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Friday, November 30, 2007

3 Days Love Affair with Eee PC In China



A Philippine blogger by the name of Arnold, presumably affiliated with the online reseller PC Corner, has written about his experience in bringing the Asus Eee PC with him in a recent trip to China.

I guess it is kind of a round-about testimonial about the Asus Eee PC. The post has a lot of photos on other subjects as well and makes for some good short light reading.

You can read the blog here.

Installing a Keyboard Light on the Asus Eee PC

Eeeuser member tristand has posted instructions in the forum for adding a keyboard LED light to the Asus Eee PC. While visually not that pretty, it appears to work just fine.

This is what the outside of the lcd frame looks like with the LED poking out. The black tape prevents the LED blinding the user.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff69/tristand82/eeePC%20LED%20mod/LEDExt.jpg


Light on! (It's not easy to see from the photo but the keyboard has enough light to use easily).
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff69/tristand82/eeePC%20LED%20mod/light.jpg


Full instructions are posted here.

Zonbu Announces $279 15.4" laptop + $14.95 monthly Internet access



Silicon Valley-based Zonbu has announced it will be offering a $279 laptop (manufactured by Everex) due for release early next year. The catch is it comes with a bundled $14.95 monthly Internet access plan with two year lock-in. It is available at $479 without the plan.

Specs include:


  • Processor: 1.5GHz, VIA C7-M
    Intel-compatible, low energy use
  • Display: 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1440 x 900) and VGA output
  • Memory: 512MB
  • Hard Disk local storage: 60GB (58GB for your data)
  • Optical Drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW
  • Graphics: VIA Chrome9 HC IGP (64MB shared memory, 128MB maximum)
  • Audio: built-in speaker, microphone and headphone ports
  • 3 USB 2.0 ports
  • Ethernet: 10/100 Mbps built-in - broadband ready
  • Wifi: Built-in 802.11b/g
  • Power Supply: 65W AC-DC Adapter, 15W average power usage
  • Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 2h30 to 3h, depending on usage
  • Measurements: 14.1" x 10.7" x 1.5" (35.8cm x 27.2cm x 3.8cm)
  • Weight: 5.3lbs (2.4kg)

While the specs are not exactly ground-breaking, the price makes the product very attractive. That is, if you happen to need an Internet subscription.

Zonbu has previously released the $99 Zonbu mini, which also came with the $14.95 monthly Internet subscription. (It is available for $299 without the subscription.)

You can read about the Zonbu's offerings at its website here.

Asus may place orders for 7-inch LCD panels at HannStar

According to TechConnect Asus is moving fast to secure itself a decent supply of 7-inch LCD panels for its Eee PC. After securing an additional supply from Chunghwa Picture Tubes, it has started negotiating with HannStar Display to be the third supplier. The first batch of Eee PCs's screens came from AU Optronics, which continues to be a supplier.

Looks like Asus is confident sales of the Eee PC will skyrocket next year.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Modding the Asus Eee PC 701

Blogger tnkgrl has posted some useful information on her tnkgrl Mobile blog for those interested in modding their Eee Pcs.




Among her findings -

There’s a 5V trace (off in standby) that’s available without draining current from the existing USB connectors (as shown above).

There are 8 USB ports provided by the Intel chipset:
- 3 are the existing USB connectors
- 1 is used by the SDHC/MMC card reader
- 1 is used by the webcam
- 2 are used by the mini PCIe card slots (1 for each)
- 1 is still unknown (debug connector, perhaps?)

There are lots more info at her blog.

Fresno Unified officials buy 1,000 wireless laptops that will fit on students' desktops.



From Fresno Bee -

Fresno Unified school officials has purchased 1,000 Asus Eee PCs which they hope will
help their 69,000 students increase test scores through the ability to research information on the Internet, as well as halt five years of declining enrollment by enticing parents to send their children to the district's schools.

In the next few weeks, the laptops will be in about 60 classrooms at 16 other schools. They will be shared by students and will remain in the classrooms.

Fresno Unified's endeavor is the first of its kind in the nation because the laptop maker, ASUS, unveiled the 7-inch creation just last week. Fresno Unified was the first school district to purchase ASUS' 7-inch laptop.

Complete article here.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

OLPC XO vs. Asus Eee PC 701

Laptop Magazine has published a comparative review of the OLPC XO and the Asus Eee PC 701. Significantly while the publication reiterated Asus' line that the Eee PC has a different market than the OLPC XO, a claim refuted by OLPC and the market in general, it saw it fit to match them up in a head-to-head comparison.




At any rate here's how the the two protagonists fared according to Laptop Magazine, plus some comments -

1. Design >> Winner: XO
"The XO's durability more than makes up for its extra weight. Its swivel screen, antennas, and keyboard also make it one of the more visually appealing notebook designs since Apple's PowerBook line."

The XO's design may be functional but I definitely don't consider it visually appealing by itself. It looks like a toy and should appeal to kids, design-wise. But that somehow limits its market to kids. I doubt if adult users would want to be caught dead in the neighborhood Starbucks, digitally socializing with it. Which is a pity, because the XO's meshnet falls right into social networks.

2. User Interface >> The winner: Eee PC 701
"While not earth-shattering, the Eee PC's simple and well-organized UI beats out the higher-concept, but less practical, XO interface."

I have yet to play with the XO so it is quite difficult for me to comment. But from the reviews I have read, the XO's Sugar interface appears to have evolved from the approach Negroponte outlined in his "The Architecture Machine." If the implementation adheres to the underlying principles, I would surprised if it is difficult to use.

