Gadget Lust - Asus Eee PC

[mdlbear]

Announcements: Asus Eee PC Official, With Specifications and Pricing - Gizmodo

Asus has made the specifications for the upcoming Eee PC configurations available, along with pricing. The highlights include a two pound weight, and simple user interface for plenty of web apps (full list below). The best model has 8GB (SSD) with 1GB RAM; the lowlights include a 2GB (SSD) flavor with a paltry 256MB RAM, prices going from $299 to $399, which is considerably more expensive than the OLPC. Each has 3 USB ports. Jump for the complete d-low on the various permutations. Note that this is the worldwide launch; the US launch is TBD

The native OS is Linux; it's more expensive than the OLPC XO, but about the same as the buy two/keep one deal. Probably doesn't have the dual-mode screen, mesh networking, and awesome power management, though.

I want both.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Probably doesn't need too much power management; the disk is solid state. As long as suspend works, it's all good...

I really don't care for the idea of an OLPC for *me*; chunky fingers on that wee little keyboard just ain't gonna cut it.

t'other thing is I can get a refurbished Thinkpad T20 for $300. They're gonna have to come down and get a lead digit of "1" before they really take off... but once they do...

[mdlbear]

I don't think the Asus has a much bigger keyboard. Fortunately they both have USB ports...

The big advantages of the OLPC are the screen (easily visible in bright sunlight in monochrome mode, which also gives significantly higher resolution) and the power management (~8 hour battery life under normal use, IIRC). And the software, of course.

You're right about that lead digit. Two years, maybe?

[moshez.livejournal.com]

Also, the OLPC buy/give deal gives a fuzzy warm feeling of giving a laptop to some kid who wouldn't otherwise have one. A laptop with a fully fledged Python development environment accessible by a friggin' button on the friggin' keyboard.

Expect the future to contain lots of tiny Python programmers...

[mdlbear]

Not to mention Squeak. Yeah, the "show source" button was fsck'n brilliant.