Eee Review

I received an Asus EeePC as a demo from CDWG a couple of weeks ago. I feel like I have had it long enough to do a decent review.

http://eeepc.asus.com/global/

Overall Experience:

I'd have to say that overall my Eee (4G "Galaxy") met or exceeded expectations on all fronts. It is small, light and very nimble. The Eee comes preloaded with a Asus modified version of the Xandros operating system. Xandros is a version of the open source linux operating system. I have found a great deal of help over at the Eee Wiki and the Eee User Forums. There are solutions to quite a few issues that I came across.

I initially got my Eee to assess its viability as a 1:1 device. Now I use it for just about everything. Use the stock (mostly) OS in "advanced" mode most of the time. I have not and will not load Windows XP onto it. I believe the open source software more than meets the needs of a 1:1 program for grades 8 and lower. I am still mulling over the idea if it is viable for grades 9-12 (although I am leaning towards "yes, for most kids"). I have also decided to purchase the Eee outright with my own funds.

It is my opinion that a school that is currently exploring implementing a 1:1 program had better take a long hard look at the eee, the initial cost of $400, the boot up time (~20 sec. from off to productivity), the ruggedness (nearly no moving parts), the battery life, and the ongoing cost of using open source software (um, $0 for licensing) make this a strong contender for education.

Pros:

I have listed some of them above, however here is a more thorough list:

• Power - over 3 hours of battery life with wireless on, like any laptop as long as you do not run the screen at full brightness, you'll squeeze more life out of the machine.
• Power Adapter - it is about the size of a big pack of gum, the plug folds into the adapter and it is pretty easily put into a suit or pants pocket.
• Weight - Most textbooks weigh more than the Eee (check the site for official specs)
• Wireless - Works without a hitch. It can also be shut down to further battery life if you are not in a wireless hot-spot.
• Shutdown/Bootup times - Booting up into "Easy Mode" takes less than 20 seconds, you have to wait a few seconds more if you are booting into "Advanced/Full Desktop Mode."
  
• Operating System - The eee operating system is a customized version of the Xandros operating system. It is Linux (gasp). This is one of the reasons the machine boots up so fast. They were able to remove a lot of the "overhead" that other Operating Systems have and make something custom to the device. It takes about 20 seconds for the average computer user to find basic productivity tools (open office), web browsers (Firefox), and messaging clients (pidgin). It even includes a health dose of games, educational games, Skype, music, and photo tools.
  
• Note to the Windows/Mac crowd - There are very few tasks this device would not accomplish for the typical student, dismissing it because it isn't Mac or Microsoft is a foolish and shortsighted mistake.
• Device recognition. I have plugged two different keyboards and mice (USB) into the Eee and several monitors and projectors. I have had no problem with any of them to date.
• Refresh to factory mode. I had to do this once as I was playing a little too much without following directions. I simply hit F9 when the system was booting and told my Eee to go back to factory defaults, within about 2 minutes I was back to the original settings I had when I got my Eee, try that with a windows/mac laptop.
  

Cons:

• Keyboard size: The keyboard is small. There is no way around that, and in trying to squeeze the most keys they could into such a small footprint I have found that there are two "issues" with the size of the keyboard. First is the "1" key, it seems like the reach to it with the pinky is much further than it should be. Second is the right hand shift key. I am constantly hitting the up-arrow key instead of the shift key. Overall I have gotten used to the keyboard. However, those two items are still annoying at times.
• Note: This problem is easily overcome by having a USB Keyboard/Mouse and 17" LCD at a "home" location for extended typing. Like this blog post. For the most part the keyboard is fine.
• Linux Operating System: It is a pro and a con. The con side of it is that there are some tools that simply do not have a Linux counterpart. The one that has been most annoying is Shockwave player. It simply does not exist for Linux. This is by far from a deal breaker, but still needs to be shared. Also it will require some training to get both technical and teaching staffs up to speed on Linux and how to troubleshoot it, and more importantly, where to look for help.
  
• Local storage space. The devices ships with a 4 gig solid state drive. There is about 1.5 gigs free when it is taken out of the box. For some this is a con, for me it is a very minimal problem. Especially when I can put an 8 gig SD card into the available SD slot on the side of the Eee.
• Screen Width - This is perhaps the largest problem of them all. Many websites are setup for 1024x768 resolution and do not size down well to the 800x480 screen on the Eee. You often have to scroll both up and down and left to right on web pages. The size of the screen is not an issue for me when working in normal Open Office Writer (Word Processing) or the Open Office Presentation software, but on the web it can be annoying. However, The VGA out supports resolutions to 1024x768 so it is simple to use an external monitor or LCD projector when you need the extra real-estate.
• I do not do any major graphics work, but I can see where programs like Gimp (Photoshop) or Scribus (Desktop Publishing) would be difficult to use on the Eee given its limited processor/memory/storage space. This kind of work is not done by the mainstream K-12 student and other lab solutions could easily supplement these environments.
  

Conclusion
The Eee is a fine little machine. It does not do "everything" your desktop machine, or even middle of the road laptop will do. But at $400 for the whole package, including its feather weight size, it is a great ultra-portable laptop that is well suited to the education market. Is it the best machine for everyone? no, but for most students in grades K-12 this machine would be a great learning tool.