The Eee PC - well, you hand it to a grade-schooler without instructions, the kid can pretty much figure it out. That applies to first time adult users as well, I should add.

3. Learning Curve >> Winner: Eee PC 701
"Maybe it was because of our familiarity with traditional PCs that we found the Eee PC easier to use, but even in the hands of children, the XO was still tricky."

User interfaces are actually very subjective. What might be intuitive for one person might be a puzzle for another. It all depends on the user's collective experience. Which makes me wonder regarding the children who found the XO tricky - were they experienced Windows users? What would the reaction be in the hands of real first time users, users whose brains have not be pre-conditioned by Microsoft? Would they also find the Sugar interface tricky? After all, these comprise the OLPC's true target market.

4. Applications >> Winner: Eee PC 701
"The XO has some great games and learning tools for kids, while the Eee PC's apps are more compatible with the ubiquitous Microsoft Office suite. Ultimately, the Eee PC's browser is faster than the pokey one on the XO, which is why Asus gets the nod in this round."

Hey - the Eee PC has some cool games, too. But seriously, being Linux based (though not exactly as open source as it should be), it should also be compatible with literally thousands of apps out there. While I agree with the verdict, it should not have been decided based on one app (the browser).

5. Connectivity >> Winner: XO
"The XO's mesh networking capability is one of the coolest things around. It's one of the best social-networking and productivity tools we've ever seen implemented. "

That is why the OLPC XO should appeal to adult users as well. Too bad the kiddie design prevents this.

6. Specs/Performance >> Winner: Eee PC 701
Although both machines have modest specs, the Eee PC offers performance more on a par with a traditional laptop.

But Asus says the Eee PC is not a laptop!

Actually I think the OLPC XO should be judged in its target environment to make it fair. Let's say, in the rural provinces of a third world country were electricity supply is iffy. Obviously the OLPC XO will perform better because you can use its crank to generate power. Asus Eee PC? Like any other laptop (or non-laptop), no electricity, no power. Which mean, no performance.

7. Pricing >> Winner: XO
It's not just the social-entrepreneur factor of the XO's Give 1, Get 1 program; it's also one of the more intriguing approaches to using technology to educate children in developing nations that makes it the winner in this category. Plus, for the next year, you can surf the net in Starbucks to your heart's content.

See comment for No. 1 re surfing in Starbucks.

8. And the Winner Is...! >>
"The Eee PC 701 accomplishes them more fully than the XO, as its interface and applications are much more intuitive. Of course, the Eee PC 701 also costs about $200 more, but it's well worth the premium."




Laptop Magazine had previously reviewed the OLPC back on Sept 18, 2007. (Review here.) The conclusion was "Created with children of the developing world in mind, this notebook might just change the face of mobile computing."

It then published a separate review of the Asus Eee PC 701 on Oct 25, 2007. (Review here.) Conclusion? "Pound for pound, the best value-priced notebook on the planet."

So I guess the verdict was actually a foregone conclusion.

Quick factory restore an Asus Eee PC with SSD

Markdown Monkey confuses Asus Eee PC 4G with 4G Surf

Deals reporting site Markdown Monkey apparently has confused the Asus Eee PC 4G with the cheaper 4G Surf, reporting Buy.com's $349 price for the latter as a markdown.

In its write-up on the deal as shown below, it states "This cool little computer has been selling for $400. Now, Buy.com has lowered their price on the Asus Eee Pc Super Mobile Internet Device to $349.99. Marketed as a "Super Mobile Internet Device," this is a mini-laptop weighing only 2 lbs."




If you follow the link to Buy.com's site, you will notice that the blurb does not state whether the unit being sold is a 4G or a 4G Surf.




But when you read the technical specifications, it clearly states Integrated Camera: NO. Likewise the Battery type is the weaker 4 cell 4400Mah. Both features are what distinguish the $349 4G Surf from the $399 4G.

Asus expects to sell 5 million Eee PCs in 2008

According to TeleConnect Asus is selling about 20,000 Eee PCs per month and expects to sell 5 million next year, up from the previous projection of 3 million.

---------

Somehow 20,000 does not sound right. Asus started selling the Eee PC in October. It is just November, so does that mean it has sold only 40,000 units?

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Asus to Release Eee PC SDK

From the Official Asus Eee PC website -

In a news release confirming its commitment to be compliant with the GPL requirements, Asus also announced that will be releasing an SDK for the Eee PC -

"Asus is also pleased to announce the upcoming release of the Eee PC SDK. This will allow for the development on the Eee PC by the OpenSource community making it easy to develop, easy to port and easy to release software for the Eee PC platform. Please check back soon at eeepc.asus.com for more information in the upcoming weeks. We are pleased to work with the OpenSource GNU/Linux community to extend the richness of the Eee PC beyond the standard commercial offerings."

New Linux Kernel Recognizes 2GB RAM

As most techie users of the Asus Eee PC are aware, out-of-the-box, the subnote's Xandros OS recognizes only a maximum of 1GB RAM. If you want to have 2GB, you need to install Windows XP.

Now, a member of the Eeeuser Forum, eFfeM, has posted a new kernel that will allow the operating system to recognize 2GB.

You can get more information, as well as to download the kernel, here.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Asus posts more Eee source code to comply with the GPL

Engadget has reported that Asus is now trying to comply with GPL requirements. (The company has been accused of failing to do so - read previous post here.)

Asus has now posted the source to its Asus_ACPI module. The module's code was not originally included in the 1.8GB source .zip Asus had made available.

The code can be downloaded via ftp at ftp.asus.com/pub/ASUS/EeePC/701/ASUS_ACPI_071126.rar.

