Home > Consumer Reviews > ASUS Eee PC 900 16G (8.9" Display, Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB Solid State Drive, Linux) Pearl White

I received this little wonder on Thursday and am in love with it. It is perfect for email and internet browsing. Pretty slick for ebooks too, which is something I had not considered.

I think the best thing about it is that it contains no Microsoft products. I had forgotten the shear joy of having true control over a computer, like it was pre-windows, and am seeing the pure beauty of Linux.

The only bad thing I can add is that Amazon does not tell you that the eee comes with a nice sleeve in the box so I did not have to order the $20 one, which I will be sending back.

You can't beat the price on this thing so I highly recommend that you buy it!

Update 10/21/2008: I have had this now for several weeks, so I thought an update would be in order. In short, I like it even better now than I did when i first wrote this review. I have been exploring Linux, and all of the legal, free applications available and am amazed. I have not purchased any software at all since everything I wanted is available. The sheer joy of once again having complete control over a computer is great, I have no desire to load a windows OS and am quite content with how the little guys operates. The only bad thing I could add is that the keys are a bit loose, which causes missed letters if you touch type. I have to type deliberately in order to maintain accuracy. I did also buy a cheap cordless USB mouse from the local discount chain and it works great for surfing.

regards,
Steve

I considered both this and the 20G model before deciding on this one. Main decision factor was the under-$400 price tag.

Excellent travel computer: have taken it on a weekend trip, and compared to my IBM T-60, easier to pop out of the bag to go through security, and quite a lot less weight. Also easy to stow in my smaller messenger bag for use on train when commuting or on day trips.

Easy to use interface, though I do want to switch it over to full-featured Linux. I've showed it to a lot of people who don't even know what Linux is, and they have all been impressed with the user friendliness.

Finally - I bought this for school, for note-taking. Been using the IBM T-60 for two years. I'm looking forward to having the lighter weight in my bag, and also to being able to see my profs over the screen more easily. After a couple weeks of casual use, I'm finding the keyboard works pretty well, although it's small - the only big drawback is that the non-letter keys are even more reduced-size, and I often slip up when going for a ctrl- or alt- keyboard shortcut. I think this'll improve as I type on it more, tho.

This is not a full review, just a informational post on Xubuntu 8.10 and this netbook.

I switched from the Xandros linux that the eee pc 900 came shipped with to Xubuntu 8.10 to run a USB727 modem through Verizon. It works great but I had to add another script to get wifi working on Xubuntu, as the original distribution would not recognize this computer's wifi.

I previously installed Windows XP and it was so much slower than Xandros or Xubuntu, so I reinstalled a linux platform (Xubuntu) and it works great. Even the internet and browsers work faster. What a difference! I do prefer Xubuntu/Ubuntu over Xandros.

This netbook does exactly what it's meant to do. Light, portable, nice GUI. Three USB slots which is a huge plus. And lots of free and very useful applications because of linux. The 1.3mp camera is a great addition and Skype comes in a linux version as well. You can install other platforms through the usb drive if you don't have an optical drive to plug into the usb port. Try Fedora's Live USB Creator, available for free.

I agree with other reviewers that the battery life could be longer. From what I read recently, Asus will be phasing this screen size out next year and concentrating on the 10" displays.

Long live Linux!


Oh, and don't get suckered into buying the $299 version from Target. It is NOT the same netbook - there is no camera built-in and it only comes with 512 Ram, ick!

I purchased the Eee PC 900 a few days ago and have had a chance to put it through its paces.

Simply put...out of the box it has a fantastic screen, easy to use touch pad and a very usable keyboard.

However, It is is a bit slow as configured out of the box (XP version). The great news is that there is a list of very simple, free tweaks that can be found easily using google that turns this into a fantastic, fast machine. It is now about as fast as my full size laptop. An amazing device. I stream lots of talk show audio and the speakers sound excellent for their size and placement.

The battery life on my machine was 2hr 20 minutes streaming audio and surfing the next with the screen brightness at 100%. Perfectly fine for my use.

