ASUS Eee PC 900 8.9-Inch Netbook (Intel Mobile Processor, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB Solid State Drive, Linux, 4 Cell Battery) Pearl White Reviews

• I Really Wanted To Like This Thing, But...

  
  By A355H5SZ2ADZKQ on 2008-06-19
  I love the idea of the Asus Eee PC. I've long wanted a nearly full-featured laptop in this size.
  
  So after reading so many positive reviews for this I decided to go ahead and get one. Sadly, after a mere two days playing with it, I have an RMA to get a refund.
  
  So what's my gripe with it?
  
  Several things. Firstly, though this machine has "20GB" of storage, its 20GB is spanning two storage devices, it's not a single drive. The formatted capacity here is 3.74GB for the main faster SSD that the OS runs from, and 15GB for the slower secondary storage.
  
  I purchased this version and installed XP Pro on it (since the XP version only comes with 12GB). 4GB is simply too small. After installing and updating XP, there was just no room left to install any apps I wanted, even after cleaning up the drive.
  
  Secondly, the touch pad and buttons. The touch pad is WAY too sensitive and finicky, frankly it's just terrible. Even knowing this and trying to carefully tap click, it would way too often instead perform an extremely fast double click, and it would often repeatedly/consecutively do this. This gets extremely irritating very fast. Updating the touch pad driver had no effect for me.
  
  As for the touch pad buttons, they are way too stiff. Perhaps they wear down after a lot of use, but I'd go insane before ever finding out.
  
  Lastly, and the least excusable, is the battery life. For a device like this it's simply inexcusably awful. This is with the 5800mAh battery: with wireless OFF (FN + F2) and the screen dimmed down to its second most dark setting (which is really unacceptably dark for all but the very best-lit environments), this thing barely lasted over 2 hours. One more battery cycle to confirm this pathetic performance and I was ready to box it up and send it back.
  
  I can forgive a lot of things regarding a tiny laptop, the small screen, small keyboards that are tricky to type on, etc. That is totally excusable.
  
  But what a tiny laptop with a small screen, no optical drive, and a solid state hard drive should absolutely excel at is battery life, and this fails horribly. Less than 2.5hrs with a darkened screen and disabled wifi is just inexcusable.
  
  If you're still really intent on a micro laptop, I still wouldn't recommend the 900, I'd highly recommend you just wait a few weeks for the Eee PC 901. It features the new highly efficient Intel Atom which uses far less energy and therefore improves battery life (hopefully Intel will develop a new efficient chipset to go along with it).
  
  I still love the idea of an Eee PC and look forward to what Asus and other companies will have to offer over the coming year or so. If this had a minimum 8GB primary SSD, a far better touch pad and buttons, and the battery lasted 4+ hours with wifi enabled and the brightness halfway up, I'd love it.
  
  

• Asus EEE PC 20G = Perfection

  
  By A22L0Z1CYKWVH5 on 2008-05-14
  I had the EEE PC 4G and once I found out the 20G 900 was coming out, back to the store it went!! If you are on the fence between this and the 4G 701 for $399, I would say the extra $150 for this one is money well spent as you get a bigger screen, which is awesome, allows you to view a web page without having to scroll left or right, 5X the storage, 20 Gigs compared to only 4 Gigs on the EEE PC 701 and twice the ram. Same form factor, and definitely is a head turner. Only caveat is Linux was just not for me, so I slapped on Windows XP very easily using the instructions provided in the user manual and the driver disk provided by ASUS.
  
  

• The Eee is great and it came with the 5800mah battery

  
  By A1W6RPKEDCLSR9 on 2008-05-19
  I have to say even though I have only had the Eee 900 for a few days I love it! I plan on coming back and giving updates as I have them but out of the gates it works as advertised. One thing amazon does not say is that it comes with the bigger 5800mah battery which is great. I haven't done an actual timed battery test but we can surf for about three hours on a charge. Also I tested out video skype(which comes installed) and that works well too. For the more advanced users you can enable a full desktop mode for KDE Linux which as a more familiar windows feel. It takes some work but once you get it installed its easy to switch from the standard tabbed interface to the full desktop interface when you need more flexibility. If you are looking for a very portable laptop with good battery life and a great screen this would be a great choice.
  
  *Update*
  
  Having had the Eee for a while I have to admit that it is difficult to touch type on. I find myself making a large number of typing errors, but given the overall size of this laptop I didn't assume this would be like a full size keyboard. If you are planning to use this as a primary laptop just keep in mind this is a small keyboard. Go to your local retailer and see if they have one of the older models as a display and give it a try. That should give you an idea of what it is like to type on the 900.
  
