Home > Consumer Reviews > ASUS Eee PC 4G (7-Inch Display, Intel Mobile Processor, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB Hard Drive, Linux Preloaded) Pearl White

What a surprise this little book sized laptop has been! It does 95% of everything I might want a computer for and - it is there when I need it.

I got the 800mhz/.5GB RAM, 4GB disk model. Reading the specs this seemed like an "acceptibly" slow web browser. It turns out this little thing runs faster than my 3000mhz/2 GB RAM, 160GB disk workstation. It boots up in 28 seconds, connects to wireless web in 10 more. I'll be browsing before the big box even gets to signon. It is the Solid State Drive advantage.

Xandros Linux with KDE dosen't look exactly the same as Windows XP but I don't even notice. Firefox browser is the same, Open Office Documentss and Spreadsheets are closer to the original MS Office I learned than pushy new Office 2007. The PDF reader is extra usefull because you can use this little thing a a book reader.

I'm not expecting to make any historical videos with the built-in webcam but it works and is handy. You can carry this light little device around showing and talking at the same time.

It's mail is the web: Gmail, HotMail, Yahoo, and AOL servere for email (although you could probably easily download and add Thunderbird). Wikipedia, Skype, Google Docs, Pidgin Instant Messanger and internet radio bring home the message. This is a Web 2.0 appliance.

The keyboard is small but workable, much better than a cell phone. The touchpad is small but it works. I've added a small usb mouse and a portable keyboard in case I need more serious data entry.

As well as the 3 USB ports it has ethernet jack and an an external video connection. I used mine during a presentation. This tiny little desktop was driving an 8 foot high projection monitor.

And no, it didn't get unacceptdly warm. I don't know how someone made that up. The power supply is 20 watts, a normal laptop around 90.

For anyone technical, I've downloaded a LAMP stack and Drupal and am now running a web server. My PHP works. You can get in as Root / SuperUser download and setup whatever you like. (If you're not technical, forget you read this, you don't need to know anything. Just start playing, no instructions needed.)

The small (4GB) hard drive is no problem. For smaller documents there's the SD card slot (I've got the transcend 8gb high speed), USB thumb drives, external hard drives and of course the web.

This is a true internet appliance.

I've also got an OLPC XO. Other than apperance, the Ausu looks like a minature computer, the OLPC a tool, they're very similar. OLPC has a better display and maybe a half hour longer batttery life. (2.5 hrs vs 2). Both have power supplies around 20 watts.

The Eee runs much faster though and I really prefer the Xandros/KDE desktop over Fedora/Sugar. Both can be reconfigured. They say you can dual boot to Windows XP on the Eee. I doubt the XO is fast enough though. In any case both are real cool - and so inexpesive another 10% or so of the world's population could afford one.

In the middle though is every employee at a company, kid at a school, technician or patient in a hospital, customer, .. Instead of a single $2000 Mac Air consider 5 or so of these plus a web app. There's a new class of web apps waiting to be written.

I love this little thing! I am a full time student and have quite a distance to travel everyday to get to campus and this small, light laptop is perfect. I also own a Toshiba 14" widescreen tablet PC and it weighs over 7lbs. Taking the tablet PC and my textbooks was always a pain in the back (literally). But now, this laptop is so small and light that it fits in the front pocket of my backpack and even my purse.

I figured out that I type a lot faster than I write and although I love the tablet function of my Toshiba, it was not very practical for in class note taking. I found that I used it primarily at home for research and homework and in class I usually ended up typing my notes. That's where this little beauty comes in - I can use the note program or the Open Office Writer to type my notes in class and with it booting up and shutting down so fast, I can maximize the time I spend taking notes. It took a few hours of practice to be able to type on this as quickly as I normally type because the keyboard is so small, but I have small hands so it wasn't as bad as some people have stated.

The built in wireless is great. I can logon just about anywhere. It is a bit annoying to have to start the wireless connection everytime I restart the system, but it's not too bad.

