Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"Of course, all I can do is offer an opinion: that and a buck will get you cup of coffee at McDonald’s. But that’s what he asked me for, so here’s my opinion on the best netbook for the money right now. I ruled out any device with an 8.9-inch display in my thought process. Not that there’s anything wrong with those, but the larger 10-inch screens represent nice “bang for buck”. You can always upgrade some components, like memory or storage capacity, but you’re generally stuck with a screen size for the life of a device. This pushed the current Acer Aspire One, the Dell Mini 9 and some of the Asus Eee PCs out of contention."

Great article. I was looking at the HP 1035NR at $450 as a replacement computer for my wife. She currently has a 5 year old Compaq laptop, so about time for an upgrade. While not quite as sexy looking as the HP, the ASUS Eee PC 1000HA is quite the bang for the buck.

"A netbook as we’ve come to know it is a small laptop that is cheap. That’s about it, although the term can be confusing, as larger notebooks are sometimes called netbooks, since that is currently the hot buzzword. So you want to get a small, cheap notebook (or netbook) if you will, what are the five things you should know before plunking down your cash? 1. How are you going to use your device? 2. How much screen do you need? 3. How small of a keyboard will you tolerate? 4. Do you need the (heavier) extended battery? 5. Can you walk away from Windows?"

I recently upgraded from the original Eee to the Acer Aspire One. The above article really hits it on the head for me. Everyone had different needs but here is my take on each of the 5 items mentioned. 1. I use or want to be able to use my netbook for almost everything I would use my regular computer for, save video editing. I fully recognize that a netbook pretty much by definition would not have the horsepower. I also don't really intent to do things like sync my Zune, or even load my music collection on to it. 2. The screen is a biggie. The 7 inch screen on the Eee was OK, but the 800x480 resolution was not bearable. I'd be satisfied with a 7 inch screen at 1024x600, but like the 8.9 inch screen on the Aspire One, except for the glossy finish. 3. Keyboard really depends on how big your hands are. The Aspire keyboard is noticeably bigger than the Eee, but I have fairly small hands and did not have much of a problem typing on the Eee. I'd really like to see a tablet version with no keyboard at all, but built in Bluetooth to connect to a fold-up keyboard when necessary. 4. I don't really need the extended battery since I mostly use mine either at work or home, but I would like a more economical option for a second power adapter. I don't want to pay nearly 25% of the cost of the device just for a second adapter. 5. Windows vs. Linux - I really liked Ubuntu on the Eee. But there were a few key things I wanted that I needed Windows for, namely Slingbox and Netflix video streaming.

"Computer maker ASUS is now offering a PC in the style of Apple’s iMac: all hardware is contained within the monitor. However, the Eee Top features a touch-sensitive 15.6-inch widescreen (16:9) display, making it more akin to HP’s TouchSmart range of all-in-one computers. What’s cool about the 4.3kg computer, which incidentally is based on the technology behind ASUS’ Eee PC mini laptop, is that the display can be controlled using either the supplied stylus or your kid’s grubby fingers. ASUS has even gone to the effort to develop exclusive touch-optimised software applications. Fear not, a wired keyboard and mouse are also included, should you want the machine to last longer than a week."

This looks like another great, value-packed device from Asus. But, I wish Asus would just go ahead and rename the company Eee so at least their branding strategy would make a little more sense.

"In some respects, when we think about what the capabilities of a $349 desktop system should be like, we can't help but be impressed what Asus has achieved and the overall value of the Eee Box. What's more impressive though is the Eee Box's absolutely tiny form-factor and completely miserly power consumption. The original Eee PC notebook cultivated quite an enthusiastic following in the marketplace and we think the Eee Box is likely to as well. When you stop to think of the numerous embedded applications for a computer this size (kiosk, digital signage, car computer, etc), the market acceptance of the Eee Box should by all rights be just as impressive as previous generation Eee PC products."

There are so many things to like about this. I could easily see this as the perfect computer for the less than tech savvy family member that really just wants to go on-line. Heck this would cover 90% of my needs and is almost worth buying just for what you could save on electricity versus a normal desktop.

In case you're new here, I love my Asus Eee PC. Of course, what would make it better? More memory of course! If you are not familiar with ADATA, you really should be. They may not be a recognizable name brand like Sandisk, but they produce memory cards that are an outstanding value for the consumer. Their 16 GB SDHC Eee branded card looks to be no exception. Read more...

"The Aspire one has the potential to be a very solid mini-notebook at an incredibly competitive price. At $379, this system is cheaper than the Eee PC 900 series ($550 - $600), the MSI Wind (planned at $399 with Linux and $499 with XP), and the HP MiniNote (starts at $499, but most configs are much higher). It even sports a better price than the 7-inch first-gen Eee PC 4G (still $399 in most places), while offering a powerful Atom processor and a 1024×600 screen."



I'll be keeping my eye on this one. It has the bigger screen that I'm looking for over my current Eee but without the significantly higher price many of the competitors have.

"Asus singlehandedly created the budget mini-laptop market. And now, sadly, it would seem that they've priced themselves out of it. Laptop Mag finally got Asus to announce a prices of their new 8.9" Asus Eee (901) and their 10.2" Asus Eee (1000). And confirming long-standing rumors, the $399 pricepoint is a distant dream."



