Customer Reviews

Asus Eee 4G 7" PC Mobile Internet Device (512 MB RAM, 4 GB Hard Drive, Webcam, Linux Preloaded) Pearl White

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Got this primarily to use as a portable dev box, replaced my 14" Dell. Good bits: it's much smaller and lighter than it looks (cut a 14" Dell in two, and you get the idea of how small this thing is---it fits in my coat pocket). Bad bits: not much free flash memory, keyboard is a bit small-ish, and some keys are annoyingly placed (right shift and up arrow key get confused too often, as well as quote).

The laptop comes with `kid-friendly' user interface, but can be easily switched to `advanced mode'; which is essentially KDE. You get 1.4Gigs free of flash memory, and using apt-get, can install (among other things): gcc, jdk, vim, apache, php, mysql, audacious, firefox, etc. (ie: anything a linux user might want). RAM is a limitation---as far as I know, there's no swap partition, so if you have a bit too many things running, you'll get weird coredumps from time to time.

Doesn't support WPA2 out of the box, otherwise wireless (with WPA) works just fine. Webcam is pretty sharp and clear (on par with midrange quickcams), and microphone is pretty useful.

Processor is fast enough to play xvid video full screen (from flash drive---though it's not like you'll be storing too much of that on that small disk). I've read about folks playing Quake3 on it. The screen resolution for external (vga) output is pretty decent---used it with projector.

Recognizes external drives without problems. Automounts stuff, etc. For a linux box, I'm actually quite surprised that ``everything just works'' (unlike my desktop---that takes pain and struggle to get stuff working).

If you want an easy to carry, small and semi-rugged laptop for word-processing or coding---primarily when on the go (on subway, etc.) then this box is it. The few hundred megabytes of flash memory you'll have free is plenty for documents or source code.

Will likely upgrade next year for the 10" screen version (hopefully with more ram and bigger flash drive---the processor is more than enough for my needs).

UPDATE (~1 week ownership): I accidentally dropped the laptop onto a concrete floor from about 4 feet (my backpack zipper b0rked, and the whole thing just smacked onto the concrete). The laptop is still in one piece (sturdy little thing), but the camera stopped working. Everything else appears to function perfectly (if this was my Dell, I can imagine collecting pieces of it off the floor). It does have a rather nasty dent on the corner that hit the concrete, but it's not something I care much about. So... this little thing is pretty damn rugged!

I've seen a lot of negative reviews on other sites saying you can get a "real" laptop for not much more money. Well, I bought one of these as a present and after seeing it run in person this little computer IS a real laptop! The operation system is very intuitive and easy to use, it comes with a bunch of different applications, but more importantly it just works. The small screen and keyboard take some getting used to, but as long as you purchase the Eee knowing you'll having to adjust then you shouldn't have any problem. I was touch typing at a relatively good pace after playing around with the unit for just a few minutes. The small amount of flash storage isn't an issue either since even a 8gb SDHC card can be had for a reasonable price. Now that I've seen one in action I'm seriously considering replacing my PDA/IR Keyboard setup with one of these. Until you see it in person it's hard to believe just how powerful a device Asus put together here. Right now I'm one of the Eee PC's biggest supporters. If you want a very small form factor laptop, or just a device to blog/read e-books/write/watch video's/play music/surf the web/do just about anything else you can do with a full fledged computer, THIS IS FOR YOU!

I have been waiting for the eee pc since I saw a blurb about it in, of all places, Vogue. They were pushing it as a computer that fits in your clutch, and since I travel a lot, I was salivating.

I am writing on it now, and I am just thrilled with it. It does indeed fit into my purse (it's about the size of a small-ish notebook or journal) and my wifi connection worked right away when I opened it up. I've been using the battery for about 2 hours so far and it's still at 40% power, so that looks promising.

I'm new to linux, and the layout is a bit different for windows users (I think it's a little different for this computer, too). I tried to download a program and had no idea where it went - I felt like a complete dope floundering around opening folders and having no luck. So I guess I'll have to get used to that.

