Asus Eee PC First Thoughts

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The Asus Eee PC 701 notebook was officially announced at the beginning of June at Computex Taipei. Today I met with Asus to get a close-up look at this new device and talk more about the company's goals with it. If Asus really can pull off selling this device for $250, it could be a very tempting companion PC for on the go.

First of all, here's a quick look at the specs the Asus Eee offers:

• Display: 7&quot;
• Processor: Intel mobile CPU (Intel 910 chipset, 900MHz Dothan Pentium M)
• Memory: 512MB RAM
• OS: Linux (Asus customized flavor)
• Storage: 8GB or 16GB flash hard drive
• Webcam: 300K pixel video camera
• Battery life: 3 hours using 4-cell battery
• Weight: 2lbs
• Dimensions: 8.9 in x 6.5 in x 0.82 in - 1.37 in (width x depth x thickness)
• Ports: 3 USB ports, 1 VGA out, SD card reader, modem, Ethernet, headphone out, microphone in

What bootup?

The Asus Eee before it's turned on (view large image)

The startup time for the Eee is about 10 seconds, and that's when it's being slow. Shutdown is performed with the simple one click of an &quot;off&quot; icon in the lower right hand of the screen (this &quot;off&quot; graphic is always present) and the total shutdown time is a whopping 5 seconds. We've all been ruined by slow hard drives and a bloated Windows OS I know, but I felt kind of giddy with glee seeing such fast startup and shutdown.

After you push the power button on the right hand side, this is the opening screen that pops up after less than 10 seconds (view large image)

The Asus Eee uses a Linux based OS that Asus has customized themselves. Combine a small Linux footprint OS with a flash based hard drive and what results is this speedy startup that the device has. Just because the OS is light doesn't mean it doesn't do much. There's a ton of software features on board that will most definitely serve all of your basic needs. You can browse the web using FireFox, use Skype with the built-in web cam and microphone, open Word and Excel docs and edit them, view photos, listen to music files, use AOL IM, MSN messenger or just about any other major chat client via Kopete. In other words, all the basic functions you perform on a PC you can do on the Eee PC.

Shut down takes 5-seconds (view large image)

Performance

You already know the bootup time is fast, and I'm happy to say that not once did I ever see an hour glass (or, whatever might indicate &quot;waiting&quot; in this Linux OS) when opening an application. Everything was just instant. Apparently the included Intel 900MHz processor is powerful enough. Unfortunately we didn't have a wireless connection handy when using the device, so I couldn't test the devices abilities to quickly download and process web pages. It is 802.11g capable so I trust throughput speeds would be fast, the question is on how fast the processor can render large web pages.

Software and OS

The home screen is very simple and intuitive. You bootup and see the &quot;Internet&quot; tab where you can quickly double click on any icon there to open an application related to the Internet. Double clicking on &quot;Web&quot; launches FireFox for instance. There are six different tabs across the top labeled &quot;Web&quot;, &quot;Work&quot;, &quot;Learn&quot;, &quot;Play&quot;, &quot;Settings&quot; and Favorites. Each tab had applications or links to websites underneath that corresponded with the description. For instance under the work tab were Google docs or Open office applications. Under the &quot;Learn&quot; tab was a link to Wikipedia -- often some of the icons when double clicked would just launch websites.

A look at the &quot;Work&quot; area tab (view large image)

There were some pretty intense games under the &quot;Play&quot; tab, I can attest Penguin Racer ran flawlessly and Solitaire was blazing.

Viewing photos on the Eee (view large image)

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Usability

The keyboard is definitely small and takes some getting used to, I initially found that pecking at keys was faster than doing a normal style fast type. It's just hard not to fat finger the wrong key or two keys at once, even if you have medium sized fingers. The keyboard also had a bit of rattle and shake to it, but it definitely worked for getting the job done. Nobody will use this as their main PC, but if you're at Starbucks and want to surf the web and crank out a few emails, the keyboard is absolutely serviceable for that. I wouldn't write my disseration or anything on it though, you're just asking for carpal tunnel by doing that.

