Need Suggestions for Ultra-portable Laptop

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option.iv

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Well, I'm in the need of a very portable laptop. I don't mind small keyboards and would like something light. I also would like something dependable. The only PC games I play are Maple Story and occasional D2, so I am in no need of a graphics intensive type of system. The main use I would get out of a laptop is notetaking (typing) and portable wifi access (and of course Maple Story).

The only one that seems to catch my attention is the Asus Eee PC 901.

Being priced at $599 MSRP and retaining its small stature (10" and 2.4 lbs), I am really tempted to go and just purchase it. However, I haven't been into the computer scene for a very long time. The last notebook purchase I made was a disaster. It was a Toshiba Satellite which was not portable at all and overheated every 5 minutes. Luckily that bastard piece of machinery died this Spring.

I've looked at some reviews and coomparisons (noteably the ones including MSI's Wind line). However, that longer battery life of the 901 is still more attractive to me.

I was hoping if anyone had any experience with the Asus Eee line or with just Asus products and could shine some input about their reliability and performance. Thank you, and I look forward to any replies.
 
I'm not sure how particular you are with how light you want your laptop to be, but the Eee 1000H just dropped to $549 on NewEgg, and has a 10 inch screen, weighs 3.2 lbs, and has a 80gb HDD. Since you said you were comparing the 901 with the Wind, this option has the better battery, wireless N, and comparable hard drive to the Wind, so you might want to keep it in mind.

As far as reliability, I don't have experience with the Eee's hands on, but I have owned an Asus motherboard and DVD drive, both of which are still working to this day (3 years and 1 year, respectively). Asus is good in my experience.
 
I'm in love with my Lenovo X61 Thinkpad: 12.1" screen, weighs a little more than 3 pounds, and has ~6 hours of battery life.

I can't recommend it enough.
 
Thanks jonac for the 1000h info, very tempting. But I think I would much prefer an SSD based laptop (Wind doesn't seem to come with it). I usually am found bicycling these days (thank you rising gas prices) so I would probably need a dependable shock resistant system to sit in my backpack. 80GB is tempting, but I have a couple of 300GB external HDDs lying around in case I have a massive urge to download large quantities of pr0n. Sorry I didn't place this info in the OP.

Also, thanks liquid for your input, but I'm a poor student so something above $750 is a lot. I tried looking through craigslist but decent laptops seem to be scarce in my neck of the woods.

edit: I also have a question coming from a clueless consumer's perspective. The Eee 901 either comes with XP or Linux and 12GB or 20GB SSD drives respectively. Should I essentially look for a Linux Eee 901 in order to get those extra 8GBs of SSD storage and just install XP on my own, or is it not worth it? Both versions (XP/12GB and Linux/20GB) are priced the same.
 
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[quote name='option.iv']Thanks jonac for the 1000h info, very tempting. But I think I would much prefer an SSD based laptop (Wind doesn't seem to come with it). I usually am found bicycling these days (thank you rising gas prices) so I would probably need a dependable shock resistant system to sit in my backpack. 80GB is tempting, but I have a couple of 300GB external HDDs lying around in case I have a massive urge to download large quantities of pr0n. Sorry I didn't place this info in the OP.

Also, thanks liquid for your input, but I'm a poor student so something above $750 is a lot. I tried looking through craigslist but decent laptops seem to be scarce in my neck of the woods.

edit: I also have a question coming from a clueless consumer's perspective. The Eee 901 either comes with XP or Linux and 12GB or 20GB SSD drives respectively. Should I essentially look for a Linux Eee 901 in order to get those extra 8GBs of SSD storage and just install XP on my own, or is it not worth it? Both versions (XP/12GB and Linux/20GB) are priced the same.[/quote]

It depends on your needs, like if you would like to download lots of apps or keep a little music on there.If you have an XP just sitting around and an external dvd drive, by all means get the 20,
 
Now, I don't have a copy of XP lying around. Though I have used a pirated XP copy (won't say it's mine). It was just lacking so many Windows updates, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing (though my gut, or conscience, tells me to get legitimate windows). My music/video/media download has been almost non-existant, I've gone to the point of playing music off youtube videos to get that fix, and the very little video I download is usually gone by the next day.

8GB (factoring the 4GB partition for Windows) of space left seems like enough, I think. The main applications I use would be open office, firefox, and once in a blue moon photoshop. I haven't been much of a video, music or sound editor, so if the notebook can type and surf the net, I'd say it'd be more than sufficient. I would guesstimate at least 4GB to use towards whatever ails me, be it one old computer game and/or a couple of videos.

I was even the kind of person who got sucked into the Sony Mini-disc where 1GB was enough for me.

edit: lugging around my Toshiba was back breaking, and it was around 7lbs. So something around 3lbs or less would be a breathe of fresh air.
 
