Thinking about buying an Asus EEE

So currently I have an m1530 (see specs) below. But it's a little too bulky to bring around casually. I was looking for a very light laptop that I can carry around to do on-the-go activities. Web surfing, checking email, watching videos, and other lightweight applications. The Asus EEE seemed to me like a very ideal laptop for a very affordable price.

I read the review and it seems pretty good. The look of it seems pretty dull compared to an m1530, so I'm somewhat hesitant on purchasing it. I can get a black one for 300 or 400 with XP. Any comments on how well the xp runs on the Asus, or which one I should get? I never worked with linux but it seems pretty easy to learn.

I also saw that there is a new Asus coming out on May 12, the Asus EEE 900 PC. It's a much bigger screen, but the cost is 549. A little too much considering how cheap 300 is. It still weighs about 2lbs, so it's very ideal to carry around. Should I get this, and is it worth 549? Seems I could rather get a macbook by paying a little more.

I don't plan to buy another laptop until after summer when new products come out. A new Macbook design may be in the works this summer so I'll just be waiting. I'm a little torn between them. I'm just concerned about the quality and durability and also the lifespan of an Asus. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

The 2G Surf model will be a big step-down from the 900 model. The 900 is a couple millimeters bigger and marginally heavier, but the bigger screen is worth it.

2G Surf
- CPU has no L2 cache, runs even slower than 4G models since it's a 800MHz one
- 7" screen with speakers on the side
- 2GB of storage comes out to about 350MB with Xandros installed
- Battery rated at 2.8 hours, really 2.0
- $299!

900 Model

- Has a 9" screen
- 900MHz CPU, which is should be better than the 800MHz one
- 12GB of storage if you choose XP Home, 20GB if you choose Xandros. There should be plenty of space for lightweight stuff. The first 4GB is the system drive and the other 8GB or 16GB is a SDHC card. Even the original Counter-Strike (0.7GB) and/or a couple thousand photos (a few GB) should fit on even 12GB.
- The multi-touch trackpad is a novelty that works in Adobe Reader
- $549

 

IMHO the EEE is the way to go. The new 900 series and the eventual Atom processor upgrade will be ideal. Either XP or Linux will work well, and the Linux is easy to learn and use. I play on loading XP as well, but that is only for college tasks that need it. It is a bit expensive for the larger unit, but there are no real contenders out there for my needs. The HP Mininote and the new Cloudbook look promising, but still have minor issues I am not a fan of. The macbook would definitely be full powered, but it will cost even more and will not be much smaller than your 1530 in practicality. If mac was to smarten up and come out with an eee killer, then I would definitely save and buy that. The Air is nothing close, really a waste of time and resources.

 

I have gotten to use the EEE at a retail store and I found it to be quite durable and would expect it to last for quite a while, one reason is because it uses a solid state drive instead of hard drive.

Besides the larger and higher resolution screen, the new 9" models also come with much more storage. The current 7" models come with 2 to 8gb of storage, whereas with the 9" models, the Linux version has 20gb, the Windows XP version has 12gb.

The new 9" models also come with a multi-touch touchpad which lets you do things like zoom in and out of pictures with fingerswipes, like with the newest Macbook Pros and Air.

I personally think the extra features with the 9" model warrants the price difference between it and the 7" ones.

Keep in mind that $550 is still reasonable for a notebook for this size (look at the prices for some other 7 to 11" models). Sure, you could get a more powerful notebook for the same price or a bit more (many will argue that against the EEE), but it'll be a 14-15" notebook not easy to tote around just like your current M1530.

 

350mb of storage is way too small. I'm liking the details with the 900. Good size and it's still small.

The 13.3 inch Macbook seems like an okay size. It's still heavy but small enough to fit in a backpack. Price is an issue with me, and the heat issues I heard with Mac don't seem too appealing. I'll be waiting til the end of summer, so hopefully Mac might release something?

I agree totally. The 549 price is leaning more towards portability rather than power. But the trade off to me seems unbalanced. I'm hoping the 549 I'll be spending will go towards something that is portable, durable, good storage, and good design. I'm just worried about the looks and quality of the Asus EEE. It looks very fragile. I never really got to look at one upclose, and the look seems outdated (pre-2000). I'll still keep a lookout for it though.

