Review of Asus Linux-Based Eee PC 701

Bongo Bob writes "CNET.co.uk has up a review of the Asus Eee PC 701 that runs Linux. According to the reviewer. 'It's hard to fault the Eee PC, mainly because of its price. It can be difficult to use because of the cramped keyboard, but it's better than similar-sized laptops like the Toshiba Libretto. If you're in the market for a second PC, or looking for something you can take with you almost anywhere, the Eee PC is definitely worth buying.'"

Re:Asus Eee PC 701 vs. Alphasmart Neo

[MBHkewl]

Do you really use a laptop to just type" nowadays?

You're more likely to have a copy online (GMail?), to keep it in a safe place, and/or share it with certain people. So, the wifi comes in handy.
Having a general purpose tool is better than a restricted one, especially when they come at the same price.

Then again, you might have issues with the keyboard.

Not that good value now

[reclusivemonkey]

I saw the news about this a while back before it was released. However I was recently bought a laptop by my sister for £300 from Tescos here in the UK. Its a Gateway ML3108b [gateway.com] and runs Linux just fine (although the soundcard doesn't seem to work). When you look at the price of fully fledged laptops now, this doesn't seem much of a deal.

Re:Not that good value now

[mrbill1234]

I think the issue here is the size of the Eee, not the features. You won't find something of the Eee's side for that price.

This and the OLPC are going start a revolution

[DrXym]

The Asus EEE is the perfect device for using on planes, coffee shops, lecture halls, holidays etc. It has a decent suite of apps, has wifi, can (in theory) run anything Linux has to offer, it's tiny and it's very, very cheap. I imagine you could even use one of this on an airline tray which is impressive in itself.

The price is also important. It sucks if it gets dropped or stolen but not as much as if it happened to a Vaio costing 4x as much. I expect people will be tossing these eee devices into backpacks rather than hauling around enormous laptop cases. If I were Microsoft I would be very scared by the trend these ultracheap laptops will start. Not only do they demonstrate that Windows is not a necessity, they'll act as a wedge for Firefox, OpenOffice, and Linux too.

The same applies to the OLPC assuming they produce a commercial variant. They really should since I predict there is a lot of money to be made if they did.

Re:Student market

[afroborg]

Hmm - despite the fact that this is no longer true with current wear-levelling techniques, you could quite easily compile to a RAM disk if you were really all that worried.

Re:Travel computer

[Skuldo]

I just typed that into Google and bingo:
http://www.google.com/search?q=battery+powered+usb+dvd+drive [google.com]

Re:Too bad it has Xandros aboard

[westlake]

The day you sell the Eee PC without a preloaded distro

The day a retailer tries to sell a laptop without an OEM system install is the day they go bankrupt.

The Geek can play Roulette with distros that may or may not support his hardware out-of-the box. The rest of us can't afford to gamble hundreds of dollars on the chance that we can probably get this thing to work.

The day the hardware manufacturer ignores Microsoft [Q1 revenues up 25%] is the day they go bankrupt.

Re:Not through the nose

[aurispector]

"And it is enough to start the revolution"

The unique thing is these three things in one package: price, size and linux. My luggable-not-portable inspiron 1200 filled the "cheap" niche but loses on size and was only available with xp.

This thing just might be wildly popular if it turns out to be as great as it looks. If it is, the overall price of pc's and laptops in particular ought to be dragged down. Linux gets a free boost since non-linux users attracted to the package will give it a try and undoubtedly like it. The ultraportability makes it obvious that you CAN'T expect it to run heavy duty apps - it's a web surfing/email box.

Out of the box, it will do what it was obviously designed to do and please almost everyone. I sincerely doubt many current non-linux users will really care about the lack of Windows once they see how well it works.

I also hope is ships soon as it's really annoying to have to keep emptying this drool bucket.

CNet is just embarassing

[ealar dlanvuli]

"The Eee PC is theoretically fast enough to run Windows XP, which is great news for those of us without beards."

This is not the quote of a professional review. This is what I would expect to read in a slashdot post written by a astroturfer or a troll. CNet has become increasingly worse, but now I think it may have jumped the shark into tabloid land. I can't believe any competent editor allowed this drivel through, and even worse a professional writer thought it was acceptable if it wasn't put there by one of the editors.

I think it might be time for /. to stop linking to CNet. At least, ones with Rory Reid, Jason Jenkins, and Shannon Doubleday involved in any way.

Sean

Humour impaired much?

[Anonymous Coward]

All sorts of professionals use humour in their work, even those working in far more serious, far more dangerous lines of work (eg. doctors who dress in funny clothes when working with children, pilots who tell jokes over the intercom to put passengers at ease). If you are so humour impaired as to not understand that there is room for a bit of humour in nearly all lines of work, please try to stop being such an emotionless robot and join the rest of us out here in the real world.

Re:CNet is just embarassing

[Spacezilla]

Jeez, it's a joke, lighten up! If you're going to go through your entire life being insulted that easily, you're in for a rough ride and you're going to be missing out on a lot of fun!

Re:...but will it run Vista?

[IHateEverybody]

But can it perform cunnilingus on a hardwood floor?

You'll need a Roomba for that job.