  
  *Update* (July 7th 2008)
  The battery life seems to be about 2 hours, that is with wifi enabled and 90% of the time spent surfing the net (email, Firefox etc). We realized early on that you cant really charge up the battery with the Eee turned on so every night we shut it down and charge it over night, it is always ready to go 1st thing in the morning, but I think it takes about 4 hours to charge the battery from 10% to 100%. My wife uses it as her primary email and internet machine, it is used at least 5 days a week draining the battery almost everyday. We have yet to see any decrease in the life of the battery
  
  

• The best laptop I've ever touched

  
  By ADBR7B1MAC848 on 2008-05-21
  I just got this 900 Asus laptop and love everything about it.All the talk about the keyboard size is lame. After 30 minutes of typing I don't even notice the difference in size from a regular keyboard. Linux works great- especially after unlocking full desktop mode(which takes only a couple of minutes)It works much faster than my Dell laptop with windows on it that has twice the memory and faster processor. And like somebody mentioned above- I don't have to worry about viruses wiht linux( it's been known to have only 20 written viruses for the OS verses millions for windows)And I got almost 3 hours battery life on my first test drive, downloading music,listening to music and surfing the net at the same time.
  I recommend it to anybody.
  
  

• Great Coffee Cruiser - Needs an internal Cell phone

  
  By ANZNLUN43E9KF on 2008-05-18
  Tis an amazing system, the larger screen is a delight. The Linux operating system is good and always works, great Coffee Cruiser... The native Linux operating system is fast and makes this computer less susceptible to drive by viruses now it is reported that 1 in a 1000 web pages are poisoned...
  
  This computer is not a Desktop replacement, but it is lightweight and everything else for your mobile computing needs. This and the smaller unit are expensive and should be price for less, but presume there will be more competition for the consumer with adjusted pricing in the near future. I am guessing, but feel the falling dollar value can be blamed for 25% of the current price...
  
  The new unit with the larger screen should have come to market at the $399 price and the older Asus EEE should have dropped to the $199 price point.
  
  The first released Asus EEE unit was a fabulous success with Linux as its operating system, but add Microsoft XP to the unit and watch the system slow down and become almost non-usable with all the malware. This is a take with you system, and if you do not spend an hour each and every day keeping the system virus and advertisement free any windows XP system is going to be a problem... This is a wireless system, completely open to every predator in every library, public WiFi and school setting.
  
  Only area I feel has been neglected at the current price level, where is the bluetooth & internat Cell phone that needs to be part of this $599 EEE PC 900... The size is approaching and above full laptops, and other systems are ready scheduled to arrive on market near or at the $400 price...
  
  I love it the easy, safety and speed of the Linux operating system, and enjoy its amazing ability to locate a wireless signal and be web surfing while my on-line messenger and e-mail is ready almost in the blink of an eye...
  
  Overall it is a very expensive small form system, maybe I stepped up to the counter a bit early to secure the best Coffee Cruiser for my after tax dollars...
  
  The hardware Asus decided upon makes it easy to install almost any Linux operating system you enjoy using.
  
  MT
  
  
• Do the MATH!
  By A1IUUJYY064F6A on 2008-05-23
  I've been waiting for years for a laptop like this one to come around and from the huge success of the first model I can see I was not alone. I didn't buy the first model because I wanted to hear how well this little laptop held up to daily use - plus the second generations of products usually fix most of the shortcomings of the first one.
  Then the Eee Pc 900 came out.
  At first I was one of those people that thought the 900 was way overpriced. I had decided that the 4G model for $399 was a much better deal...
  
  and then I did the math!
  
  After you spend 400 bucks on the 4G model (with web cam) the first thing you do is spend another $30 to get a 1G ram stick so you can upgrade the unit. (I've read that if you don't upgrade the ram videos are choppy sometimes). Next you spend another $80 to $125 to get a 16G SD card because the 4G supplied in the machine is worthless. When you are done you've spent around $500 and end up with a unit with pretty much the same specs as the 900 - only you still have a 7" screen and tiny trackpad. For me, the 900's bigger screen and trackpad are worth the extra 50 bucks!
  
  I just got my 900 and I love it! I'm sticking with Linux I already own a laptop with XP and I don't plan on using my 900 as my main machine. Linux will do everything I need for travel.
  
  
• Don't Buy The Hype
  By A2XHROIVK4TPKK on 2008-06-04
  I purchased this gadget with high hopes. I knew it was a toy but hoped for it to be a functional toy. After spending some time with the eee pc 900 I found that there are some serious hardware flaws.
  
