Asus Eee PC & Mini Laptop

Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop, Another Cheap Mini Laptop

2008-10-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

The Acer Aspire One is a 8.9" display netbook ( or mini laptop ) . The base Acer Aspire One, which includes an 8GB SSD and Linux starts at $329 available at amazon.com, which is the cheapest one that has the Intel Atom processor. Below is the Aspire one review from my opinion.

Display
It has a 8.9" , 1024 x 600-pixel resolution , LED Display. The LED backlit display on the Acer Aspire One is very bright and vibrant. The white levels are very clear, leaning towards the cooler or bluer side.

Design
The design of the Acer Aspire One is very sleek with softly rounded edges and a smooth glossy surface that is comfortable to hold when closed. It is accented with distinctive details, such as the attractive orange hinge ring. What I didn’t like is that the Acer Aspire one has a gap between the bottom of the display and the netbook base.
The Build quality looks solid and doesn't look like a budget mini laptop.

Keyboard and Touchpad
I really like the keyboard. It's a great size and doesn't feel crunched up in order to hit a form factor. In fact, because it provides solid key response and a wide gap between buttons, I proclaim this one of the few netbooks to be fully adult-hand friendly

Operating System
The mini laptop comes with either a Linpus Linux or Windows XP operating system.

Battery
If I turn down the brightness, switch off wifi, and use non-CPU intensive applications, I can squeeze a little over 2.5 hours

Conslusion
Pros:
- Great Keyboard considering the mini laptop's size compare with Eee PC 900 or Eee PC901
- Low Price. Excellent value for money.
- Attractive, slim design. Doesn't look like a budget laptop.

Con:
- Very hard for upgrades.
- Noisy cooling fan.

MSI Wind will launched on June 16 at $499

2008-06-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

MSI releases Prices , Specs and Launch Date for the Wind. It will available on June 16 complete with 1.6 GHzAtom processor, 10-inch screen widescreen display and LED-powered backlight, a 1.3 Megapixel webcam, Bluetooth , WiFi connectivity , 80GB SATA drive and three-cell battery that MSI claims should be good for 3 hours of operation. Quirkier features include magnifying software that will allow users to make the most of its screen and a protective zipper sleeve. While the Wind Notebook is more powerful than the EeePC, Wind is a little bigger than the Eee PC. Longer battery life and bigger storage are also advantages of the Wind. On launch the Wind will come loaded with Windows XP at $499. A Linux version will follow at a later date.

Weight comparison between MSI Wind and Eee PC
MSI Wind (3-Cell battery): 2.42 pounds
MSI Wind (6-Cell battery): 2.88 pounds
Eee PC 901 (4-Cell battery): 2.5 pounds

MSI Wind Notebook vs. Asus Eee PC 900 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad X60

Source
trustedreview.com
digitrends.com
http://www.itechnews.net/2008/05/26/msi-wind-laptop-reviewed-and-compared/

Another Eee PC's competitor , HP Mini-Note 2133 Laptop

2008-06-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

HP is releasing their sub-notebook and the Mini-Note 2133 is a first effort in this small notebook category. The Mini is a small notebook computer designed to be highly mobile and yet fully functional. The first thing that strikes those who see the Mini for the first time is how sturdily built the device is. The casing is brushed metal in an attractive gray finish reminiscent of the MacBook Pro from Apple. All of the current Mini-Note models run the Via C7 processor. See the full review at jkontherun

To buy the Min-Note , now they are available at amazon.com. See the list here.

Asustek stops taking order of Eee PC 900

2008-06-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Asustek computer has stopped taking orders for its Eee PC 900, launched just one month ago, in order to prepare for the upcoming launch of the Intel Atom-based Eee PC 901, according to industry sources.

The Eee PC 900 was unveiled for the Asia Pacific market during late April and for the US market on May 12. But Asustek is said to have stopped taking any more Eee PC 900 orders as the Eee PC 901 is set to launch on June 3, the sources said.

Industry players commented that the Eee PC 900, based on an Intel Celeron processor, was a transitional product launched to compete with Hewlett-Packard's (HP's) VIA Technologies C7-M-based Mini-Note PC, while Asustek waited for Intel to start deliveries of Atom CPUs.

source: Digitimes

Photo of Eee PC 901 in Black

2008-06-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

From my previous post about the Atom-based Eee PC 901 that will launched on June. Blogeee.net has more photos of the Eee 901 in Black color. See them here.