The keyboard is small, obviously, and I'm struggling with typing on it and making my fingers hit all the keys properly! I also tried to download rhapsody with no luck since it doesn't work with linux (boo hoo).

Here's what I love about it, in addition to the size and cuteness: It has three usb ports so I can plug in my portable hard drive. It is incredibly light. It boots up amazingly fast. The speakers are great, especially considering the size. It has a webcam built in. I guess you can put windows on it, so I might try that later. And did I mention how cute it is???

I'm sure a lot of people are going to say the same thing I am - this is a great computer to have when you travel or just as a secondary one to play around on. It probably should not take the place of your primary computer as it just doesn't have enough size for all the programs you'd want. But for playing around on email and skype, typing stuff on the go, etc., it just can't be beat.

I'm definitely very happy with it!

First a disclaimer: Although I did not buy my Asus 3ePC from Amazon, I would have had it been available during the US launch date. Maybe I would for a later model.

I've been tracking this device for many months prior, and I, like many people, was a bit distraught by the fact that Asus could not deliver on its $200 price tag. Nonetheless, I was still motivated to buy it due to the unit's size and the fact that it offered a preinstalled Linux OS (a rarity in the market); besides, the 4G is technically superior to the 2G model I tracked during the summer, so it likely would've retailed for at least $300 regardless.

I can understand why some people would scoff at the price compared to the meager specs -- compared to the latest wave of Vista machines, 900mhz with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of space seems like a relic from 2001. Indeed, for a comparable price, you can get a used laptop with maybe twice the specs, an optical drive, and a real hard drive.

However, it is very easy to overlook that Portability DOES sell at a premium. Case in point: when I purchased my unit, it was surrounded by Vista laptops, dwarfed in size even by the "portable" 10 and 12 inch models. It also occurred to me that the $399 price tag seemed weak,... almost adorable,... compared to the $1200, $1500, and $2000 "portables", and even just regular laptops retailing for the now ubiquitous $700 and $800 dollar range. Add to that the fact that the Asus is truly the first of its kind (beating the OLPC and Classmate at least from a consumerists perspective), and $400 starts to look more and more like a bargain. Need we forget that VHS players, DVD players and Bluray disc players retailed for $1000+ when they were first produced -- the one exception being that a depreciation from $400 will not hurt nearly as much as a depreciated product that you squandered $1000 or even $2000 on.

And judging by the build of this incredible little laptop (and the historically-strong demand for used laptops), I doubt it will depreciate past $200 or $300 dollars for quite some time.

As you know, the Asus 3ePC is currently preinstalled with a custom-built version of Xandros Linux, one of the few paid Linux systems in the market. If you're coming straight from Windows, don't let the exotic name fool you as Xandros has historically emphasized ease of use and sensitivity to Windows newcomers. You may expect a second-rate operating system tailored more to geeks and hackers rather than users who just want to get work done,... however, what you get is in fact a stable system that offers even MORE out-of-the-box productivity than a retail Windows machine!

I'll explain:

- Your average Linux distributions do not require much hardware (RAM, processing power, storage space, etc) -- if you do choose to explore Linux further, you'll find that great Linux distributions such as PCLinuxOS or Mandriva can turn a 5-year old machine into a veritable rival to a Vista machine (complete with 3D desktop environment!). The custom-built Xandros is no different, and really helps the laptop perform fast and snappy despite the meager specs. Boot up and shutdown times, while not instant, are as close as you can get for a fully-featured PC.

- Modern Linux distributions have done much to address grievances about hardware incompatibilities with wifi cards, cameras and the like, which used to be the bane of self-installation. Naturally, a Linux system already installed for you is guaranteed to be problem-free. Standby works, the camera works, wifi works, the Ethernet port works, SD cards work, all the USB devices I've plugged in have worked. This device truly demonstrates that Linux has grown to be far more "plug and play" than it is been credited to be.

