Perci (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} perci) wrote,@ 2008-03-23 22:00:00 |
|
Eeeeeeeee!!
This morning someone on a mailing list I use asked for opinions about the ASUS Eee PC, and so I offered mine.cbdilger asked if I'd put my review in my LJ so he could link to it. I might spruce it up later, but for the moment I have simply pasted my post behind this cut.
----------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:44:25 -0500 (CDT)
From: (Perci)
Reply-To: techrhet@interversity.org
To: techrhet@interversity.org
Subject: Re: [techrhet] ASUS Eee
I have one of these. It's fabulous. I waited until January to buy it so
that I could read reviews by all the people who got them as holiday gifts.
Almost everyone raved; all the negative reviews I read were from people
who apparently didn't read the specs and had expectations that the thing
isn't designed to meet.
I bought the 4G, and I love it.
It does exactly what it's advertised to do, it does it extremely well, and
it does it in a package that weighs less and takes less space than a lot
of paperback novels. You don't need a separate computer bag (unless you
normally only carry a tiny purse or pouch, which probably describes no
one on this list). You can probably put it in the bag you already carry
and bring it everywhere "just in case" and not wish you'd left it home
every time you pick up your bag. If you accept the tradeoffs that come
with that, you'll probably love the Eee, too.
It's great for email, surfing, writing, chatting via Skype. Although it
has Openoffice, you probably aren't going to manipulate complicated
spreadsheets or work on multi-media presentations--it would be too slow
and probably too frustrating with the screen size. I haven't tried
putting music on it, but if that's important to you, I would definitely
see what people have to say--I would expect there are limitations.
Personally, I would load up the iPod using a different machine and not
fill up the Eee with big ol' music files.
Here are a few other things I say if people ask for advice:
-- It runs hot, and you really shouldn't use it on your lap for any length
of time. This is actually true of any "laptop," though you might think
this is the hottest laptop ever (unless you also have a Macbook). I don't
find this a huge issue, because it forces me to find a table and not hunch
over my own lap until I can't stand up straight. Also, it's really small,
so in a pinch you can just put a book on your lap and set the machine on
it. I'm just saying, if you picture yourself slouched on the couch with
your feet on the coffee table and this thing on your lap, then you should
also picture your pants on fire and your machine burning out.
-- If you have upgraded your desktop in this decade, the Eee is slower
than your desktop. Appreciably slower, though not unbearably slower.
While you wait for things to load, think about how much more your old
laptop weighs.
-- You probably aren't going to do a whole lot of multitasking. You will
probably have to finish with one or two things, close them, and then open
something else.
-- The keyboard is small, and I'm happy my hands are not bigger than they
are. I have to slow down some when I type on the Eee--not a lot, but
enough to avoid the fat finger effect. They mostly made sane use of the
reduced keyboard space, except for one thing: The right Shift key is to
the right of the Page Up key. Until you train yourself to reach past that
Page Up key and actually hit the Shift, you're going to be accidentally
moving your cursor up a lot, which for me means I often end up typing in
lines above where I think I'm typing. After awhile you start to
automatically compensate for this issue, but boy is it a nuisance at
first.
-- In that same vein, the screen is a wonderful small screen. But most of
what you're going to be looking at is not optimized for a small screen.
I think some people don't think about that enough before they buy tiny
computers. If you haven't had a small screen before, realize that the
reduced real estate is annoying and never really stops being annoying--you
just start to accept it, like that chronic pain in your knee. This is a
good time to think some more about how much your old laptop weighs.
-- You probably read this already, but just in case you haven't seen this
bit of info yet: if you buy the 2G, you can't upgrade the memory. That's
one of the big reasons I bought the 4G, although to date I have not felt
the need to upgrade. I just felt that if I was already spending $300, I
might as well spend $400 and not have that limitation, because $400 is
still an insanely cheap laptop at this point in time. However, I have
extremely geeky friends who are very happy with their 2G machines.
In short, read all the specs, and believe them, and then read the negative
reviews on various sites so you can make sure you know what it doesn't do
that some people wish it did. If you can possibly put your hands on one
before you buy it, do that.
