ASUS $199 Eee PC laptop

[KingTech]

yeah, i agree with you "eplebnista".It should be little cheaper but it is not.399 dollars are too much for me.I will buy a cheaper one.

 

[Parasitic]

Hopefully prices will drop a little after the holiday frenzy. When Microsoft gets Windows on it and prices drop another $75 to $100 I'll definitely get one then.

Edit: what's with the large black corners? Seems like they could've maximized the use of space a little more.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Hopefully prices will drop a little after the holiday frenzy. When Microsoft gets Windows on it and prices drop another $75 to $100 I'll definitely get one then.

Windows preinstalled would result in a price increase, not a price decrease. unless microsoft actually starts giving their operating system away free of charge.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Hopefully prices will drop a little after the holiday frenzy. When Microsoft gets Windows on it and prices drop another $75 to $100 I'll definitely get one then.

Windows preinstalled would result in a price increase, not a price decrease. unless microsoft actually starts giving their operating system away free of charge.

Asus press release says that the Windows version would have a $40 premium over the Linux version. by $75 to $100 I mean a price drop after the premium, so realistically I'm shooting for the thing with Windows to hit < $350.

Edit: I don't mind waiting. I'm not in need of another laptop. Plus I'm broke. This would be purely just a personal toy and possibly something I use in lab.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Hopefully prices will drop a little after the holiday frenzy. When Microsoft gets Windows on it and prices drop another $75 to $100 I'll definitely get one then.

Windows preinstalled would result in a price increase, not a price decrease. unless microsoft actually starts giving their operating system away free of charge.

they might. if more people get accustomed to using linux because of this, more companies will be able to switch and more programs will get made. MS's main money is not in retail. it from buisness and OEMs.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: zig3695
*cough*LAME!*cough*

my inspiron 1501 that has a 80gb drive and plays f.e.a.r. all day long cost only $550. $400 for between-sized laptop? fuck that. ill stick with my blackberry and real laptop...

I don't understand how you run FEAR with integrated graphics

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
Windows preinstalled would result in a price increase, not a price decrease. unless microsoft actually starts giving their operating system away free of charge. [ How about $3 - VinDSL ]

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119586754115002717.html">A Little Laptop With Big Ambitions

How a Computer for the Poor
Got Stomped by Tech Giants</a>

By STEVE STECKLOW and JAMES BANDLER
November 24, 2007

Some potential buyers are having second thoughts about One Laptop Per Child. Officials in Libya, who had planned to buy up to 1.2 million of the laptops, became concerned that the machines lacked Windows, and that service, teacher training and future upgrades might become a problem.

"The Intel machine is a lot better than the OLPC," says Mohamed Bani, who chairs Libya's technical advisory committee but doesn't have the final say on buying laptops. "I don't want my country to be a junkyard for these machines." Libya has decided buy at least 150,000 Intel Classmates. The future of the One Laptop program there is now uncertain.

"We're all frustrated with each other," says Mr. Negroponte of the friction with Quanta and suppliers. "Everybody's got a short fuse."

He seems most frustrated with Intel, whose overseas sales force has trumpeted the Classmate over his laptop in Nigeria and Mongolia, using marketing materials that claim the Intel machine is superior. "These are not isolated examples," he said in a recent interview. "They are daily events."

Publicly, Intel and Microsoft officials didn't hide their disdain for Mr. Negroponte's machine. In December 2005, Intel Chairman Craig R. Barrett called an early version a "$100 gadget" that wasn't likely to succeed. At a conference in March 2006, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said: "Geez, get a decent computer where you can actually read the text and you're not sitting there cranking the thing while you're trying to type."

This year, Mr. Gates announced in China that Microsoft would offer developing countries a $3 software package that includes Windows, a student version of Microsoft Office and educational programs.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: aidanjm
Windows preinstalled would result in a price increase, not a price decrease. unless microsoft actually starts giving their operating system away free of charge. [ How about $3 - VinDSL ]

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119586754115002717.html">A Little Laptop With Big Ambitions

How a Computer for the Poor
Got Stomped by Tech Giants</a>

By STEVE STECKLOW and JAMES BANDLER
November 24, 2007

Some potential buyers are having second thoughts about One Laptop Per Child. Officials in Libya, who had planned to buy up to 1.2 million of the laptops, became concerned that the machines lacked Windows, and that service, teacher training and future upgrades might become a problem.

"The Intel machine is a lot better than the OLPC," says Mohamed Bani, who chairs Libya's technical advisory committee but doesn't have the final say on buying laptops. "I don't want my country to be a junkyard for these machines." Libya has decided buy at least 150,000 Intel Classmates. The future of the One Laptop program there is now uncertain.

"We're all frustrated with each other," says Mr. Negroponte of the friction with Quanta and suppliers. "Everybody's got a short fuse."

He seems most frustrated with Intel, whose overseas sales force has trumpeted the Classmate over his laptop in Nigeria and Mongolia, using marketing materials that claim the Intel machine is superior. "These are not isolated examples," he said in a recent interview. "They are daily events."

Publicly, Intel and Microsoft officials didn't hide their disdain for Mr. Negroponte's machine. In December 2005, Intel Chairman Craig R. Barrett called an early version a "$100 gadget" that wasn't likely to succeed. At a conference in March 2006, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said: "Geez, get a decent computer where you can actually read the text and you're not sitting there cranking the thing while you're trying to type."

This year, Mr. Gates announced in China that Microsoft would offer developing countries a $3 software package that includes Windows, a student version of Microsoft Office and educational programs.

Note that it's only in developing countries. Damn us Americans all get the shaft - software, pharamceuticals, etc etc.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Note that it's only in developing countries. Damn us Americans all get the shaft - software, pharamceuticals, etc etc.