- Since Linux distributions rely primarily on Free and Open Source software, the wealth of software solutions is staggering owing to the fact that it costs Asus nothing to provide them for you. Right from the start, you have the Firefox Web Browser, Thunderbird email client, Pidgin [universal] Instant Messenger, Skype internet phone service, the OpenOffice Suite (which includes Word, Excel and Powerpoint equivalents, plus database, calculus and vector drawing solutions hidden), Amarok music manager, SMPlayer media player, MTPaint paint program (with KolourPaint hidden), a Konqueror-style file manager (plus Konqueror itself hidden), a Webcam tool, a sound recorder, photo and video managers, antiviral and diagnostic tools, voice command options, the TuxMath/TuxPaint/TuxType edutainment suite, several more educational programs, and of course some addictive games. I'm a bit upset that the fast and efficient KPDF was not included, but you're probably more familiar with Adobe Reader anyway.

- All the above mentioned software is accessible via the Easy Mode desktop (based on ICEwm) that the Asus 3ePC automatically defaults to. Navigation is easy and problem-free, and may be all the casual user needs to make the most out of this tiny laptop. However, power users can still make the most out of the Linux environment, and discover all the hidden features such as the ICEwm start menu, the indespensible command line terminal, and the Full Desktop Mode (running KDE) that was originally intended to be accessible to the user. From here you can unlock even more hidden and useful programs, and even access the Synaptic Package Manager to download additional software (just be sure you know what you're doing first).

- Rather than a hard drive, the Asus 3ePC is one of the few laptops in the market that offers a Solid-State drive,... think of it as the kind of storage used in an iPod Nano. This may seem like a minor detail, and 4GB is hardly what you're used to in a laptop, but this does herald the dawn of a new and viable era for portable data storage. Flash drives are hardier and less power-consuming than standard hard drives, as there's no moving parts. While this form of storage is still uncommon enough to be supported properly by other standard Linux distributions, Asus has done a good job customizing Xandros to make the most of, and eliminate senseless wear & tear, on this new solution.

- And finally, despite it's size, the Asus 3ePC is still a laptop, and Xandros is still a proper operating system. Though constricted, you can still use the standard keyboard, mouse and USB accessories to operate the same way you do on a standard laptop/desktop. No reconversion is needed to view a DOC word file or an AVI movie, as both will load or play regularly on this machine. And if you know what you're doing, you're still able to boot up in a different operating systems (such as Windows and major Linux distros), either on a portable drive or in the internal flash drive itself. Currently, the results of such a thing are less-than-reliable, but this is hardly something you can do on a standard PDA, blackberry or iPhone.

Naturally, the laptop is not without its faults. Though this may be remedied by Asus in the near future, the software selection is still rather limited compared to your typical modern Linux distribution, and there is no easy way to install additional software. Even a power user has to tread carefully when installing new software from alternative Xandros and Debian repositories, as the wrong move can break the system and require a reinstallation. Nonetheless, while the Linux world is still just getting used to this new device, there are already projects underway to build custom Linux distributions for the Asus 3ePC, as well as modify existing popular distributions to be compatible with the hardware specs (and screen size). While you may not be able to go "distro-hopping" now, it is likely that by early 2008 you'll have a wealth of alternative operating systems to try out that match or even SURPASS the functionality of the default OS. Having the option to safely and securely browse a software repository of 7,000 to 20,000 free programs would make the wait well worth it!

In a way, the Asus 3ePC embodies the enthusiasm behind Linux operating systems that until now has remained invisible to so many people. When you embrace the realization that you CAN do more with less, you yourself will gradually become more and more efficient. For only $400, I'm able to use an ultra-portable and finely-crafted piece of hardware in places previously impractical for computer work, typing the largest Amazon review I've ever written (or seen). For that same amount, I also advertise Linux to curious friends and colleagues enamored with the tiny form factor, and get them used to the concept that not all good computers require a 4-digit figure. Between these small efforts, and large-scale efforts by other computer manufacturers willing to give low-cost yet fully-featured Linux PCs a chance, everyone will inevitably benefit,... be it in cost-savings, the growth and sophistication of the Free and Open Source software movement, and yes even in bridging the "Digital Divide" that low-cost, Linux-based ultra-portables were originally designed to address.