Best Caption for Asus Eee PC Promo Photo

Sent in by Bluberry -

From the TipidPC forum, just a humorous caption -

External Image


"I first thought why is she using an evening bag during the day or is it really that hot in the USA and she had to use a funny looking fan...Oh, it is a Laptop, lolz!" posted by bongbong on Nov 20 2007 04:49 AM. Caption is partially translated.

Incidentally bongbong is selling the Asus Eee PC 4G at the incredible price of P17,000 (roughly UAS396.76), considerably lower than the going rate of P17,999 (roughly USD420.07).

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Amazon's Kindle Ebook Reader

Amazon recently launched its $399 ebook reader, Kindle to much fanfare. Newsweek even featured it as a cover story. (You can read it here.) While Amazon claims that Kindle sold out within a few days, it did not disclose actual quantities sold. Nevertheless, what is undeniable is that Kindle has aroused the interest of the reading public.

Kindle the device is designed to look like a physical hardcover. For its screen, Kindle turned to E-Ink, a newer screen type with a 167 dots-per-inch resolution and a default serif font called Caecilia, all contributing to a display that approximates the clarity of the printed page. Its battery lasts as many as 30 hours on a charge of two hours. And for storage, it has an internal memory and accepts memory cards as well.

Amazon is hoping the device set-up, more than three years in the development, approximates the (physical) book reading experience. Based on various on-lines reviews, it appears to have succeeded. But the device is just a part of the equation. In fact, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos regards it as supplemental to the actual product – the service.

Kindle the service comes bundled with an unlimited Sprint EVDO service that allows the device to be automatically connected to the Internet. While it enables users to surf the Internet, it does so with a less than perfect browser. But what it does well is to deliver reading materials – ebooks, blogs, newspapers, etc. And this is what enables Amazon to bundle for free the EVDO service. For every item that is conveniently delivered to the device, the user is charged a fee.

This convenience is also what separates Kindle from the rest of the ebook readers. This, plus the connectivity, which opens up possibilities of tightly integrated forums and social networking within ebooks, is what makes some think Kindle will revolutionize the ebook industry. In fact, Amazon’s marketing spin has the press calling Kindle the iPod of ebook readers.

I just hope they mean Kindle the service and not Kindle the product.

iPod is iPod because it is an Apple iPod, Steve Jobs being a proven genius in developing consumer products that appeal to the masses. While Jeff Bezos has proven himself in redefining bookselling with Amazon, Kindle (the product) is consumer hardware. And as consumer hardware goes, it just does not have the “Gotta Have it” appeal.

As for the service, well, people buy iPod not because of iTunes but because they want iPod the device. Somehow, I just can’t imagine bookworms going around exclaiming, “Gotta have Kindle the service. Gotta have Kindle the service.”

But this is not to say Kindle won’t sell. It will. After all, it sold out in a matter of days, didn’t it? But as for going mainstream like the iPod, it has a long ways to go.

The hardware needs to be cuter. It needs to cost less. The service needs to cost less. $.99 to $1.99 monthly to sign-up for a blog that you can otherwise get for free on your regular notebook??? I don’t think so.

And speaking of notebooks, what is stopping a user from turning the Asus Eee PC into an ebook reader? Actually, it already comes with an ebook reader. And you can install other readers as well. And it is light and small enough to bring it to bed with you for some bedtime light reading.

Fact is, the Eee PC is just as big as a large hard cover book. Meaning it is very convenient to carry it. In fact, you can open it like a book, with the screen on the right side and the keyboard (controls) on the left.

And there is nothing stopping a programmer from creating or modifying an ebook reader program to display text sideways, to bring the book simulation even further.

As for ebooks, there are literally thousands and thousands of free titles being offered by sites like the Gutenberg project. Of course, readers can always opt to buy ebooks from sites like, well, Amazon.

To go on-line, for those lucky few to have the mini-PCIe slot in their Eee PCs, they can install an EVDO card. Alternately, USB HSDPA modems are so available. Admittedly, the service won’t be free like Kindle's bundled Sprint EVDO. But then you don’t get charged for accessing free content. In addition, you can always opt to connect via free WiFi hotspots.

In short, the Asus Eee PC (or any other well designed ultra portable) has the potential to approximate the reading experience being promoted by Kindle, notwithstanding the difference in screen quality and personal preferences. It is in the delivery of the e-books that Kindle has a distinct advantage in that it makes everything so convenient. But the convenience comes at a price.

If Amazon can somehow bring its pricing down, make a cuter Kindle, then it may just succeed in bringing ebook reading mainstream. Otherwise, digital reading will and still remain just another capability of computers and notebooks. And as notebooks shrink further (and handsets grow bigger), the ergonomic sweet spot will be achieved. When this happens, single purpose devices like Kindle (the product) may just as well lose their purpose.

Asus Launches Eee PC in China, Sells Out Fast

From Redline China -

Asus today announced its Eee PC will be available in China starting on November 24 2007. However, due to the product’s limited availability, the Eee PC will only be available at major electronics retail chains such as Gome and Suning.

-----------

From a post by grashabelle on November 25, 2007 11:12 PM in the TipidPC Forum -

"Btw, I've a friend who works at China and the units released were all sold out in a flash. Apparently it also come in gray according to him aside from the black and white..."

The gOS: An Alternate OS for Asus Eee PC?

Extremetech has a hands-on review of Good OS LLC's gOS operating system that comes bundled with Everex’s bestselling $199 desktop (featured in this post).

What makes gOS interesting is that it is available free for downloading. And while the “g’ in gOS might suggest it stands for Google as it offers extensive Google integration, it actually stands for “green” as the OS supposedly offers efficient energy management. The Google integration should come in handy for a machine that is intended primarily for surfing/email, something like the Asus Eee PC.

