Confession: we love,
love slim laptops. Air, Envy, X300, slips of copier paper with "laptop" written on them... anything decently under that magical 1-inch thick mark has a special place in our hearts. And then there's the
Eee PC S101. Don't get us wrong, we really like this little netbook. It's slim, light, solidly built, not entirely gaudy and comes with quite the pedigree, but we're having trouble choking down that $699 pricetag for what's still ostensibly a "second" computer. Here's the way we see it: this new, wonderful 0.75-inch thick form factor can't just be a random noodling by ASUS, we're expecting all sorts of trickle down to other models in the future -- except there's really no place to trickle down on the specs. Perhaps they could drop the Bluetooth, or the "n" spec from the WiFi, but at the end of the day 1GB of RAM and an Atom processor are pretty baseline for netbooks, and we expect something exactly delicious as this netbook from ASUS or elsewhere before the glossy paint is dry on the S101 -- or at least a built-in 3G option in a few weeks to make this thing obsolete. Our other big gripe is with the keyboard. The keys are good-sized and rather tactile for a netbook, but they could certainly be better, and the right shift key is inexplicably on the far side of the up arrow key -- basically unreachable by our mortal pinkie. It makes zero sense from a typing standpoint, and since we tend to over-rely on the right shift key out of bad Mavis Beacon-induced typing habits, we're not stoked about ASUS's choice here. Otherwise there's a nice collection of ports, a great (multi-touch) touchpad, a wonderful matte screen and that pesky hole in our wallet where all our cash used to be.
posted October 21st 2008 4:37PM
I liked the original cover for the ASUS, I dont like how it says eee pc
They seriously need to redesign the Eee logo or come up with a new name for these things. It really cheapens the look of it.
The ASUS logo is a really cool tech logo as well, it makes no sense to have some "artsy-fartsy" calligraphy-type Eee PC logo. In fact, I'm finding it hard to think of a logo I hate more than the Eee PC logo.
ASUS needs to do some re-branding.a
Engadget, for the love of Zeus! How much frickin' user feedback do you need before you change this damned comment system?
1. Edit comments (with timeout)
2. Delete comments.
3. A 'remember me' function that actually remembers me.
4. Auto-select 'returning' on comment form.
5. Preview comment.
I couldn't code it, but for Pete's sake - find someone who can!
Disclaimer: The characters of Zeus and Pete within this comment are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is...well...actually quite possible.
They get their comment system from AOL. Have you ever dealt with AOL? I'm sure they try...
Silly ASUS...
with 3 desktops, 2 laptops already, my new 1000ha on the way is a great travel companion, at least that's the excuse I used to buy it.
What exactly are you trying to add to this discussion, I see nothing here related, only a bunch of over-enthusiastic little-boy-on-christmas-morning pretentious-bragging here.
Lowest Ranked has clearly added something seminal to this discussion...
Hypocrisy's a bitch.
But you're twelve years old and make crappy youtube video reviews with your ickle brother reviewing crappy products that your rich daddy buys you. The rest of us have to work for a living and want to buy 1 or two quality products every few years. And not worry about a new version coming out in a few months with all the features we're looking for in a laptop now.
My Ideal netbook:
Linux that doesn't suck
Atom Processor
3G
40gig+ SSD (cause they're quiet and i hate listening to frkn spinny shit.
No Fan, cause fan's are loud and annoying.
Some Ram would be nice
Design that doesn't suck.
I'm hoping the MSI Wind u120 produces. Otherwise i'll get mad.
Oh and one more thing.
Add a butterfly keyboard like old IBM laptops had. so we can stop complaining about keyboard size in these suckers.
I think my Eee PC 1000HD I got from Best Buy works great.
Love the 10" screen, easy to type on and under $400. This is just about the same thing for a lot more money. Looks sweet, but no thanks.
Ugh! So much money and not even Expressgate to offset XP!
I am returning my eee 1000 because I was going to get the 1000h for the hard drive so I can put a 60GB ssd in there instead, but now I want this. I really want this. only problem is, this thing has a stupid single-button right/left click mouse button, is kind of an ugly color, and idk if you can overclock it at all like my current 1000. Also, the port arrangement sucks (especially the power port in the BACK?) and I was going to save myself about $300. Oh well, I want this anywyas.
Here's my money ASUS!
How is the power port in the back a bad arrangement?
I saw that and though the opposite.
Fire that photographer. HORRIBLE pictures.
Yeah they're bad. But did you wash your hands after you took a dump?
That would be me, sorry! Was in a bit of a rush.
Let me get this straight... "We love thin laptops...the Air..." and "Can't justify the price of $699" in the same article?
Huh?
Well it's like saying you love Mecedez SL but can't justify a 40k huvrid car. I think most people can agree to this sentiment.
My thoughts exactly.
I suppose we'll be seeing S101a, S101b, S101c and S202 S202a S202b as time flies by....
Why do all these netbooks have trackpads? Even the s10 doesnt have a nubstick. Can I get a nipple up in here so I can finally buy one of these things? Is the underlying hardware too bulky or expensive or what? Seems like a no-brainer for such a small form factor.
I hate laptops with that shiny finish, they got covered in way too many smudges. :-(
matte screen? WTF? who the hell wants one of those dull fucking things, its like looking at a beautiful women through a stained glass window screen door
Especially since EVERY other finish on this computer is SHINY...
go buy a macbook. No one likes their shiny screens. People just love to complain. "Its too shiny" "Its too dull!" "its too expensive!" "it looks cheap!" "its too perfect!" "I'm too stupid!"