  The first hardware flaw is the wifi-card (Atheros 5700) and the on-board support (buggy to say the least). Its a bad thing when entire forums have been created on other sites to attempt and support the connectivity issues. Consider that the chipset it uses is not properly supported by the Open Source community and you will need to modify code on the machine right out of the box to enable proper SSID handling.
  
  The second hardware flaw stems from battery power usage. After charging the battery the first time I was able to use the laptop on battery power for 45 minutes before it died. After the initial charge and drain I found that I was able to use the laptop for 35 minutes on a fresh charge.
  On the third day of ownership I charged the battery and then turned the laptop off completely (after disconnecting the power supply). I returned two hours later to find the battery drained and was unable to turn the laptop on without connecting the power supply.
  
  The deal breaker for me and what I consider to be the fatal hardware flaw is the write speed of the SSD. Here are the Stats:
  
  Sequential read: 30.0MB/s
  Reading 512KB files: 31.0MB/s
  Reading 4KB files: 9.4MB/s
  
  Sequential write: 7.6MB/s
  Writing 512KB files: 1.9MB/s
  Writing 4KB fiels: 0.03MB/s
  
  As you can see the write speed is horrible.
  
  I recommend not buying this over-hyped mess.
  
  
  
  
• Nice PC can go with us to everywhere!
  By A18EUQFB1I3CGA on 2008-05-21
  Size: 5 Stars
  Looking: 5 Stars
  Gaming Performance: Sorry, you look into the wrong product.
  
  It's a super nice PC between a regular heavy 6 lbs laptop and less functional PDA. If you aren't in world of warcraft raid guild and need to go for 25 men raid every day, it's nice small laptop for you to do many things and go everywhere because the convenience talks and that's what you paid for.
  
  Well, I like window XP more than Linux due to using Microsoft OS and software when work to be used into that for a long time.
  
  Why I bought the Asus EEE PC 900 Linux 20G instead of another Asus EEE PC 900 Window XP Home?
  
  Because I could get 8GB more internal SSD space providing flexibility to install software or storage personal files.
  
  The key for installaion OS is change "OS Installaion" from "Finished" to "Start" in the BIOS.
  
  Get it? Enjoy it!
  
  
• Great Ultraportable Device!
  By A3VK9GSXU5Z53A on 2008-06-08
  I purchased the Linux version of this incarnation of Eee PC. I can honestly say that it surpassed my expectations in all aspects. I have ordered my Eee PC 900 20G online, without ever actually seeing a demo unit. Needless to say, one of my main concerns while placing the order was the material quality. I was afraid I would receive a lightweight and flimsy-feeling toy and boy was I wrong! The material used in making this device is on par with the material used in manufacturing regular laptop computers, if not superior.
  
  On the software side of things, all the research and development Asus invested in putting together the Eee PC software seems to have paid off well. The simplified front-end they created for Linux works for me on multiple levels, but I think this front-end's success mainly boils down to this: Gone are the bells and whistles of contemporary operating systems that do little more than distract you. By minimizing distractions, they were able to create a much calmer environment so to speak, which makes it easier to concentrate on work and getting things done.
  
  Then again if you are a Microsoft devotee, you could install Windows XP on this device but I understand it takes a little bit of tweaking around. Instructions on how to do this as well as all the Windows drivers needed come with the product. Keep in mind though, once you have Windows XP on there, you will also need to install a firewall and an antivirus. Again, you will need to download updates every so often which will consume your valuable disk space.
  
  In my opinion Windows' requirements may be quite taxing on a device with these hardware specifications and would take away all the fun out of owning a device that was, from its conceptualization, meant to be trouble-free and robust. Relative scarcity of malware written for Linux almost obviates the need to install an obtrusive antivirus. Asus' rolls out whatever updates I may occasionally need via their dedicated update servers. Staying with Linux, at least for the time being, feels safe and makes good practical sense. Therefore, I think I will stick with the Linux that came pre-installed on my Eee PC for quite some time.
  
  I am really impressed with the form factor, though I must say that the smaller keys on the Eee PC takes a little getting used to. This however is a flaw I am willing to easily oversee. After all, this is the first portable computer that I purchased I may actually use as a portable, as opposed to a desktop replacement.
  
  
  
• Everything I expected
  By A1U7SPRDIJEHLV on 2008-06-05
  I think many people have unrealistically high expectations of this computer. I was very apprehensive about buying a model I'd never physically tried out but since I couldn't find one in the local stores I bit the bullet and ordered one.
  