I couldn't agree more. I'm not saying that these still aren't a good deal, but Asus is forgetting the fact that the super low prices are what got everyone so excited by the Eee in the first place. Previous to the Eee, small laptops usually involved a compromise in power AND a premium price. The Eee not only got rid of the premium, but was priced to be at a discount to pretty much any other laptop out there. These new models have bumped up the price just enough that they are now on part with average laptops, and in doing so have taken some of the halo off the brand.

"Here're more specifications for the Asus Eee Box B202 that will hit the US pretty soon, and I'm sure there is a bunch of you out there who can't stop yourselves from drawing comparisons with the Wii. Still, here are the nitty gritty of the details involved...The Asus Eee Box B202 will come in three flavors when it arrives on US shores - 1GB RAM + 80GB + Linux, 1GB RAM + 80GB + Windows XP, and 2GB RAM + 160GB + Linux which will retail for $269, $299 and $299, respectively. How many of you will start saving up for the B202? If they had some sort of portable LCD monitor and a roll-up keyboard to go, this will definitely outdo the Eee PC."

If you've been reading Digital Home Thoughts for a while now, you'll know I love SFF (small form factor) computers. I've been a fan of Shuttle's XPC products for years, although strangely enough I only have one of them at the moment (must be time for a new one!). 99% of all computers sold are much larger than they need to be - unless you're a gamer, you don't need a giant power-sucking video card, or the hefty power supply that goes with it. Most systems are used for Web access, email, word processing, light gaming, and photo/video work - the latter requiring some grunt, but mostly of the CPU variety. I have two HP Slimline computers, which are about 50% smaller than your average tower, but even they are about 50% bigger than they need to be if expandability isn't a priority. The post over at Ubergizo goes on to list the following specifications for this box:

• Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor
• 512MB/1GB/2GB RAM
• 80GB.120GB/160GB/250GB hard drive
• Intel GMA 950 chipset
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Draft-N connectivity
• Optional Bluetooth
• SD/MMC/MS memory card slot

I'm really interested in seeing how well the Intel Atom CPU does - I've read some impressive things about it. This Asus machine looks decent, but I think I like the look and feel of the forthcoming Dell machines a bit more...

"The Eee PC 900 is an exciting little laptop on the surface but, when you break it down to the basics, it isn’t all that dissimilar to the original Eee PC – and that throws the whole thing into a state of confusion. What has the Eee PC 900 got going for it? Well, there’s more memory, more storage capacity and a larger screen. That’s it really and, while the trackpad is nice, it doesn’t anything fundamentally important to the Eee PC. The key though is in the screen – it’s that which is the real deal clincher here and the extra screenage is a really important addition, making the Eee so much easier to use and so much more appealing. There’s also the matter of the processor to bear in mind – Asus has said it will be taking advantage of the new Atom CPUs when they become available. That’ll bring more speed and less power consumption to the Eee immediately. That means that if you’re really hungry for battery power and performance then you may be better off waiting, grabbing an Eee further down the line when Atom is unleashed later this year."




Asus has corrected what was one of my only gripes with the original Eee. Unfortunately, they meddled with some other specs that ended up increasing the price, namely adding a much more storage. The new 900 model is still a great deal at $549, but percentage-wise, this is a lot more expensive than the $349 I paid for the current model. I'd have liked to seen a $399 model identical to the original except for the addition of the larger screen, or even just the same size screen, but with a higher resolution.

"Asus Eee owners now have access to a USB HDTV Tuner from Asus, with Linux drivers! It’s a requirement as the majority of Eee users run the pre-installed linux. The catch is: the My Cinema U3100 Mini tuner supports DVB-T & DMB-TH, two TV broadcast standards unsupported in the USA. At the moment, it has been reported that H.264 decoding is missing, which is a real problem with HDTV broadcasting... and that recording isn’t possible, which is probably OK, given the 2GB or 4GB of storage that the computer has. Finally, note that the Eee 7” display is not really “HD” anyways."



I about jumped out of my chair in excitement when I first saw this. Then I realized it would do me no good in the US. Still you've got to like the fact the Asus is supporting the Eee in this way.

"The scoop wire was running late tonight and these shots of Asus' upcoming Eee Desktop made their way to our inbox just now, so we thought we'd give you the digital relay on the skinny... literally. Though it's hard to get a sense of size here, this thing is obviously svelte. We don't have firm details but since this is an Asus "Eee" product, we can assume it follows the same mantra of "Easy to Learn, Easy to Work, Easy to Play". Maybe a beefed up Linux distro and application bundle? We'll see..."



Looks sweet. I'll be really interested in seeing the specs on this. I'm suspecting it will not use much electricity. If so, I'm hoping to hook it up next to my main rig with a KVM switch and then just use it for most light work/web surfing and only fire up the big rig for photo/video editing and such.

"The early success of Asus’ EEE PC appears to have spawned yet another competitor, this time from Taiwanese manufacturer Acer. According to the Chinese paper Commercial Times, Acer is preparing a direct competitor to the EEE for the first or second quarter of this year. While details on the new model were somewhat sparse, the notebooks will come with both 8 and 9 inch screens, which will be produced by AU Optronics, another Taiwanese company. Oddly enough, this is the same company supply to screens to Asus, so Acer’s equivalent will share some blood with its main competitor. Prices on the new models are actually predicted to be below existing EEE models."

I'll be really curious to see how Acer, or any other company for that matter, improves on the Eee. My best suggestion would be to up the screen resolution to at least 1024 x 768. Any other ideas for improvements?