The One Laptop Per Child XO laptop may be getting lots of attention as the Give 1, Get 1 program is set to begin. But the Asus Eee PC, designed for kids and older, novice PC users is garnering very good early reviews. Laptop Magazine says the $400 Linux-OS PC is versatile and easy to use. It’s not meant to go head-to-head with bargain Windows-based laptops. It’s meant to be a simple-to-use PC for surfing the web, making Skype calls, and writing and saving some work documents. Unlike the OLPC XO laptop and the Intel Classmate, which are designed to provide children in the developing world with access to computers, Asus is selling the Eee PC to one and all.
Some key features:
• Tabbed interface that offers six simple, clear options: Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings, and Favorites.
• 7-inch, 800×480-pixel display; 4GB flash hard drive
• Recognizes peripherals well, including keyboards, mice, and cameras, and displays well when hooked up to an external monitor
• Internet area launches the Firefox browser, Skype, Wikipedia, and instant messaging programs, including AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, and MSN.
• OpenOffice.org 2.0’s work apps, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. All can be saved on a USB drive and worked with on a Windows PC. There’s also a file-manager utility, a PDF reader, a Notes app, and a Thunderbird email client.
| |
Asus Eee PC 4G |
Average for mainstream category |
| Video |
VGA-out |
VGA-out, S-video |
| Audio |
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data |
3 USB 2.0, SD card reader |
4 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, mulitformat memory card reader |
| Expansion |
None |
PC Card slot |
| Networking |
Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi |
Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth |
| Optical drive |
None |
DVD burner |
CNET editors’ review
The good: Small, light, and inexpensive; solid-state hard drive is fast and efficient; well-thought-out preinstalled software package.
The bad: Cramped keyboard; very little hard drive space; low screen resolution.
The bottom line: For less than $400, the Asus Eee PC 4G offers an impressive package for portable Web surfing and basic productivity, as long as you keep expectations tempered. The incredibly approachable price outweighs any shortcomings; it’s a near perfect choice for a highly portable second or backup laptop.
source @ YahooTech @ CNet
With its leather-clad palm rest, this 2.7-pound laptop is a good choice, but it lacks an integrated optical DVD burner drive.