And like Asus Eee PC’s Xandros, the gOS is also based on a Linux variant (Ubuntu 7.10). It also uses a user-friendly interface, the Enlightenment E17 that simplifies several tasks. However the interface resembles more of the Mac OS X than Windows. Still, novice users should find it easy to use.

The gOS' ibar (similar to Dock in Mac OS X).
The gOS iBar

However the gOS appears to still be a work in progress. As the review indicated, it still does not have a Trash Bin, and is missing some standard components like a media player. Users, however, can download additional apps. Still, it should be functional and stable enough for those willing to try it out.

You can read the review in full here.

You can download gOS here.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Acer forms low-price PC team; but no budget yet

From Digitimes -

According to Scott Lin, Acer Taiwan president, his company has recently formed a team to begin working on projects for the low-price market segment. But, and it is a rather big but, Lin also said his company has not yet budgeted any R&D funds for the project.

Per Lin, the actual market for low-cost PCs has not been properly defined and that internally they are projecting 2008 global notebook shipments to reach 120 million units, with Asus's Eee PC accounting only for 2-3% share.

Acer also bought three Eee PCs for evaluations and found certain shortcomings. Likewise the company is still evaluating the popularity of Linux platform.

------

2-3% of 120 million is 2.4 to 3.6 million units. At an average price of even just USD250, that is USD600M to 900M in annual sales for just one product line.

Friday, November 23, 2007

ASUS eeePC: GPL, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act violations

Blogger Cliff Biffle in his blog Cliff Hack Things has pointed some issues regarding the Asus Eee PC and what he contends are GPL and Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act violations.

For the Asus Eee PC, Asus uses open source software that uses GNU GPL licensing conditions. This means Asus is obligated to make the sources for the software they're distributing available, even if they have not modified them. But Cliff conducted his own research and has discovered Asus has posted a 1.8GB ZIP file on its website that it claims contains the sources, but it's not -- it contains a few .debs (not even the versions that ship on the machine) and some kernel headers.

Cliff noted that ASUS is also distributing BusyBox inside the system's initramfs image. This is interesting because another company distributing BusyBox without complying with the GPL is presently being used in the first US civil suit over GPL violations.

As for the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, basically Cliff contends the bright yellow "Warranty void if seal is broken or removed" sticker over the RAM upgrade slot is non-enforceable.

The Magnuson-Moss Act is a 1975 Federal law that lays down some rules for how consumer warranties work. One of the specific things it prohibits are "tie-ins," additional items or services you must buy from the manufacturer to make your warranty work. Cliff provides excellent examples from the FTC's site to prove his point. Moreover, he drives home his point by pointing out that Asus will soon be selling a higher-end model with more RAM. If the model is simply the original with a different DIMM and, say, a PCIe SSD dropped in, then what ASUS is saying is "These socketed, consumer-upgradeable parts will void your warranty if you touch them -- but if you pay us another $150 we'll change them for you." The unfair tie-in becomes evident when expressed that way.

While Cliff's excellent research may not interest most Asus Eee PC owners (presumably computer novices), his post nevertheless makes for an interesting read if only it shows how ground-breaking the Asus Eee PC can be in more ways than one in spite of being made out of mostly off-the-shelf components. :)

The full article can be read here.

Colored Asus Eee PC 4G Surf Available in Taiwan

Yahoo Taiwan has started selling the colored Asus Eee PC 4G Surfs. They are available in black, green, pink, and blue. NT10,499 converts to USD324.85. NT11655 converts to USD360.61. So basically, the difference between the 4G and the 4G surf is less than USD50.




New UK Asus Eee PC Blog

Reader Shaun McGill has started a new blog on the Asus Eee PC - Eee PC World.

Shaun is a long-time blogger with several other blogs -

Writer- PDA Essentials: http://www.pda-essentials.co.uk/
News Editor- Palmtop User: http://www.palmtop.co.uk/
Founder- PDA247
Palm247: www.palm247.com
WindowsMobile247: www.windowsmobile247.com
MoreMobile247: www.moremobile247.com
E61 Blog: http://stmcgill.wordpress.com/

Installing Vista on Asus Eee PC

Paul of the Asus Eee PC sub-community in the Modaco forum has posted instructions on how to install Vista on our favorite subnote, complete with the video (posted earlier here).

Basically all you need are -

- An Asus Eee PC, completely unmodified (4GB version, 512MB RAM)
- A SD card, 2GB minimum, the bigger the better.
- A Vista DVD
- A 1GB USB stick

If you have all of the above and want to install Vista for whatever reason you might have, then scoot over to the Modaco sub-forum (also known as www.EEEasy.com) and follow the instructions.

Sketchup on Asus Eee PC

Vista on the Asus Eee PC

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Are Competitors Reacting to the Asus Eee PC?

Just in recent days, Dell and Best Buy have started offering incredible notebook deals.

Dell, for its part, has its Vostro 1000 at an incredible #399, down from $709.





Best Buy, on other hand, has a Black Friday special bundle featuring the Toshiba A135 and a Canon 3-in-1 printer at only $229 ($650.98 instant savings). Problem is, as the website indicates, it is already sold out even before Thanksgiving!

Newegg Sells Asus Eee 4G Surf

Newegg is now selling the Asus Eee PC 4G Surf for $349.99. The 4G Surf comes without the integrated webcam and a less powerful battery as compared to the $399 Asus Eee PC. It is currently available in black only.




