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So, I had to replace my laptop: A review...
Okay, so as mentioned here, my old Toshiba bit the dust, and I ordered an Asus eee-PC to replace it. The model I ordered is the 4G Galaxy Black XP. The "4G" refers to the size of the built in storage, which is 4 gigs. The "Galaxy" refers to the trim level; the Surf is the stripped down model, and the Galaxy has a couple extra bells and whistles. Of course "Black" just denotes the color. And finally, "XP" refers to the fact that it comes with Windows XP pre-installed, as opposed to Xandros.
The laptop itself sells for $400, and I purchased a 16 gig A-Data SDHC card, along with a 2 gig stick of A-Data ram. The total cost was right at $510, including shipping.
I was planning on giving a quick review after having it for a day, but I figured a week of having it would be a better test. So, for the last week, I've used it almost exclusively as my primary computer, using my desktop mainly for file swapping and downloading.
As soon as I opened the box, I pulled the measly 512 ram stick out, and replaced it. I then put in on the charger, which is a mid sized wall-wart, as opposed to the usual power brick. After twelve hours on the charger(my standard minimum first charge time for anything new), I powered it up.
The Asus boot screen is very underwhelming, but functional. However, within 5 minutes, the Windows install was finalized, and I was connected to my wireless network and browsing the web. The keyboard is tiny, but after a couple hours, I became accustomed to it fairly easily. The touch-pad is decent, and, once set to 800x480, the screen is more than large enough.
This thing is tiny. I mean TINY. But that is exactly was I was hoping for. The eee has more than enough power to run windows at a decent clip, and even enough power to run World of Warcraft at acceptable frame rates. Going into Iron forge caused the FPS to drop insanely, but it always does that, no matter what pc you are on.
It doesn't include an optical drive, so I picked up a slim, usb powered dvd/cdrw off of eBay for about $50 including shipping. I also picked up a car charger while I was at it for another $15.
The battery life is decent; I get almost 4 hours out of it, with everything set to low, and the wi-fi turned off. Larger batteries are available, including one that reportedly lasts for about 12 hours under those same conditions.
The size of the thing is such that people are shocked an surprised that it is in fact an actual laptop running a full OS. Folks just can't believe it. And everyone that has seen it wants one, including my girlfriend.
And as a last note, I feel bad for all you suckers who can't reliable EVDO service. At work last night, I plugged my ppc-6700 into the eee, and with two bars of service, I got 315k down and 129k up according to the SpeakEasy bandwidth test.
The laptop itself sells for $400, and I purchased a 16 gig A-Data SDHC card, along with a 2 gig stick of A-Data ram. The total cost was right at $510, including shipping.
I was planning on giving a quick review after having it for a day, but I figured a week of having it would be a better test. So, for the last week, I've used it almost exclusively as my primary computer, using my desktop mainly for file swapping and downloading.
As soon as I opened the box, I pulled the measly 512 ram stick out, and replaced it. I then put in on the charger, which is a mid sized wall-wart, as opposed to the usual power brick. After twelve hours on the charger(my standard minimum first charge time for anything new), I powered it up.
The Asus boot screen is very underwhelming, but functional. However, within 5 minutes, the Windows install was finalized, and I was connected to my wireless network and browsing the web. The keyboard is tiny, but after a couple hours, I became accustomed to it fairly easily. The touch-pad is decent, and, once set to 800x480, the screen is more than large enough.
This thing is tiny. I mean TINY. But that is exactly was I was hoping for. The eee has more than enough power to run windows at a decent clip, and even enough power to run World of Warcraft at acceptable frame rates. Going into Iron forge caused the FPS to drop insanely, but it always does that, no matter what pc you are on.
It doesn't include an optical drive, so I picked up a slim, usb powered dvd/cdrw off of eBay for about $50 including shipping. I also picked up a car charger while I was at it for another $15.
The battery life is decent; I get almost 4 hours out of it, with everything set to low, and the wi-fi turned off. Larger batteries are available, including one that reportedly lasts for about 12 hours under those same conditions.
The size of the thing is such that people are shocked an surprised that it is in fact an actual laptop running a full OS. Folks just can't believe it. And everyone that has seen it wants one, including my girlfriend.
And as a last note, I feel bad for all you suckers who can't reliable EVDO service. At work last night, I plugged my ppc-6700 into the eee, and with two bars of service, I got 315k down and 129k up according to the SpeakEasy bandwidth test.