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Asus Eee PC 701 Review

Smaller than your average notebook, and at least half the price, on this page, we take a close look at the ASUS Eee PC - The tiny, yet powerful mini-laptop that'll cost you less that £200...

 

This is a surprisingly powerful little machine. Some of our listeners may remember the old Psion Series 5mx or Series 7 devices - in many ways, the Asus Eee is where we all hoped Psion's handheld computers would end up. We were so impressed with the Asus Eee PC, that we did a dedicated audio review, which you can download or listen to online.

This sub-notebook is a comfy hold, well engineered, powerful, and packed with a decent amount of software. On this page, you'll find a run-down of the basics...

 

Asus eee PC PicAsus Eee: The Specs

  • Intel Celeron 800MHz Processor
  • 512Meg onboard RAM
  • 2gig or 4gig storage
  • 3 x USB ports
  • Wi-fi (902.11b/g)
  • 10 / 100 Meg network card
  • MMC / SD card reader
  • 7" colour monitor
  • Stats: 225 x 160 x 20 mm , weight 895g
  • OS: Linux Xandros (also runs Windows XP)

 

Listen NowAudio Review of the Asus Eee PC

You can download our guide as an MP3 file, or listen to the guide over the Internet, using our pop-up player. The show lasts just over 17 minutes.

Podcast PlayerDownload show Play the MP3

 

The Asus Eee PC (Pronounced E P C) appeared in the UK at the end of 2007. It's available in different models, but essentially there's the Eee PC 700 (2gig version) and the Eee PC 701 (4 gig version).

Prices start from an impressive £200. Points of note:

  • The screen is not your standard screen ratio - it's 800 x 480 (there's also a VGA out for connection to a PC monitor)
  • The memory is solid-state, so no moving parts found on a standard hard drive
  • The Eee boots up in around 20 seconds
  • Battery life is typically between 2.5 and 4 hours
The 2 Gig version is available online from:

The 4 Gig version is available online from:

ASUS Eee 701: Software

The ASUS Eee comes preloaded with a decent selection of software. Here's the list

  • Web browser: Firefox
  • Voice over IP: Skype (built-in mic, or via a mic socket)
  • Instant Messaging: Pidgin (MSN, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo and more)
  • Internet Radio: Media U
  • Office: Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations (OpenOffice 2.0)
  • Adobe PDF Reader 7.0
  • Mail: Thunderbird
  • File Manager (Xandros v4.0)
  • Dictionary (Pearson / Longman)
  • Learning: Language (Tuxtyping 2), Math (Tuxmath), Paint
  • Games: Solitaire, Penguin Racer, Potato Guy, Frozen Bubble
  • Audio/Video: Media Player (SM Player), Music Manager, Photo Manager, Video Manager
  • Others: Calculator, Anti-virus, Screen capture

 

The main screen
The main screen on the Asus Eee PC 701

 

Browsing on the ASUS Eee
Browsing on the Asus Eee PC 701

 

Asus Eee PC in hand
Holding the Asus Eee PC

Full Desktop on Asus Eee PC
Advanced Desktop Mode (how to switch)

 

Pic of left-hand side of ASUS eee
ASUS Eee PC 701 (Left side): Ethernet, 1 x USB, microphone and headphones

Pic of right-hand side of ASUS eee
ASUS Eee PC 701 (Right side): SD/MMC slot, 2 x USB and VGA connectors

 

Other links

  • Help and advice with wireless connectivity - wi-fi page

 

Got a question on the ASUS Eee that we can answer in the next show? Call 0208 133 4567 or send us a message

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