For this price, you can get an early taste of what the future holds for computing.

And if you're still hesitant, don't worry...
Cheaper or better-equipped Asus 3ePC's -- and their inevitable rivals -- are on the way!

I have been a geek for 20 years. Owned and used a dozen laptops, Palm PCs, GPSs...and this thing is THE single most impressive piece of technology I have ever seen. Period. If you can think of ANY way you could use this, buy one...it is an absolute steal at $399

PROS
1. Incredibly small and compact. Smaller than I expected. Fits in a coat pocket.
2. Excellent screen. The screen resolution is perfectly fine, and the screen is crisp, clear and bright. YouTube vidoes fit (barely) on the screen, and looked and sounded great.
3. Great keyboard. Small, but solid.
4. Great looks. I got the black. It's a real head-turner.
5. Good performance. The performance on this (with Xandros) is snappier than my 1.7 GHz Celeron running XP.
6. Good selection of initial software. Erything you need to be productive.
7. Easy interface. If you have never used Linux before, don't worry...the 'easy mode' interface is as simple as it gets. And a full-fledged KDE environment is just a few commands away for the more experienced.
8. VERY strong wireless reception. Better than either of my two full-size laptops
9. Fabulous build quality. Right up there with a ThinkPad or MacBook. Feels sturdy and solid.
10. Plenty of ports, both USB and SD, as well as external video.
11. Good batterly life (3.5 hours+) for a budget laptop.
12. Boots in 15 seconds. Shuts down in 10.
13. Excellent speakers for the size
14. Adapter is the size of a cell phone adapter. Much better than a brick.
15. If things REALLY flip out, restoring from the restore partition (with F9 at boot) is very fast.
16. Best of all: IT JUST WORKS. Right out of the box. Applications work, wireless works, OS works, Codecs work.


CONS
1. Limited ability to add software. The repositories present in Synaptic for the Assus contain only 900 packages. And adding standard Deb or Xandros repositories broke synaptic with a weird directory-lock error message.
2. Somewhat odd memory usage for Linux. Running KDE and Firefox, I was seeing 420 or so MB in use. On my Toshibas I generally see about 150 MB in use for that. Since there is no swap partititon, hitting the physical RAM limit might be a real issue. This may have been cacheing the flash drive tho...not sure.
3. A few performance artifacts. I had a couple segfaults with a Java app. Not sure why, but minor problem. KDE desktop doesn't remember applets and desktop links by default.

In short, this is a real computer, for doing real work. The small size takes a little getting used to, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Don't worry about the small flash memory either. Adding a 4 GB SD card gives you plenty of extra space. Asus announced an XP version to be available in December, so that should boost sales. But right now, this is THE best technology item released in 2007. Makes the iPhone look bland by comparison. The Eee PC is a true game-changer.

---UPDATE AFTER A WEEK OF USE---

After a week of solid use, I have changed my opinion somewhat. Instead of just being outstanding, this device is actually fantastic beyond belief. This is the first time I have ever been this enthusiastic about a device. Since my original review, I have a few new thoughts:

1. Asus was brilliant in their interface. While it is EXTREMELY simple for non-technophiles to use as-is, it is just difficult enough to add a KDE desktop and additional repositories to dissuade those not yet technically competent. If you are skilled enough with Linux (and want to) to handle the inevitable issues, you can add a bunch of software. Synaptic doesn't work well, but you can add repositories via synaptic, then run apt-get from the command line to add software - works like a charm. One note: unless you have 'pinned' the repositories, don't add any KDE system stuff. Stick with apps.

2. The keyboard is really very good. After a week of use I (a two-finger typist) now type 37 wrods per minute on the Asus keyboard. On a regular laptop I type 40.

3. The combination of a honest 3.5 hour battery life and stunning portability makes this thing great around the house.

4. The build quality is every bit as good as any laptop I have ever seen. My work laptop is a $2,000 Thinkpad....the Asus is built as well. And is more useful.

