"
The unique thing is these three things in one package: price, size and linux. My luggable-not-portable inspiron 1200 filled the "cheap" niche but loses on size and was only available with xp.
This thing just might be wildly popular if it turns out to be as great as it looks. If it is, the overall price of pc's and laptops in particular ought to be dragged down. Linux gets a free boost since non-linux users attracted to the package will give it a try and undoubtedly like it. The ultraportability makes it obvious that you CAN'T expect it to run heavy duty apps - it's a web surfing/email box.
Out of the box, it will do what it was obviously designed to do and please almost everyone. I sincerely doubt many current non-linux users will really care about the lack of Windows once they see how well it works.
I also hope is ships soon as it's really annoying to have to keep emptying this drool bucket.
I have mod points. The reign of terror begins now.
To defend AlphaSmart:
Part of the reason why the machine had an "outrageous" price is mostly because it's a specialty device manufactured in small quantities, and AlphaSmart provides a whole lot of support to their purchasers. They never intended to market the device to end users: it was designed, marketed, and sold primarily to the educational channel. A lot of the larger educational customers weren't paying full list for the product, but even so, it's been priced at under $500 for quite some time.
The Neo is currently $219, which seems totally in line with a mature product based on a low-end 16-bit CPU (IIRC, the Neo is a 68000-derived chip) and Flash memory. While the parts might be $10.. I don't know if you've ever done small-run production before, but it would not surprise me if it cost them (today) $50 per unit to build at a typical job shop. That margin is totally in-line with a lot of other specialized electronics.. you think the $3000 plasma sets at Circuit City cost more than $600 to make? They don't.
Additionally, AlphaSmart used to be very "friendly" with repairs and returns. A lot of the cost of the device included after-sales support. I worked in their repair shop (at least a number of years back, they did ALL of their repairs here in the US), and you'd be surprised what kids can do to these things in an educational environment. Often times, we'd be rebuilding machines for free, or for parts-cost if it was a broken display. We also refurbed the units for schools on a regular basis (send us your entire stock, and we'll clean them up, put the latest software, etc.) dirt cheap.
Lastly, to AlphaSmart's credit, the machine isn't a sloppily assembled Chinese piece of crap toy. It is sturdily built, well thought out, and well supported by the company...
"The Eee PC is theoretically fast enough to run Windows XP, which is great news for those of us without beards."
/. to stop linking to CNet. At least, ones with Rory Reid, Jason Jenkins, and Shannon Doubleday involved in any way.
This is not the quote of a professional review. This is what I would expect to read in a slashdot post written by a astroturfer or a troll. CNet has become increasingly worse, but now I think it may have jumped the shark into tabloid land. I can't believe any competent editor allowed this drivel through, and even worse a professional writer thought it was acceptable if it wasn't put there by one of the editors.
I think it might be time for
Sean
I live in a giant bucket.
It's an Intel GMA 950. Not much, but it does do OpenGL, and can even do Compiz if you want to on this thing.
"I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."