The Asus EEE pc 1000HA. Is it a Winner?

The Asus EEE netbooks have been out for a while now, and they seem to be very popular. This one with a 10 inch screen and Windows XP caught my eye recently:


ASUS Eee PC 1000HA 10-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, XP Home, 6 Cell Battery) Fine Ebony

Technical Details

* XP-Preloaded with 160G large HDD.

* ASUS Super Hybrid Engine and 6 cell high density battery pack allow for longer battery lifespan of up to 7 hours. Super Hybrid Engine offers a choice of performance and power consumption modes for easy adjustments according to various needs.

* High Speed Connectivity Anywhere with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g. Eee Connect for an easy way to connect two or more users through a remote desktop feature for easy troubleshooting.

* Exclusive 10GB Eee Storage with easy accessibility anywhere online.

* Free 1 YR Warranty (6 month for battery, 30 day ZBD Guaranteed)

Here is a portion of the Amazon.com product description:

[...] Much more compact than a standard-sized notebook and weighing just over 3 pounds, the Eee PC 1000HA is perfect for students toting to school or road warriors packing away to Wi-Fi hotspots. The Eee PC 1000HA also features a 160 GB hard disk drive (HDD), 1 GB of RAM, 1.3-megapixel webcam integrated into the bezel above the LCD, 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), Secure Digital memory card slot, multiple USB ports, a VGA output for connecting to a monitor.

It comes preinstalled with the Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system, which offers more experienced users an enhanced and innovative experience that incorporates Windows Live features like Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging and Windows Live Mail for consolidated email accounts on your desktop. Complementing this is Microsoft Works, which equips the user with numerous office applications to work efficiently. [...]

The full description is quite long and detailed, with lots more photos and information. And always of great interest to me, are the reviews by people who own it. 287 reviews so far, and most give it high marks:

Customer Reviews

Very interesting. I've been looking at a lot of netbooks, and this one looks like it could be among the best that's available. For someone who doesn't need a really high powered laptop, and who wants Windows XP instead of Windows Vista, this could be just the thing. Asus is supposed to be a good brand, I've heard, so hopefully it will hold up well with use. Time will tell.
     

Jisus is coming, April 25th...

... and in multiple colors, too!



But only to stores in Europe, so far. From DesktopLinux.com:

Dutch UMPC runs Ubuntu Linux

Dutch integrator Van Der Led (VDL) Designs has announced a clone of the Asus Eee PC ultra-mini PC (UMPC) notebook. The WiFi-enabled "Jisus" UMPC is equipped with a Chinese-made 1GHz Loongson CPU, has an 8.9-inch display, and runs Ubuntu Linux.

The unusual name may be intended to remind shoppers of Asus, the better-known brand responsible for the popular Eee mini-notebook. Or, it may be derived from the device's Loongson 2F CPU: the Loongson was code-named "Godson" by its developers in the CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) in the People's Republic of China. The Linux-oriented CPU is based on a derivative of the MIPS64 architecture, albeit without patented portions, such as unaligned 32-bit load/store support. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) Wow. I knew that Christianity was taking off in a big way in China, but this it the first time I've seen it's influence manifested in the high tech world. It's not a big deal, but I find it interesting.

The rest of the article deals with the technical specs of the units, and compares them with the Asus Eee, which Jisus was made to compete with. I can only wonder if and when Jisus will make it to the United States. I hope it does. The more, the merrier! Would it keep the same name, and would Americans like it? It might be fun to see.
     

It's Here at last: the Eee PC Laptop

Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives

The Xandros Linux-powered "ultra-mobile PC" (UMPC) has finally arrived. One of the most eagerly awaited laptops in some time, the tiny Asus Eee PC 4G, is now available from online retailers that include Newegg and Directon.

When the news first broke that Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asus was coming out with a less than two pounds mini-laptop for under $200 that would be running Linux, both gadget and Linux desktop fans were thrilled. Now that it's here, the Eee PC 4G's price has doubled, but early reviewers are still finding this Xandros-Linux powered laptop to be worth the price. [...]