I tried the Acer mini with the atom processor. It was fine...but I didn't like the form and style of the unit ( It is fatter than the Eee).

Get this machine...tweak it...and you are set.

While I was aware of tablet notebooks, I didn't know about these new, micro notebooks until about March (2008). I was reading my e-blasts (CNET was one, I believe) and saw this tiny little laptop -- I cannot recall the brand, but it was one most notably remembered for making cell phones -- and thought, "This would be perfect for 'round town." You see, I have an older Dell Inspiron as my usual knock-around and a new Toshiba Tecra (S9017) as my mobile-able desktop replacement. However, if I intend to do some web stuff, e-mail, etc. when I go out to lunch - either of the previously mentioned full size machines take up most of the table space (lunch, five days/week downtown Chicago).

While doing my usual Bohemian Research (I'm half Greek, half 'real life' Bohemian), I stumbled across the Asus Eee series of micro notebook/laptop computers. Now keep in mind, my Tecra is what I use for doing AutoCAD, PhotoShop, Illustrator, Visio, and all my other power-intense, memory gobbling, video chowing stuff, I thought it unwise to lug around a 8 lb, 15.1" widescreen (and quite expensive!) notebook to downtown Chicago eateries. Other machines I perused would have done just as well, but the Eee is so competitively priced for all the features it includes, it was the obvious choice for me.

I opted for the Linux version, solely on the idea that I was purchasing this strictly for surfing the web, e-mail and other basic stuff. The Linux Eee comes packed with a wicked supply of software. The coolest one is "Open Office," by Sun Microsystems. It includes compatible programs for Word, Excel & PowerPoint -- things I use extensively in my business life. Also included: .pdf reader, media player, music/photo/video software, learning software (making this a great first computer for kids!!!), and games - if you get bored.

The tiny sized keyboard takes a little getting used to, but in no time flat - I was typing pretty well, with only minor mistakes. The screen is reminiscent of my IBM ThinkPad 360 from the early nineties -- rather small compared to my other laptops, but it's wide screen and the graphics are definitely more than acceptable. GET A USB MOUSE!!! While the touchpad is very sensitive and accurate, the left/right button (one piece 'lever') is kinda cheezy-cheap. With a $10 Logitech mouse, life returned to grand.

It has a killer WiFi system, as I have yet to encounter a place that I cannot connect. Also, an Ethernet port, 3 USB 2's, HD15 VGA out, audio in/out and an SD/HDSD card slot. The SD/HDSD can be used as an extra hard drive on which you can load software programs you may not need on a day-to-day schedule. I use it to store .mp3's and also to throw them to my Garmin for car-travel-tunes. Pix, too.
It also instantly recognized my SanDisk and Sony USB jump drives, no problem.

While there is no built-in modem (Hey! This is seriously intended as a run-about-town computer!), one can easily set it up on your home network. My home network has a server running Windows Server 2003. It saw my Eee instantly and assigned it an IP right away. The Eee also works flawlessly on my network, as I can print to my printers no problem. Although I have not tried it, I'm sure an external USB modem would work fine. Be sure it's Linux compatible if you don't buy the XP version Eee.

I chose the Linux version for a number of reasons. First, it's cheaper. Other reasons include Linux's notable stability, much more immune to viruses (or would that be "viri?"), and Linux is plain and simple to use. Are you a Mac lover? Get the Linux, because as you know, OSX and all previouss versions really run over a Unix kernel. That's what Linux is! A more GUI friendly version of Unix. The desktop on my Eee looks suspiciously similar to my Mac.

But as I tell everyone - in my blogs, reviews, feedbacks & face to faces - do your homework. There's a myriad of micro notebooks out there. There is no "one is good for all." Everyone has different needs, uses, and wants for what they should consider. Try them out if you can. Talk to friends, read reviews, check out Consumer Reports if you want. While a micro notebook is a relatively small investment, it can turn out to be frustrating if you end up with something that just doesn't suit you.