Customer Reviews

ASUS Eee PC 900 8.9-Inch Netbook (Intel Mobile Processor, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB Solid State Drive, Linux, 4 Cell Battery) Galaxy Black

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Asus markets this computer an easy, excellent, and exciting computer to use. They are not wrong with this piece. I own the 701 model and have purchased this one because for the same price as my 701 model ($400), I am now getting a 1.9" larger screen, double the memory, four times the storage space, better resolution, an improved webcam, and a better touchpad. I use the EEE when I'm laying in bed and when I travel. With all the things that go with me on travels, the last thing I need is a computer deadweight. It is light, compact, and fits in woman's mini backpack purse (or larger sized purse). I don't even notice it with me, and carrying the computer is no longer a hassle.

While the 900 model does not have the new Intel Atom chip or the longer battery life, it does work quickly to boot everything I want to use it for - IM'ing, web surfing, and email. I also have the ability to do work with Open Office, which has drivers compatible to Microsoft Office. Hence, transferring files is easy. As a bonus I did not expect, the Linux version includes some perks - such as a music manager (for a small library of my mp3 favorites to play), games when I'm bored, Internet Radio, and handy references tools (e.g., dictionary). I chose this version over Windows because of the quicker boot and everything ready to go. With the Windows XP version, the only included software is Microsoft Works. In addition, with the 901 and 1000 series, the weights and prices of the EEE start to increase, and go against my inexpensive convenience. It looks as though Asus repackaged this model line because its "new life" was only one month before the 901 came out.

Please note that the keyboard is small. I had the same problem of it being cramped. However, my fingers and me got used to it quickly, and I no longer have problems with typing errors. It takes a bit of patience, but will all work out.

One drawback to the unit is that Linux uses Mozilla. Unfortunately, if you're web surfing a site that shows video only via Internet Explorer, you will be out of luck. The other thing to consider - if surfing the web for several hours, consider purchasing a mouse.

Asus does a good job at having one tab to show all software updates. Hence, rather than look for new versions, you click on "Add/Remove" programs and all updates available for your machine are there ready for download. This setup saves me lots of time in trying to see if I have the latest BIOS and software updates available. There are also a few additional applications that will show up from time to time that I can add onto the system (e.g., Learn Chinese or a new game).

Finally, Asus includes a soft case for the unit. This touch is very nice; I didn't have to go and look for another accessory/make an additional purchase. Everything I needed was IN the box.

All in all - a great investment.

I was about to buy the 4GB EEE PC when this 16G version appeared. Hesitated about 2 weeks, then bought the 16 GB with Linux. I have it for a week and don't regret it. Works fine, the system is easy to use for someone who doesn't have much computer experience and an expert can tune it up to his needs.
For $400 this is very good deal!

Thoughts I gathered during the "hesitation period":
Compared to the EEE 900, 20 GB which costs $550 the "catch" seems to be the disk speed. This 16 GB version uses cheaper but slower SSD disk. According to some test I found, its write speed is very low (about 7 MB/s) compared to the 30 MB/s of the 4GB or 20GB model. My simple test showed write speed about 14 MB/s with large video file.

Since I did not want to spend over $500 on this thing, my options were either this or the 4GB. The 16GB won for these reasons:

- Bigger screen with better resolution which allows you to browse web without horizontal scrolling (unlike the 4GB screen which is only 800 pixels wide)

- Bigger RAM memory (1 GB vs 512 MB of the 4GB model)

Technical points:
1GB RAM is still a lot. Windows XP were designed when 1/4 of a GB or less was common, so on 1 GB it runs like a breeze. Unless you have about 10 programs running, there should be no need for the system to swap between RAM memory and the disk - which is where the disk write speed could make a difference. The Linux system has disk swapping disabled and I would do the same on Windows XP if I decided to install it. If you get a low memory warning from the system you can always close some program, but you can have a lot of programs open before this happens with 1 GB of RAM.
You can also disable the cache in the Firefox web browser to speed up the web browsing.

I don't have the 4GB model to compare, but the speed of this one is reasonable. Nothing unusably slow. Sometimes it takes couple of seconds for a program to start after you click it, but it's the same as on normal computer with Windows XP. It makes sense, because for starting a program, the disk read speed matters, not write and the read speed is not so bad.
The system starts in about 30 seconds, turns off in about the same time, though several times it took much longer (perhaps over a minute) to turn off. I didn't try it yet to the end, but the battery could last for about 2.5 hours.