I don't see how you are being shafted. the pre-installed linux os seems appropriate for this relatively low spec machine. It's reasonable to expect that windows vista will perform like a dog on this kind of hardware.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
This year, Mr. Gates announced in China that Microsoft would offer developing countries a $3 software package that includes Windows, a student version of Microsoft Office and educational programs.

[/quote]

yes, but this is like a drug dealer giving out heavily discounted or free cocaine/ heroin in the hope you will become addicted. whereas the first world is already hopelessly reliant on the windows product and there doesn't seem to be much incentive for microsoft to discount windows to such a drastic extent.

 

[aidanjm]

Leopard successfully installed and run on budget-minded Eee PC
http://arstechnica.com/journal...on-budget-minded-eeepc

Load OSX 10.5 Leopard on the eeePC
http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2007/11/12654/

 

[frostedflakes]

Directron has the $299 2G Surf listed on their site now, should be in stock soon.

http://www.directron.com/eeepc2gsurfb.html

 

[googly]

This is the same Micro$oft that called Linux derivatives a "CANCER". Steve Ballmer, if I remember correctly.

I fail to see the why people have been misled into confusing a YUPPIE machine with something (hand cranked, yes! batteries are expensive in the desert) which actually was designed to work outside of Starbucks.

 

[preslove]

$399 for a 2 lb laptop that is about the size of a hardback novel is a very good deal. If I move to a major metro area & use public transportation after graduation, I'll pick up the version 2 or 3 of this. I would much rather take something this size to a coffee shop than my macbook.

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Note that it's only in developing countries. Damn us Americans all get the shaft - software, pharamceuticals, etc etc.

I don't see how you are being shafted. the pre-installed linux os seems appropriate for this relatively low spec machine. It's reasonable to expect that windows vista will perform like a dog on this kind of hardware.

Shaft as in foreign countries getting a deal on things that we pay so much out of pocket, like legitimate licenses of Windows, drugs, books, etc.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Parasitic

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Note that it's only in developing countries. Damn us Americans all get the shaft - software, pharamceuticals, etc etc.

I don't see how you are being shafted. the pre-installed linux os seems appropriate for this relatively low spec machine. It's reasonable to expect that windows vista will perform like a dog on this kind of hardware.

Shaft as in foreign countries getting a deal on things that we pay so much out of pocket, like legitimate licenses of Windows, drugs, books, etc.

I read that Microsoft will be selling Windows xp for $40 for the eee pc, which is of course still far too expensive for an aging (6+ years old) OS riddled with security vulnerabilities. It's interesting that one effect of more widespread use of Linux could be a drastic reduction in Windows pricing. I wonder if we will see a similar reduction in pricing on the bloated MS Office suite as free alternatives like OpenOffice become more widely used.

 

[Soulkeeper]

i'm turned off by the SSD drive and Celeron

a 40GB regular mechanical drive and a C7m or A110/core-solo would have been much better imo

although this is a great move in the right direction i'm leaning more toward the lifebook u810 or nanobook (if they ever release it in the US, been what a year now?)

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
i'm turned off by the SSD drive and Celeron

a 40GB regular mechanical drive and a C7m or A110/core-solo would have been much better imo

although this is a great move in the right direction i'm leaning more toward the lifebook u810 or nanobook (if they ever release it in the US, been what a year now?)

Actually I think those Hitachi or Seagate CF-size microdrives would be awesome for these things.

 

[Soulkeeper]

anyone have the Eee 8G galaxy black in stock ?

 

[Parasitic]

Originally posted by: Soulkeeper
anyone have the Eee 8G galaxy black in stock ?

The only place I have seen is NewEgg but it's OOS.

 

[Soulkeeper]

Nanobook soon to hit the scene
things could get real interesting here in another month or so

judging by these benchmarks tho 1.2GHz for the C7m might be to little too late, 2GHz would likely give it the performance lead, but that's unlikely

 

[frostedflakes]

Looks good, especially if the small SSDs on the EEE PC just won't cut it. I'll still probably pick up the 2G Surf, though, because it's cheaper and I don't need the extra RAM or storage space offered by the Everex.

Performance may actually be similar, keep in mind that even though the EEE's CPU is rated for 900MHz ASUS is currently shipping them clocked at 630MHz. But it's a moot point IMO, either processor should be more than enough for what these machine's intended uses are.

 

[ofacto]

I finally caved and picked up a eee 4g surf ($350 didn't sound as bad as $399). First thing I did was ditch Linux and install XP and upgrade the ram. It was tricky installing XP, but so far so good, I was worried about the small keyboard, but I type pretty well on it. It even works with my usb HDTV tuner, its simply amazing watching HDTV on something so small. Only thing I would wish for is a slightly bigger screen, 800x600 would have been a better resolution than 800x480.

 

[frostedflakes]

You probably know about this but in Firefox you can use F11 to go full screen and net you a bit more vertical resolution. I definitely think a 10" with a slightly higher resolution screen would be perfect, but it doesn't sound like ASUS has any plans to do this so I guess we'll just have to keep on dreaming.

EDIT: Firefox or about any other browser for that matter, should work with IE and Opera as well if you're using one of them.

 

[lousydood]

Why do you fools have such a hard-on for Windows? You'll need to buy two of the machines to run it: one for Windows and one for other stuff. If you want to waste your money on Windows then buy a beefy machine with specs to spare.

I'm including the Anandtech reviewers in this rant. You're so accustomed to horribly designed, slow, memory leaking disasters for applications that you want it more? Pearls before swine...

(not that I'm a fan of OpenOffice, the first thing I'd do is install TeXlive. WYSIWYG word processors all suck, but that's another rant for another time)