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The Linux distillery The ASUS Eee Linux PC from the outside in
The Linux distillery The ASUS Eee Linux PC from the outside in | The ASUS Eee Linux PC from the outside in |
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| by David M Williams | |
| Sunday, 16 December 2007 | |
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I tried Myer again and must have sounded like a crazed desperate man because this time they found one which had been put on hold for someone who “should have picked it up yesterday.” They let me have it. So, the Asus Eee I hold in my hands now is my own. I paid full retail price for it with my own money. There’s no fear that anything I say is influenced by favourable treatment by ASUS. (Which isn’t to say any other reviewer or writer has been biased, but merely I want to be sure there’s no doubt.) The first impression of the Eee is that it’s tiny. It’s barely reasonable to call it a notebook. The last, and only, other device I’ve used this small (before bordering into PDA territory) was an early-model Fujitsu Lifebook. It looked so nice and was so light but it drove me nuts. Surprisingly, its screen did display a good amount of information – but the keyboard was too small for my macho man-sized mits and the Transmeta processor which emulated an Intel was painfully slow. It has to be said - the Eee looks good! It’s very pleasing to the eye. Still, ASUS are no strangers to laptop design. Several colour options exist but mine is white. It’s light and easy to carry, weighing less than 1kg. Ethernet and phone jacks adorn one side along with a USB 2.0 port and audio in and out plugs, while the other side sports an SD memory stick slot, two USB 2.0 ports, a VGA socket and a receptacle for a Kensington security cable. With the lid closed, the only button exposed is a power button, located next to an aesthetically pleasing cursive “Eee PC series” logo. Apart from this, the only other text visible is an upside-down “ASUS” on the lid (which shows right-side up when the lid is open.) The underside identifies the device as an ASUS 701-W0003. Two additional tags specify the power input (9.5v, 2.315a, 22w if you must know) as well as the wireless module (an Atheros AR5BXB63.) A single detachable compartment is exposed but one screw is covered with a tag stating the warranty is voided if the sticker is removed. As well as the Eee itself and its battery the box includes some simple documentation, a Windows XP driver CD (for those who choose to use that operating system instead, but it must be purchased separately), a power charger not unlike a typical mobile phone charger, and a kitsch black carry bag. There’s no strap; this isn’t an over-the-shoulder model but an under-the-arm man-bag type for the metrosexual inside us all. But surely there’s something inside? Read on and I’ll actually open the lid! CONTINUED
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