Do yourself a favor: if you are wavering? Just buy one. You can always resell it for what you paid for it. But you won't want to. For $399, Asus has created the most dramatic piece of hardware technology of not just 2007, but the last 5 years.

This is the most fantastic laptop ever made. It's the first laptop that you can actually use with the track-pad. The buttons for the applications are large, so you can select them easily. It doesn't have (by default) a start button like windows. Instead it is kind of like a phone with buttons arranged in tab like folders. The tabs are, Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings, and Favorites.

Everything you need to get online and use a web browser via Mozilla FireFox, web-email, select a wifi network, and so on is in that tab and easy to use. The Work tab has a real email client, via Mozilla ThunderBird. You also have the complete OpenOffice 2.0 suite which is compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and so on. If you have not used OpenOffice, just know you have to install a spell check dictionary for your language yourself. There is a link in the word processor that automates this. It's off the File menu. Besides that, it's very complete, and you'll love the price, which is zero! There is a sticky post-it note, dictionary, and Adobe Acrobat Reader v7 in there too. By the way, OpenOffice can write a PDF!! And you have Acrobat reader! Need I say more!

Learn is full of educational stuff. I am hooked on a game where you protect a city below from objects falling from space. The objects are math problems. type the right answer and destroy the falling object. It's fun, and it teaches you to really know the basics.

The Play area has a photo organizer where you can import photos from a digital camera. You also get a music player, which plays WMA and MP3 files just great. It even allows you to hook up your iPod and sync those MP3 files. I subscribe to podcasts, and I get an audio version of my favorite magazine, the Economist, which I download to the Eee PC and play via the music app. There is a video player too.

Basically, if you want an ultra portable laptop for basic web, email, a little music, and word processing, perhaps a little excel, then this is for you. It is 2 lbs!! It's super light-weight, and nothing is this light for this low price.

I timed the battery life, and I got 2 hours and 26 minutes under normal use before I hit 10% and got a 3 minute warning. The only battery is a 4 cell. Hope they make a 6 cell soon. Still, they are not kidding when they say 2 lbs. It's so light, and small, you can just throw it in a backpack. You wont know it's there. It will fit on the in-flight tray table no problem. The passenger in front can recline all he or she wants, this is so tiny, you're going to have room for a drink too.

You've not see small, and useful in one package like this. Nothing comes close. If you can see one n person, do it. You'll be blown away.

Alex Alexzander

I wanted a very small, very cheap, very reliable/stable machine to get net access with, and Asus finally met that need. I've had my Asus Eee for a week now, and so far this laptop has exceeded my expectations.

Some things I think are worth knowing about the machine:
* The keyboard is large enough to touch type with.
* It has a standard VGA out port and can drive an external monitor at 1024x768 (handy for running power-point on the go).
* If you reboot the machine while holding down F9 it will restore everything to factory mint-condition. The quick and easy full system restore takes a lot of the worry out of any amateur Linux hacks and tinkering you might want to try.
* The version of Skype included with the Eee doesn't support web video conferencing. However, there are great how-to guides, wikis, and forums with information on the Eee. As a result, despite being completely new to Linux, I was able to install the Beta version of Skype and get the Eee's camera working with it.
* OpenOffice, which comes installed on the Eee, has evolved nicely. I haven't had any trouble working with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
* It plays nicely with USB devices. All of my USB devices have worked with it (thumb drives, external hd, keyboard, and mouse).

I've had the Eee PC since it first came out and am loving it. So far I use it for quick access to the internet and instant messenging, reading ebooks, keeping up with email, and playing music. It has a very nice music player and photo viewer. It worked beautifully while traveling to get me onto a hotel network. I can carry it in my fanny pack, so don't have to worry about whether to leave it in my car or hotel room.

I want to switch to ebooks as much as possible, and this has a very reasonable ebook reader called FBReader, which can display text in any direction, so you can hold the laptop sideways like a book and assign any key you want to advance the page. (The pc is light enough that this can be done for a long time without fatigue.) Text will go as large as you want using the + and - keys. The only downside is that you can't bookmark or annotate text. To get it working well, be sure to go to their online help and scroll down to the list of shortcut keys, which make it much more useful. For instance, the return key toggles it to take over the whole screen.