-----------

I don't know about you but for $50, I would opt for the 4G. You never know when the webcam will come in handy or the extra juice in the battery will save the day for you. :)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Watch Out: Everex $199 PC Sells out, plans $300 laptop

Even as Black Friday has yet to come, Everex has already a certified runaway hit in its $199 Ubuntu-powered gPC TC2502 desktop. Introduced right after Halloween, Walmart sold out its initial run of 10,000 units in two weeks. Walmart.com sold out within 48 hours. The second batch, originally reserved for post-Black Friday, has been released, even as online resellers ZaReason and Newegg have signed on as well. Interestingly, a similar Windows Vista-based desktop, the $299 Everex Impact GC3502 is still available.

While its configuration is nothing to brag about – VIA C7-D 1.5GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 80GB drive, DVD/CD-RW, and 6 USB 2.0 ports, its total package, including a very simple Enlightenment E17 interface enhanced Ubuntu 7.10 Linux operating system with Google integration at $199 (a psychological price point as previously blogged -The $200 tag: Holy Grail for PC pricing?) has made it extremely popular, especially among first-time buyers. The situation certainly does remind one of the Asus Eee PC, which was initially announced at the same price of $199.

And Everex clearly sees the similarity as well. It has announced it will be introducing a sub-$300 notebook. Like the gPC, it will run on what is now being pushed as the gOS operating system, which is based on Ubuntu Linux 7.10. While the prefix “g” stands for green in terms of being energy efficietn, it may very well stand for Google also since a lot of Google web-based apps have one-click access from the desktop.

The sub $300 notebook is expected during the 1st half of next year. While hardware specs have not been announced it would not be a surprise if Everex uses a VIA processor. After all, it has been using VIA chips in its notebook line. Besides it was Everex chair Cher Wang, together with her husband Wenchi Chen, who established VIA Technologies. Just as significantly Cher Wang also founded HTC, which practically created and established the Pocket PC category via the iPAQs it supplied Compaq/HP. Thus, while relatively low-profiled, Everex has access to both the experience and resources to design and produce its own version of the Eee PC. If the iPAQ and gPC product lines are any indication, and they should, it should be interesting as to what Everex will be introducing in the coming months.

Edit - While writing the above, I totally forgot Everex will be releasing its Via-based CE 260 Q1 next year. However a Packard Bell re-badged version, the Easynote XS, which is being launched in Europe, is priced at GBP349 or USD720, more than double the sub-USD300 price. So - it will still be interesting what Everex will bring out next year. :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

ASUS Wins 2008 International CES Design & Engineering Awards

From Laptop Logic -

The Consumer Electronics Show’s Innovations Awards Team announced that four ASUS products, including the Asus Eee PC, have been chosen as recipients of International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards for 2008. The awards recognize “the most innovative consumer electronics (CE) products in the industry´s hottest product categories.

Details here.

Hacking the Eee PC

From Ars Technica, a good article regarding modding/hacking the Asus Eee PC. Some sample tips -

Virtual desktops

The Eee's small screen makes it difficult to see more than a few things at once, and switching between windows quickly becomes frustrating. Support for virtual desktops is one of the Eee basic model's coolest undocumented features. Out of the box, basic mode has four separate workspaces that you can switch between by holding Ctrl and Alt while pressing the left and right arrow keys. If you hold the shift key too, you can move the active window with you to a different workspace.

The Eee basic mode environment doesn't provide a graphical display of your workspaces, so it can be pretty easy to forget where you have your windows. To get a visual workspace display, you can run the kpager utility from the command line.


GVim and KPager running on the Eee.

You can also add a workspace switcher to the basic mode panel by creating an IceWM preferences file at ~/.icewm/preferences and adding the following lines:

TaskBarShowWorkspaces=1
WorkspaceNames=" 1 ", " 2 ", " 3 ", "

Installing extra IceWM themes

Alternate IceWM window themes can be downloaded from Freshmeat and installed into /usr/share/icewm/themes. Then, to switch between themes, add a theme chooser submenu to the IceWM start menu by adding the following line to ~/.icewm/preferences:

ShowThemesMenu=1




Fixing the fonts

By default, the Eee uses size 10 fonts in most of the programs, which may or may not to be your liking. Unfortunately, there is no central location where you can go to change all the font sizes. You have to configure the font sizes individually for Firefox, GTK, and KDE. To change the default KDE font size, launch the kcontrol utility from the command line, navigate to the Display/Themes/Fonts page, and change the font sizes.

The Eee doesn't come with the GNOME font configuration utility, so you will have to create a custom ~/.gtkrc file to set up a default GTK font. In my .gtkrc file, I also force GTK to omit labels from toolbar buttons in order to save more screen space. This is my ~/.gtkrc file on the Eee:
gtk-font-name = "Sans 8"
gtk-toolbar-style = GTK_TOOLBAR_ICONS
To change the default interface font size in Firefox, you will have to modify the chrome css file, which is located at ~/.mozilla/firefox/*default/chrome/userChrome.css. This is what I put in my userChrome.css file to make the interface use font size 8:
* {
font-family: sans-serif !important;
font-size: 8pt !important;
}
You could probably also customize Thunderbird's default font size with a userChrome.css modification.

You can read the complete article which lists a lot of other tips and info here.

White Asus Eee PC with white Bezel Video

Check out the white Asus Eee PC in this video - it has a white bezel so that only the speakers and the webcam are black -

Monday, November 19, 2007

Asus Eee PC kiddie fashion show

Weird video showing the kiddie fashion show from (I am assuming) the Taiwan launch but with a dub over of a kid singing Highway to Hell in a different language.