MSI Wind U100 Mini Notebook

2008-05-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

MSI Wind U100 will be MSI’s first major fighter against Eee and in an exclusive internal document seen by TweakTown, it claims 6 out of 9 design specification wins against the 7” Eee PC. They plan to launch on mid of June in a whole bunch of different colors. The Linux version, running Novel’s SUSE, will retail for $399. The Windows XP version will have 1GB RAM, an 80GB hard disk drive, and Bluetooth, retailing for $549.

Below are the complete specs for the Wind notebook.

Linux Version
CPU:1.6GHz Intel Atom
Operating System: Linux Novell SUSE
Chipset: 945GMS+ ICH7-M
Display: 10-inch/ 1024×600
Hard Disk Drive: 80GB
Memory: 512MB DDR2/ 667MHz
VGA: UMA
Card Reader: 4-in-1 (SD,MMC,MS, MS Pro)
USB: 3 ports
Webcam: 1.3 MP
WLAN: 802.11b/g
Bluetooth: No
Battery: 3 Cells / 2.5 hrs
Dimension: 10.23 x 7.08 x 0.748 inches
Weight 2.3 lbs (1.04 Kg.)

Windows XP Version
CPU:1.6GHz Intel Atom
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
Chipset: 945GMS+ ICH7-M
Display: 10-inch/ 1024×600
Hard Disk Drive: 80GB / 2.5” SATA
VGA: UMA
Memory: 1GB DDR2/ 667MHz
Card Reader: 4-in-1 (SD,MMC,MS, MS Pro)
USB: 3 ports
Webcam: 1.3 MP
WLAN: 802.11b/g
Bluetooth: Yes
Battery: 6 Cells / 5.5 - 6 hrs
Dimension: 10.23 x 7.08 x 0.748-inches
Weight 2.6 lbs (1.18 Kg.)

See more photos of the MSI Wind U100 on Tweaktown.

ASUS's Atom-based Eee 901 will launced on June 3rd

2008-05-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Asus will be launching its Atom-based Eee PC 901 after the Eee PC 900 was just released only a month ago. Nothing much is different from the 900, but apparently Asus has thrown in a new row of buttons between the keyboard and battery, along with a power plug on the left side and you’ll be able to add a Bluetooth module. Pricing should start at under $650.
Early reports indicate that the 901 series will launch in Taiwan on June 3rd and then launch globally shortly thereafter.
Anyway, the Eee 901 will not come with WiMax.

Eee 901 Images courtesy of blogee.net

LEGO Indiana Jones , a Fantastic game for Eee

2008-05-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures , this game run surprisingly great on the Eee. It seems to want about 1.5gb on the c drive as it must use the temp folder to expand. Below is the product description from amazon.com .

Your Favorite Hero in Lego Form
Adventures takes the fun and creative construction of LEGO and combines it with
the wits, daring and non-stop action from the original cinematic adventures that
enthralled audiences everywhere (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).
With a unique tongue-in-cheek take on the original adventures, LEGO Indiana
Jones follows Dr. Jones escapades through the jungles of South America to the
mountaintops of India. Fans can build, battle and brawl their way through their
favorite cinematic moments, from Indy’s entanglements with snakes to his dashing
boulder run.
Of course, pop culture’s most iconic archaeologist will whip
through all the classic moments with the help of a host of supporting characters
including Marion Ravenwood and Short Round. Players can also mix and match the
body parts of more than 60 playable characters to create new heroes just as they
could in the best-selling LEGO Star Wars games.

Try the demo here : http://www.gamershell.com/download_25786.shtml

List of PC Games for Asus Eee PC

2008-05-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

If you guys love games, I recommend to make the switch to Windows XP. It runs them a lot better than either Xandros or Ubuntu.
Below is a list of Windows XP games from Wiki that have been tested on the Eee PC 4G.