The touchpad worked fine and the single button mouse was easy enough to use, there's no need for a right mouse button in this software environment.

Screen

The screen is no 300nit glossy display, but it's absolutely serviceable. Brightness is perfect and coloration is decent.

(view large image)

Ports and Features

I was most impressed to see three USB ports on this thing, and at the same time even more angry that my 14&quot; screen notebook that cost $2,000 only has two USB ports. In a notebook with a 7&quot; screen, what more could you want than what you see is offered below?

Ethernet, Modem, USB port and then headphone and microphone jack (view large image)

SD card slot, 2 USB hubs, VGA out (view large image)

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Any noise and heat?

On the whole the Asus Eee was very quiet thanks to the flash drive, but it does have a fan and it did make a bit of noise trying to keep itself cool. We were in a very, very warm room (about 80F) during the meeting so the Eee got noticeably warm. If the room temperature was something more sane like 70F then I would expect the Eee would feel much cooler to the touch.

(view large image)

Build and Design

To be honest Asus could have made this thing as ugly as the OLPC (bright green) and it would still be appealing for $250. But as it is there's not much to complain about with design. It's white all over with some black around the screen. It's not glossy or anything fancy, but that means it won't pickup fingerprints either. The LED lights on the front are actually nice.

(view large image)

The build is as you would expect for a budget $250 PC, a little shaky. It felt and looked like plastic and if this thing were stepped on I'm sure the result would not be pretty. Having said that, it didn't feel like it was made of something as thin as milk jug plastic. You'd probably want to just put it in a rigid case if you were carrying it in a backpack with a bunch of books, I'm sure a Calculus and Biology book smashed up against it could also have bad results.

Price and Availability

Asus had initially said that the Eee PC would start at $199, but they're thinking now is more like $250 for the 8GB flash drive version and somewhat more for a 16GB version. They're still looking at late August for availability of the device, and it should be offered world-wide. I hope Asus can do a good job in making this device widely available, it's really quite compelling for the price and it will be interesting to see what type of people look to buy this.

** UPDATE **

See our initial Video Review of the Asus Eee PC 701 posted on 10/25/2007 by clicking here

 

Thanks for the new insight on the Asus EEE.

Can't wait to scoop one of these up.

 

Oohh la la

 

very nice...any news/specs on the 10" version.

video of the Eee PC!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFLJJw6WRqM

 

nice little lappy. It would be very good if you could install Windows on to the system. Does it have an optical drive ?

 

It will support Windows XP as Asus will provide the appropriate drivers.

You don't need an optical drive to install operating systems or software. You can use bootable USB thumb drives and CD images instead.

 

Is there a terminal access on it?
Would it be possible to install Java... JRE, JDK?

 

is this the laptop that was made for third world countries?

 

Thanks for the review.

Great little gift for friends and family. Especially for kids.

 

Excellent write-up Andrew

I was sold on the EEE PC a month ago. You could tell me almost anything negative about and I would still buy it. It's so inexpensive I almost feel obligated to hand over my money.

 

Thanks for the review! I'll probably pick up one of these when they become available.

 

Will it play hd movies

 

Looks amazing...

You know what...we forget how much Microsoft and their software has gotten so so bloated over the years...

Without good tweaking, a new machine can be brought to its knees by the OS...

The other day, I tried Linux on a relatively weak laptop, and was blown away how fast everything was...super responsive, pretty much zero delays...reminded me of the good ol' Windows 3.1 days, when things were just quick!

I would love it if Google could make an open-source version of Linux with high-compatibility for hardware...I personally think with a strong name, and serious credibility, it could totally take off and give Microsoft a run for their money...

I mean, look at Vista, have you ever seen so much bloat in all your life???

Anyways, sorry for the off-topic, but I hope this thing really takes off!

 

WOW, that looks amazing!

I was looking into getting a Sony Vaio TZ90 for about 10X the price, and this will probably preform just as well for what I'd need it for.

I know it's pending to change before the public release, but do you know how much space the OS and software take up out of the box?

