Review Online

Before I get into the good stuff, though, there are a couple of caveats. I don't think these amount to problems with the device, since they're natural consequences of its design rather than flaws, but they're probably important to note. The main caveat is that I doubt the Eee would be adequate for anyone as a replacement for a full-blown, up-to-date desktop or laptop PC. The screen real estate, storage capacity, and keyboard are all a little too tight for that--a consequence of the unit's small size. As always, choice of a computer is never just about power, though: it's about finding the right balance of features, size, weight, and cost for an individual's particular needs. The second caveat is that if the features you need are ones that the Eee provides out of the box with the pre-installed operating system, it'll certainly work well for you from the moment you turn it on, no worries at all. However, while it's possible to add great flexibility and functionality to the device by adding and tweaking software, you'll need to have or gain a basic working knowledge of the Linux operating system to make that happen, unless you want to buy and install a copy of Windows XP (which opens another can of worms...). The version of Linux that comes pre-installed on the Eee really is fantastic, and any decently intelligent person who's willing to spend some time learning, experimenting, and surfing some user forums online for solutions can learn whatever he/she needs to know in pretty short order. But, if you're not already familiar with Linux, there will be a slight learning curve involved if you want to add software, etc.

What I happened to need was a device that would act as something about halfway between a laptop and a PDA. I'd lugged laptops around before and got sick of dealing with the weight an bulk (even with smaller, lightweight models). They generally supplied plenty of computing power, but many times I'd just opt not to carry the weight around. More recently, I tried a high-end PDA (a Palm Tungsten T5), which was excellent for what it was, and was OK handling a number of pc-ish tasks, such as word processing with a fold-out keyboard. It had two problems, though: the tiny screen made any sustained writing tiresome, and was too small to allow for any fine editing or page design, and the web browser, though it enabled me to access simple email, etc., couldn't handle most web pages easily--especially the portal for the intranet at my work, which I use all the time.

So, what I needed was something that would essentially give me a size and weight comparable to that of a PDA, but give me functionality, especially in terms of word processing and web access, much closer to that of a full laptop. In this niche, the 2gb Eee really shines. So far, with a minimum of tweaking, I've been able to add a number of software solutions for different things, such as mindmapping, note-taking, and web page design (all important to me, since my line of work is academic), and I've also been able, with the help of a 4gb SD card, to add a number of sweet open-source games, and even figured out how to convert DVD's into files playable on the Eee, which makes it a great little video player. I've also added the capacity to read ebooks (something that comes with the 4gb model), and in that regard I think, for usability, the Eee rivals Amazon's kindle in some ways: it doesn't give you the nice e-ink display, but it does give you ebook reading functionality _plus_ near-full laptop functionality for a much lower price tag. For my purposes, that's worth the trade-off.

In any case, right now my simple 2gb Eee, with a 4gb expansion card, is serving the functions of a pda, laptop, portable gaming system, and portable audio and video player--like a Palm, laptop, iPod, and PSP all in one package that's about the size and weight of a trade paperback book. That's a whole lot of bang for $300. I'm hooked.