Audiosurf
Age of Empires 1
Age of Empires 2
Alien vs Predator 2
Age of Mythology
Age of Wonders 2
American Mcgees Alice
Anachronox
Anarchy Online
Baldur's Gate 2
Battlefield 1942
Battle for Wesnoth
Beetle Crazy Cup
Black & White 2
Blood 2
Call of Duty 1
Call Of The Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth
Captain Claw
Championship Manager 01/02 Civilization 2
City of Heroes
CoD 1
Cod UO
Codename Panzers Phase 1
Combat Mission: Berlin to Barbarossa (with driver)
C&C Decade Edition (Red Alert 2 & Yuri's Revenge)
C&C Gold
CounterStrike 1
Counter-Strike Source
Crazy Taxi
Cube 2 (Sauerbraten)
Daemon Tools
DEFCON
Deus EX
Diablo 2 (with driver)
Duke Nukem 3D
Dungeon Seige 1
Dungeon Seige 2
Enigma
ePSXe (playstation emu)
Escape Velocity Nova
EXULT - Ultima VII
F-22 Raptor
Fallout 1(with driver)
Fallout 2(with driver)
Fate
Fear Combat
FF 11
Flatout
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
Fraps (not a game)
Freedom Force Vs the Third Reich
Freelancer
Fury 3
Ghost Recon: Island Thunder Global Operations
Gothic 1
Gothic 2
Grim Fandango
GTA2(with driver)
GTA: Vice City
GTA: San Andreas
Guild Wars Prophecies
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
Guild Wars: Factions
Guild Wars: Nightfall
Hackers Elite
Half-Life 1
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Halo1
Heavy Metall: F.A.K.K. 2
Homeworld 2
House of the Dead 2
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Leisure Suit Larry
Live for Speed
LOTR: Online
Lunar Magic
MAME (emu)
Maplestory
Max Payne 1
Medal of Honour: Allied Assult
Moonbase Commander
NFS Porsche Unleashed
Nesticle
Nethack
Neverwinter Nights 1
No One Lives for Ever 1
No One Lives for Ever 2
Operation Flashpoint v1.85
Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst
Planescape Torment
Project 64 (emu)
Populous the beginning
Quake 2
Quake 3 Arena
Rally2000 (no link)
Rally Masters
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Revolt
RF Online
Rise of Rome
RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
Rome Total War
ScummVM (emu)
Serious Sam: First Encounter
Settlers 3 Gold Edition
Shadow Warrior
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
Shogun TotalWar: Warlord Edition Sim City 3000
Sim City 4
SNES9X (emu)
Splinter Cell
Starcraft
Starfleet Command 2
Star Trek: Birth of the Federation
Startrek Voyager: Elite Force
SFC2: Orion Pirates
Star Wars Jedi Knight 1
Star Wars Jedi Knight 2
Star Wars Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
StepMania (no link)
Stronghold
Survival Crisis Z
System Shock 2
TES3:Morrowind
The Longest Journey
Theme Hospital(with driver)
Total Annihilation(with driver)
Trackmania Nations
Tribes 2
Trickstyle
Unreal Tournament 1
Unreal Tournament 2004
Uplink
VirtuaNES(emu)
Virtual Boy Advance
Warcraft III
WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne
Warzone 2001
World of Warcraft (WoW)
Worms World Party
Xcom UFO
Xcom Terror
Zelda Classic
ZQuest
ZSNES (emu)

However, for XUbuntu user, I recommend Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood. It play just fine on the Eee PC.

Source: http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=5576

Eee 900 12G Now Ready to ship on Amazon

2008-05-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

From my previous post , I told you that the Eee 900 is available for order on Amazon.com but you need to wait 1 - 2 months for delivery. But my friend ordered Asus Eee PC 12G Linux Version yesterday and its out for delivery right now! I checked the amazon.com site today and its was "In Stock" at $549.99, sold by Amazon and eligible for free super saver shipping. You can take the option of $13.65 for two day shipping.

How to Install Mac OS X on the Eee PC

2008-05-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today, I found a great resource with information on How to run Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger on the Asus EeePC. You can see it at http://tigeroneeepc.wikispaces.com/ . It needs an external USB DVD drive and install disc. Once you have them , you can probably figure out the rest yourself. But I'd recommend following the instructions on TigerOnEeePC site to make sure you minimize the read/write cycles on the solid state disk and avoid some possible problems.