Ars Technica has an article explaining how to get the webcam working with Skype, and I'm really looking forward to using that.

It seemed strange at first to use mainly removable storage (a 4 gb SD card for me), but the big advantage of this approach is that you start to think of your data as easily transferable to any machine. I can pop out the SD card and play my music on my desktop PC if that's where I'm working. If that's the price of keeping the laptop small and light and with a decent battery life, it's well worth it.

All in all, a great, small, lightweight device for my web surfing and media, and I can do some real work if I have to with Open Office. My network engineer husband wants to get one, strip off the interface, and use as a straight Linux machine, so it covers a lot of territory. If you're not wedded to Windows and want a laptop that will go with you without the back ache, don't hesitate. You won't miss Windows at all, this is so easy to use. Compared to Vista, it's a dream.

Yes, the eeepc comes shipped with Linux, but also with some very simple instructions for replacing Linux with Windows/XP if you have a licensed copy Windows available to install, which I did.

I thought I might end up with a conversation piece. I started off simply. by installing Windows XP/Pro as per Asus's instructions. Then, I installed Firefox, then Thunderbird. Oh, what the heck...I installed Office 2003, Cool Edit 2000, and kept on going Everything works like a charm! The eeepc is light and easy to transport. It's got built-in WiFi and can do anything any other laptop can do. It has a built-in SD card reader than appears as a disk drive. This allows you to install an SD card to be used as additional disk storage. I put a 4GB card in mine and installed many of my programs there. I am now starting to think of this as my new full fledged laptop.

The eeepc does not come with a DVD/RW, internal or external, but any external USB unit can be used, which is how I installed XP. Many installation CDs can be copied to a 1GB USB drive (flash drive/thumb drive) by using another computer and the USB drive used to install the programs on the eeepc. I've done that, too!

There is some debate about whether XP/Home is compatible with the eeepc. Consensus seems to be that the critical factor is Service Pack 2 rather than the type of XP. I have no first hand knowledge of XP/Home, since I installed XP/Pro with SP2.

There are some small disadvantages to the eeepc. Keeping in mind that my overall rating is 5 stars, here they are:

(1) The screen is 800x480, an odd size. It can be set to 800x600, but that requires some auto-scrolling to get to the top and bottom of the screen. All in all the 800x480 isn't bad, though.

(2) 4GB isn't a lot of space for a primary partition. A typical XP/Pro installation will run about 2+GB. Some users have reported installing XP in less than 1GB, although it's not entirely clear which pieces they've left out. By the time you add the programs that don't run well from a secondary drive, there's a good chance that, even if the drive is not full, there won't be enough space to allow the computer to hibernate, which requires as much disk storage as the computer has memory. An 8GB version is reported to be available early next year, which will alleviate the problem for many.

(3) There are no Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock indicators. However there is an excellent freeware utility available on the Web that places indicator lights in the system tray.

Asus Eee PC

Pros: Excellent small size function-specific laptop

Cons: Runs a little hot. Battery life could be longer

Since the Asus Eee was first announced I wanted one. This device precisely fits my needs above and beyond any electronic I have ever owned. For years I have wanted a small, low cost laptop I could use at the coffee shop to handle my business issues. I go to the coffee shop three times a week, and I need something very portable, with wifi, that could connect to the internet easily.

Up to this point I have been using a small pocket pc with a collapsible keyboard. Very portable but not very practical. I thought about purchasing a used ultraportable computer on eBay. Probably a Fujitsu Lifebook P1120 for $350 or so, but the prospect of getting a used questionable laptop was not attractive to me.

A few months ago Asus announced a groundbreaking device. A $200 laptop with a 7" screen running Linux only on a SSD drive (a flash drive essentially). The initial prospect was wonderful. It had OpenOffice which had programs all compatible with Microsoft Office, it had Firefox, a browser in my opinion MUCH BETTER than Internet Explorer and it had Wifi.