  Now I will say that I am somewhat of a Linux geek so I can get around in the OS better than a lot of people (once I disabled "Easy Mode"!) but this little machine is everything I was looking for. I think the WiFi "issues" are a bit overblown; I haven't had any problems yet in finding and connecting to hotspots. One time the network applet seemed to hang while connecting to a network but I simply closed it out, turned wireless off and on, and it worked fine.
  
  The keyboard does definitely take some getting used to; the minuscule right-hand Shift key is right next to the up-arrow which I keep hitting by mistake, and on my unit the "R" key is very touchy so it often gets hit more than I meant to, but once you use it for a while you can learn to work at a productive and relatively error-free (although slower) rate.
  
  And to reiterate what several others have said, this does indeed come with the higher-capacity 5800mAh battery, and although I haven't performed my own "drainage" test, based on my current usage and battery levels I'd expect to get the advertised 2-1/2 hours or so of usage.
  
  If you're not sure yet whether the Eee PC 900 is for you, you may want to hold off a bit since this market segment is very new but expanding very rapidly with new models like the MSI Wind and the Eee 901 coming out fast and furious. I expect by this Christmas, there will be many makes and models to choose from anywhere in the $300-700 range.
  
  But if (like me) you don't want to wait any longer, you certainly can't go wrong with this model. If you're new to Linux, the installed version is very easy to use and there is a great user community at eeeuser.com to help you out with any aspect of the device you could possibly imagine.
  
  
• Great machine; Good price
  By A2AP5QMYHRXG20 on 2008-06-02
  I got my 900 a few days ago through Amazon/DataVision, and have had trouble keeping my hands of it since.
  
  Pros: Very portable; Takes a quick 25 seconds to boot; Clear screen with good resolution; Decent battery life--I got 3 hours, 20 minutes out of a charge running it in 30-minute increments over two days with the screen at about 50% brightness, which is bright enough, Wi-Fi running full blast, and goofing around with a couple of applications at the same time (i.e. internet radio running and reading pdf documents); Linux is super-easy to use--just have to get used to using tabs--takes about thirty seconds; I have experienced excellent Wi-Fi signal strength all over the house and yard---never less than 93%--I have 2200 square feet, two-story with a medium sized yard; Excellent track pad! ASUS got the track pad right--you can zoom in and out of pictures, single- or double-click, drag and drop, scroll up and down web pages, and even go back and forward to web pages (like clicking the back or forward arrows in your internet browser).
  
  Cons: Super-long recharge times---it takes four hours to recharge the battery. Not great if you need a quick charge in an airport while on a layover. That's my only con right now
  
  Recommend: Buy one and have fun! If I had to do it again, I would. I totally recommend this device. Check out http://forum.eeeuser.com before making changes or updates out of the box. I updated the BIOS, which is identified in the user manual, but several users say not to. Who knows? After the BIOS update, the unit works just fine.
  
  
• Becarfule when you want to get Asus eee pc900
  By A1SG7NSYC10LAE on 2008-06-03
  20GB SSD is not true becarfule for everyone the SSD only 4GB and the other 16GB normal flash drive low speed and you can not install win xp on the 16GB it came slow and hang the system and when you install the win xp on the 4GB SSD it is working fine and speed is good but no space for any program so you can work with internet only withot widows update and antivirus
  
  thank you
  
  
• Awesome Laptop
  By ABXANRX4GPYRZ on 2008-05-25
  This is it the second generation EEE PC. You should be glad that you waited and did not buy the first generation with the tiny screen. This version is awesome.
  
  Nice larger readable screen, larger trackpad and more memory and storage space.
  
  Linux runs wonderful and everything you need is included. Very nice !!
  
  This is a perfect laptop for students, moms, travelers, everyone !! Buy it !!
  
  
• Great performance, powerful enough for everyday usage
  By A3H6MEZHN1NB2W on 2008-06-03
  I don't quite understand what's the point of installing Windows on this kind of mini laptop. Basically the linux version can do anything you need in everyday life, internet surfing, email, word processing, conference presentation, chat with friends, et al. Remember, the beauty of EEE PC is its small size, light weight and super portability.
  I saw some people here complaining their problems with installing Windows on the linux version. Why bother? What can you do with Windows that you can't with the EEE PC linux? Don't get me wrong---I'm certainly not a huge fan of linux and open source and I use both windows and linux for my work. Please, don't tell me you want to play some fancy 3-D game on this tiny little thing.
  