The Dallas Morning New Video Review of the Asus Eee PC

Submitted by reader Victor Pencak -

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Asus Eee PC Amazon Bestseller

Within less than a month of its availability at Amazon, the Asus Eee PC has become the bestselling notebook for the on-line reseller.




In addition, it has a 85% conversion rate for people browsing its page.




Saturday, November 17, 2007

Will Windows shove Linux out of the Asus Eee PC?

Asus announced last month that Windows based Asus Eee PCs will become available starting December. Since Asus projects to ship only 200,000 units by year-end with analysts predicting sales of 3 to 6 million units next year, that means less than 5% to 10% of the projected first 15 months’ sales will have been shipped (all Linux (Xandros)-based machines) before users will have an alternative operating system (OS) in Microsoft’s Windows.

Apparently Microsoft must have sensed something in the Asus Eee PC as they agreed to lower their licensing fee to $40 to make the bundling more feasible. And while the Asus Eee PC website did not mention Windows XP in particular, there is much reason to believe the Windows version that will bundled will be XP. After all, the Asus Eee PC is an Intel Classmate PC. And Intel has, for some time now, been shipping Classmate PCs with 256MB RAM and 2GB flash drive and especially configured Windows XP/MS Office 2003 pre-installed.

Per reviews, this Classmate PC configuration can surf the web rather smoothly but begins to bog down with several Office documents opened simultaneously. So while Microsoft might use the same Windows XP, then again it might not. After all, it can opt for embedded Windows (though meant more for smaller devices and set-top boxes) or for Windows Fundamentals (intended for corporate accounts). While the two mentioned versions are not geared towards the Asus Eee PC’s intended market, Microsoft has every reason to minimize the systems requirements of the Eee PC to use Windows. After all, if Windows-based Asus Eee PCs cost twice as much as the original Linux versions (due to increased RAM and flash capacity), it will be doubtful if users will find them appealing. Besides at double the price, that would put them way way past the “impulse buy” range.

Asus, or rather Microsoft and Asus then have to price the Windows versions rather close to the Linux versions so that the difference will become insignificant. But will this be enough to make buyers opt for Windows?

I think it depends. It depends on what applications will be included with the Windows version. The current Linux (well, Xandros) version comes with over 40 applications – making the Asus Eee PC instantly usable, especially for its intended market. Even without adding new applications, admittedly its weakness, the subnote will more than suffice for surfing the net, emailing, IM chatting, or just plain learning or playing the bundled games.

More importantly, it also depends on what additional user interface will be included. There is a reason why Grandpa or Auntie Miriam does not use the computer and a lot has to do with Windows itself. As much as trade reviewers describe it as user-friendly, it just isn’t user friendly enough for some people, especially older folks.

The people I have not been able to visualize using a Wintel PC somehow I can bring myself to imagine them using the Asus Eee PC, all because of the Easy Mode menu. It is so easy to teach them to click this to do this, click that to do that. Of course, with Windows it is possible to set everything up to approximate the Easy Mode, but that is the point – someone has to set it up. With the Easy Mode, it is there as soon as you turn on the Eee PC.

So maybe Microsoft might learn from Xandros, after all, aren’t they supposed to be partners of some sort now? Then Microsoft might just come up with its own version of the Easy Mode interface. But that still leaves the bundled applications issue.

While there are several freeware Windows apps, their quality often does not come up to the level of their Linux counterparts. So Xandros still keeps the lead here. But seeing how Microsoft is becoming aggressive, I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes up with its own suite of applications. After all, the Asus Eee PC belongs to the Intel Classmate PC, which itself belongs to the new breed of super-portables that seem to be popping up everywhere these days. In short, it is an emerging market that is expanding fast. And one Microsoft can not ignore because of the Internet access they provide. Microsoft already got beaten badly by Google et al with the Internet. It can ill-afford to surrender its position in the OS market, both for PCs and mobile devices, more so now that Google has released Android, its open source OS for handsets.

So what can Xandros do to keep Microsoft Windows away? Address its weakness – the one I previously mentioned. Make it easy for users to download new applications. Make it easy for registered users to be notified of new apps and have the option of the apps automatically downloaded and installed. Do that and that can stay ahead of the game. They don’t, they can wait for Microsoft to eventually shove them out. In three tries. Guaranteed.

Intel Classmate PC Review

CNET has a review of the generic Intel Classmate PC, on which the Asus Eee PC is based. Unlike the relatively recently launched Eee PC, Intel actually has been shipping the Classmate PC to international test markets for quite sometime already.

The Classmate PC shares a lot of features with the Eee PC, including a 7" LCD and the use of flash drives but the former has a thick ruggedized plastic toyish-looking shell. Its price start at USD225 and for its USD350 configuration, specially configured Windows XP and Office 2003 are pre-installed in a 2GB flash drive. While that leaves little room for other apps or files (about 500MB left), the Classmate actually ran Windows XP smoothly with only 256MB RAM.

Price as reviewed -USD350
Processor - 900MHz Intel Celeron M
Memory - 256MB RAM
Hard drive - 2GB SSD
Chipset/Graphics - Intel 915
Operating System - Windows XP Pro
Dimensions (WDH) - 9.6 x 7.8 x 1.6 inches
Screen size - 7.0" 800 x 480
Video - None
Audio - Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data - 2 USB 2.0, SD card slot
Expansion - None
Networking - Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi
Optical drive - None
Webcam - None
System weight / Weight with AC adapter - 3.2/4.1 lbs

Full review can be read here.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Sprint's Wireless Mobile Broadband Set-up Guide for Linux

For Sprint wireless mobile broadband subscribers who want to set-up the Asus Eee PC, there is an on-line guide available here.

