The Eee Is Here

I won't explain what the Eee PC is. For that, visit any of the following links:

Wikipedia: Eee PC
EEEUser.com

And without further ado, my initial categorized thoughts on the EEE PC:

• Keyboard - Like any good Eee PC reviewer might, I'm typing this blog entry on my new Asus Eee PC laptop, and thus far, it is an impressive piece of technology. My initial thoughts upon opening it were quite simple: "damn, it's tiny." Everything about the Eee is small. As I type this entry, I find myself making quite a few mistakes on the tiny keyboard, but I can certainly see that with time this will become a moot point. Amazingly, Asus managed to cram all major keyboard functions onto the Eee keyboard, which is a plus for shortcut-heavy users such as myself. On the downside, it is a small keyboard, and will take somewhat of a learning curve to become accustomed to it. For my big hands it almost straddles the line between touch-typing, which would be a huge negative point. Almost.

• Display - Next to the keyboard, the 7-inch display was also a concern for me. At only 800 x 480 pixels, screen space becomes a commodity. Horizontal scrolling in web pages is minimal, however, especially since most websites use a 800-pixel width standard (although this will change in the future as resolutions grow ever-larger). The backlight is nothing incredible, but is more than adequate in most situations. Most of all, despite being a minuscule screen, it always looks crisp and vibrant, avoiding the toy-like appearance that it could have come away with. I have not run any color reproduction tests, but in general colors seem a bit on the washed-out side thus far. Viewing angles are excellent as well.

• Build - Like a rock. At under two pounds, the Eee PC already feels breakable, and although I wouldn't want to drop it, I think it could sustain quite a few falls. Obviously the solid state hard disk (SSD) is a major plus here, as well as the minimal use of separate panels. It feels like one solid unit - and perhaps awesome - feels like a device that costs far more than its $400 price tag.

• Software - The desktop is certainly nice, and as far as usability is concerns, tops anything put out by Microsoft or Apple. The OS blends tabbed and task-oriented panels with a taskbar for switching among programs, and it does so very well. Although I feel a bit turned off by the simple interface, I can certainly see those new to computing as feeling accomplished after using the OS. I don't use programs like Skype, but the inclusion of Firefox, OpenOffice, Pidgin, and a well-rounded media player is awesome.

• Heat - I've noticed the Eee PC becoming rather warm after just twenty minutes of use. The system is mostly devoid of moving parts, save for one cooling fan that I have only seen kick in during a full-screen YouTube video (I was also running OpenOffice and Pidgin). The heat is by no means unbearable, merely distracting.

• Final Thoughts - I've only owned the Eee PC for less than a day, but it rocks. As a second laptop, I am in love. I wouldn't recommend this as a main computer to anyone, nor as a first laptop, as the small keyboard and limited screen resolution can cramp a user rather quickly. However, for everyone else, I highly recommend it as a cheap, highly-portable computing device. I have been lugging a 9-pound Inspiron around on my back for the past four years. I bought the Asus Eee PC as a small alternative for basic computer tasks, and it excels in every way possible.

Anywho, with that mini-review out of the way, one other random thought:

• The Eee PC OS breaks new ground in usability. With Asus expected to ship between 3 and 6 million units before March 2008, Microsoft just missed the boat on a breakthrough product - although you can install Windows yourself, you won't find an Eee PC preinstalled with Microsoft's software for some time to come. Could this be a potential turning point for Linux as an OS?