Asus Eee Pc

[endure]

Want to see the ultimate modded eee? Take a look at this!

[monty]

Neat, I would love to have the bluetooth inside!

Probably won't be long before I break open mine

[Tywais]

An update on my eee. Decided, after a lot of reading, to re-flash my BIOS to the Taiwanese 0511 revision. Went without a hitch. Screen brightness (and contrast) is significantly brighter (seems much easier to read now), CPU-Z now reports 900MHz (100MHz Bus speed - 400MHz FSB), temperature monitoring CPU shows 53 degrees versus 51-52 degrees at 630MHz. BIOS now gives you the option to choose Performance mode or Efficiency (battery life) mode.

So far it is perfectly stable, everything works and definitely faster but haven't run formal tests yet. Highly recommend not to use the 8804 BIOS - too many reported problems but so far none with the 0511. The only issue reported is not being able to step back down to the 0401 BIOS but will probably be a hack to allow that in the near future.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not recommending everybody jump into this BIOS update unless they are comfortable with the idea.

[stumonster]

can you emulate a CD/DVD on the unit ? then mount an image ?

[Tywais]

can you emulate a CD/DVD on the unit ? then mount an image ?

Any standard XP CD emulation application can do this. I use PowerISO myself but "Daemon Tools" is considered very good also.

[Taggart]

Neat, I would love to have the bluetooth inside!

Probably won't be long before I break open mine

If I ever get an Asus Eee, I would go the easy route of just buying a bluetooth USB adapter. Otherwise, for sure I would end up breaking the laptop.

[endure]

An update on my eee. Decided, after a lot of reading, to re-flash my BIOS to the Taiwanese 0511 revision. Went without a hitch. Screen brightness (and contrast) is significantly brighter (seems much easier to read now), CPU-Z now reports 900MHz (100MHz Bus speed - 400MHz FSB), temperature monitoring CPU shows 53 degrees versus 51-52 degrees at 630MHz. BIOS now gives you the option to choose Performance mode or Efficiency (battery life) mode.

Any links to the reading or the BIOS download please?

[Tywais]

Any links to the reading or the BIOS download please?

Here is information on the BIOSes > eeeuser

As for downloading, there may be licensing issues and as such can't post a direct link here. Either Google for it or PM me for more info.

[LivinLOS]

Right now, the biggest crutch of the EEEpc is the screen. If they could just make it bigger, meaning they take away the black side bevel, then it would be much, much better. A resolution of 1024x600 would be much less limiting than the current one, which won't fit many web pages, let alone dialog boxes. I'll definitely buy one for my niece when it comes out, along with an external slim DVD writer. Otherwise, it's not practical enough IMHO. Cute, lightweight, intriguing, but not practical.

1024x600 is the absolute min that makes me interested (I lived with libretto 800x480 maybe 8 years ago and wont buy that now).. Really 1280x720p on a 10 inch is probably my min.. Anything other than that leaves it too limited for what I would use..

Of course each to thier own, I love the concept, can live with low processor etc, but need a better (bigger) screen size.

[Taggart]

Anyone encountered problems connecting a printer to the Asus Eee? I've heard this can be a problem if your printer doesn't support Postscript (whatever that is). I don't figure my trusty ten year old Canon bubblejet is going to work with this laptop.

[Tywais]

Anyone encountered problems connecting a printer to the Asus Eee? I've heard this can be a problem if your printer doesn't support Postscript (whatever that is). I don't figure my trusty ten year old Canon bubblejet is going to work with this laptop.

I don't see how that can be an issue except that the eee does not have a LPT printer port and your printer has to have USB connectivity which most if not all do now. Any limitations will not be the machine but the operating system and/or drivers. Postscript is not that special, just a printer language that the printer has to recognize. Else, just install whatever drivers for XP that are needed for your printer.

However, after saying this, postscript is common in linux/unix systems and perhaps they are referring to the version of Linux (Xandros) that comes with the eee. In that case, I don't have an answer for you but to do a search for your specific printer and linux drivers.

[Taggart]

Anyone encountered problems connecting a printer to the Asus Eee? I've heard this can be a problem if your printer doesn't support Postscript (whatever that is). I don't figure my trusty ten year old Canon bubblejet is going to work with this laptop.

I don't see how that can be an issue except that the eee does not have a LPT printer port and your printer has to have USB connectivity which most if not all do now. Any limitations will not be the machine but the operating system and/or drivers. Postscript is not that special, just a printer language that the printer has to recognize. Else, just install whatever drivers for XP that are needed for your printer.

However, after saying this, postscript is common in linux/unix systems and perhaps they are referring to the version of Linux (Xandros) that comes with the eee. In that case, I don't have an answer for you but to do a search for your specific printer and linux drivers.

