Asus Eee PC Full Retail Review Showcase
Performance Summary:
Rounding-up our general experiences from a performance perspective, is a relatively easy task with the Asus Eee PC. The system basically delivered on nearly every expected metric, save perhaps the somewhat cramped feel of the keyboard area, which is part of the territory for a machine of this form-factor. The operating system was lightning-quick to boot and application load times were also snappy.
In addition, we plugged in a few standard components like USB memory sticks and a USB optical mouse, all of which were instantly recognized by the OS, transparently installed and instantly available for use. The Linux-based Eee PC even discovered our Windows network automatically and we were able to access files on our storage server with the system's File Manager and other applications as well. And so, from a high-level interoperability standpoint, the Eee PC also scored high marks with us.
Rounding-up our general experiences from a performance perspective, is a relatively easy task with the Asus Eee PC. The system basically delivered on nearly every expected metric, save perhaps the somewhat cramped feel of the keyboard area, which is part of the territory for a machine of this form-factor. The operating system was lightning-quick to boot and application load times were also snappy.
In addition, we plugged in a few standard components like USB memory sticks and a USB optical mouse, all of which were instantly recognized by the OS, transparently installed and instantly available for use. The Linux-based Eee PC even discovered our Windows network automatically and we were able to access files on our storage server with the system's File Manager and other applications as well. And so, from a high-level interoperability standpoint, the Eee PC also scored high marks with us.
;)
Perfect for little hands...
Just in time for the holidays?
Short of the learning curve with its tighter keyboard real estate, about the only thing we felt was lacking in the Eee PC was some sort of "family PC" security and content filtering for young minds. Obviously this machine will make a fantastic first PC for many aspiring tech-minded youngster but parents will have to lock down the communications ports on the machine, if they want to ensure access limitation and appropriate content monitoring. This of course can be done easily just by disabling these peripherals in the BIOS. Hopefully, due to the open source nature of the OS, third party software developers will offer these sorts of family-oriented tools for the Eee PC moving forward. The chances are good for this, or so it would seem.
As we bring this product evaluation to a close, we'll touch again on the level of hype that currently surrounds this product and try and answer the obvious question for you to the best of our ability. Does the Eee PC live up to the marketing spin and hype? In our not-so humble opinion, the answer would be a resounding "yes". For around $300 - $350 you get a fully functional, well equipped, highly portable PC that is reliable, responsive and just works. You also get a boat-load of software, games and utilities for your money, thanks to the open source initiative surrounding the Linux community in general. Admittedly, we haven't spent a ton of time with Linux distros for the desktop but what Asus has brought to market with their incarnation for the Eee PC felt perfectly natural for even the Windows snobs amongst our team. We feel very comfortable giving the Asus Eee PC our coveted Editor Choice Award for product innovation and excellence.
As we bring this product evaluation to a close, we'll touch again on the level of hype that currently surrounds this product and try and answer the obvious question for you to the best of our ability. Does the Eee PC live up to the marketing spin and hype? In our not-so humble opinion, the answer would be a resounding "yes". For around $300 - $350 you get a fully functional, well equipped, highly portable PC that is reliable, responsive and just works. You also get a boat-load of software, games and utilities for your money, thanks to the open source initiative surrounding the Linux community in general. Admittedly, we haven't spent a ton of time with Linux distros for the desktop but what Asus has brought to market with their incarnation for the Eee PC felt perfectly natural for even the Windows snobs amongst our team. We feel very comfortable giving the Asus Eee PC our coveted Editor Choice Award for product innovation and excellence.
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