ASUS Eee PC goes on sale almost everywhere Down Under

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 14 January 2008 06:50

Opinion and Analysis

So, just what can you do with this ASUS Eee Linux PC thing anyway? Thankfully, an excellent answer comes from esteemed Linux Guru and fellow iTWire scribe David M Williams, who has written a series of excellent articles on the Eee PC (amongst many others), one of which answers the very question above.

In short, it's a fully functioning computer, at less than $500, that can be used just like any other laptop, albeit with smaller keys and a smaller (7-inch) screen than on most notebooks. That said, a USB keyboard and mouse can be plugged in, as can an external monitor with standard VGA, if desired, mimicking the desktop computing experience when desired.

It also comes with a real operating system - Linux, the Firefox browser, Skype, a built-in webcam which can be used to make Skype video calls, built-in "MS Office compatible" software (Open Office), an email client, built-in Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 ports for storage expansion, adding standard peripherals and more.

The open nature of the Eee PC is in stark contrast to the world’s other super popular and portable device, the iPhone, despite an iPhone SDK due in February.

Although the Eee PC comes pre-loaded with Linux and a stack of apps as standard as described, you can run just about anything you want on the Eee. ASUS themselves offer a downloadable disc of Windows XP drivers, allowing Eee PC owners to easily install their own legal copy of Windows XP onto the Eee.

More adventurous users have figured out how to install Windows Vista on a device with only 4GB of internal storage and people have even managed to load Mac OS X onto the device, although without Apple's authorisation or support, as you'd expect.

There’s no doubt that future Eee PC models will promise more storage and other improvements, but any future models are likely several months away from retail sale, while the Eee is groundbreaking in itself and available now.

If you want one, or want to see one and find out for yourself what all the fuss is about, they’ve never been more widely available, are surprisingly impressive and will be a lot easier to get than late last year.