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[quote name='option.iv']
8GB (factoring the 4GB partition for Windows) of space left seems like enough, I think. The main applications I use would be open office, firefox, and once in a blue moon photoshop. I haven't been much of a video, music or sound editor, so if the notebook can type and surf the net, I'd say it'd be more than sufficient. I would guesstimate at least 4GB to use towards whatever ails me, be it one old computer game and/or a couple of videos.
[/quote]


I don't think you would be able to run photoshop on that little guy. OO and FF come installed on the Linux version. Personally, I would go with the 20GB version. I'd say it comes down to if you need Windows only software. Look around and see if the 900 will run Photoshop. I have a feeling it won't even be able to do a serviceable job.
 
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Only thing I didn't like about the EE PC is that it had Lynix.

Anyway, I love my 12.1" thinkpad x31, nipple mouse FTW!
 
Keep in mind that the cost of a really high capacity SD card for some external storage is going to definitely be cheaper than a copy of XP. So you might just want to opt for the XP version, and get a nice SD card.

This 16gb SD card would run you $54 after mail-in rebate and shipping:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220254

And I just found that in a quick search... I'm sure you'd be able to find a better deal if you chose to be patient/look harder.
 
[quote name='Jest']I don't think you would be able to run photoshop on that little guy. OO and FF come installed on the Linux version. Personally, I would go with the 20GB version. I'd say it comes down to if you need Windows only software. Look around and see if the 900 will run Photoshop. I have a feeling it won't even be able to do a serviceable job.[/quote]
Hmm, I guess I'll just run Photoshop 7.0. 1.6 GHz (Intel Atom) seems like a more than servicable job for that sort of task. I never really liked PS ever since they started dawning the CS subtitle. Googling photoshop and eee, it seems CS3 (PS10) is actually usable on their end.

Again, thanks jonac for the input. I've found XP to be still expensive, around $150 range. Definitely more expensive than 8GB extra SSD space, I would think.

I tried going Linux once. Never really fit in with the Linux crowd. Windows has pretty much shaped my whole computing experience. Damn you Gates.

Is Lynix the cool way to spell it?
 
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I have an Eee PC 900. I paid 550 for it, and you can now get them for 450 after rebate. It's a very nice little PC. And it gets a ton of compliments where ever I take it.

I got the linux version and got rid of the crappy Xanadros OS. I have an OEM version of XP that I use on all my PCs and used nlite(http://www.i64x.com/eeexp.php) to get my xp install down to 600 mb after Sp2 and patching.

The only problemI have is my Battery drivers won't install for some reason but that's not major. Don't expect to run any PC game decently that was made after 2002-3.

I use 8 gig SD card for my music/videos. And that is enough for me. I also upgraded the ram on it to 2 gigs.

I recomend going to http://forum.eeeuser.com/ and seeing what the eee can do. I may install Ubuntu on the PC but right now XP is doing fine.
 
If you are at all interested in the Lenovo X series, PM me and I can look up the contractor/employee purchase plan login info for you.

But I think it will still be above your price point.
 
[quote name='KingDox']I have an Eee PC 900. I paid 550 for it, and you can now get them for 450 after rebate. It's a very nice little PC. And it gets a ton of compliments where ever I take it. [/quote]

Now can I get your opinion on whether I should try to get a 900 or go to the 901. From my understanding the main differences between the two seem to be the bluetooth and the atom based processor. Do you think those two things are worth the $50 mark up ($150 if you count the rebate)? That increased battery life time due to the atom is very enticing.

I got the linux version and got rid of the crappy Xanadros OS. I have an OEM version of XP that I use on all my PCs and used nlite(http://www.i64x.com/eeexp.php) to get my xp install down to 600 mb after Sp2 and patching.

The only problem I have is my Battery drivers won't install for some reason but that's not major. Don't expect to run any PC game decently that was made after 2002-3.
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I was looking to get the Linux 20GB version and use an nLite-ned XP, but I'm just worried that I'll end up botching the process. Did you follow the exact directions in that guide/tutorial and still end up with that Battery driver problem? Is there some sort of restore method in case one botches the XP install (no cd-rom so I have no idea how one would do that)? These are the main factors in my decision between getting the XP version versus the Linux. Also, does the Eee perform significantly better with an nLite-ned version of XP?

I use 8 gig SD card for my music/videos. And that is enough for me. I also upgraded the ram on it to 2 gigs.
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How would I go about upgrading the ram?(found a thread adressing this question) I too would like at least 1GB more on it. And if the nLite method doesn't float my boat, I was thinking of just getting the XP version and grabbing an SD card as another user posted prior.

I recomend going to http://forum.eeeuser.com/ and seeing what the eee can do. I may install Ubuntu on the PC but right now XP is doing fine.
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I was quite surprised to see an actual forum dedicated to the Eee line of computers. However, it seems not too many are familiar with the 901 yet, seeing there is some sort of shortage or slowdown in the movement of the Linux 901s.

