When I travel to Thailand I make it a habit of visiting Pantip Plaza in Bangkok to see what’s new in technology.
If you are into tech, and have traveled to Thailand you would have most certainly have heard of Pantip Plaza.
This tech complex is a five story shopping mall which rivals any similar mall in Asia.
When I was there last time, I noticed the Asus Eee ultra portable laptop on sale in many of the stores, so I thought I would avail myself of the opportunity to see it in operation.
My first impression was positive. The machine looked so light and well designed.
Was this just the thing I had been searching for?
I had wanted an ultra portable machine that I could take overseas instead of dragging my full size laptop. With this machine my dilemma of should I or should I not pack my laptop may now be resolved.
What caught my eye was that one of the larger stores had it running, but had uninstalled the Linux operating system and instead had installed Windows XP.
I have to admit, seeing it running Windows XP really made my head turn, because although I have nothing against The Linux operating system, the version of Linux software that came with the Asus seemed too basic.
Seeing it run so efficiently with XP had raised its stature considerably.
Firstly I noticed how quickly it booted up. Certainly not any slower than my Acer which has a dual core processor and two gigabytes of ram.
The Asus managed to run Windows XP even with its meager internal storage space of 4 gigabytes. It does come with 512 meg ram.
After you install Windows XP and Microsoft Office you are still left with about 1.5 gigabytes of free storage, but add to this your Itunes, Yahoo Messenger, Limewire and other favorites and you are out of space.
So how did it run?
As far as handling the demands of Windows operating system, I could not detect any obvious problems, but because the screen is a 7 inch LCD, you will have to get used to scrolling up and down and across the page of the browser to read all the content.
I have it on good advice that the Asus will not run efficiently on Vista. If you are satisfied with running XP then keep it on your list.
The keyboard is something you will have to get used to. Personally I am not fast typist and if you are like me and a two finger typist it will do the job just fine.
The product designers had the good sense to package it with a charger that is not any bigger than a phone charger.
Skype users will be pleased to know that the Asus is equipped with a webcam and microphone, making it a powerful global communication tool.
When you are off the road, plug in an external monitor and full size keyboard and your Asus doubles as your desktop pc.
The first thing you will need to do if you buy the Asus is to purchase an sd card and keep it in the SD slot on a permanent basis. I bought a two gig SD card for about twenty dollars, after learning that the pc does not support the newer SD high capacity cards. This is clearly an oversight.
The first thing you will need to do if you buy the Asus is to purchase an sd card and keep it in the SD slot on a permanent basis. I bought a two gig SD card for about twenty dollars, after learning that the pc does not support the newer SD high capacity cards. This is clearly an oversight.
The extra SD card will allow you to keep the rest of your applications on board and forms the balance of your hard drive. A flash usb flash drive can be used to store your documents folders.
The Asus does not have Bluetooth which is a nuisance. I did however pick up a Bluetooth usb adapter for about $7 which made me wonder why they didn’t include it in the hardware.
The WIFI works fine and really comes into its own on The Asus. The portability factor makes it so easy to carry with you at all times, so when you find a WIFI point you can quickly connect.
Cutting to the chase. What is the Asus really good for?
I did end up paying $400 AUD for it in Thailand and I think it is worth the money, but with the rapidly declining prices of full size laptops on the market, the Asus falls in to a niche market.
The fact is that you can get a more powerful laptop for about $100 more which will give you more processing power and a bigger hard drive than the Asus.
If you are considering the purchase of the Asus, my advice would be to buy it if you want a basic machine that is as easy to carry as a paperback.
Add a SD card, USB flash reader, USB Bluetooth and you have the perfect alternative to a PDA that costs about the same.
This is just the thing for the consumer who is sick of carrying his laptop around all day and wants a better solution.
If Real Estate is position, position, position, then the Asus is portability, portability, portability.
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