Hi Tywais,

I'm only going by what this blog says:

"One potential problem is the lack of printer support. Asus attempts to solve this by building in a PostScript driver, but not all printers support PostScript. Check that yours does before you buy."

Another blog a few days ago said they couldn't get their printer connected to the Eee either. Can't find that blog anymore.

XP? I'm still using 2000 Pro on my old desktop. I'm a slow converter.

[endure]

I think they were talking about the difficulty of getting printer drivers for Xandros. I'm not a Linuxer but driver availability seems to be one of the problems with it.

[bill1960]

So it seems the 8.9" Eee PC wont be released until mid 2008

What other affordable notebooks are available with the following options

8-12'screen

SSD

Windows compatable

less than $1000

I want something that can endure motorcycle touring

[tigerbeer]

So it seems the 8.9" Eee PC wont be released until mid 2008

What other affordable notebooks are available with the following options

8-12'screen

SSD

Windows compatable

less than $1000

I want something that can endure motorcycle touring

i saw this one in malaysia. RM1699 amounts to approx THB17,000. very very nice laptop. a sure contender for asus eee pricewise. not sure about the availability of it in thailand though. also it has a HDD instead of SSD.

[Firefoxx]

Umm, which one, tigerbeer? Methinks you forgot a link.

The snatch here is SSD. There are plenty of 12" (or less) windows notebooks out there that aren't expensive, but scant few that use SSD, since it's so expensive (the EEEpc gets away with it since it includes so little). For example the Compaq 1227 is a 12" notebook, costs around 25k baht, 1.8KG weight.

[tigerbeer]

Umm, which one, tigerbeer? Methinks you forgot a link.

The snatch here is SSD. There are plenty of 12" (or less) windows notebooks out there that aren't expensive, but scant few that use SSD, since it's so expensive (the EEEpc gets away with it since it includes so little). For example the Compaq 1227 is a 12" notebook, costs around 25k baht, 1.8KG weight.

sorry about that FF, here is the link: Twinhead

Firefoxx, the thing it that small notebooks are more pricey that the normal ones. thats why i mentioned the Twinhead which is sub 20k. And it is small with a 10" screen and 1280x600 px. but yeah is comes with a HDD instead of a SSD.

[bill1960]

Umm, which one, tigerbeer? Methinks you forgot a link.

The snatch here is SSD. There are plenty of 12" (or less) windows notebooks out there that aren't expensive, but scant few that use SSD, since it's so expensive (the EEEpc gets away with it since it includes so little). For example the Compaq 1227 is a 12" notebook, costs around 25k baht, 1.8KG weight.

sorry about that FF, here is the link: Twinhead

Firefoxx, the thing it that small notebooks are more pricey that the normal ones. thats why i mentioned the Twinhead which is sub 20k. And it is small with a 10" screen and 1280x600 px. but yeah is comes with a HDD instead of a SSD.

Thanks, the twinhead looks like a good deal but I prefer a SSD for the bike.

Going by the talk coming out of the recent CES, it seems large capacity SSD's will slowly replace HDD's in ultra portable notebooks, say in the next 2 years, and become more affordable.

[Firefoxx]

Actually I wasn't disagreeing with you, but saying that finding a notebook that has the specs required by bill would be easy, except for the SSD part. The general rule is that for the top-tier brands (Sony, Fujitsu, etc) smaller=$$$$, but the cheaper brands are coming out with very affordable 12" notebooks. Example would be the Dell Vostro and the Compaq 1227 that I mentioned. If you go even cheaper, like Synnex, they had ultra cheap notebooks around 4 years ago.

[Pattaya46]

Hi,

But I think that Bill forgot 1 point in its requirement list : the weight.

The Asus is less than 1 kg when the Compac is nearly 2 : You can't compare them.

Weight is very important if you really want a mobile computer.

Pattaya46

[Firefoxx]

Weight normally corresponds to screen size. The Asus is 7", a bit cramped for many people, but that means it can be small and light. A 12" notebook, OTOH, can weigh from 1.3-1.8 KG (the Compaq is actually 1.8, not 2kg), but it has a lot of increased functionality. At the other end of the spectrum are 20" laptops, which weigh up to 5kg.

Weight affects portability, but different people have different tolerances for weight. The standard size for notebooks these days is around 14", which weighs around 2.3-2.5kg, and these are the ones that sell the most. Of course, others would prefer to not carry around anything, so even 1kg is too much for them.

Also, it's not really a comparison. It was a reply to a request for a notebook within certain specs.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Firefoxx

[tigerbeer]

Weight normally corresponds to screen size. The Asus is 7", a bit cramped for many people, but that means it can be small and light. A 12" notebook, OTOH, can weigh from 1.3-1.8 KG (the Compaq is actually 1.8, not 2kg), but it has a lot of increased functionality. At the other end of the spectrum are 20" laptops, which weigh up to 5kg.

