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

This is exactly what I was looking for. More than a PDA but 1/4th the size of most laptops. Great for the web and editing documents on the road. The Linux OS is very easy to use and comes with lots of software. Unless you know Linux well it is hard to add additional software. I loaded XP with n lite (instructions on EEE PC user group) and it works great. I loaded all the software that I need while traveling and I have a portable USB HD if I need more space when I am home. If you don't care about size and weight then get a budget, full size laptop. If you have carried a regular laptop for a few hours, and you know what a pain it is then you will like the EEE PC. You give up some capability but you get a very portable laptop that isn't very expensive.

I have been using my Palm tx as a second internet device for a couple of years- it is great, but always wished the screen was just a little bit bigger and often wondered why plam didn't make a slightly larger device- it is such a simple little thing- pops open quickly, etc. When I saw the asus eee, I knew that it was exactly what I wanted. Just big enough. My tx still is good for lounging and just reading, but the eee can do a bit more. I will not add xp to it- I have an xp desktop and tire of the constant slowing down over time. However, that does leave a few options out, such as using netflix watch now with the eee- would like to be able to hook this little thing up to my projector. But that is only a slight disappointment. (BTW, you CAN use it with a projector- just can't use it to watch Netflix or Amazon Unbox.)

All in all, this is a great little computer- fast, quiet and capable of pretty much anything you can do on a bigger/windows based machine. I upgraded it to the advanced desktop mode on the second day. Was able to set up shared files, printers, etc with no problem- in fact setting up my Brother laser on the network was easier than setting it up with my older Dell notebook. It just worked without needing to install drivers from CD.

Of course, the price was the main factor in just getting it as a secondary device- I know they will be selling the ones with slightly larger screen, but read that they would be closer to the 600 dollar mark and that is getting a little too pricey for what we want to use it for.

Get one. You'll love it!

A nice implementation of what a sub-notebook computer ought to be.
The keyboard takes some getting used to, as it is small, but that is a minor issue which will take care of itself over a bit of time.

The great thing about it is how easy it is to configure for your home network, and for your printer. I'm going to use mine for email, and connectivity on the road. The screen is really easy to read, and the Linux Apps supplied are more than equal to general business tasks. Did I mention it weighs nothing at all. A good machine for portable computer, I wouldn't recommend it as a primary machine.

Regards

I was going on a trip to Japan, and so was anxious to get the 2 lb. Eee-pc rather than lugging around my 7 lb Lenovo. For the most part the eee-pc worked fine. It boots quickly, has a good user interface (except the file manager takes some getting used to), connects to the Internet (wire or wireless like a charm). However, I don't like Mozilla as a browser because it doesn't provide some of the services when used with Microsoft exchange server mail I tried and failed to find and install an alternative browser like Netscape. Also, I needed a SFTP program, and failed to find one I could install. I guess I just don't get along well with Linux when it goes beyond pre-installed software.

The software included with the Eee-PC is worth the price of the machine itself -- The word processor opens and writes almost every format, the Presenter Program is compatible with PowerPoint, although has a limited number of designs (2). However, when I hooked the machine to an LCD projector we could get the screen to switch resolutions to give a full projection (may have been my lack of understanding, but we had to switch the presentation to a full-size laptop). I wanted to install the Open Office Database, but could figure out how to do that.

All the USB peripherals I used with the Eee-PC worked fine, including an HP all-in-one printer, external USB hard disk, and USB mouse. The weakest part of the machine and the reason I returned it, was the keyboard and the mouse buttons on the touch pad. The USB mouse solved the mouse button problem, but the keyboard was annoying, often missing letters or adding in double letters (bounce). I could have used a USB keyboard but that defeats the purpose of buying a 2 lb machine. So, I understand there is a slightly larger format machine coming out in the summer -- maybe that will do the trick if they can keep the weight down and install a Windows XP operating system, I'd buy it.

This computer is fantastic. I was worried about the Linux OS, and I was going to wait until the Windows OS came out. I'm glad I didn't - the Linux isn't a problem at all. The computer has no problem reading my Word files, or converting them back to Word. And the set-up was really easy. I even had the wireless Internet working in about ten minutes. I like this little light computer as much as my old Fujitsu lifebook (also around 2 pounds), but this Asus was about one fifth of the price!