Is it worth the price? I would say that depends...


Reviewer Eees and ahhs over $400 Linux mini-laptop

An ultra-low-cost Linux-based mini-laptop has received four stars and an Editor's Choice award in a recent Laptop Magazine review. The Asus Eee PC (3EPC) 701 ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) was praised for its clutter-free desktop, fast start-up, and -- considering the price -- generous features.

Earlier reports pegged the Eee PC's price at $190, and then at $250. However, the first shipping model in the 3EPC line barely squeezes in under $400.

Still, reviewer Mark Spoonauer says the laptop compares well to other UMPCs, some of which cost even more.

Standard features include a 900MHz Intel Celeron processor, 512MB RAM, and a 4GB solid-state hard drive, expandable via an SD card slot. I/O interfaces include built-in 802.11b/g WiFi, three USB ports, a VGA port for external displays, and wired Ethernet and modem jacks. There are also headphone and mic jacks. [...]

All things considered, I'm not as enthused about this product as I was when I first heard about it. It announced initially that the price would be around $200. Now the price is double that. Sure, they've added more flash memory, and that's driven the price up. But for a bit more than $400, you can buy a REAL laptop with a hard drive, full size screen and keyboard, and other standard features.

I find the Eee interesting technically, and I will be watching the reviews to see how it does. But I doubt I will be buying one anytime soon.

With any luck, the time may not be far off when I'll be able to buy an HP laptop with Ubuntu pre-installed. Here's to hoping!

     

Asus Eee laptop news and a recent review

(Click on photo to see larger, high resolution version.)

Andrew at Notebookreview.com gives us a close look at the Eee PC 701:

Asus Eee PC First Thoughts

[...] The home screen is very simple and intuitive. You bootup and see the "Internet" tab where you can quickly double click on any icon there to open an application related to the Internet. Double clicking on "Web" launches FireFox for instance. There are six different tabs across the top labeled "Web", "Work", "Learn", "Play", "Settings" and Favorites. Each tab had applications or links to websites underneath that corresponded with the description. For instance under the work tab were Google docs or Open office applications. Under the "Learn" tab was a link to Wikipedia -- often some of the icons when double clicked would just launch websites.

[...]

The keyboard is definitely small and takes some getting used to, I initially found that pecking at keys was faster than doing a normal style fast type. It's just hard not to fat finger the wrong key or two keys at once, even if you have medium sized fingers. The keyboard also had a bit of rattle and shake to it, but it definitely worked for getting the job done. Nobody will use this as their main PC, but if you're at Starbucks and want to surf the web and crank out a few emails, the keyboard is absolutely serviceable for that. I wouldn't write my disseration or anything on it though, you're just asking for carpal tunnel by doing that.

The touchpad worked fine and the single button mouse was easy enough to use, there's no need for a right mouse button in this software environment. [...]

The boot up and shut down times were very fast, and... well, read the whole thing! It's not very long, and There's lots of photos, with high resolution options.

I found out about this review via this site:

Eee User: ASUS EeePC Eee PC 701 and 1001
An unofficial website focusing on the upcoming ultraportable from ASUSTeK

They seem to have all the latest news, and a forum too. A great place to watch for the latest Eee information. And speaking of news, it looks like the release date is now going to be sometime in late August. AND, the machine may sell with a minimum of 8 gigs of flash memory, for $250, but the price has yet to be confirmed. I guess we won't know for sure till it actually offered for sale.
     

Asustek's ASUS Eee 701: video with narative

Here is an informative video about the $200 ASUS flash memory laptop:


The video is one minute and 40 seconds long, narrated in English. It says that the version of Linux the Eee 701 is using is Xandros, and shows some of the screens in easy mode. It reviews the machine's specs, pricing and other info.

