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Topic: Browser

Asus launches Eee...Let me know when the price drops

Summary: Asus officially launched it's Eee PC today and I have to say that I really want one. In fact, I really want one for each of my students and the 20-30% of my teachers who just need basic web/productivity application access.

Christopher Dawson

By for ZDNet Education |

Asus officially launched it's Eee PC today and I have to say that I really want one. In fact, I really want one for each of my students and the 20-30% of my teachers who just need basic web/productivity application access. It wouldn't replace my behemoth 17" laptop, but it sure would be a great blogging machine. Taking notes in classes, tracking calendars, email...all of the day-to-day stuff that a little tiny, fully functional laptop would make easier. It even has a webcam and SD card reader built in. What more could I want?

Well, I could want it cheaper. This was originally billed as a $199 PC, but the first model to be available in the US (4GB Flash-based storage, 512MB RAM, and a 900MHz Celeron M processor) is running $299. Still cheap compared to some PDAs, and still enough to whet my appetite for cool tech (and still powerful enough for students to access Web-based applications), but just not quite there.

Don't get me wrong...Kudos to Asus for pushing this market. It's about time and I think we're going to see a lot more inexpensive subnotebooks/UMPCs very soon as component prices continue to drop and our reliance on the typical PC running lots of bloatware goes by the wayside (check out this excellent article by fellow ZDNet blogger David Berlind). Unfortunately, we just need a little bit of Moore's Law here to get prices within reach.

If you think we'll make it by Christmas, tell my my wife...I really need a new gadget, but she's cheaper than I am.

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Topics: Browser, Emerging Tech, Hardware, Laptops, Mobility, Tablets

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5 comments
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  • Sony VAIO

    This reminds me of the Sony VAIO and white MacBook. Look nice :)

    Some may complaint that it will be slow

    Install Rdesktop ( www.rdesktop.org ) on Eee and ThinServer XP ( www.aikotech.com/thinserver.htm ) on your home/office PC and you can wirelessly run Windows apps as fast as your home/Office PC
    ThinkFair
    Reply Vote

  • I was thinking about the Asus ...

    I was thinking about buying one for my daughter, until the price went over $200.00. Instead I'm going to wait for the MID platform since these are suppose to be inexpensive and are going to be running Ubuntu Mobile Linux.

    I already have a Nokia 770 that I basically use as a laptop replacement when traveling. I enabled the USB port into host mode and run a foldaway keyboard with a little ipod charger that's used as a USB power source since the 770 does not supply power to the USB port. You can use a bluetooth keyboard, but the bluetooth foldaway keyboards are a little expensive

    The 770 fits my needs as a mobile platform after I installed a 2 gig mmc card and loaded up on most of the software from the maemo repositories. I also boot the 770 to the mmc card which runs almost twice as fast then booting from the internal memory since the internal flash drive is compressed.

    Anyway if the MID platform units are anything like the Nokia tablet then that's most likely what I'll get as long as the price is reasonable. ;)
    MisterMiester
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Asus launches Eee...Let me know when the price drops

    Don't you understand? This is another nail in the coffin of Moore's Law. Intel hasn't raised the max. transistor count per chip for over a year. They are still stuck at 1.72 billion (Montecito CPU). There are technical and cost issues. Furthermore, if the average person requires less computing power, as the Eee will show, then there is little motivation to go to the expense of extending Moore's (which Intel already is resisting).

    The price of products drops with increasing volume, a willingness of someone like Asus to produce, and buyers who want to save money on all the computing power they really need. (It seems no one wants to admit to being an average computer user. I am proud to be. A computer is just a tool.) -- Clayton Hallmark
    clhallmark01
    Reply Vote

    • Excellent points...

      Economies of scale and competition are becoming far more important than Moore's Law. Thanks for the feedback.

      cad
      mrdatahs
      Reply Vote

  • think i'll stick with my old 11" VAIO for now. (nt)

    :)

    .
    wessonjoe
    Reply Vote
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