  
• ASUS Eee PC 20G ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  By A1GX1NUO2P1PYY on 2008-06-23
  My wife was a delegate to the Democratic convention in our state, so I bought her an ASUS for the convention (8G)... I liked it so much I had to get me one too. This machine boots in about 15 seconds and web pages POP. I started my Dell and my wife's 8G at the same time. I was able to order the 20G from my wife's 8G in the time it took my Dell XPS laptop to boot -- of course then it would be another 2 minutes before I could surf/shop... One word -- BLAZING! It offers exectional functionality as a lightweight, speedy, internet-to-go device. Even when my Dell is finished booting the 20G loads my ISPs webmail long before the Dell begins to paint the screen. It even is voice-activated. The voice command is cool, though I wish it was customizable. Though it won't displace my laptop or desktop for specific apps like audio/video editing - it has totally usurped my other devices when it comes to web-based access.
  
  The one downside is this little thing generates alot of heat, more than conventional laptop. Invest in a USB chill mat...
  
  
• Almost perfect as a secondary computer (and comparison with MBA)
  By A3PXEG07WCTERC on 2008-06-28
  I wish that I could give 4.5 stars rating, with the condition that EEE PC 900 is used as a secondary computer. And I have used my wife's MBA for quite a while so I will compare the two. (Yes it's unfair but interesting, right?)
  
  Good things first. I ordered 900 with a clear mind that it's going to be my secondary notebook computer and my usage is email, web browsing, remote connect and a few other things. I had a two-year old Dell D620 which still works fine. The 900 is light, with slightly better battery life (3+ hours), fast booting, extremely fast shutdown, inexpensive, and with camera builtin (good for video conferences on a trip). After the 900 arrives, it's just what I expected.
  
  Now bad things first, most of which I already knew when I ordered the 900. First the keyboard is small. I am typing this review with 900. I guess I would type 20-30% faster with my D620 (or a desktop). Moreover, I pay more attention to my typing and that affects my writing/thinking a little bit. Not a big deal though. Most time I will write on my D620. On a trip or a working day full of meetings, fast booting and fast shutdown are more important than typing speed. And hopefully I can improve my typing on the 900 over time.
  
  The battery life could be better. I wished that a single charge would be good for a whole day (5-6 working hours). This one is about 3-4 hours, so I will still need to take the power adapter with me and search (and sometimes compete) for a power outlet. The EEE PC 901 will do it, but I ordered 900 before I knew 901 would be coming (and don't want the trouble to return this fine looking 900).
  
  It is warm and sometimes can be called hot. When the fan is turned on, there is a whipping sound. Not terrible at all but definitely noticeable. But in that measure it's better than the D620 and the MBA. The D620's fan is loud and non-stopping. The MBA can be very hot and the fan can spin crazily, much louder than the 900. (But both the 900 and the MBA are fine in a cool room.)
  
  Now more comparison between the 900 and the MBA (Macbook Air, 13" display). First the comparison is unfair because the MBA is priced at $1800 and the 900 $550; please keep that in mind. The MBA works fine as either the primary or secondary computer. The keyboard is full size and first class quality. Typing on it is no different from a large notebook or a desktop. Actually, the MBA is thin and light but NOT small in area -- it is a full "area" notebook computer. If the price is not an issue and one wants just one notebook, MBA is the choice (and it's much better than 12" sub-notebooks from other vendors).
  
  The 900 is thick, twice the thickness of the MBA and slight more than that of the D620 (the D620 has 14" display). A strange thing is that when holding the MBA and the 900, the MBA feels the same weight as the 900 but the actual weights are 3lbs vs 2lbs. I am not sure why, but possibly because of how they can be held. Holding the 900 at the battery compartment is the most comfortable. I also feel 900 has at least the same volume than MBA. Is the thickness a bad thing or not? Hard to say. When I put them in bags both are just fine.
  
  Overall, I think 900 is almost perfect as a secondary computer (and perfect with 5-6 batter time). However, I won't use it as a primary computer. Keyboard and display are two reasons. Another reason is software. I have installed many software on the D620; I can do that because of its large hard drive and memory. And the D620 runs windows XP. I won't install Windows XP on the 900 -- that will slow it down and defeat the purpose of having fast booting and shutdown times.
  
