The $199 Laptop from Asus I want NOW
The $199 Asus EEE 701 laptop may just give the OLPC's XO a run for it's
money. Set to be available in August, the EEE reportedly will run Windows
XP or Linux and has handy features like Wi-Fi and a webcam right above the
screen like a MacBook. I also read that the EEE will have a
built-in SD card reader, but I haven't been able to verify this.
Honestly, the EEE is pretty much the device I've been waiting for: an
inexpensive laptop for web browsing and blogging. Here's the spec list
from Asus:
Display：7"
CPU & Chipset: Intel mobile CPU & chipset
OS: Linux/ Microsoft Windows XP compatible
Communication: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet; 56K modem
WLAN: WiFi 802.11b/g
Graphic: Intel UMA
Memory: 512MB, DDR2-400
Storage: 4/ 8/ 16GB Flash
Webcam: 300K pixel video camera
Audio: Hi-Definition Audio CODEC; Built-in stereo speaker; Built-in microphone
Battery Life: 3hrs (4 cells: 5200mAh, 2S2P)
Dimension & Weight: 8.85 x 6.5 x .82~1.3 in, 2lbs
It's amazing how just by making a laptop lightweight and cheap adds
to usefulness and versatility of a laptop. Read
on to understand what I mean.
My laptop is my only computer, I swore off desktops a long time ago and I'm not
looking back. At about 5.5 lbs my laptop is on the light side for a model
with a 14.1" SXGA+ screen, but it's still not as mobile as I'd like. I
rarely, for instance, bring my laptop to the kitchen table and read the news
while I eat breakfast, or hang out with my laptop on the couch while watching a
DVD that doesn't require my full attention. I don't bring my laptop into
the kitchen to look up a recipe and I'd never toss my laptop in the glove
compartment of my car while running errands on the off chance I may want to take
some notes for a blog entry or need to look up directions or
movie times. But I could imagine
doing all those things, and a lot more, with a 2lbs $199 laptop.
While I do a good job of backing up my stuff (thanks SyncToy), it would still be
a royal pain if something happened to my laptop. Mostly because I'd
have to drop $1000-$1500 for a new one, and then work on restoring it to get
back to where I left off. That makes me not so eager to take my laptop
with me unless I really need it for something. But with a $200 laptop, I'd
be much more willing to drag it around with me and without a second thought.
I'm really curious to see if XP or Linux runs better on it. I'd imagine
the clock speed to be somewhere in the 500Mhz range, which might be a little
paltry for XP. And it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone coaxes an EEE
into running OS X.
Asus, or someone (Apple?), should make a device like this with a touchscreen,
and a dockable external keyboard. Because just as the small size and cheap
price adds to the usefulness, being able to use a portable computer in not the
standard laptop position would be another dramatic
improvement. I'd love a laptop I could hold as comfortably as
my sketchbook, for instance.
Asus
EEE Announcement
Asus
EEE Press Release
(3)
Comments
let's buy this for each other! oh, how long does the battery last?
Posted by: suhhee | June 8, 2007 08:44 AM
3 hours doofus, read...
Posted by: David | June 14, 2007 09:29 PM
I think it is a great idea, I would buy two for myself for sure, Keep one in the bedroom next to my radios for logging QRLs & other ham radio related things, and one in the garage for automotive maintenance records. And later on when Christmas gets close I would buy three more to give away as gifts.
Posted by: Fred_fredburger | June 19, 2007 07:49 AM