Apparently the display model was running for 6 hours on battery power, and didn't even get hot to the touch. Asustek has made a 2nd press release, giving more details:

Enter the 'E' Era with ASUS Eee PC
Intel and ASUS Outline a Vision of Internet Mobility Solutions for the Future


It seems they may begin shipping the units as early as July:

[...] ASUS plans to start shipping the units in July or August, with a target of selling 200,000 units this year – all under the ASUS brand. Amid gasps from the audience, the Eee PC units were revealed to come in at an extremely competitive price of around USD $199 for the 7" units, and about USD $299 for the 10" version.

I'm still kinda shocked by the low price; it's nice to have it confirmed straight from the horse's mouth. And they must already be in production if they are planning to ship so soon. Just in time for school, for a lot of folks.

You can see all my posts about the ASUS Eee on one page here.
     

The $200 ASUS Eee generates much interest;will ship with Linux Desktop OS installed

It seems the Asus Eee Flash memory laptop I posted about earlier is creating some excitement; I've been getting a lot of hits on site meter from people doing searches about it. I've not seen this much interest in any other Linux device I've posted about. This machine will probably be highly sought after when it's released, possibly as soon as mid-August.




Some people are predicting that this machine will put the XO laptop by the One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC) out of business. But it should be remembered that the ASUS Eee is aimed at a much wider market than the XO.

The XO is aimed at children in developing countries; it has a low wattage electrical requirement, a manual battery recharger, a unique screen which can be read in sunlight (school classes in the poorest countries are often outdoors), and a rugged construction made with children in mind.

In comparison the ASUS Eee seems more like a conventional laptop. No doubt it could compete with the XO in some education markets, but that need not end the OPLC project; they just need to create a more flexible, competitive distribution strategy than their current one.

The great thing about the ASUS Eee is that it's a commercial product, not just for kids, but for everyone. Paul Jastrzebski at HotHardware.com offers us a preview of what the ASUS Eee offers. He starts off with the hardware, but he also looks at the software, giving us a closer look at the Linux software the machine is expected to ship with:

ASUS Eee PC Hand's On Preview

[...] In Easy mode, there are six tabs: Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings, and Favorites. Each of these tabs has icons that can link to a website, file, or application on the Eee. The internet tab has a few interesting links, one to web storage, one to Wikipedia, and even one to Skype. The Eee PC 701 will likely have Skype pre-installed, and coupled with the notebook’s onboard webcam and microphone, will open up VOIP communications to an entire new set of users.




The Work tab opens up 15 different applications, ranging from standard Office-type software to a dictionary. The documents, spreadsheets, and presentations icons all lead to their respective applications in the free, open source office software suite Open Office. The Eee PC even comes with its own Anti-Virus software and in the learn section, has a typing and a painting program. Asus plans to include more open source education-related software when the Eee PC hits the market later this year, but didn’t give any more information on specific titles.




According to ASUS representatives, Standard mode was made to be “Windows-like” and looks and feels just like a typical Windows OS. The Windows Start button is replaced by a Launch icon, and navigating through files and applications is just like Windows. Even the minimize, maximize, and close buttons in the top right of each application window on the Eee PC 701 look identical to that of the Windows XP Silver style theme we run on our own standard notebooks. It seems as though ASUS is trying to bring as much “Windows-like” functionality to the Eee PC as they possibly can. With Windows in mind, ASUS has said that the Eee PC has already been tested to work on Microsoft’s Windows XP, but to keep costs down it will not come pre-installed on the Eee PC.

See the full review for more details and lots more photos and screen shots. I've been curious at to which Linux distribution the OS is based on, but have not as yet seen any information about that. The Easy Mode looks, well, really easy for computer newbies and novices. The Standard Mode, pictured directly above, looks much like a typical Linux Desktop, probably using the KDE GUI.

At $200 it's a very affordable machine! Flash memory instead of a hard drive means fast response times, low power usage and no fan. Fewer moving parts to break down. It has plenty of USB ports for attaching external hard drives or CD/DVD drives for those who want them.

I predict this is going to be a very popular item. I know I want one!