  
  
• All that I expected - great job Asus!
  By A2WC57ISYO0LOI on 2008-06-29
  I have owned my 20G for a little over a month and could not be more happy with it. It is exactly as advertised. I ordered the 20G to get the larger drive, but have replaced the installed Linux (which worked great) with Windows XP in order to run some specialized programs. The installation was smooth due to supplied Asus instruction manual and drivers. I loaded the XP on the 4GB faster "C" drive, and all applications on the remaining 16GB "D" drive - works great, plenty of capacity.
  The 8.9" display is bright and clear and about as small as these old eyes can tolerate. The keyboard is small, but very usable. The wi-fi connection abilty is amazing - more sensitive than my other laptops - even between apartment buildings. I am writing this review from a motel room using wi-fi and even after 2.5 hours of web surfing the unit is only barely warm on my bare knees - no heat problem, as far as I can tell. The battery life seems to run between 2.5 and 3 hours - which is OK, but not exceptional.
  I have read many reviews comparing this computer unfavorably to the MSI Wind or the new Asus 901. True, the Wind (when it becomes available)will have a bigger screen and keyboard, but I prefer the 900's lighter weight and smaller footprint. Yes, the 901 has the new Atom processor and longer battery life - but it also costs $100 more...getting pretty pricey. The model 900 is great ultra small, ultra light weight, remarkabley powerful portable "kneetop" PC. It is just what Asus deisigned it to be and they did a fine job in both design and build quality. I am very pleased and would recommend this computer with no hesitation
  
  
  
  
• I love this thing
  By A25KFXEMN5SQQE on 2008-07-14
  Even though my Dell 600m is supposed to be "lightweight" at 5 pounds, taking it anywhere was a pain. With other items along, that bag became a real presence and a burden. So it often didn't travel with me.
  
  Not so this little guy. It even comes along on an evening out. I have actually had to check my bag to be sure it is there.
  
  I returned my first 900 20G because the 'E' key was not as responsive and needed a stronger tap. Many errors resulted. Even then I hated sending it back because I was so enjoying it. Quick and easy replacement process with DataViz.
  
  The pros: Portability #1. Also that Linux is so clean and pure. I had never used Linux and was a little worried about adapting to it (I am, er, older), but it is straight forward. I love that it powers down in about 3 or 4 seconds, whereas the 600m takes forever. Similarly it powers up much faster than the 600m. Happy to live without all the 'bloatware' and virus risks. Screen is bright, large enough for my needs. Excellent Internet hot spot reception.
  
  The cons: You know by now the keyboard is small. Battery life is this side of 3 hours (haven't run this one down yet). And it gets warm. I would add that Linux has the downside of not being compatible with Windows based programs. There are a couple things I use (e.g.Quicken) that I'd run also on my laptop. Tough call here. I debated, chose the 20G, then around the replacement/return, debated again and still went with the 20G. I use a Treo for my very mobile needs (recipes, lists, contacts, scheduling, etc) and keep all that backed up on the desktop. I ALWAYS have the Treo with me, so I don't need all that on the mobile Eeee. I will back up Quicken elsewhere. I can opt to install Windows or Windows lite if this incompatibility bothers me later. For now I am liking Linux.
  
  I have run into one insurmountable compatibility problem around a mapping project. A solution workable with Treo Palm OS, Eee Linux, desktop Windows and my GPS unit appears beyond my capabilities. I can live with that, same as with the lack of Quicken backup.
  
  Last, why not the 901? Well, the Atom is unproven, and I am cynical and wary of first generation efforts. Also the 901 weight is inching up there a bit. Why not the Wind? Processor and weight again - to me every ounce matters. And the Wind weight appears to be with the 3 cell battery.
  
  I'm traveling this weekend and again for 3 weeks in September. No question the Eee is going along. I will have my files, photos, music, email, Skype and Internet all right there, trouble free, for under 2 pounds. Wonderful!
  
  
• Fantastic little machine ready to go anywhere you are!
  By A1MFQQGSI5MFKN on 2008-08-07
  Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RM1TN6CXDYUDY I'm Christian and I'm reviewing the eeePC 900 (which I love!) for an online talk show, GoodDayJoplin.net
  
  Hopefully the review is helpful to you! This laptop is an amazing little laptop that can do anything a regular computer can. Give it a try, you'll probably like it.
  
  
• great for on the go but very slow disk
  By A27BZOO1NA6QWF on 2008-06-17
  I loved the EEE design from the first ones released and jumped on the new 8.9" display as soon as it came out. The form factor works great, and the keyboard, although small is quite manageable. The only gripe on the keyboard is that the numbers row starts at "1" instead of starting with the "`" character and so I end up typing the wrong number every time since it's all shifted by 1 key to the left.
  
  The other problem with this laptop is that the solid state hard drive is soooo slow. It is horribly slow. Installing applications is painful. The SSD performance problems are well documented on the web. You can do a search for that.
  
