Asus Eee PC 4G Surf Black Netbook

Fantastic Little Workhorse

Posted 1 year ago - Got mine by noon on delivery day and was surfing the web a few minutes later. Setup consisted of turning on the PC, punching in my name and password, and watching it reboot--quickly and silently (everything is solid state, so no HDD to spin up and wait for). Later, I surfed to the Asus site via the embedded link and watched the little guy update himself. Awesome! We got the Linux model since we need it to surf--and do it without all the overhead that comes with that "other" OS. I'm looking forward to a long, fruitful relationship with this little gem.

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nice basic machine

Posted Apr 15, 2008 - This is an excellent computer for when you don't want to heft around a 17" laptop or when you need to have something simple and straight forward. I got this so I don't have to take my heavy 10 lbs 17" Toshiba and this fits in my backpack with no problems and is not too heavy.

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This machine ROCKS

Posted Dec 5, 2007 - I love this machine. Weighing whether to bring this or my MacBook into the coffeeshop is a no-brainer. Easily acquires local wireless signals, offering a full internet experience in an incredibly portable package. Yes, the keyboard is small. You start out two-fingering but quickly evolve to nearly full-speed typing; I'm at about 85%, now. Ditto for the trackpad, which feels unresponsive at first -- especially after using the MacBook's -- but which quickly becomes 2nd nature. I, a linux noob, immediately changed the default login from the large colorful icons to a conventional desktop; this makes it, as one forum-dweller noted, less like an appliance and more like a computer. And why shouldn't it? It IS a computer. In an incredibly small package. Wishlist: I want a bigger battery -- the macbook gets nearly 5 hours, this maybe 3. A 10" screen would be incredible in this footprint, but Asus isn't going to put one out; it would cannibalize their larger (more $$$) laptop sales. [note: I did up the RAM from the base 512 to 1gb.. this cost me $28 (including shipping), but I tend to run a lot of apps and many firefox tabs at once; most user wouldn't need more than the 512]

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Great sub-compact laptop for the price

Posted Mar 20, 2008 - Asus EeePC 4G Surf I did a lot of research before I decided to buy an Asus Eee laptop. I was looking for something small and lightweight, yet fully functional. I was looking for a laptop that I could play with Linux, load Windows Server 2003 for MCSA study work and ultimately load XP on. My expectations were high after reading reviews and browsing forums. I bought my laptop at Buy.com with free budget shipping. It arrived within a week of placing my order. My first impression when I opened the box was 'wow, it's even smaller than I expected'! It took a few minutes to get use to the size of the screen and keyboard. The EeePC is amazingly light weight. The laptop comes with a full sized manual and a good starter reference card. After the initial setup screens, I was able to move on to my wireless network setup. I had the laptop on wireless within a few minutes. I didn't even mistype my WEP key. Over the next weeks I have worked (played??) expensively with the Asus. I've been very happy with the results of my testing. Size of the EeePC I love the size and weight of the unit. The downside of the laptop is the small size of the screen and keyboard. I got use to the screen size, although if your eye sight is bad like mine, you'll find some of the fonts are tiny. The terminal font is really really tiny. I got use to typing on the mini-keyboard. It's a good thing I'm not a fast typist. Someone with large fingers might have a hard time typing. Power consumption The batteries charge fast. I've been able to get between 3 and 3 ½ hours per change with the WiFi turned on. Included programs There is a large array of programs pre-installed. The basics give you access to the web, You get most of Open Office for word processing, spreadsheets and presentation. There are programs for music, video and picture management. And of course there are games included. I found the Web Mail tab to be very helpful, as it gives you an icon for Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL. Functionality The OS that is installed on the Eee is a special build of Linux named Xandos. The user screens are very simplistic. There are tabs for each 'work group', such as Internet, Work, etc. I feel the OS is very responsive, booting fast and loading programs fast. Although the Asus only has a 4G drive, there is a lot of room left for documents and additional programs. There are several web sites that you can get information on fixing things you don't like or helping you to understand things in Linux. I found that you can move to an advanced screen that does away with the user interface tabs. Warning..... try these hacks at your own risk. Almost all of them are done through the command line and one bad entry can cause you to have to reload the laptop from the DVD. File and program storage Although there is only a 4G hard drive (SSD – solid state drive), there is over 1G of space for storage. There are also 3 USB ports and an SD card reader. All of these ports could be populated with thumb drives and large SD cards. The configuration is endless. You can also boot off of any of these ports, so you can run multiple OS if you want to try different Linux builds. Final Thoughts I would highly recommend this laptop for anyone that is looking for a cheap, portable and highly functional laptop. This isn't meant to be your primary PC, but is more than capable of being a good portable. The good news, if you don't like Linux, you can install Windows XP. They supply the needed XP drivers on the DVD. I've had a blast learning Linux and have been surprised at how many programs you can find for free on the Internet. I hope to load some network sniffing software and GPS software on the little guy before I convert it to Windows Server 2003.

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Light weight, cheap, but not for long typing

Posted Apr 5, 2008 - I would not compare this product with any ordinary notebook, but due to its light weight, small form factor and fast booting its fun to carry it always with you and turn it on to quickly check mails or take notes, write emails. I am able to use it with the 10 fingers, but I could imagine that there are "hands" outside who cannot. I am a little disappointed that the display is smaller that it is necessary. Its easy to install eeeXubuntu - www.eeeuser.com is a great page for any questions with the eeePC. And I would recommend to install this OS since after that it is so much easier to install additional software you would need. I sometimes use the system as a file server in the local network with a hard drive attached, video streaming is possible with ordinary Divx movies.

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Great device, but typing is awkward

Posted Feb 19, 2008 - The Asus eee is a great step forward for the sub-laptop market. It's cheap, durable, and comes fully-loaded with a plethora of useful apps. The biggest drawback is the under-sized keyboard, which takes a lot of getting used to. After using this unit for about a month, I am finally starting to get used to typing on it. A great deal if you need something small that doesn't require Windows.

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LOVE my 4G EeePC

Posted 1 year ago - I love my Baby (the name I gave my laptop). It's the best purchase I've made all year. It fits in my bag and the batter lasts for a decent amount of time. The charger cable is long too! It takes a little to get accustomed to the size and sensitivity of the keyboard and touchpad. If you buy this computer, BE SURE THAT THE RUNNING SYSTEM IS NEW! mine is old but it works just the same. But the new one is just nice to have and easier to read.

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Eee PC 4G Surf Notebook

Posted 1 year ago - I would highly recommend this to persons on a low budget who want internet access and the ability to check e-mail when away. It also has great accessories and applications for children, science, language, art, etc. Media, music, photo, video and webcam are also included. A great find!

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