Home > Consumer Reviews > ASUS Eee PC 900 8.9-Inch Netbook (Intel Mobile Processor, 1 GB RAM, 12 GB Solid State Drive, XP Home, 4 Cell Battery) Pearl White
ASUS Eee PC 900 8.9-Inch Netbook (Intel Mobile Processor, 1 GB RAM, 12 GB Solid State Drive, XP Home, 4 Cell Battery) Pearl White
See it at Amazon.com for $659.60Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + ShareCute as Can Be . . . But Is It Really Useful?
(4 out of 5) by Phyllis Staff on Dec 5, 2008 (Dallas, Texas USA)My answer? It just depends, depends on what you want it to do. I wanted it as a note-taking tool for trips, not as a movie-watching or game playing machine. And I certainly did not plan to use it for statistical analyses (which I always do at home). So here's my take on the ASUS ee pc.
PROS:
I bought this mini-laptop to use when I'm away out and about. It weighs just over two pounds and can fit into a large purse, so it's much more convenient for travel than my seven-pound laptop.
Networking is a breeze. It automatically linked into my home network, and it also picked up free networks at a couple of our local fast food shops.
Screen is as bright as it should be to compensate for the smaller image size, and there's a webcam built into the top edge of the cover . . . perfect when you need a quick shot of yourself or something in the library.
Surfing the web is easy and super-fast, much faster than I had expected from a tiny machine. Downloads take no longer than they do on my everyday laptop.
CONS:
The keyboard is smaller than I'm used to, so typing on it will take some getting used to. So far, I'm making a lot of mistakes! My hands are small, so I would expect this to be a much greater problem for someone with very large hands.
Memory is solid state and is provided on two separate drives. This might be a non-issue (I understood going in that the machine had only 12 GB) except for the fact that the manufacturer crammed everything having to do with Windows on the smaller of the two drives. Program files should be loaded onto the larger D drive rather than the tiny C drive where Windows' files reside. I've spent hours removing space hogs from the C drive. Some were not reinstalled on D because I won't use them on the road.
I don't know why I didn't notice before buying that this mini-laptop didn't have an optical drive, but I didn't. And it doesn't! What it does have is a slot for an SDHC card. My 8 GB card is getting a big workout because I'm using it for programs I need to install.
Conclusion:
I bought this mini-laptop to use on the road for writing and note-taking. I've eliminated some software and moved others so I no longer have a too-full C drive. All in all, I'm pleased with my mini. However, you should select it only if you understand its limitations. It is not equivalent to a full-size laptop.
Four stars!
PROS:
I bought this mini-laptop to use when I'm away out and about. It weighs just over two pounds and can fit into a large purse, so it's much more convenient for travel than my seven-pound laptop.
Networking is a breeze. It automatically linked into my home network, and it also picked up free networks at a couple of our local fast food shops.
Screen is as bright as it should be to compensate for the smaller image size, and there's a webcam built into the top edge of the cover . . . perfect when you need a quick shot of yourself or something in the library.
Surfing the web is easy and super-fast, much faster than I had expected from a tiny machine. Downloads take no longer than they do on my everyday laptop.
CONS:
The keyboard is smaller than I'm used to, so typing on it will take some getting used to. So far, I'm making a lot of mistakes! My hands are small, so I would expect this to be a much greater problem for someone with very large hands.
Memory is solid state and is provided on two separate drives. This might be a non-issue (I understood going in that the machine had only 12 GB) except for the fact that the manufacturer crammed everything having to do with Windows on the smaller of the two drives. Program files should be loaded onto the larger D drive rather than the tiny C drive where Windows' files reside. I've spent hours removing space hogs from the C drive. Some were not reinstalled on D because I won't use them on the road.
I don't know why I didn't notice before buying that this mini-laptop didn't have an optical drive, but I didn't. And it doesn't! What it does have is a slot for an SDHC card. My 8 GB card is getting a big workout because I'm using it for programs I need to install.
Conclusion:
I bought this mini-laptop to use on the road for writing and note-taking. I've eliminated some software and moved others so I no longer have a too-full C drive. All in all, I'm pleased with my mini. However, you should select it only if you understand its limitations. It is not equivalent to a full-size laptop.
Four stars!
24 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
Go for the 20G Linux one
(2 out of 5) by Jiunjr Feng on May 21, 2008 (San Jose, CA USA)I bought this 12G Asus EEE PC when I had business trip in Taiwan. Every thing works fine, and I enjoy it a lot due to improved screen size comparing with 1st generated EEE PC. However, the SSD size is a pain. It comes with 4G one for OS and another 8G one for users to install other softwares or storage personal files. It's not enough for sure.
We can use SD card for extra storage, but that's another $80 for 8G SD card. You also need to plug in and out the SD cards when you want to copy pictures from another SD (Camrea uses one). It makes way more troubles, so I returned it to the store next day and got another 20G Linux one.