Weight affects portability, but different people have different tolerances for weight. The standard size for notebooks these days is around 14", which weighs around 2.3-2.5kg, and these are the ones that sell the most. Of course, others would prefer to not carry around anything, so even 1kg is too much for them.

Also, it's not really a comparison. It was a reply to a request for a notebook within certain specs.

firefoxx you are absolutely right. i was initially juggling with the thought of instead buying a cheap laptop. but reckoned that it would not be as portable as the asus is. sub 20k laptops are normally the heavy ones i think. or at least the perception i got. anyways the asus suits my needs for a lot more stuff on the "entertainment" side of my computing life

plus quite a sturdy built and high quality. nice little gadget.

i did go to malaysia last week and was shocked to see that they have raised the price of these asus eee pc for the 4G model from RM1,299 to RM1,499. according to some sales people there, after telling them what the prices are in thailand, they insist that most of them just got the initial 200 units for a "special price". also went to the cheapest place to get IT products and found that the price of a DDRII 667 1Gig RAM is RM65 there which I thought was extremely cheap. went the my favorite IT center here in Chiang Mai and it was selling at THB650 which is approx the same price!. i guess i'll stick to shopping for electronics in Thailand which I have thought have been cheaper to neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

TB

[LivinLOS]

Has anyone seen one on display or for sale on Phuket yet ??

I want to go and actually hold one..

Trying to decide if I was a 12 inch 'real' laptop or a ultra portable again (after the screen update).. I owned and loved a libretto for years so am quite sold on the idea but will be my only travelling laptop so also a bit cool due to that.. Would be an ideal second weekender machine.

[steffi]

Has anybody gone the whole hog and installed Leopard on it yet? I know it's possible as there are folks and sites out there that have done it.

Has anyone seen one on display or for sale on Phuket yet ??

I want to go and actually hold one..

Trying to decide if I was a 12 inch 'real' laptop or a ultra portable again (after the screen update).. I owned and loved a libretto for years so am quite sold on the idea but will be my only travelling laptop so also a bit cool due to that.. Would be an ideal second weekender machine.

[endure]

If anyone in the UK wants memory for their eee 7dayshop are selling 2GB sodimms for £27 inclusive.

[tigerbeer]

If anyone in the UK wants memory for their eee 7dayshop are selling 2GB sodimms for £27 inclusive.

i still have the original BIOS and 512MB ram. If I wanted to upgrade it, what kind of RAM would I need to go for? and how can I change it myself?

TB

[Tywais]

If anyone in the UK wants memory for their eee 7dayshop are selling 2GB sodimms for £27 inclusive.

i still have the original BIOS and 512MB ram. If I wanted to upgrade it, what kind of RAM would I need to go for? and how can I change it myself?

You need DDR2 667MHz SoDIMM (standard notebook memory). Very easy to change. Place the notebook on its face and on the back there is a lid and a single screw holding it. Just remove the screw then the plate and you will see the memory module on top. It rotates up slightly and slide it out. Put the new one in and close it up.

The screw will be covered by a small seal but ASUS back peddled about warranty issues after receiving many complaints about this. So warranty is still valid.

Here is an example 1GB 690Baht> http://www.tohome.com/product_detail.aspx?..._id=20060800083

[tigerbeer]

If anyone in the UK wants memory for their eee 7dayshop are selling 2GB sodimms for £27 inclusive.

i still have the original BIOS and 512MB ram. If I wanted to upgrade it, what kind of RAM would I need to go for? and how can I change it myself?

You need DDR2 667MHz SoDIMM (standard notebook memory). Very easy to change. Place the notebook on its face and on the back there is a lid and a single screw holding it. Just remove the screw then the plate and you will see the memory module on top. It rotates up slightly and slide it out. Put the new one in and close it up.

The screw will be covered by a small seal but ASUS back peddled about warranty issues after receiving many complaints about this. So warranty is still valid.

Here is an example 1GB 690Baht> http://www.tohome.com/product_detail.aspx?..._id=20060800083

thank you much tywais

[diggers]

Still no sign of the 8gig EEE in bangkok yet, anyone?

the bigger higher res screen is WELL worth waiting for IMHO, but I just cant wait til mid year or later, however I can wait a few weeks for the 8gig.... anyone seen it yet?

[LivinLOS]

As I said back in the thread.. A higher rez screen was bound to happen.. But would certainly cause more than a few people to delay and wait, hence why asus made out no such thing was going to come.

Even the announced screen is a tough call for me.. I think a 1280x800 would be perfect for the size device..