  I wish I had known that before hand. That's the only reason I give it a 3 star. I hope they fix that soon with the new models.
  
  The 8.9" display works really well. The software that comes for XP makes it really easy to manage an external display too which I use at 1280x1024 resolution. So at home just plug it in to the external monitor for high res and on the go the 1024x600 works great. You can also set the laptop display to 1024x768 on XP if you don't mind scrolling up and down.
  
  
• A great little computer
  By AL6HTH6DWH8EP on 2008-06-24
  I'd debated about Asus computers for a year. Then I heard rumblings and rumors about the 9" screen and that sealed the deal.
  I've had the computer for a month. It's not Windows, similar but not the same. For surfing the web, e-mailing, Open office (word type documents) it is great. It boots up in 10-15 seconds and shuts down as fast. I take this thing everywhere. It has great range for wireless internet, I use it in parking lots all over the place. The price is close to low range laptops with all the expected features (dvd player, bigger hard drives, etc), but we've got one of those, plus a desk top.
  
  This is my take everywhere computer and I'm very happy with it.
  
  
• great small laptop for web users
  By A2YIPUGOCZ6BZ2 on 2008-06-18
  I bought this for my petite wife who has small hands. She wanted a new laptop, and valued portability, size, and battery life over speed and the ability to play games. This thing is heads above the competition on these fronts. The only complaint is that the internal web cam is blurry, but I think it's just a problem with my particular unit. It has Firefox for websites, and it has Skype for video chatting. There is also Open Office for editing documents, but you won't want to do much of that on this small screen and small keyboard. The processor is plenty powerful to do everything you want, and with 1 gig of ram, it's got plenty of that to handle all the multitasking you want. The speakers are small and very quiet, but they do get the job done. Overall, she is very satisfied with the product. If you are okay with a larger laptop with a bit less battery life, then you can certainly find them. You don't want to buy this if you want to play a lot of games, or if you want a lot of hard drive space to replace a desktop PC. It won't play DVD's either. It's just not qualified to do that. However, for the few functions it was designed for, it works flawlessly.
  
  
• Great little road warrior PC!
  By A1R0H4X4QHC1QH on 2008-06-27
  I've been watching the ASUS eee PC products for awhile now, but after reading many positive reviews of the eee PC 900 (Linux version, 20GB memory) and lugging my 5 lb. laptop to NYC on my latest trip, I decided I had to try this one.
  
  I got it in the morning, charged it while I was running some errands, and began putting it through its paces when I got back. Keyboard is small, but I have small hands and it's working fine for me. I will likely activate advanced desktop mode at some point, but for right now, the tabbed desktop is just fine. For email, web connectivity, a little music, a few games, and the ability to write/edit documents and presentations on the road, this is terrific! It's exactly what I need without what I don't need. And it really does weigh just under 2.2 lbs, even with the power adapter! Also--no one has mentioned that it has some voice activation built it; what a great idea.
  
  
  
• A great little PC, but a lousy form of Linux...
  By A3V38VRNUV84CH on 2008-06-28
  This is a wonderful little laptop. (Kneetop?) Everyone who sees it wants one but I think Asus has done everyone a a major disservice with their over-simplified toy Linux installation. All you get are the screens you see in the product description and there's no real desktop. And there's only a handful of programs available for this particular unit from the Asus repository. Yes, there's a real desktop available but you'll have to open a Terminal window and dig around in the files to make this happen. (Remember DOS? It's a lot like that.) There's lots of instructions out there on how to do this. Some instructions work. Some just return arcane error messages. My advice--if you want this box to run any really useful form of Linux, be prepared to install your own favorite flavor. And be prepared to spend some time getting everything to work, like the microphone and the camera. Ubuntu might be the easiest but like everything in the Linux world, there's a lot of different choices, some better than others.
  
  
• Great little machine
  By A14I6RU1Y08JS5 on 2008-06-16
  I love my new eeepc. I don't understand why some think it is slow or that there are wireless issues. I have no problem getting on my wireless network either at home or at work. It is very speedy at finding and accessing.
  I don't care for the MS suite, so I'm happy to stick with the Linux and Open Office. Very user friendly. The abundant and ample software is arranged nicely and wonderful for secondary school kids. I am not into gaming, but the installed games are fun.
  This is a great machine for someone who isn't a techno-geek, but is computer savvy, doesn't like games, but does enjoy some videos and music now and then. I really use it for the internet, e-mail and document editing. Perfect for in your bag while waiting between flights. A nice solid little machine. Cheaper than my previous hand-held and a LOT easier to use!
  