Related link:

Universal Internet Access for Everyone, and the Law of Unintended Consequences
     

A $200 laptop for everyone: Asus Eee PC 701

The One Laptop Per Child project (OLPC), in it's efforts to produce and inexpensive flash-memory laptop for children in developing countries, has been inspiring competitors to create similar inexpensive laptops. One of the latest ones was recently announced by Asustek, a Taiwan company.


Predicted to be available in the 3rd quarter, the Asus Eee PC will be a flash-memory laptop made for easy access to the internet. With a built-in camera and Wi-Fi, it's aimed at a wide variety of users:


Here is a 90 second promo video for the Asus Eee PC 701 [YouTube]

PC World Magazine offers a first look review:
First Look: Asustek's $199 PC

[...] Jointly developed by Intel and Asustek, the Eee PC will hit the market during the third quarter, most likely in August or September. The notebook will be aimed at education users, but it should also be available more widely.

Prices are going to start at $199, rising based on the amount of flash memory that comes with the machine instead of a hard disk. Currently, Asustek plans to sell models with 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB of flash, but that may change between now and when the first Eee PCs go on sale.

Measuring 9 inches wide by 6.6 inches deep, the Eee PC 701 is about 1.5 inches thick with the screen closed and weighs just 31 ounces. Other specifications include a 7-inch monitor, a 300,000-pixel camera, 512MB of DDR2 memory, and Wi-Fi. Next year, Asustek plans to introduce a second Eee PC model, the 1001, which will have a 10-inch screen.

[...]

Whatever chip it's using, the Eee PC doesn't run hot. The prototype I tested had been running continuously for at least six hours when I picked it up, and the machine was barely warm to the touch. Asustek said the notebook can run for three hours on battery, which is sufficient for surfing the Web or checking e-mail, but I would like more. Unfortunately, Asustek doesn't have plans to offer an extended-life battery for the Eee PC. Hopefully it will offer extra batteries as an option.

The keyboard and trackpad are slightly small due to the Eee PC's size, but I was able to type comfortably. The keyboard felt fine for typing out e-mails or surfing the Web, but I prefer a full-size keyboard for typing for an extended period of time. [...]

The reviewer says the machine was running Linux (Xandros), but I have read elsewhere that it is capable of running Windows XP also.

This laptop is aimed at a broad market, and shows a lot of promise. Many see it as a blow to the OLPC project, with potential to take away OLPC's market share. In my opinion, OLPC's laptop, XO, still has many unique advantages; very low power requirements, a hand operated recharger, a screen that can be read in sunlight, and a rugged casing and design specifically developed for children. Perhaps their biggest obstacle is their marketing and distribution strategy, which relies too heavily on large orders by assorted government ministries.

Negroponte's "$100 Laptop" Blowback: Asustek's Eee PC

[...] Now there is the ASUS Eee PC and it doesn't even pretend to be a pure education play. Oh yes, it does borrow heavily from OLPC with its tagline of "Easy to Learn, Work and Play" but do not be fooled. This is not a computer for children. This is One Low-Cost Laptop For Everyone.

With such a broad target, there are going to be instant winners and losers. The first winners will be anyone who wants a low-cost computer and can afford the $200-300 price point. This includes students and adults in the developing world who are not part of OLPC's target market of young children and might find the Sugar UI to be childish anyway. They are now going to be seen as a viable market, one even giants like Intel should focus research, development, and production resources to serve. [...]

OLPC has awakened awareness of new potential markets for fanless, flash-memory, low power use, low cost laptops, and it's only natural that laptop makers will start to compete for market share. OLPC's XO laptop is unique, as it aims to reach not just children, but the poorest, the least likely to afford a computer, and is constructed to function in environments where more typical laptop technology and construction would not fair well.

The OLPC XO laptop thus has unique advantages in the education market, but much depends on HOW it is used:

No Comparison: OLPC XO is the Low-Cost Laptop for Teaching

Ultimately, I see the competition for this market as a good thing:

Competition for OLPC: shameful, or good?