If you have accurate expectations and you'll be happy with a machine that
meets those expectations, I think you'll love the thing.
This morning someone on a mailing list I use asked for opinions about the ASUS Eee PC, and so I offered mine.
cbdilger asked if I'd put my review in my LJ so he could link to it. I might spruce it up later, but for the moment I have simply pasted my post behind this cut.----------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:44:25 -0500 (CDT)
From: (Perci)
Reply-To: techrhet@interversity.org
To: techrhet@interversity.org
Subject: Re: [techrhet] ASUS Eee
I have one of these. It's fabulous. I waited until January to buy it so
that I could read reviews by all the people who got them as holiday gifts.
Almost everyone raved; all the negative reviews I read were from people
who apparently didn't read the specs and had expectations that the thing
isn't designed to meet.
I bought the 4G, and I love it.
It does exactly what it's advertised to do, it does it extremely well, and
it does it in a package that weighs less and takes less space than a lot
of paperback novels. You don't need a separate computer bag (unless you
normally only carry a tiny purse or pouch, which probably describes no
one on this list). You can probably put it in the bag you already carry
and bring it everywhere "just in case" and not wish you'd left it home
every time you pick up your bag. If you accept the tradeoffs that come
with that, you'll probably love the Eee, too.
It's great for email, surfing, writing, chatting via Skype. Although it
has Openoffice, you probably aren't going to manipulate complicated
spreadsheets or work on multi-media presentations--it would be too slow
and probably too frustrating with the screen size. I haven't tried
putting music on it, but if that's important to you, I would definitely
see what people have to say--I would expect there are limitations.
Personally, I would load up the iPod using a different machine and not
fill up the Eee with big ol' music files.
Here are a few other things I say if people ask for advice:
-- It runs hot, and you really shouldn't use it on your lap for any length
of time. This is actually true of any "laptop," though you might think
this is the hottest laptop ever (unless you also have a Macbook). I don't
find this a huge issue, because it forces me to find a table and not hunch
over my own lap until I can't stand up straight. Also, it's really small,
so in a pinch you can just put a book on your lap and set the machine on
it. I'm just saying, if you picture yourself slouched on the couch with
your feet on the coffee table and this thing on your lap, then you should
also picture your pants on fire and your machine burning out.
-- If you have upgraded your desktop in this decade, the Eee is slower
than your desktop. Appreciably slower, though not unbearably slower.
While you wait for things to load, think about how much more your old
laptop weighs.
-- You probably aren't going to do a whole lot of multitasking. You will
probably have to finish with one or two things, close them, and then open
something else.
-- The keyboard is small, and I'm happy my hands are not bigger than they
are. I have to slow down some when I type on the Eee--not a lot, but
enough to avoid the fat finger effect. They mostly made sane use of the
reduced keyboard space, except for one thing: The right Shift key is to
the right of the Page Up key. Until you train yourself to reach past that
Page Up key and actually hit the Shift, you're going to be accidentally
moving your cursor up a lot, which for me means I often end up typing in
lines above where I think I'm typing. After awhile you start to
automatically compensate for this issue, but boy is it a nuisance at
first.
-- In that same vein, the screen is a wonderful small screen. But most of
what you're going to be looking at is not optimized for a small screen.
I think some people don't think about that enough before they buy tiny
computers. If you haven't had a small screen before, realize that the
reduced real estate is annoying and never really stops being annoying--you
just start to accept it, like that chronic pain in your knee. This is a
good time to think some more about how much your old laptop weighs.
-- You probably read this already, but just in case you haven't seen this
bit of info yet: if you buy the 2G, you can't upgrade the memory. That's
one of the big reasons I bought the 4G, although to date I have not felt
the need to upgrade. I just felt that if I was already spending $300, I
might as well spend $400 and not have that limitation, because $400 is
still an insanely cheap laptop at this point in time. However, I have
extremely geeky friends who are very happy with their 2G machines.
In short, read all the specs, and believe them, and then read the negative
reviews on various sites so you can make sure you know what it doesn't do
that some people wish it did. If you can possibly put your hands on one
before you buy it, do that.
If you have accurate expectations and you'll be happy with a machine that
meets those expectations, I think you'll love the thing.