You can see the video below showing the Mac OS X runs very on the Eee PC

In the end, when you finish the installation , you can call it the MacBook Nano !!

Also for those worried that they will destroy their Eee - You shouldn’t. ASUS encourages you to install Windows, which requires you to destroy the default Linux setup. They created an awesome bootable restore DVD which you can use restore the machine to factory settings at anytime. Just like brand new.

Eee PC 900 Now available for Order at Amazon.com

2008-05-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

For everyone who waiting for Amazon to sell the new Asus EEE 900 , It’s now available for order at Amazon.com for both the EEE 900 - Linux'>20GB Linux version and 12GB Windows XP version.

Both sell for $549. Only the pearl/white units are available right now, hope to see black and other trendy color options soon.
I found that the Eee 900 is sold directly by Amazon rather than through their affiliate. Anyway, Amazon now shows "1-2 months" for delivery. I will keep you post if the delivery time is changed.

If you don’t want to wait for 1-2 months or that's too expensive than you're willing to spend, the Eee PC 701 for less than half the price or a CTL 2Go PC may be a good choice.

UPDATE: As of May 14 , the Eee 900 Linux version are now available in stock on amazon.com right now.

Order Page:

ASUS Eee PC 20G (8.9" Screen, 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB Solid State Drive, Linux Preloaded) Pearl White

ASUS Eee PC 12G (8.9" Screen, 900 MHz Intel Mobile CPU, 1 GB RAM, 12 GB Solid State Drive, XP Home) Pearl White

Asus Eee PC 900 to Launch in U.S at $549

2008-05-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

The United States has been left to wait while the new Asus Eee PC has already appeared in Europe and Asia, but now at least we have a date and a price. The Asus Eee PC 900 will release in U.S. on May 12, priced at $549 for either the Linux or Windows XP model. See the Eee 900 review on my previous post here.

EEE PC Competitor : MSI WIND sub-notebook

2008-05-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

Check out another Eee PC competitor , the MSI WIND sub-notebook !!

MSI have finally announced the Wind sub-notebook, in two version with a 8.9 and 10 inch screen with LED backlight technology and 1024x600 resolution and 1GB RAM. It will be based on Menlow, Intel's Atom Centrino platform. The mini-laptop will be 1KG or around 2.2lbs.

Unlike the Eee, though, the Wind will be outfitted with a 2.5" standard hard drive packing 80GB of storage space which is the interesting feature.

In addition, MSI says it has gone to extra lengths to make the Winds keyboard ergonomically pleasing, ensuring a 17.5-mm key size—about the same as normal laptop keyboards and larger than the Eee PC.

They will also include Windows XP, MSI have not yet offered a Linux-based version so far. So they have given us some specs but no dates or prices which is a pain in the butt, we say prices will be around 299-699 Euros.

source

Eee PC 900 VS Eee PC 700 and 701

2008-05-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

The table below is the final Eee PC specifications from Asus official announcement compares will all 5 models.

Model	Eee PC 2G Surf (700)	Eee PC 4G Surf (701)	Eee PC 4G (701)	Eee PC 8G (701)	Eee PC 900
Screen	7" (17.8? cm) 800?—480 TFT LCD with LED backlight				8.9" Display, 1024 x 600 resolution
Graphic Card	Integrated Intel GMA 900 graphics processor (Shared Memory Architecture), additional VGA port (up to 1600?—1280 pixels)
Storage	2 GB ( SSD )	4 GB ( SSD )		8 GB ( SSD )	4GB built-in + 8GB SSD (Windows XP) 4GB built-in +16GB SSD (Linux)
Processor	800 MHz Intel Celeron-M ULV 353	900 MHz Intel Celeron-M ULV 353
Memory	512 MB DDR2-400 RAM	512 MB DDR2-533/667		1 GB RAM DDR2-533/667
Battery	4-cell, Li-Ion, 4400 mAh, 7.4 volts: 2 h 45 min battery life		4-cell, Li-Ion, 5200 mAh, 7.4 volts: 3 h 30 min battery life		4-cell, Li-Ion, 4400 mAh 7.4V or 5800 mAh, 7.2V: 2? h? 30? min battery life
Camera	No.		0.3 megapixel		1.3 megapixel
Dimension	225 ?— 165 ?— 21~35 mm (8.9 ?— 6.5 ?— 0.9~1.4 inches)				225 x 170 x 20~34 mm
Weight	895 g	920 g			990 g

The photo of Asus Eee PC 900 VS Eee PC 701

Eee PC 900 Review

2008-05-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Asustek officially announced the Asus Eee PC 900, the second generation of company’s low-cost ultraportable laptop. The Eee PC 900 is a larger screen, larger amounts of RAM, and more data storage space version of the 701.