  
• Great Travel Laptop
  By A20KYC421SE1Y3 on 2008-06-21
  Just purchased this item and decided to dump the mini-wannabee-linux that comes with it in favor of XP SP2. Install worked without a hitch, and the resulting windows laptop is quite speedy despite its lack of processing power - the fast solid state disk makes more than up for the slow processor in many cases. It plays quite nicely doing ppt presentation on various projectors - which, other than using it as a web pad and email on the go laptop is the main purpose I purchased it for. Compared to other lightweight options in the $2k+ range quite a bargain - and fully does the job.
  
  
• Bigger keyboard would be nice
  By AFO2PSCOZHND9 on 2008-06-24
  I liked everything about it except the keyboard. I just can't seem to get used to the small keyboard. But it is everything it's advertised to be and quite convenient to carry around. Access to the internet and ability to create and edit MS Office files is sufficient for almost everything I would want to do and Linux does it with much less demand for resources and much quicker than Vista.
  
  
• Little laptop, big features
  By A33G48UZW4ZSUR on 2008-06-25
  
  I bought the Linux version and after playing with it for a little while I booted from an external floppy drive with a Windows 98 boot disk, deltreed the Linux partitions, rebooted and fdisked and formatted the 4 GB C: drive and then used an external DVD drive to install XP Pro using an nLite custom slimmed down version. I also installed Office 2003. For $43 I bought a 2 GB RAM stick and replaced the 1 GB that came with it. I also bought a 16 GB SD card for $45 online to give additional storage.
  
  Comments from observers: "Is that a toy computer?" No...it is full-featured and lots of power. I like the Asus 900 EEE weight factor as my primary laptop is a Dell Precision M6300 that is huge. My wishes for improvement: WiMax and Bluetooth so I'll probably get the new versions and this one may get passed on to a relative.
  The lack of a CD drive is not critical here to me, but some may find it limiting. External DVD drives are cheap though. The onboard Atheros wireless chip is good in the room the router is in, but range is less or even impossible through walls that many larger laptop wifi chips would connect. I have a cheap external USB wifi thumb device that I use when the router range is beyond the internal chip. Three USB ports are nice...I have a USB mouse, but would prefer Bluetooth capability to save even that port use.
  All in all I think most people will find it a great ultra portable as long as they realize battery life is less than three hours (which is about like most regular laptops). There are heavier third-party batteries that can deliver much longer usage and I would never buy the standard 4-cell battery at the prices I have seen. The newer models promise much greater battery life and bigger SSD capacity so Asus has a winner indeed. Get ultra portables down to VCR prices in five or less years and we'll have one in every classroom student's hands in America. That's a multi-billion dollar market even at $100 a unit.
  
  
• ultra portable pc
  By A2ZPYKNMG9MW56 on 2008-06-11
  Great little computer with excellent wifi. I am writing this review from Domme France. Ultra-lite. You can carry it around without fatigue. The keyboard is adequate size. I have opted for Linux version which is easy to use. Loaded with useful programs. There are no negatives to mention. I have a Dell XPS M1350 and would take this back to Europe again.
  
  
• people amaze me
  By A13RXXF8SD0TJW on 2008-06-30
  i havent purchased a eee900 as of yet working on the funds. But its simply amazing how people treat tech toys like this. When u buy this yeah it has a small keyboard, but its alot better then say using a txt msg phone like the env2 from verizone. its a full blown computer that will do just about anything you want it to do i unlocked the xandros desktop on my 2g surf. That was so easy it wasnt funny and i am not even a linux person. There are so many forms and blogs that will walk u through the whole process all u have to be able to do is read. You can unlock it while u are useing it. the touch pad is a little sensitve and the clicks not very responsive. Thats an easy fix all u have to do is go in to the settings tab and adjust it just like a regular notebook.
  Plain and simple if you want a machine that is easy light weight dang near indestructable this is for you.If you cant handle this the hope over to your local walmart they have the acer aspire with a 14.1 screen 2gb ram and 120gb h/d for about 500.00 and guess what it has windows vista which makes it a great paper weight.
  All in all the eee pc is great for kids to adults to seniors simple and easy to use. shoot you can even hook it up to a pc monitor with a vga cable slap in a usb mouse and keyboard and go to town as if it was a full desktop. Nothing expensive required.
  So stop your crying and stop expecting that this is something more then it is because it is exactly what is shows to be.
  viva la eee revolution
  
  
  

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