Asus Eee PC

There’s a lot of buzz about the tiny Eee PC. Apparently it runs with a hard drive (like the iPod, and unlike the Nokia 770), and runs either Windows XP or Xandros Linux. Many reviewers evaluated the system with Linux loaded, and many folks have taken to loading their own distribution of choice (Ubuntu seems to be the frontmost in this regard).

The wireless on the Eee is apparently an Atheros chipset which is not well supported, though the NDIS wrapper works fine according to reports. Rupert Goodwins from ZDNet.co.uk reports his experiences with the Eee PC: and it is an interesting read, considering the one he received had a botched XP install on it – so it is also a story of recovery as well.

The tech site arstechnica had a detailed article on the Eee PC also – as well as some pointers to other reviews.

The Ubuntu Guru has a short article on it, detailing how Asus claims they are selling “one every six seconds.” He (or she) also points to several Canadian sellers of the Eee PC.

Update: The review from HotHardware.com turns out to be quite detailed, and with loads of pictures.  They also noted that NewEgg has the Eee PC available for sale for $399.

Laptop Magazine also has a nice detailed review which shows some of the few shortcomings of the Eee PC.

The more I see, the more I like: one of these and a serial to USB adapter (and a DB9 null-modem) should be the perfect “crash system” to plug into the nearest downed server right there in the server room.  With the USB 2.0 ports, expansion is possible, including Bluetooth, serial, and who knows what else.