Eee PC with all the hacks, but can it ever learn to love?
By Paul Miller 
posted Jan 20th 2008 4:18AM
posted Jan 20th 2008 4:18AM
[Via Digg]
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ahem, isnt this better than the air thingy?? first post!!
Good timing on your first post! You're fast.
ha ha ha, Dang! i forgot to approve my comment, now i look like an idiot!! :P
That's because you are one, son.
You still would have looked like an idiot even if you had approved your post quickly. Grow up.
i wish there was a mod to throw a bigger LCD in there..
If you were to remove the speakers and web cam, probably relocate some of the circuitry, you most certainly can install a larger screen in there.
Better yet, take all that stuff back out, slap an apple on it and charge me more than two grand.
Mac OSX can love..
only took 3 posts be4 sum1 mentioned mac
Epic fail.
No. It can't love you, as much as you'd like it to.
Are you on a crusade or something? Your blind apple fanboyism is really annoying.
Stop spamming on every damn article already
Sorry to wake you from that dream of yours but go and get a life
yes, plenty of gay love with that little rainbow ball showing up all the time wasting mine...
This is quite possibly one of the most disturbing replies I've made on Engadget, but, here we go:
I am completely confused, what the hell are you talking about, Tits?
Unfortunately, it doesn't love you as much as you Mac users love themselves.
In the same way that a prostitute can love: she'll be with you as long as you have money, and leave as soon as you run out.
That's hot. This should be in the encyclopedia for gadget pr0n.
I almost want to go out and get an EeePC and give it this much love.
Actually, my friend threw an Emotion Engine and an ATI card in there. The last time I saw him, he said something about "teaching Ruby" and hasn't left his house for a week. Strange.
I don't get it..
One more robot learns to be
Something more than a machine
When it tries the way it does
Makes it seem like it can love
Cause it's hard to say what's real
When you know the way you feel
Is it wrong to think it's love
When it tries the way it does...
I'd be happy if I could just get it to control my Nikon D70s -- well, after the memory upgrade I did.
Where is the touchscreen? Without the touchscreen this hardly qualifies as gadget porn ;)
It does have a touchscreen.
Who cares if it can love? Feel sorry for the poor guy who carries this around!
why?
you know that you actually won't see a difference when it's put together again? ;)
I'm actually getting an Eee within the next two weeks or so for college stuff. I went to a store that had a demo set up of it today, but some woman wouldn't stop playing Solitaire on it. Will probably eventually do the bluetooth and gps mods, but the others aren't exactly essential. Or even useful. Aside from the RAM boost of course.
Could you tell me which store had the Eee demo? I want to see it IRL.
Toys'R'Us
It was Central Computers, but that won't do you any good unless you live near Sunnyvale, California.
Absolutely fantastic. Well done!!
Cool project, but man this guy needs to learn how to shop. He could have literally saved $200 or more by spending 2 minutes at Froogle or PriceGrabber on those parts.
Eee phone home.
im gonna get one too! its just so small...
I know, it combines my three favorite geek toy qualities: cheap, functional, and small.
Maybe it's just me, but I like the Eee with a keyboard.
They're just showing you the guts so you can see the mods. Just looking at the fully assembled computer won't show you anything.
Pimp My Eee PC.
lol.. dont encourage them!
The Eee already has SDHC support. No modding necessary.
i don't really see the need for an internal USB hub, either: it comes with 3 USB 2.0 ports-- unlike some other, more expensive machines.
It's all internal to act as an extra "hard drive" and leave the original 1 for removable storage.
Still take the Air hands down!
you disgust me
you do realize that 400 < 1799?
hey you know what a user replaceable battery is? no?
shut up already god damn the eee and air are NOT in the same class at all, in fact the air shouldn't even exist in its current state with the lack of features.
The EEE is cute not much more!!
And the Air is expensive and not much more. Your point?
I have one, a terrific device. I am gooing on a one month overseas trip so it will get tested.
There are some teething issues that Asus need to PATCH ASAP though..