And even though I am in college, I love some of the learning programs. I have always hated fractions and the fraction program is great for me. Also the plotter is a great way to make sure I am on the right track for a problem. Also, this next quarter I have to take chemistry and am looking forward to using the periodic table program as a fun way to make sure I know them all.

I titled this review as a great second laptop because I really don't think it would be enough if it were someone's only computer. There are some great things that you can do with this, but definitely not everything most people would enjoy. It's difficult to download new programs and the system is designed to be used for simple applications. I am not much of a techie and I have never used a Linux OS before, so maybe there are things that I just don't know how to do, but for only $400, it's a great way to get online, listen to some of your music (with a SD card) and take notes. As long as you don't need a full computer, this laptop is perfect.

I would highly recommend that anyone needing something light and easy to use be sure to pick up one of these!!

I've had the Asus EEE PC for nearly two weeks now, and I am completely in love with it. It operates flawlessly--no problems, glitches, crashes, etc. I thank the stable Linux OS for that. What's truly revolutionary about this computer is that it is so lightweight and so solidly built that it is one mobile device that is truly, authentically MOBILE. Any other notebook or laptop I've had has still been bulky enough that I'd only take it with me if I positively HAD to. With the EEE PC, you can toss it into your briefcase or bag and totally forget it's there--until the moment arises when you need a computer and--voila--there it is. I can be "wired" all the time now.

All that said, this is not the best choice as your sole computer. It helps to have a desktop system or even a more feature-laden laptop (with a disc drive) and use the Asus as an ancillary "on the road" machine. You may notice, however, that you start to use the Asus more and more and your primary computer less and less. That's true for me in any case.

The only limitation I can cite is the small keyboard--about 4/5ths the standard size. I happen to have thin, nimble fingers for a man (I've played the guitar for years, which I think boosts dexterity), so I've had absolutely no trouble touch typing on it, but it did take about 45 minutes to get used to the smaller key layout. If you have big sausage fingers, you may want to look elsewhere. Also, the trackpad is just a little small, so I've added a mini-sized USB mouse to use when I'm not just doing a quick task on the fly.

This thing is so easy to use and it hooks into wireless or LAN networks effortlessly. It's basically idiot-proof. The installed software works great. I really don't understand the need some people have to load Windows (or in some cases even a Mac OS) onto this computer. This, to me, seems to bog the computer down unnecessarily and defeat the purpose of the nice Linux Xandros OS that was tailor-made for maximum efficiency. I could see installing Ubuntu, sure--but not Wiindows. Some folks are just stuck (or brainwashed) in their ways, I guess. Anyhow, this is a machine you won't be sorry you bought--esp for the great low price. A number of people who've seen me with the Asus have asked how to get one for themselves. It's contagious!

I have a full sized laptop that is not really a laptop at all. It is a full fledged desk computer that I move with it's power brick from one desk to another. It will do a lot and hold a lot but with a short battery life it is not really portable. The eee is what I have been looking for and didn't know it. It is small, truly portable and does what I want. I check and write email. I surf the web and I create office documents. The eee does all of this and I don't feel like I have to treat it like a baby -- with an expensive case and a bag of support supplies.

I thought I would have trouble with the small keyboard, but after a short learning curve to figure out the way to hold your hands it works just fine. It worked great out of the box. I installed the full desktop but don't even bother with it any more. The easy linux desktop covers everything I need.

In the past I have been overimpressed with storage. My old laptop has a big ole hard drive that is mostly empty. With flash drives and all the options for data storage these days, I see no need to have it all in my computer. The eee, with its small storage (and no hard drive) works just fine.

I love this thing.

This is the best laptop I have ever owned. The keyboard is small, but big enough to type, even for my husband. And there's a friendly community that can help you tweak it (www.eeeuser.com). It fits in my purse and I can take it anywhere - I use it to type notes in class. It will also fit in larger suit pockets or jacket pockets. If you don't like the Linux OS that it comes with (Easy Mode), you can change it to Advanced Desktop or even put Windows XP on it. If you're new to Linux, you can still use it, and if you're an expert, you can tweak the you-know-what out of it. Finally, a laptop that you can take everywhere with you! Definitely worth buying!!!