The OS looked very simplified, which is perfect for it's purpose, but is it actually watered down, or is it a fully accessable OS? Can one download software as one would with any linux distro? or should more advanced users be looking at installing a different linux OS manually?

Edit: nevermind, I looks like there are 2 display modes, "easy", the one displayed, and a more standard KDE environment.


I wish the screen were a little more "filling" for the case, but for the price, I certainly can't complain.

I think ASUS has made an incredibly good looking machine regardless of the price, if they truly can sell these to the public for $200-250 with a 16GB drive, I'll be amazed.

Well, All Linux distros are open source already, and most of them, especially the more "mainstream" ones have fantastic hardware compatibility. Although, I do agree that if Google did something like say, partner with Ubuntu, it could shove Linux OS's into the spotlight and really put some pressure on Microsoft (and apple too. OSX is nice and all, and it IS based off unix, but it could still be much better).

 

Only issue I have with it is the low battery life and screen. Should have moved the speakers and fit a bigger screen in there, I hate that fat black space around it. Or was it to keep costs down?

It looks only a little bit smaller than the 11.1" Asus S6 pink laptop its sitting on in that one picture. Looks like its the size of a 10" notebook to me then.

And of course it will run Windows XP, the Windows key is on the keyboard! ; )

Wait, the other downside is that it won't come out fast enough, I want it now!!! I am so getting two when they come out, one for me and my little brother! This is going to be a hit! : D

I also wonder how upgradable it is, especially regards to storage, what type of storage does it use, aside from flash that we know of? A CF microdrive?

 

Nice gadget for the money. It is better than those iThings, and especially better than that outrages priced iPhone.

 

That is kind of sad, that this fully functional pc is about half the price of a phone.

 

Kinda cool wish it was faster kinda. Or at least ran ubuntu.


I run ubuntu on a 2.6 Celeron and a 1.4 Celeron 256 Ram. Both run great. Im sure a Pentum M 900mhz is as good as a 1.4 Celeron M

 

I will be getting one for sure. Anyone know if they will be available in Taiwan early? I will be visiting soon.

 

Apples and oranges

 

This thing loooks awesome. If it is hackable enough (can get Ubuntu on it successfully and totally functional) then it is a perfect companion pc...a tiny pc for less then the price of some pdas which run at much slower speeds and don't have that great battery life anyways.

 

You can custom load any Linux distro or Windows version you want.

And Ubuntu Feisty runs great on a 128MB/PIII500MHz, so I'm sure this thing with scream.

 

What's the screen resolution? 800x480 or thereabouts? May be a little cramped for web browsing.

Overall looks like a nice little machine. I'll be interested in seeing what sort of price point it comes in at in North America.

 

it has a cd drive...

 

Actually, I think that Dothan would do OK with XP...not Vista though

 

No, it does not have a built-in optical drive.

There is a terminal access on it yes.

No, that's the OLPC, they actually stated to me they won't be selling it in Africa.


I want one of these to take to coffee shops too, but I'd like it in black, I'm going to see if Asus could customize one for me

 

I did see pictures of a black model.

 

heck for 200 bucks dissassemble it and spray it all black...


I heard rumors that it would be possible to play CS 1.6 on it???
anyone have any insight into this?
I think the main problem is can u get CS to run on linux?

 

There are a couple unanswered questions.

The info on the CPU seems a little sketchy. Some reports say there is ZERO L2 CACHE. Could you please download a utility like HAL device manager to confirm or deny this.

could you open it up to see what kind of SSD it has? could you run some sort of file transfer bench marks?

How Many FPS do you get on penguin racer? Will beryl/compiz work?

 

It'll have 512kb L2 Cache. http://www.intel.com/design/mobile/datashts/316908.htm

3 W TDP with 0.4 W at idle. XD

Thanks to chuck232 for the info.

 

Looking at the specs, it seems Compiz would run on this machine. It uses the 910 chipset, which Beryl/Compiz have been known to run on.

EDIT: Wrong numbers. Oops.

 

I wonder if its possible to put windows on it?