1) Touchpad can freeze cursor
2) WiFi connectivity via ebcryption such as WEP is qwerky anmd one needs to know how to fix it.
BOTH need immeidate patches or many of the units being sold WILL bet returned.
My companion cube loves me.
But you killed it... how could it still love you? :)
I'll say this again, and I'll use small words so people like Zach can understand: the Air is a proof of concept. If they sell a bunch, whoa, even better, but the reality is, when the refreshed MBP line comes out, you're going to see many of the Air's INNER features -- the ultrasmall processor, enhanced multi-touch, etc -- spread throughout the line.
And I don't know about you, but the amount of time I spend swapping batteries is... oh... NONE. If I'm away from wall that long, I turn off the machine. When I'm near a plug, I plug back in. Who the hell do you know carries a 2nd battery with them full-time?? It's ludicrous and defeats the point of ultra-lightweight portability.
If you're pissing b/c the Air's battery is not where anyone and their uncle can see it, big whoop; it's already been shown that it's easily accessed WHEN NEEDED.
Zach (and other like-minded snots), your inability to think critically -- as opposed to merely spouting knee-jerk criticism -- disgusts me.
@gyffes: i think you need to recognize that not everybody works within easy reach of a power outlet. on trips longer than the one from your mom's basement to the living room, the inability to swap batteries could be a big problem.
User-changable batteries is not used just for swapping to a spare battery for more portability. Laptop batteries lose their capacity over their life, and even if you want to carry no spare batteries, you will need to change batteries. Batteries being user-replacable means that you can buy a competively-priced battery from the store of your choice and insert it yourself for immediate release. Non-user-replaceble batteries means that you must have your computer serviced, with little or no choice of supplier, for an incompetitive price, and be waiting while it the service is completed with no use of your computer.
I'm still waiting for a screen with better resolution before I get my eeepc. Only things added in this mod I would even want is the 2 gb ram and bluetooth.
My old trustworthy Dell 700M after 1 GB memory, 120 GB HD upgrade, cost about the same, dual boot Ubuntu / (hacked down) XP running on 120MB memory footprint is more fun than Apple "Vapor" or Eee PC.
Haha... are you kidding me? I have a 700m and my brother has an EEE, the EEE destroys it hands down. It also costs less than half the price new.
This is the sort of thing that really gets me going. If, for ~$450, a lowly consumer can add all that to an Eee PC, then why the hell can't Apple, and the PC manufacturer masses, give every laptop ultra wireless mobility with 802.11n, EVDO (or similar), FM trans. & Rec. GPS and wireless USB to boot? The Air blows my mind with the only connectivity being 802.11n. It's like they are taking a step backwards! It doesn't take a genius to come up with "the perfect mobile wireless device".
The mac air laptop is a/b/g/n compatible according to the Apple website. Still sucks IMO since I like the eeepc's size. If I wanted a larger laptop I would base it on performance not how thin it is. Also having no ethernet port makes it totally worthless for my needs. The Mac pro laptop should get a 8800 Nvidia card and a Penryn processor.
All these hacks are cool but since there was no mention of the mini fusion generator being added in I am sure the battery life has taken a big hit. Companies always have to trade off power sucking features for battery life
Because profitable businesses don't work like you suggest. As an investor in companies, I want them to charge more to make more profits and to drive up their stock prices. Besides, making stuff cheaply is not always the best way to go. There are plenty of people that don't buy things just because they're cheap. I'm sure you buy store brand cereal and it's okay, but I still prefer the quality of name brand cereal.
If it's so easy to design the "perfect mobile wireless device", I suggest you start your own company as see how well it goes. You'd be broke before you sold the first 100 units especially when they start falling apart and users begin yelling for some support. (Which due to your razor thin margins, I suppose you and your soon-to-be-departed best friend will answer phones 24 hours a day.
I'm interested in seeing how long this EeePC line lasts and how many businesses are going to use it.
I don't get the point of this article. Unless you're an obsessed Apple consumer?
Personally, I use my computer as a tool.