Sandisk's Vaulter Disk

From the Sandisk website -




Vaulter Disk is a flash-based, standard-sized mini PCIe module connected unobtrusively to the PCI Express interface inside your PC. Vaulter Disk optimizes high-capacity consumer PCs by dividing storage functionality between itself and the hard disk drive. Taking advantage of the best, native characteristics of flash and of the hard disk drive (HDD), Vaulter Disk consistently boosts overall user responsiveness while enabling users to enjoy high disk capacity at a low cost per gigabyte.

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While the Sandisk Vaulter Disk isn't out yet and will most probably take a while before becoming available, it is just one of various mini PCIe-based products those Asus Eee PC units without the mini PCIe connector can't use.

Newer Asus Eee PCs Missing mini PCIe slot!

From the Eeeuser forum, there is an ongoing discussion with new buyers finding out their units do not come with the mini PCIe connector.

So far, units sold in U.K. appear to be missing the connector. Those with Serial Numbers starting with 7Bxxx... also do not have the connector.

So the Asus Eee PC roller coaster ride continues... :(

Gelaskins Skins

Ipod skin design from Gelaskin that I wish they have for the Asus Eee PC. They also do notebook skins for 17" to 12"models but not for smaller sized subnotes. The design is called Steampunk by Colin Thompson.

Colin Thompson - Steampunk | iPod Classic

VIA NanoBook & Packard Bell EasyNote XS

Actually an old video, uploaded July 4, 2007 but still provides interesting info -

£350 Packard Bell Easynote XS Out In Europe

A European take on the brewing Everex C260/Via Nanobook/Packard Bell Easynote XS - Asus Eee PC competition, from the Wired site -

Packard Bell's Easynote XS, the European cut of Via's Nanobook, is out. Priced at about $600 or £350, it parks itself in a similar space to Asus' own hit ultraportable, the $400 EeePC.

Asus hasn't launched the Eee in Europe yet, so Packard Bell got the hop on a competitor.

FIC sees rapid growth in UMPC orders; sparks possible competition with Eee PC

From Digitimes -

FIC UMPC


UMPC CE260 from FIC.


First International Computer is anticipating significant shipment growth in 2008 for its UMPC called CE260, especially for OEM orders. The CE260 has specs and pricing similar to the Asus Eee PC and was also launched during the Taiwan Computex back in June 2007 as analysts have noted the possibility of competition between the two.

The CE260 includes the VIA C7-M CPU and VX700 chipset, a 7-inch WVGA touch screen and a 1.8-inch hard drive, maximum 30GB in capacity.

OEM units will include Microsoft Windows XP, with retail pricing set at below NT$14,000 (US$434) for Europe. while a lower-priced Linux model is planned for Q1 2008. 9" and 11" screened models are also planned.

The company aims to ship about 50,000-60,000 OEM units of the CE260 during Q1 2008 while Everex CE branded shipments are expected to hit 20,000-30,000 during the initial stage. The Everex CE series will be introduced to China, Europe, Taiwan and the US.

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Everex is part of First International Corporation. It also has a $199 Linux desktop model, the gPC, being sold through Walmart.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Load OSX 10.5 Leopard on the eeePC

Submitted by reader Jon Bradford -

From Uneasysilence via downloadsquad -

img_0114.jpg


"So, ever since I got the eeePC I’ve loved how easy it is to tinker with. Since I’m not a Linux guy, I dumped the Xandros preload and opted for Windows XP so I could you my EVDO USB datacard and blogging software easier, but I wondered could I install OSX on it? And, after trial and error - you can!

The only problem is that the eeePC only supports SSE2 instead of the SSE3 that Leopard is coded for. Kinda a bummer, and will require some extra tinkering to coax the OS on the eeePC. Thankfully Adam’s awesome tutorial over at Lifehacker provided an excellent foundation on how to do these hacks..."

The article then continues with straightforward easy-to-follow instructions. Complete instructions are here.

Thoughts on the Jonney Machine...

From reader Jon Bradford, some insights regarding the Forbes article (featured in this post) -

Did you notice in the forbes article the following two statements ...

The 2- to 8-gigabyte memory cards can be upgraded to 32 gigabytes and the RAM from 256 megabyte to 1 gigabyte by simply taking out two screws on the back of the machine, something that Shen demonstrates but isn't including in the marketing materials.

This presents great opportunities for expansion, and (something more interesting)

Asustek is also linking with mobile telecom companies to provide a 3g attachment, so users can be connected when Wi-Fi isn't available.

Now think about it - a Nokia N95 costs $600 upwards (sim free). Imagine the opportunity for a telco to provide the EEE to consumers for free on a 18 month contract on a data tariff (say $40 per month). Effectively proving a laptop with total mobility for a monthly subscription - now who would buy into that ...

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Hi Jon, my Philippine sources keep telling me one of the cellular telcos is planning to bundle the Asus Eee PC with their HSDPA data plans. The two leading telcos actually already have various data plans. One of them in fact has been offering the USB Huawei dongle for quite sometime. The other has been bundling IBM Thinkpads...

Rumors About 10″ Eee PC 8G Are False

According to Eeeuser, the rumors about a 10" Asus Eee PC model are false.

When contacted, Asus' response was -

We will have 8G with the same form factor and 7” screen size as the Eee PC 4G now.

There are no plans for 10” at the moment.

Eee PC 8G expected MSRP is $499.99 USD.