The Eee PC 900 isn't too different to its predecessor, at least aesthetically. In comparison to the Eee PC 701, it's still ivory white and is still the size of a hardback book. It is, however, 6mm longer than its predecessor and around 100g heavier. The speakers now moved to the bottom of the laptop below the wrist rest.
The system uses the same Intel Celeron 900MHz CPU as the old 701, but comes with 1GB of DDR2 system memory, and up to 20GB of solid state drive storage.
The Eee PC 900 does not include an optical drive. However, there are an SD / MMC (SDHC) memory card reader, built-in 1.3-megapixel web camera, built-in speakers, 802.11b/g wireless and Etnernet LAN connections, three USB ports, and a VGA output. About 3.5 hours of battery life is expected from the computer's 4-cell battery, said Asus.

The new Eee PCs also have a multi-touch feature called FingerGlide. “For example, with just two simple finger movements on the touchpad, users will be able to zoom in and out of pictures (great for looking at image details), or scroll up and down for easier document viewing,” Asustek’s press release says.
These budget ultraportables laptop come with Microsoft Windows or Linux preinstalled. Windows is available on models with 12GB of storage, while Linux is preloaded onto Eee PC 900s with 20GB of data capacity.

Eee 900 Specification

Display	8.9" Display, 1024 x 600 resolution
Color	Pearl white / Galaxy Black
Intel CPU & Chipset	Intel® Mobile CPU & Chipset
Memory	DDR II 1GB
Display Card	Intel UMA
S.S.D. Storage (Solid-State Disk)	12GB (4GB built-in + 8GB flash) SSD (Microsoft Windows OS Version) 20GB (4GB built-in +16GB flash) SSD (Linux OS Version)
Audio	HD audio / built-in speakers
WLAN	Built-in 802.11b/g
Camera	1.3M Pixel webcam
Storage Cards	SD / MMC (SDHC)
Input / Output	3xUSB / VGA-out (D-Sub, 15pin) / earphone jack / mic / RJ45 10/100 Mbps
Power	Output: 12V, 36W; Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal
Tracking Control	Utilizes FingerGlide
Operating System	Windows® XP Home / Linux
Dimensions	22.5cm(W) x 17.0cm(D) x 2cm~3.38cm(H)
Weight	0.99 kg

Summary

The bigger screen, larger storage and multi-touch trackpad fixes one of the few problems of the Eee PC 701 and makes this a good improvement.

Asus Eee PC 4G Surf Notebook Review Video Clip

2008-05-04T23:37:00.000-07:00

A cool review on Eee PC 4G.

Mini Laptop for Back pain person

2008-05-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'm having problems with my back especially when I carry heavy things, my back and also legs get hurt. The doctor suggested that I should avoid carrying heavy stuffs. But, traveling with my laptop to surf internet using Wi-Fi is my lifestyle. The problem that I’m facing now is that I cannot carry my laptop, Dell Latitude which weighs 2.8 kg with me every where.

Last month I found a new laptop from Asus, Asus Eee PC. Then I think "Wow!! That's what I have been looking for.” It is weight less than 1 kg with Wi-Fi enable and 8" LCD monitor (The new model has 8.9" LCD, that's more interesting!!). The price is also very attractive, about 349$ - 499$ depending on disk capacity.

Since then, I have been doing a research on Asus Eee PC and other mini laptops and plan to buy a new one within next two months (considering about the new model, Eee PC 900, as well).

I will share the information about new mini laptops with you guys so you will know everything about it as well. Let's enjoy!!

Asus Eee 4G-Galaxy 7" LCD and weighing only 0.92kg

Asus Eee PC 900 , a new model.