Techie Toy Window Shopping

[drcpunk]

Well, Linux, not windows, really.

Yesterday, I dropped by Datavision, and I took a look at the ASUS Eee PC, which had no trouble reading the huge .pdf file on my sd card in its card reader when the card reader was put into the USB port. I told mnemex about this, but he didn't think the Eee was as good as a dedicated ebook reader or a much smaller pda.

Today, we went to J&R shortly before it closed, and mnemex saw the Eee for himself. He hadn't realized it was so light. We looked at it, and at something about the same size, but twice the price -- one of the small laptops with a swivel screen. About the only feature it has that I really wish the Eee has is that swivel screen. As I understand it, the screen is patented, and if the Eee had it, that would drive the price up.

We didn't buy anything, but all the candy -- er, computers -- looked so tasty.

It's funny. The Eee is a little like a small machine NEC used to make, a device that wasn't as big as a laptop or as small as a PDA, and that didn't work as well for anything as either of the other two did. But, now, I think the technology's better.

Comments

[mylescorcoran]

I have an Eee and like it, but I'm pissed off at the manufacturer Asus for supplying a crappy battery in the UK and Ireland. I believe the US is getting the longer-life battery that they're also providing in Asia, but I was shafted with the one that barely gives 2 hours of battery life and that only if you're careful to turn down the screen brightness and such.

Dell are doing a new UMPC soon, and there's a lot of competition in that part of the market. Unless you need something right away I'd wait three or six months and see what the market has produced then.

The Eee (and the other UMPCs) would definitely benefit from a touch screen I think. The swivel I can live without.

[mneme]

The swivel is really useful, specifically, in the ebook case, as when carrying around a device it's really nice to -not- have the keyboard in your face.

For table or desk use, it's obviously discardable.

[mylescorcoran]

Sure, I'm still not really in the mindset of an ebook reader. I can see the benefit of a swivel touch screen like a tablet scaled to a UMPC size, but it's not the deal make or break thing for me.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Oh, I can hold off for 6 months.

One attraction of the Eee is that it has a linux operating system.

I can live without a touch screen or a swivel screen. Both can be useful.

[mylescorcoran]

Pretty much any mini-laptop you get will run some flavour of Linux. The Eee comes with Xandros baked in, but I'm sure the MSI Wind, the new Acer 1 and the forthcoming Dell UMPCs will all run Linux of your preferred stripe.

Admittedly it may be some time before the community get drivers for all the hardware if a given machine relies on less common components.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Ah. The machine I was comparing it to was a Fujitsu, and it wasn't intended as a mini-laptop. It was twice the price, had the swivel screen, and ran Vista, which I'd really prefer to avoid.