And thank you for your insight.

Thanks TexasOwl for the offer, but yeah, I'd think it'd still be above my price point. $700 is already cutting it for me.
 
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There is a ton of talk about how the atom is not that much better then the existing chip set. I didn't think it was going to do all that much so I got my regular 900 a few days after they became available. And don't let bluetooth sway you too much. You can easily get one of these guys: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11866 and you'll be good to go.

I tried to follow the nlite guide the best I could and while it is very good guide it didn't work for me. I actually had to do process 3 times before I got a version that didn't crash on me. The good thing about nlite is it can save your settings so you don't have to re-check all 400 boxes every time. Each time I just added a few more items I had cut out. I didn't try real hard to trouble shoot my issue with the battery drivers. So I'm not sure why the issue came up with me. There are plenty of people who used Nlite on a 900 and didn't run into my issue.

If you F up installing a new OS on your EEE there is a recovery disk included to get back the Xanadros OS back. And yes when you Nlite your XP it does run faster then a vanilla install of XP. It boots faster too. Before I patched XP and installed AV that thing booted up fast as hell. It still boots fast just not as fast as fresh install.

I did get a cd-rom drive. I got this one and alot of people on the eee pc forum use it as well: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=BLK-24XEXT-CDR&cat=CDR&cpc=CDRbsc

You can get a 900 for $430 after rebate. Right now on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220351). I'm not sure how much a 901 costs.


Oh and I must add this. Typing isn't super hard, but the keyboard is a bit cramped. I have had to learn to type with out the use of my pinkies when using the eee. Out of everything that is my smallest gripe. But when you get something this small you should expect stuff like that.
 
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Well, I'm tinkering with nLite and Virtual PC atm trying to find a good iso for booting.

To be a cheap ass, I want to try the usb and sd card method of installing xp since both of those media are readly available. If worse comes to worse, I'll get that external drive.

Do you have any links to talks about the atom in comparison to the celeron m? All I could find were speculations months before atom was released. That increased battery life is just so tempting. I've never had a laptop that could last very long unplugged. And I'm aware of the battery life not lasting as long as advertised (3-5 hours compared to a little less than 8 advertised). Performance of the processors doesn't seem so important at this point since these are all very small portable machines. I wouldn't expect a powerhouse in such a small package. I guess I'll play the waiting game and wait for impressions on the Linux version, whenever it actually is widely available.

The 901 seems to be a flat $599 everywhere, on the very few sites that actually carry them.
 
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Have you looked at the "Acer Aspire One" yet? Same cpu as Eee but with a 120GB HD (not SSD) and XP for $399. Really slick looking.
 
Wow, thanks for making my decision even harder. That really looks like a solid bargain. Only main concern is ram upgrade. It's 512mb of memory soldered in the thing. Doesn't look like much room for upgrade.

edit: plus SSD seems to be one of my must haves. I'd like a hard drive that can boot up fairly fast and is shock resistant.
 
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I did find this: http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/review/2008/06/14/Asus-Eee-PC-901-20G-Linux-Edition/p2

It looks like the 901 can get almost 5 hours battery life with everything running on max. I didn't know about the extra buttons or that the wireless card is draft N. Cool stuff. But I'm still not going to upgrade.

I did find this benchmark where the atom cpu did worse. http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/...celeron-m-processors-before-official-release/

I really don't think it is that much of a leap from 900 to 901, if it was I think I would see it on the EEE forums.

A friend of mine is going to get the Acer Aspire One. But saying he is going to get it and getting it is a different matter. Dell is supposed to release their UMPC next month. I have a feeling UMPCs are going to be big this xmas. With so many models/brands and alot of them running XP, you are going to get alot of people looking at these.
 
Thanks for the review link. I didn't know about the voice commands included with at least the Linux version.

Now one more question. If I install an nLite-ned version of XP, Asus gives you drivers (on their website or cd) for the laptop specific features, right? i.e. the voice commands, the battery gauge, and processor management functions (1.2Ghz, normal 1.6Ghz, and 1.8Ghz).

That benchmark was a while ago (March) and atoms were brand spanking new, so I don't know about that article. It just seems like the battery consumption more than makes up for it (if there really is slowdown in the Atom). In the review, they even had fairly high settings and the laptop lasted for nearly 5 hours.

That kind of brings me to another main concern. The heating of the cpu. I hear both the 900 and 901 get pretty warm. Should I invest in a cooling pad? I have this constant fear of laptops overheating, which happened to my Toshiba frequently when it was on this earth. It was simply poor design, the fans were on the bottom with a couple mm of room to breathe.

