Home > Consumer Reviews > ASUS Eee PC 2G Surf (7-Inch Display, Intel Mobile Processor, 512 MB RAM, 2 GB Hard Drive, Linux Preloaded) Pure White

I just stumbled onto this while looking at laptops, since I was looking for one to use for word processing and internet, and didn't want to spend a lot. I bought the 2G surf, and I love it. Although I can't speak much about the more complex technological aspects of it, I would say that it works great and is very easy to use (except typing is a tad difficult at times due to the small keyboard). If you are having doubts about buying this because you never heard of the company or because it is so inexpensive, trust me that it is a great value.

For all those who criticize this product by comparing it to a Windows Laptop, I am sorry by you are wrong.

This is an Ultra Mobile Personal Computer. If you want a computer for on-the-go, to use Skype for WiFi calls, a real Browser (Firefox), and the ability read/edit/send all Office documents, this is it.

Yes, the keyboard is cramped, yes, the screen is small. It weighs 2lbs, and for the price it is a 5-star winner. If the price were $700, this device deserves to be heavily criticized. It is $299.

Can't go wrong with this!

Have finally bought my Asus Eee PC. And yes it's great!

Other than the webcam and memory (small on all models) There is no difference between the 2G and other models; Identical processors operating system, RAM & box.

And the 2G are much easier to find and less marked up. (This product is basically impossible to get in the UK - would recomend trying Amazon in the US as UK retailers have big waiting times)

>> Good Points

> Superb Build Quality, the best i have seen on any laptop. It looks like it's from apple. but even more robust. An extremely well designed product , roughly the size & weight of a book an can be picked up in one hand easily. It's very portable. Can't wait to take it down the beach and to cafes it's perfect for this.

The processor / RAM in the Eee PC is the same as in much more expensive UMPC 's (eg. Vye) most use the 900mhz intel mobile chip.

> Good office tools. was surprised by this but the Spreadsheet, Word & Presentation tools are very good. Would make quite a good portable office. even has port for a projector. The operating system is significantly better than windows XP home and much cheaper than XP Pro.

MS could learn from this - they rob themselves of the UMPC market by charging £100 for software when the machines themselves cost c £150.
In fairness the Eee PC office tools are carbon copies of MS Excel / Word / PPt - just much much cheaper.

> Wireless. Picked up about 5 wireless networks from my flat! I think the surf model have a slightly better wireless feature but no webcam.
Compatible with T Mobile web n walk modem ( Hinari USB Modem) . This does take a little manual reading but was quite easy.

> Internet including picture / video / flash based sights work great.

> Boots up very quickly. Just a few seconds.


>> OK it's £180 Points

> Small screen, but it is cute. I still like it It reproduces colours very well and does not look pixilated at all. Can handle small text clearly.

> Can run c 3 aps at a time, not much more. And struggle with 5 + web windows. I don't think this is a problem. This is a portable Fun PC. but is not really for multi tasking.

> Speakers are not 'high definition' quite loud but sound is a bit tinny.

> USB Modems drain battery life to c 2.5 hours. Still good.

> Add on the cost of memory card bacase the 2G device has none left!
most of the 2G is taken up by the operating system

This is a fanstastic product that has 'Invented' the UMPC market.

I am thoroughly delighted with this product. It is everything their claims say, completely easy to use and does everything I could ask. Writing a doctoral thesis or editing a full length movie would be difficult but everything that a basic computer would do is right here plus portability, etc. I have been bragging about it to everyone who will hold still. The instruction book could stand an index, but most tasks are intuitive anyway. Just began using the built in Skype...what a deal! Everyone should have this rather than one with dozens of applications that will never be used, at 2 or 3 times the price. Was a little concerned about Linux (I am not a computer geek) but no problems at all.

I've had my 2gb Eee for about two two weeks now, enough to really put it through its paces, and I love it.

Before I get into the good stuff, though, there are a couple of caveats. I don't think these amount to problems with the device, since they're natural consequences of its design rather than flaws, but they're probably important to note. The main caveat is that I doubt the Eee would be adequate for anyone as a replacement for a full-blown, up-to-date desktop or laptop PC. The screen real estate, storage capacity, and keyboard are all a little too tight for that--a consequence of the unit's small size. As always, choice of a computer is never just about power, though: it's about finding the right balance of features, size, weight, and cost for an individual's particular needs. The second caveat is that if the features you need are ones that the Eee provides out of the box with the pre-installed operating system, it'll certainly work well for you from the moment you turn it on, no worries at all. However, while it's possible to add great flexibility and functionality to the device by adding and tweaking software, you'll need to have or gain a basic working knowledge of the Linux operating system to make that happen, unless you want to buy and install a copy of Windows XP (which opens another can of worms...). The version of Linux that comes pre-installed on the Eee really is fantastic, and any decently intelligent person who's willing to spend some time learning, experimenting, and surfing some user forums online for solutions can learn whatever he/she needs to know in pretty short order. But, if you're not already familiar with Linux, there will be a slight learning curve involved if you want to add software, etc.

What I happened to need was a device that would act as something about halfway between a laptop and a PDA. I'd lugged laptops around before and got sick of dealing with the weight an bulk (even with smaller, lightweight models). They generally supplied plenty of computing power, but many times I'd just opt not to carry the weight around. More recently, I tried a high-end PDA (a Palm Tungsten T5), which was excellent for what it was, and was OK handling a number of pc-ish tasks, such as word processing with a fold-out keyboard. It had two problems, though: the tiny screen made any sustained writing tiresome, and was too small to allow for any fine editing or page design, and the web browser, though it enabled me to access simple email, etc., couldn't handle most web pages easily--especially the portal for the intranet at my work, which I use all the time.

So, what I needed was something that would essentially give me a size and weight comparable to that of a PDA, but give me functionality, especially in terms of word processing and web access, much closer to that of a full laptop. In this niche, the 2gb Eee really shines. So far, with a minimum of tweaking, I've been able to add a number of software solutions for different things, such as mindmapping, note-taking, and web page design (all important to me, since my line of work is academic), and I've also been able, with the help of a 4gb SD card, to add a number of sweet open-source games, and even figured out how to convert DVD's into files playable on the Eee, which makes it a great little video player. I've also added the capacity to read ebooks (something that comes with the 4gb model), and in that regard I think, for usability, the Eee rivals Amazon's kindle in some ways: it doesn't give you the nice e-ink display, but it does give you ebook reading functionality _plus_ near-full laptop functionality for a much lower price tag. For my purposes, that's worth the trade-off.

In any case, right now my simple 2gb Eee, with a 4gb expansion card, is serving the functions of a pda, laptop, portable gaming system, and portable audio and video player--like a Palm, laptop, iPod, and PSP all in one package that's about the size and weight of a trade paperback book. That's a whole lot of bang for $300. I'm hooked.