REVIEW Of Eee PC 701

I got this for an on the road computer. It was discussed at length on the Prop Wash Gang forum and I also read about it on some internet forums and groups.

The computer is also called Eee PC 4G and there are several models.

A complete review is at http://www.hothardware.com/articles/Asus_Eee_PC_Full_Retail_Review_Showcase/

So I won’t bore you with the technical stuff.

The computer arrived in a small box and all I had to do was put the battery pack on the back of the machine and then connect the AC power adapter (battery charger).

The next step was to open the case and turn the PC on. It booted in 25 seconds. . We timed it. The Linux operating system is head and shoulders above any Microsoft OS that I have used. Next thing to do was to run the “First Run Wizard.” Just some “I agree with this license” and user name and password stuff. Now it was ready to go.

The desktop has a bunch of tabs for the various operating areas. Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings, Favorites and Help. Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are two of the programs included. This is good for me, as I use them both at home on the desktop.

I was somewhat disappointed in the add/delete programs listing as it only let me delete Skype, which I will never use anyhow. There are a bunch of other things I will never use and would like to delete to free up some space. I will keep poking around and maybe figure out how to delete other useless stuff.

The computer easily connected to my wireless network after I entered the security key. However, the next time I turned the computer on it wanted the security key again. I learned, with my friend Jon’s guidance, that the security key is stored in the Network section. You would think it would be under Wireless Networks. Just something to get used to.

The whole Open Office suite is installed. Easy to use if you use any Microsoft Office products. Windows XP is available for installation on this machine although I have no idea why anyone would want to do that. Linux is so much better than windows. I suppose there are some applications that will only run with Windows, but none that I need on my on the road machine.

The front of The User Guide says:

Easy to Learn, Work and Play

Excellent Mobile Computing Experience

Excellent Internet Experience

I am sure that all of these statements are true. I look forward to becoming more familiar with this sweet little beauty.