The linux 20G Asus EEE PC is way better, it's 4G + 16G SSD. You will get another extra 8G, which will make you smile. It's very easy to install Window XP into the system. The key is change "OS Installaion" from "Finished" to "Start" in the BIOS.
You can easier to buy Window XP Home from the market around $90 or Window XP PRO from the market around $140. The CD also includes the Windows drivers, even you buy the Linux 20G Asus EEE PC. Therefore, you don't need to worry about Window XP drivers.
I guess the reason for Asus to use 12G instead of 20G for Asus EEE PC 900 with Window XP Home due to the Microsoft license cost. If you don't mind to pay for the extra Window XP license fee, it will get you extra 8GB internal SSD space. You will enjoy this EEE PC more.
Suggestion:
Go for the 20G Linux one!!! (
I also ordered another Linux 20G one for my wife on Amazon.com. Hope they will ship it out soon.)
We can use SD card for extra storage, but that's another $80 for 8G SD card. You also need to plug in and out the SD cards when you want to copy pictures from another SD (Camrea uses one). It makes way more troubles, so I returned it to the store next day and got another 20G Linux one.
The linux 20G Asus EEE PC is way better, it's 4G + 16G SSD. You will get another extra 8G, which will make you smile. It's very easy to install Window XP into the system. The key is change "OS Installaion" from "Finished" to "Start" in the BIOS.
You can easier to buy Window XP Home from the market around $90 or Window XP PRO from the market around $140. The CD also includes the Windows drivers, even you buy the Linux 20G Asus EEE PC. Therefore, you don't need to worry about Window XP drivers.
I guess the reason for Asus to use 12G instead of 20G for Asus EEE PC 900 with Window XP Home due to the Microsoft license cost. If you don't mind to pay for the extra Window XP license fee, it will get you extra 8GB internal SSD space. You will enjoy this EEE PC more.
Suggestion:
Go for the 20G Linux one!!! (
I also ordered another Linux 20G one for my wife on Amazon.com. Hope they will ship it out soon.)
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
ASUS Eee PC 8.9" with XP
(5 out of 5) by sb on Jul 3, 2008 (Delaware)I love this mini PC! I got it because my laptop is a Compaq with a large screen, and it is really too heavy to lug around, especially when traveling. I can read e-mail. It has a power point viewer, and Microsoft works. There are some games already loaded.
I had some problems connecting to my wireless network at home. I contacted ASUS tech support, but what they suggested did not work. I took it to the Geek Squad, and they straightened that out. It works great!
I am glad I waited until the 8.9" screen came out to buy it, but I wish that it had been available in black. I had the 7 inch black one on my wish list. It comes with a case made of material, sort of like foam padding. I wish that it came with a case that would also store the charger.
I had some problems connecting to my wireless network at home. I contacted ASUS tech support, but what they suggested did not work. I took it to the Geek Squad, and they straightened that out. It works great!
I am glad I waited until the 8.9" screen came out to buy it, but I wish that it had been available in black. I had the 7 inch black one on my wish list. It comes with a case made of material, sort of like foam padding. I wish that it came with a case that would also store the charger.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Eeepc 900
(5 out of 5) by J. Yim on Jun 30, 2008love this computer.. so small so compact, good for net surfing, email. Come with MS office, nice little toy to carry around the world.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Poor hard drive design ruins an otherwise promising mini
(1 out of 5) by Steven Hintzsche on Dec 9, 2008 (Garnerville, NY USA)I received my Eee PC yesterday and am considering returning it already. As many had mentioned, the 12 GB hard drive (actually flash memory) is two drives, with the smaller being less than 4 GB. This is the one that contains Win XP! I installed Microsoft LiveOneCare (for virus, back-up, etc.) and Firefox and my C drive was full! I uninstalled several things, like Skype and some other preinstalled programs and still did not have room to install itunes! I went to repartition the hard drive or merge the two drives and this is not possible, since they are two separate flash drives in the laptop. Horrible planning on Asus' part.
I called tech support and they told me I should try to pick programs that I could install on the D drive instead of the C. What?!?! How many times do you actually have a choice of directories? Can I install SP3 on the D drive?!?! No! Unbelievable. I am trying to find a reason to not waste more of my time going around ASUS' lack of poor storage design, but at this point, I'm a bit angry and frustrated from the amount of time I've already spent on a new laptop that should not have started with this ignorant problem.
If you plan on installing or upgrading any software, beware! It probably won't fit. Do not save anything, like me, and you will still run out of space. Ugh!
I called tech support and they told me I should try to pick programs that I could install on the D drive instead of the C. What?!?! How many times do you actually have a choice of directories? Can I install SP3 on the D drive?!?! No! Unbelievable. I am trying to find a reason to not waste more of my time going around ASUS' lack of poor storage design, but at this point, I'm a bit angry and frustrated from the amount of time I've already spent on a new laptop that should not have started with this ignorant problem.
If you plan on installing or upgrading any software, beware! It probably won't fit. Do not save anything, like me, and you will still run out of space. Ugh!