Kudos to the Mavis-Beacon reference. I, too learned poor typing skills from that software.
Seriously, when are you going to type "ooo o oo oooo o o oooo". I like using different fingers: makes things interesting.
AT LEAST THE CAPS LOCK KEY WILL STILL WORK!!!!!1!!!!111!!!!!ONE!!!lc
What's so steep about the price? This is the cheapest a thin laptop gets. It should be a good thing there's actually an option for a super thing laptop that's under $1k.
If you don't want this thin just get the regular Eee for less, no big deal.
You guys are seriously backward in your thinking.
this thing is just like my acer aspire one a150. which by the way was the best spent 350 dollars in my life. i love the thing.
Non-glossy screen! Me likes.
Why criticise this particular Asus model regarding the RIGHT SHIFT key? No Asus or EeePC netbook has a proper shift key, either. That's Asus for you. If you want something else, buy another brand.
I feel exactly the same way as the author of this article about the right shift key. I much prefer the keyboard I have on my Acer Aspire One. It provides a more natural typing experience for me. In fact I'm typing this on my Aspire One now.
A lot of people diss the 3 cell battery on the Aspire One. I get about 2 hours and 50 minutes with light internet use, e-mails and chatting on the messenger program all of course with the Wi-Fi turned on. With Wi-Fi turned off I get over 3 hours which I feel is pretty good for a 3 cell battery..
Seems like this competes too closely with the Asus N10, which is the same price. I would probably get the bulkier machine with the discrete graphics chip over this thing.
"Confession: we love, love slim laptops. Air, Envy, X300, slips of copier paper with "laptop" written on them... anything decently under that magical 1-inch thick mark has a special place in our hearts. And then there's the Eee PC S101. Don't get us wrong, we really like this little netbook."
Why would you compare a $700 netbook to $3000 laptops. They serve different purposes.
Ha ha, I weep for your reliance on the right shift key engadget.
... On the other hand, I do the exact same thing, but me being left-handed, I don't have the same problem :D
I'm so sick of this 'right shift key' bull$#&%. No one has ever used their right pinkie to capitalize anything. Typing on a regular keyboard your right arm is always angled in such a way that it's useless to right shift click on anything. It's pointless to banter endlessly about a key that has no purpose. Why would you be happy when the enter key is larger. Everyone uses a flat rectangular enter key. We don't use PS2 keyboards anymore. Grow up!
The point is. Everyone uses left shift for all capitals. Because all you nerds learned to type with a keyboard over your fingers and don't look at the keys your typing because, like me, Mavis Bacon Teaches Typing, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
No but really lets take a vote: How many people use Right Shift? I really can't remember using it. I can't remember the last time that my hands thought that left-shift was unusable in the same situation as right shift. I just can't think of anything. So by that point alone. Complaining about it in every netbook review as a pro or con is just absolutely pointless. PLEASE post Yes for "i use right shift all the time" and No for "right shift is F@#%$&G pointless.
Engadget; Stop seriously. It's hurting my eyes almost as much as 24 posts about the new MacBook Pros in the last week and Asus's endless EEE pc releases. What are we up to? 1G, 2G, 4G, 7G, 900, 900ha,900 sucky on my ballies, 901, 901 h, 904, 904ha, 1000h,1000 sucky on my linpus? Did i miss any?
Aside: I just discovered Engadget is not in the Engadget dictionary and your comment machine thinks i misspelled a word. GG AOL.
You gotta love people who call others idiots for not thinking exactly like them...always makes me think of that "I'm not crazy, everbody else is!" thing...
And just for the record: I got my 1000H last week, and pretty much the only thing I dislike about it is the right shift key. It drives me nuts!
I do use the right shift key.
In fact i almost only use it, whereas i dont use my left shift key very often. that is among the things that really annoys me at my eee. Would i use it more often, i would remap the keyboard, do use the up arrow and the right shift as shift.
No one uses the up arrow anyways.
Still, as the article also admits, Mavis Beacon typing is a "bad" habit. The overwhelming majority of people all around the world never use right shift key in their life. I'm not saying bitching about it is bad or anything, as the minority should have a voice, too. But it isn't anything universal, which you should realize.
Can anyone tell me what ASUS is this ?
http://i33.tinypic.com/xodxky.jpg
1. I'm a touch typist and use the right shift key frequently. Having said this, I'm not bothered by a change in that key's position...see as due to RSI in my hands, I can't type fast any more. Anything that slows me down is good. Plus, one can remap the right-shift with the up arrow key to correct this inconvenience.
I got used to the right shift's placement after a bit. I got the 1000h, and it's absolutely fantastic. The specs are baseline for netbooks? Seriously? 1GB of ram, XP, 1.6 GHz Atom N270, 10" screen, video camera, this is the absolute typical netbook. This is the best they get right now until the new dual-core Atom comes into use. Except that 2-cell battery is annoyingly small, as is the camera being only VGA.
If duplicating previous comments might help improve the product, I've got to weigh in: Agree that the EeePC logo has got to go. I've got a 900 and much prefer that design all round. That means the shinny case too - just looks cheap. And I could do without the glitzy hing detail. Works for Sony but doesn't work here. Keyboard - fix the right hand shift key position. Otherwise I think it's a great machine. I know I'm just complaining about aesthetics but let's face it, many of us make final purchasing decisions on the way the thing looks and feels. The guts of most of these machines are pretty much all the same.