Asus Ion 2-Powered Eee PC 1201PN Review
Software and Accessories
If the design is similar to the Eee PC 1201N, surely the software and accessories bundle will be as well, right? Turns out, that's exactly the case. The Eee PC 1201PN also ships with a 32-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, and included extras are few and far between. Included in the box is the machine itself, an AC power brick, an AC power cable (connects from the brick to the netbook), two user guides, and nothing more. No sleeve or anything like that. It's par for the course these days, but we think a $500 netbook deserves a little something extra.
On the software front, there aren't too many extras. A 60-day trial of the Microsoft Office is included, as is ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 3, which actually has an easier time playing back DivX files compared to Windows Media Player. CyberLink's YouCam software is included, along with a number of specific Asus applications (a few games, a direct portal to your online Asus EeeStorage) that we honestly don't find too useful nor compelling. You also get Skype pre-installed and Microsoft Works but other than that, you're on your own. The good news is that bloatware really has been kept to a minimum, with the Eee Dock that sits atop the panel being the only thing we were anxious to remove. Sorry, but we just didn't want to waste pixels and system resources on a pull-down to Asus apps that we have little to no use for. For others, this may be a positive rather than a negative, but for anyone just looking to get work done, it'll probably be more of a nuisance.
;)
On the software front, there aren't too many extras. A 60-day trial of the Microsoft Office is included, as is ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 3, which actually has an easier time playing back DivX files compared to Windows Media Player. CyberLink's YouCam software is included, along with a number of specific Asus applications (a few games, a direct portal to your online Asus EeeStorage) that we honestly don't find too useful nor compelling. You also get Skype pre-installed and Microsoft Works but other than that, you're on your own. The good news is that bloatware really has been kept to a minimum, with the Eee Dock that sits atop the panel being the only thing we were anxious to remove. Sorry, but we just didn't want to waste pixels and system resources on a pull-down to Asus apps that we have little to no use for. For others, this may be a positive rather than a negative, but for anyone just looking to get work done, it'll probably be more of a nuisance.
;)