I don't get the point of your comment, this article isn't about Apple...
Since "love" isn't something you'd assosiate with Asus, but Apple and their i-brand, "Touch", "Air" and their passion for elegant design, I'd say it is.
Someone actually replaced the screen with a 7'' inch car touch screen that was also extremely durable (you can like use a pen for touch)
it's on youtube, very cool
Cool Mod... Too bad he can't get the case back on...
He can, what's the point in a picture of it with the shell on when it looks no different from the outside?
Where's the keyboard and mouse? How the hell are you supposed to actually use it? (without using USB keyboard/mice, at least)
Taken off for a picture (the 1 shown is 1 of many). What's the point in a picture of it with the shell on when it looks no different from the outside?
really cool
BTW I have a hack for u, add a keyboard
Yes,yes, I know that just off temp, bout That still is funny
Man this thing REALLY sucks! God, the MBA is so much better. Why would I want a piece of unrecyclable crap? Where is the aluminum? This thing would probably break the moment I dropped it. The fact that you have to hack it to make it work the way you want to says enough about how much this thing blows. Ooooh oh no! The MBA is too expensive! Sorry I want to help our dying economy by buying an expensive product.
Commence whiners about my "blind apple fanaticism".
People like you give me the creeps.
Not only because your total lack of ability to read and compare specs, usage scenarios and product position, but just because imagining that buying something expensive helps anyhow the economy, when all the parts are assembled in outsourced sweat shops. Try to recycle that.
Aw, and FYI, in sturdiness department, the real deal is how things are attached INTERNALLY and not the exterior, although if you had searched thru the Eee specs you'd know that it is shock-proof as is. But of course you can't read and therefore I'm wasting my time answering your lame post.
Have a good life, moron.
PS.: For what's worth, I'd rather get a midrange MacBook (plain white) that does a LOT more (ie. upgrading ram when needed, audio input, battery replacement, DVD burner, 2 USB ports, faster and more reliable HDD) than an MBA, which is only good as a concept. Better yet, having such money, I'd run for the lowest MBP... a lot more of horse power and light enough to be back packed all right.
I never dropped my laptop... you need a clumsy-proof lappy?!
basic eee is 299$... its really a good thing! and its more small than you probably imagine... fold a A4 paper in 2, you got the idea!
if you need a small computer for cary around, do you mails, office stuff and even watch movies and play warcraft... this is the solution!
people drop things-- it happens. so the real question is, which one can you least afford to drop? at $3000, i wouldn't let the macbook air leave my desk, nevermind carry it around in an envelope.
awesome! and I like the fact that the Eee is getting compared to a $3000 mac. Very flattering for a $350~ device.
Mine will be here in a few days, w00t
agree!
eee is release the 25 in japan... I am waiting!
$450+ worth of upgrades, what a waste of money on something you need to have your whole face stuck against it to read something. Get a life, get a real laptop if you going end up spending $1000 total for this sh*t underpowered toy'r'us product.
Damn you sire!
For pure geekery's sake you should be impressed.
I went out and bought one of these little beauties.
Its not the size of the screen but what you do with it that counts. he he
Yes, the upgrades this man has made cost a fair whack but he has basically fitted most/all of the mods flying about on the net at the moment (call it a proof of concept if you like)
I am sorting out the touchscreen, bluetooth and 3G modem at the moment.
All the parts needed for less than £100.
(Just gotta practice my soldering skills as the points are tiny and i fear i will kill my eee when i try to bodge them all in)
Personally my Geeekbook is a perfect travelling companion for me - the reason i am going to mod it is that i am getting fed up with running a usb wire from my lap into the hub in my bag. when its all internal my little Geeekbook will be the goddamn best TOY in the world.
Total spend so far = £400
Worth it = YES
Apple fanboys, kindly STFU.
To turn an argument you guys are always using yourself: If you don't like the device, don't comment on the article. If it works for people trolling Apple articles, then take some of your own goddamn medicine and let me read commentary without your smug, self-satisfied mutual masturbation destroying my goddamn experience already.