Good news seems to be that the Linux version is now available at Newegg. Though I'll probably wait for a while and hope Costco will carry them. They already have the XP flavor.
 
There is a surprising amount of info in this thread. My work is starting to carry the MSI Wind. That is the one I am interested in.
 
The XP drivers come on a CD that is included with each eee PC. You can also get them off Ausus's site. The ones off the site are sometimes newer.

The speach control seems to be a 901 XP feature. I'd be shocked if you couldn't enable it yourself using your own XP install. The battery guage should work (even if mine doesn't). And I'm not sure about the cpu managment. I'm sure there is an app to control that. But the 900 regulates the CPU based on if you have power cord plugged in. You can't change the 900 cpu clock on fly. Also the multi-touch functions work in XP too.

My 900 does get hot, but the heat sink is under the keyboard. There are photos of it, and it is litteraly under the entire keyboard. Warm temps are normal with this. I don't see how a cooling pad would hurt and the PC has 3 usb ports so it might be worth looking into if you don't mind taking something else with you.
 
It seems that I can get 25% cash back through Miscrosoft's Live Cashback program (ebay and paypal). That would make the 901 eee only $469.95 Shipped essentially from expcestore (ExcaliberPC). Has anyone here had experience with Microsoft's Live Cashback promotion?

There's also an ebay 10% coupon which seems to work for me. CJULYFUN0810P. THat at least neutralizes the CA tax.

I'm so tempted to just buy it right now.
 
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Unless you need it right away, I would wait. The ultraportable market is likely going to go into a price war real soon
 
[quote name='n25philly']Unless you need it right away, I would wait. The ultraportable market is likely going to go into a price war real soon[/QUOTE]
I came to the thread to say this. I've been tempted multiple times over the past 6 months, but I remind myself of this fact each time. Ultraportables are gonna get much cheaper very, very soon. The Wind is just coming out, Dell has something planned, so on--yay for the consumer!
 
[quote name='dothog']I came to the thread to say this. I've been tempted multiple times over the past 6 months, but I remind myself of this fact each time. Ultraportables are gonna get much cheaper very, very soon. The Wind is just coming out, Dell has something planned, so on--yay for the consumer![/QUOTE]

I don't know how much cheaper they are going to get. But they will defiantly be a war over specs. I really doubt you are going to see this magic $200 UMPC that everyone keeps wishing for. At $200 bucks, how much money is a company making off the thing?

I really think UMPCs will stay around the 400-600 price range. Anything over that would have to compete with "real" laptops.
 
[quote name='KingDox']I don't know how much cheaper they are going to get. But they will defiantly be a war over specs. I really doubt you are going to see this magic $200 UMPC that everyone keeps wishing for. At $200 bucks, how much money is a company making off the thing?

I really think UMPCs will stay around the 400-600 price range. Anything over that would have to compete with "real" laptops.[/QUOTE]
I'm not asking for a $200 dream machine, but I think that $399 and $499 are going to be competitive price points. My hope is that after 9 months of battles, $399 becomes a number where you can get an ultraportable that can pump out good performance for office work, "good" being that you don't notice the machine straining to keep up with a few windows and maybe some internet/e-mail thrown in.
 
The $399-$599 range is pretty good. I'm still amazed at how Asus, MSI, Acer and all the others are putting out efficient ultra-portable notebooks around the half-grand mark compared to the $1600+ other brands like Sony, Fujitsu, and Lenovo. I used to think I could never purchase an ultra portable notebook under the $1000 price mark.

Plus, I really don't think people are going the way of thin laptops. Sure you can fit them in envelopes, but I really don't think laptops are meant to be stacked like pieces of paper or stuffed in spaces meant for 5 cent documents. I certainly wouldn't stack stuff on a $1600 Macbook Air (btw, I would never buy thin notebooks). I think it's just a waste of vertical space.

I can definitely see UMPCs or netbooks increasing in sales. They're actually going for the cheap, convenient, and portable aspects which I'm sure no person in their right mind frowns upon.
 
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[quote name='KingDox']I don't know how much cheaper they are going to get. But they will defiantly be a war over specs. I really doubt you are going to see this magic $200 UMPC that everyone keeps wishing for. At $200 bucks, how much money is a company making off the thing?

I really think UMPCs will stay around the 400-600 price range. Anything over that would have to compete with "real" laptops.[/QUOTE]

The profit margin is already really small. With so many companies try to get into it now though it will increase demand for mobile parts. The increased demand will lower prices as they can sell more. Plus once companies like Dell get involved they will drive the price down because they can offer a lower price because they can subsidize the cost with things like software trials. All that crap they shove on their computer is actually good for something. Even if prices only go down a little bit, the hardware will end up being better than is is right now.
 
Well, just recieved the Eee 901 in the mail. Very fast shipping from excaliburpc.com. I'll post my impressions after I had some time to load up xp.
 
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