 

Yes, it is. Asus have said XP would run on it. You could try Vista, but...

 

If your a masochist, try running Vista on this by all means. It'd only suck up precious resources and speed and what will it really offer on this tiny machine?

 

i'm in for 1....or 2

 

Andrew,

Thanks for a great hands-on review. I think this is going to be a great "hauling around" NB for many things. I can definitely see being able to use this on the bus, at a cafe with screaming kids running around, or most anyplace where computer real estate is limited. Trying to balance a 14.1" NB on your knees on a bus that starts and stops suddenly is just asking for trouble.

Plus, without the weight of a regular NB, it will be easier to just throw in the briefcase/backpack and carry around. After 6 months of hauling my Asus around, it gets kind of cumbersome. Especially when most of my work involves email, web research, editing Word/Excel docs and finding 5 or 10 minutes here are there is all I need.

Not a notebook or desktop replacement, but it sounds like it will fill the gap between the two quite nicely.

 

Impressive! I want to buy one now!

 

I think the concept of this is excellent - it'll be perfect for educational purposes in schools who don't have a lot of money to shell out probably $600 for a normal laptop - these are cheaper and they'll probably get an educational OEM bonus on top of that, too.

I guess it'll make a great replacement laptop on the spot if your laptop were to be somehow incapacitated or missing.

 

Andrew

Is the SD card reader on it SDHC compatible?

What kind of 3G service will it use?

Will if come with a free version of Crossover (like the home premium version of xandros)?

The Linux distro is a modified version of Xandros, right?

Did ASUS talk about any accessories that they were going to sell for it, like spare batteries, extended capacity batteries (how long will they last), or specially made cases?

What is the max res on the VGA out?

When is ASUS going to release more information about the Eee?

Did ASUS give you any info on the 10in version?

What kind of web storage will it have?

Could you read the screen outside with the sun on it?

Since it comes up so fast, is there anyway to get into the BIOS and change settings?

What kind of warranty will come with it, will they offer an extended warranty?

Will the Eee be sold in stores or will you have to buy them online?

Well thats all the questions I can think of all the top of my head, if you could just answer half of these, I would be most happy

I'm so excited

 

Wow this thing is sexy... it seems perfect except for its 3-hour battery life. If asus made an optional 6-cell with 4+ hours of life then i might just get one. It looks perfect for college.

 

The bottom three screenshots of hothardware's preview of the eee pc a month ago show a Crossover menu, so presumably the final version of the eee pc will also include it: ( http://www.hothardware.com/articles/Hands_on_with_the_ASUS_Eee/?page=2)

 

800x480 could be a painful experience while surfing the internet. I hope this one supports that "virtual resolution" thing like Asus R2H and many other UMPCs.

 

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the great review. Have some questions though -

1. What are the dimensions of the power brick?
2. How heavy is it?
3. How big is the battery? Am assuming it is detachable.

TIA.

 

Hopefully they don't decide on 300$, although I will still get it if they do!

 

Pretty much any Linux GUI system supports virtual resolution.

 

For $250, I will definitely be picking this up. I seriously think my old Latitude C640 is getting ready to crap out on me; it's either the mobo or the hard drive (my money is on the hard drive). This would be the perfect replacement for use on the move and in class every once in a while.

 

At 250$ I'd seriously consider this over anything else in the market for mobility/value , a bigger 10" LED screen ( +50$ ) would make it the ultimate choice .

The start of notebooks turning into a commodity ?

 

I will definitely be picking one of these up. And the $200 model was supposed to have a 4GB flash hard drive, so pricing really isn't that much more expensive.

 

When planning to use Windows on it, don't forget the one button touchpad :/.

Windows key on the keyboard, but one button touchpad... why?

But the rest is really fine! When it comes to germany - one for me pleaz .

 

i predict there will be bottleneck in supply as ive found a lot of interest generated on this little device. Plus Asus is only targetting 200k unit will be sell this year. If they do come in August ( I dont think it will come out in July) this might happen (bottleneck). But if it delayed..well, no wonder they target 200k lol