Thanks for all the suggestions . I'm really taking a keen interest in Asus over the Macbook. Please let me know if there's any other useful information.

 

i too am in a similar bind. the macbook is also quite portable with a ton more features but double the price

 

With the education discount, I can get a minimal macbook for 999 rather than 1099. Also, looking at Apple Outlet, the cheapest Macbook I saw was about 849. I don't like white, and the black Macbooks look pretty pricey even at outlet (1299.)

If the price range between an EEE 900 and the macbook is minimal, I might consider a mac. But if there is a price drop on the current EEE, that too could change my mind. Right now, I'll just be waiting.

 

I am like you, I would love to have a little on the go laptop so when I have to go do something like wait for a table at dinner, wait in the lobby at a doctors appointment, go to a friends house, sit in the car as a passenger, ect have a little something to keep me entertained. The EEE is perfect and its also a good way to get into a new OS as I plan to use the Linux based one rather than XP (supposed to be faster) but getting close to 600$ its too much and I question just how much I would use it against how much I want it.

As a tech geek when I find cool toys I can often buy out of greed and not need, but I agree with the above the 9" model is most definitely the one to get. I personally would not be happy with the 7" versions in almost every aspect (screen size, resolution, storage space)

I am gonna wait around and see how much the Atom version is, and maybe hope it sparks some sales for 2nd hand used EEE's on the forums or on Ebay and maybe grab one for under 400$ then I will feel ok with my purchase.

If I had nothing else to get I would be ok with the 550$ and if I used it often but right now building a new desktop and paying off some credit cards has priority.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. The only thing that really is holding me back is the price. The EEE 900 has everything I want for a portable, except it's somewhat high price. Those things you mentioned totally fit my (and I'm sure everybody else's) desire for an on-the-go laptop. My need for an EEE isn't high, it's just something that could be a convenience for me. The worst that can happen is that I have to go to the library to check my email. That's what I'm doing now. It's not pain, but it'd be nice to be able to check emails while eating lunch .

 

Believe it or not, but I found the 7" $400 EEE model to be more durable and well built than my 11" $1500 Vaio TZ. I would bet the EEE would suffer less damage than the TZ if accidentally dropped.

 

Wow, that's impressive! I'm interested to see how the next EEE will live up to that. That's somewhat strange that a low-budget laptop is really durable. I'm liking the Asus .

 

There's a huge size/portability difference between a macbook and an EEE Pc. I don't think a Macbook is really that much more portable than a m1530. Certainly not so much so to warrant purchasing such a similar notebook.

 

Thanks for that. I've already decided the Macbook is probably out of the question in terms of portability. I'm just waiting to see what Asus brings out. In the meantime, I'll just stick with the laptop I have now.

 

I was reading about the atom processor for portable laptops. It sounds really great, but the EEE 900 PC doesn't have it?

 

The Atom hasn't been released yet, and will be do so mid Summer. The current 900 retains the 900mhz Celeron M.

 

Many of the potential EEE buyers are waiting for the Atom version in hopes that the battery life will go up some.

 

I'll be waiting too. Thanks for the info!

 

Just found this: http://www.umpcportal.com/2008/03/1318/

I am skeptical bout just how much battery life can be gained with the Atom change, maybe 20% more is what I was thinking (from 2 hours to like 2 hours 30 min) but looks like they plan to get EEE up to near 6 or 7 hours.

Looks like EEE could become a new series of notebooks and not just a one time gadget because they have upgrades planed for the unit besides just the Atom, things like Wimax so you can use it with cellphone based internet services are plane and would work wonderfully with the nature of the EEE. I would love that but am not willing to pay the 60-70$ a month it cost for a plan, so I just have to hope I am near a wi-fi hotspot. The one thing I do not see plans for that I really want is bluetooth tho, it should be easy to impliment and cheap, this would give the best option for an external device like mouse/keyboard, and also best of all bluetooth headphones

I plan to just get a little external usb bluetooth adapter but I have no idea if any of them work under the linux OS.