EEE PC Interface Skin Design BETA 1.0

Reader Anthony Zinni has submitted a newly designed interface with a new shutdown dialog look:



While it is still a work in progress, in his own words - ..."finally, after a couple of days of delay, here is my newly designed interface with a new shutdown dialog look. I could not put off releasing this any longer, mainly because of my own excitement. Because of a very full freelance schedule, I am going to release this skin in 3 timed releases. The first one (this release) includes the skin for the sunrise theme, and the custom shutdown dialog. In the next release I will be adding the other 3 themes, and then finally I will release the full skin complete with a new set of icons."

Tony plans on releasing a full set of themes later this week (Beta 2.0) and then a full set of replacement icons for all the programs on a later date (He is about 25% of the way done, however there are a lot).

The details and installation instructions can be found in his blog Zinnidesign and the file download page is here.

Thanks Tony for sharing your work with us. The new interface does bring an added touch of elegance to the Asus Eee PC. :)

Asus Eee PC shortages delay its release in ten Asian markets

From TechConnect -

The Asus Eee PC is off to a promising start but not everyone will enjoy it this year. Initially the company had planned to have the Eee PC on shelves in no less than 15 Asian countries but due to shortages some will have to go without at least until next month. Already selling in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, the Eee PC will arrive in Japan only next year, possible after the 10" screen 8G version's official launch.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Easy Mode Tour - Learn Tab Options

Here is Part III of the Easy Mode User Interface Tour -

The programs included in the Learn folder is actually geared more towards kids but grown-ups may find the information useful as well.




It has five options. These are –

• Science
• Language
• Math
• Paint
• Web Learn

Science

Clicking on the Science sub-folder as shown in the previous screen loads its options.




There are two options –Periodic Table and Planetarium.


Periodic Table

Clicking on the Periodic Table icon loads the program, which is actually Kalzium from the KDE Education project.




More than just a digital period table, the program actually provides tons of information not normally include with its print counterparts. You can bring up plot details via Miscellaneous  Plot Data.




Or view the periodic table based on State of Matter via Miscellaneous  Show State of Matter.




Aside from the various options available from the menu, you can click on a specific element to bring up more information. In the example, we clicked on Polonium (84). The window pops-up with its overview details.




Aside from the overview details, there are also Miscellaneous, Picture, Energies, Chemical Data, and Atomic Model (shown) entries.




Additional information is available at http://edu.kde.org/kalzium.


Planetarium




Clicking on the Planetarium icon loads up the program, which is actually KStars from KDE simply relabeled.




If it is your first time to run it, you will need to set it up. However a Set-up Wizard is conveniently included to guide you through the process.




Additional information is available at http://edu.kde.org/kstars.


Language

Like the other programs in the Science sub-folders, actually all the programs in the Learn sub-folder, the programs in the Language sub-folder are actually geared more towards kids.




Clicking on the Language icon brings up its sub-folder.




There are three options – Typing, Letter Game, and Hangman Game.


Typing

Clicking on the Typing icon loads up Tux Typing 2, an educational typing tutor for children. It features several types of gameplay, at a variety of difficulty levels. The menu screen is from that site and is slightly different from the one installed on your Asus Eee PC.

Additional information is available at http://tuxtype.sourceforrge.net.


Letter Game




Clicking on the Letter Game icon loads up KMessedWords, a simple mind-training game from the KDE Education Project in which you try to figure out scrambled words.




Additional information is available at http://edu.kde.org/kmessedwords/.


Hangman Game




Clicking on the Hangman Game icon loads up the classical game, which is actually KHangman from the KDE Education Project.




Additional information is available at http://edu.kde.org/khangman/.


Math




Clicking on the Math icon brings up the Math sub-folder which contains some very useful and educational applications.


Fraction Tutorial




Clicking on the Fraction Tutorial icon loads up a relabeled KBruch, a tutorial on fractions from the KDE Education Project.




Additional information on Kbruch is available at http://edu.kde.org/kbruch/.


TuxMath




Clicking on the TuxMath icon loads up Tux, of Math Command, a math edutainment program from the Tux4Kids Project. It stars Tux, the Linux mascot and is based on the classic arcade game "Missile Command." Tux must defend his cities. In this case, though, he must do it by solving math problems.

Additional information is available at http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/.


Geometry




Clicking on the Geometry icon loads up a relabeled Kig, an interactive program from the KDE Education Project for studying geometry. Kig stands for KDE Interactive Geometry. With Kig, which is meant to be a better version of programs like KGeo and KSeg, you can play in a pleasant and educational manner with mathematical figures.

You can also use Kig as a WYSIWYG tool to draw mathematical figures. Not only does Kig try to be compatible with all kind of formats of similar programs, it also exports the figure to an image or Xfig file. Because Kig is also a KPart application, you can use its integration in KDE, by embedding it in other applications or .kig files opening it directly in Konqueror without having to start Kig.




Additional information is available at http://edu.kde.org/kig.


Function Plotter




Clicking on the Function Plotter icon loads up a Function Plotter from the KDE Education Project.




Additional information is available at http://edu.kde.org/kmplot.


Paint




Clicking on the Paint icon loads up the Paint sub-folder, which has two programs – Paint and Tux Paint.


Paint




Clicking on the Paint icon brings up Paint, which is actually mPaint and is designed for creating icons and pixel-based artwork. It can edit indexed palette or 24 bit RGB images and offers basic painting and palette manipulation tools. It also has supports channels, layers and animation.





Tux Paint




Clicking on the Tux Paint icon brings up Tux Paint, an open source drawing program for children ages 3 to 12 . It combines an easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects, and an encouraging cartoon mascot who guides children as they use the program.
Kids are presented with a blank canvas and a variety of drawing tools to help them be creative.

Additional information is available at http://www.tuxpaint.org.


Web Learn




Clicking on the Web Learn icon loads http://www.skool.ie, an interactive learning site.