However as the months went on, and the release date kept being pushed back the price kept rising. From the initial announcement in June till it was finally released on November 1, the price literally doubled. The basic model went from $200 to about $350 and the one I got which included a larger battery, more memory and a camera was $400, well $450 if you include tax and shipping.

The units sold out in minutes in Taiwan, and sold out in a couple days here. Supplies are better but they are still in hot demand.

What do I think now that I own one? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. The small size is wonderful. It is exactly what I wanted. And performs what I need of it without problems.

Weight is about two pounds. The unit has a slick pearl white exterior. It boots up in about 25 seconds, and immediately recognizes external mouse even without driver installs. It's internal WiFI finds most hotspots instantly and connection is a snap. I was able to install my USB broadband modem without drivers in about five minutes which was significantly easier than windows XP which the unit was designed for!

The keyboard is pretty small, but with a little practice I can manage 50wpm no problem. The screen quality is excellent but could have been a little larger as they framed it with speakers that take up real estate that could have been populated by a 9" screen rather than the 7" that is installed. The unit has 3 USB ports which is better than many more expensive laptops. It has speaker and microphone ports and an SD card slot. The installed drive is 4GB of which about 1GB remains for files. If you install a 4GB SD card you can essentially double your memory. The unit has a touchpad with scrolling but I prefer installing a mini-USB mouse. The AC adapter is pretty small, compared to the usual power bricks most laptops come with. Sound and music sound crystal clear on the suprisingly good speakers.

First off, this unit is small. It is about the same size as a portable DVD player. Or to put matters into perspective, its about the size of a DVD case closed and about twice the height. Very small. It attracts attention. On one recent coffee shop trip I felt like a rockstar as so many people asked me about the unit and where they could get one. I sealed the deal by showing them Star Wars III on the unit and playing some other music and videos. When I told them it was $400 I could tell at least three or four new customers were born. Too bad they are sold out right now. Try eBay....

So many good points. I love the unit but what are the downsides?

A unit this small does not have a DVD or CD drive. You will have to install one externally. I don't really need one but others might. The battery which is rated at 3.5 hours does NOT last that long. The most I have gotten is about three hours but 2.5 is more real. You can plug it in with the very small adapter it comes with, if an outlet is available though.

Since it runs a custom Linux, you will not be able to run most Windows programs but the good news is you can install Windows XP on the unit and the company does provide drivers if you intend to do that.

Also the 900Mhz processor and 512MB memory is not the fastest or the best. It is meant for light use, not gaming or graphics intensive activity. You can easily push the unit to its limits if you are a power user. A small example of this is, try scrolling through large photographs while also playing music. The music will skip occasionally letting you know that the processor/memory is being taxed trying to play the music and show the photos at the same time. Not a big deal for me because my needs are not in that area.

Bottom line is, you cannot go wrong with this unit as long as you know what its limitations are. If you want a gaming laptop with gobs of memory and a sick video card for Halo 3 or whatnot, this is not the laptop for you. If you want an ultraportable solution for basic business needs then the Asus Eee will very pleasantly surprise you. It comes with its own carrying case and when you walking with it, it looks like are carrying a small satchel not a laptop. It is such a stealth unit its really great. It is so portable and so easy to carry that you can take it many more places than you would a traditional laptop. Instead of a 6 pound laptop with a huge bag and shoulder straps that dig into your side, you have a paperback size unit that goes anywhere anytime.

The Asus Eee is my favorite device. I highly recommend it to anyone with a portable computing need. Specifically though, I would not recommend it as a full time use home computer unless the user is a child or an older person with reduced needs. It is an excellent portable second computer but is underpowered for home needs for most people. That being said, go out and get one, people! Asus has a winner here. It is a groundbreaking device, and maybe years from now will be on display at the Smithsonian. By then, laptops will come with 1TB flash drives, and 4GB of RAM will be standard (I hope). Take care and I hope this review was helpful to your buying decision.