Cons:
The keyboard could be better, it feels kind of cheap and you have to press the keys rather hard.

Conclusion:
The bigger screen and RAM are well worth the $50 more this one costs compared to the 4GB.
You should not buy this as your primary computer or laptop though. For all your pictures, music a videos, 16 or 20 GB is not enough and you'll be better off with normal laptop with at least 120 GB hard drive, which you can get for about the same price as the 20GB model or EEE 901.
This is good as a second computer, to use in a waiting room, train or bus or any other place where normal-size laptop feels too big. For travel it should have longer battery life (as the 901 version has), but I would not pay $600 just for that.
It can also be good for your mother, wife, kids...anyone who's not much into computers but needs to browse the internet and do some typing, e-mailing etc. Another good use is watching movies in bed.

Positives:

All the features as advertised function properly, e.g. wifi, SD port,
& Ethernet. It starts up about as fast as my MAC mini (Core 2 Duo, 1G),
hardy an instant-on PC. The suite of apps are adequate for a limited needs
user. The screen size is definitely an improvement over the previous 7"
screen. The screen size would have been more useful at 1024X800 versus
the 1024x600. The screen brightness and sharpness are very good, though.

Negatives:

As mentioned by others, the in-use battery life is very poor. What hasn't
been mentioned, though, is the power-off (non-use) battery life which is
very very poor and is about 5 days. This negative feature shortens the
Lithium-Ion battery's overall useful life significantly, especially when
the battery becomes fully discharged from non-use multiple times.
There's no option to change how the battery life is affected whether
in-use or during power-off and no main power switch which would have
solved this problem.

The O/S (KDE) lacks the overall capabilities and usefulness of a
Ubuntu Linux which would have been a better install and more
comparative to a WIN X/P O/S which was the other O/S option for this
PC. Most who are more of an WIN/MAC power user would probably
prefer Ubuntu, or just select the WIN X/P version of this PC.

Summary:

If it weren't for the very poor battery life, I'd again buy this PC
and would recommend it for others. Therefore, if I had known this
problem prior to my purchase, I would have considered other
sub-notebook PC options.

I had read a lot of reviews on the eee PC 900 16G, and not all favorable. Not enough RAM, CPU too slow, keyboard too tiny, touchpad too sensitive. But they were inconsistant and the advantages seemed to outweigh, so I ordered.

Received it yesterday and this little thing is a blast. Boots up crazy fast. Excellent screen. Yes, keyboard is a little tricky ... you just have to type slowly and carefully. I don't plan on downloading much so 1G of memory is fine plus I tested inserting an extra SD card and it worked great. Web surfing is a tad slower than I'm used to but nothing irritating. I adjusted the touchpad to suit and it's good. It didn't want to recognize my home wifi signal at first but I did some online research and tried a couple simple things and now it zeroes right in after booting (and I have low tech skills). Build and finish quality are really good too.

After 1 day, my wife also loves it and so do my kids. I bought it as a supplement (not replacement!) to my bulky 15.4" laptop and am now glad I did. It's not perfect, but close, and a fantastic value for only $400.

What great value in an 8.9" sub notebook! Easy to use... I bought this for my 80 year old mother, and she loves it. Easily connects to our wireless, and HP PSC 11315 all-in-one printer. Small and light, she moves it to wherever she is going to alight. The KDE interface works like windows XP, so she made a quick leap from the old Toshiba she had. (it broke and needed to be repaired... and she wanted something lighter.)

Linux is a breeze, and if you come from a Windows machine, you'll like at how quick and nimble this operating system is. Boots fast and shuts down fast.

If all you need is web browsing and basic tasks provided by Open Office 2.0... this is the computer for you!

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!

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.

I have owned a bunch of laptops. This one is the coolest. I have the 16gig Linux box.
Works great, boots in about 28 secs. Pretty much all you need on a basic level comes with it.
Word processing etc... I have not even really touched on all the free apps.
You can do some serious geeking out with this thing or not. It can just be simple.
The wireless is a bit funky to make work at first but if you do have issues there is a ton of info online. Oh, for what it is worth I am a Test Engineer. I test games. Hardware and software...
I break stuff for a living. :o) I can tell you the eeepc is solidly built no issues so far after using it for about a month 4 hours a night at least. One thing I was surprised about was the sound. It is way better then you would think such a small system could do for the price. I use streaming radio a lot and drag this thing all over the house. Its like taking a small radio with you. So cool! The camera is great too. Really one of the few things I have bought in my life that I have no real complaints about.