Mobile blogging from the coffee shop: this time straight from a visit to the local PC Club store in Mesa, Arizona. Under the glass was a new Asus Eee and the workers let me play with it for a bit and we discussed mobile tech. Extra special thanks to the guys at PC Club for the time they spent with me.
The photos are side by side with a Nokia N810 for size comparison.
First Impressions:
- Small and light. Really.
- The shiny white plastic and larger-than-normal screen bezel may give a toy-like first impression, but the OS and interface are all about real mobility.
- I had a little difficulty with the touch pad initially. Maybe my fingers are too dry.
- The built-in apps respond faster than I expected.
- No Bluetooth. That made me sad.
- The most feature packed featherweight for $400.
12 comments:
The Eee looks like a Nokia Nxxx killer. There's a ton of reviews out already, and they are highly, highly positive overall.
I've loved my N800, but I can see its days are numbered.
I disagree, Jerry. The N800's new price point and smaller size have a wholly different audience than the Eee. The N810, while more expensive, is MUCH smaller and has Bluetooth, GPS, and a sunlight readable display. Again: Different audience.
Thoughtfix, the market I was thinking of is the first-time tablet buyer -- the one who probably isn't a geek and really doesn't know which "audience" he/she belongs to. The allure of the Eee will be the bigger screen, a real (albeit small) keyboard, USB ports, an ethernet port, an external monitor port, a decent webcam, OpenOffice, Firefox, etc. And it's all protected in a hard case.
I erred, however: The real comparison should be with the N810 only, since they're about the same price (I think). I was poised to sell my N800 and get the N810 -- and then the Eee came along.
Thanks for listening.
@Jerry: Can you put the Eee in your pocket? I don't think so.
Even if the first-time tablet buyer doesn't know which "audience" he/she belongs to, that persons knows what is looking for. Some people would need a real pc to travel with most of the time and some would need a device that can go with you everytime, everywhere.
OLPC is a choice (on sale today now for two weeks - really good battery life and advanced Dual Mode screen with total sunlight usable feature, and MESH Networking that is really cool stuff)
Nokia N810 is a choice (albiet I don't need or want to pay for the GPS, but I want one with that keyboard, but need it to connect to ethernet by USB to RJ-45 cable, would like SD card slot, would like longer battery life, and would like a subtract the GPS cost pricing that makes sense in the $300 range as it does not have 512 MB of user upgradable RAM, does not have JAVA working correctly yet as installed, but we shall see what they have done with JAVA when it hits the stores, and they need a full size bluetooth keyboard included in the basic purchase price). No Mesh Networking. Can't use USB ports for external HD or keyboard, but again we need to wait until the final N810 is on the shelves to test that out.
The Eee PC has everything that I want, but it does not have the OLPC's amazing battery life, in fact battery life, as tested by reviewers is only about 2.5 to 3 hours, it does not have dual mode sunlight usable screen, and it does not have MESH Networking. I love the size, I love the external VGA port, I will be putting Ubuntu on it, I will be putting Thunderbird with a few modifications of that are described below:
http://www.linux.com/articles/53463
" Turn Thunderbird into a collaboration tool
By default, Thunderbird doesn't have a calendar, and it lacks the ability to synchronise data between multiple clients. However, the Calendar plugin combined with the SyncKolab extension can fill the void. You also need an IMAP account, which SyncKolab uses to synchronise the contacts and calendar data. You can either use a local Kolab server or an IMAP email account; the latter option is probably easier".
PS - Quanta the maker of the following laptops OLPC, Dell, HP, Acer, etc.. has announced a "commercial" version of OLPC and hopefully they make it small with all the features like Eee PC has, and hopefully it includes the wonderful battery life, the dual mode sunlight readable screen, and Mesh networking (that also works with WiFI, like the OLPC does).
I'm actually considering both the Eee PC and the N800, so I don't think it has a wholly different audience. While the form factors are very different, the use cases aren't. I already have a very good laptop (Lenovo T60), but as a student I carry it around all day. I'd love to have something lighter weight, so both units appeal for that reason. The N810 is just too expensive at this point for me to consider it. I think I am leaning more towards the N800, since I already have a laptop and would probably still need to carry it around to do real work on (SAS/Stata programming, for example). I guess I could see myself reading from the N800 on the bus, but wouldn't ever pull out the Asus Eee PC on the bus--so that might be the deciding factor.
I have tried to understand why people are comparing both devices (the Eee and Nokia N8xx) as if they are more or less the same.
For me, an Internet Tablet, is a small device with a excellent screen capable of displaying webpages (without the need of scrolling all the time). The is the basic and most important requirement.
*** Small - Excellent screen - Easy browsing ***
I cannot image taking an Eee with me to a pub, to the cinema, to a diner, ...
I definately take the Internet Tablet with me, just because it's wearable !
Cheers, Jan
ps. for stuff that requires more than a tablet, I just use my pc of portable ;-)
I cannot understand that people compare both devices, the Asus Eee and the Nokia N8xx, since it are totally different
We compare the N810 and the Eee PC because they are approximately the same price. If wearability/pocketability is your primary criterion, then sure, you might prefer the N810. But since the Eee PC *is* an ultramobile device, most people would prefer its vastly greater functionality. Much more bang for the buck! Why wouldn't you take it to the pub or a diner? Maybe you think you it's larger than it is? Check the specs!
Presently a N800 owner with bluetooth keyboard...leaning also towards the Eee solely because of the bigger screen. I get eye-strain after more than a couple minutes of typing with the N800 screen...old age and all that.
Will wait till they come out in black though, don't like the white plastic color.
Umm... Jerry, what is your definition of an "ultra-mobile" device ? If the Eee is one then then Nxxx's are "super-mega-ultra-mobile" devices.
The Eee is a SMALL, CHEAP laptop. Period.
It tries to split the ground between compact laptops and pocket-able devices like the Nokias.
I agree with Jan. If I need to do anything more then an N800/N810 allows, then I *need* a laptop.
Thoughtfix introduced this discussion of the Eee PC right here on the UltraMobileGeek blog, and I think it's an appropriate description. I just don't understand the resistance to this new in-between device category. We have a rapidly growing spectrum of devices to choose from, and I think that's a good thing!
By the way, I am NOT a Nokia basher, in case you're wondering. As I said at the beginning, I love my N800 for what it is. But in the N810 price category, I think the Eee PC will appeal to more buyers.
I don't think they're the same, but I don't either think they have a wholly different audience. I also don't think the eee gives more for the buck, it just give different stuff: more power, bigger screen, bigger keyboard but no gps , no sunlight readable display... etc. The biggest difference, imho, is that you can use the Nxxx without sitting down, but at the same time you can use the eee keyboard on your lap while you probably need a desk to use a bluetooth keyboard.
Last but not least: NOTHING will EVER beat a Psion5mx ;-)
Esoel
Post a Comment