The most well known of these has to be the Asus EEE PC, with countless versions and promotion of being “Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play”. We recently have had an EEE PC 901 in the office, so let’s see if these claims are lived up to.

First Impressions

First impressions of the EEE PC were very positive. The size of the device lends itself very well to just dropping into a bag and taking it anywhere with you. The device is also very sturdy, seeming as if it could withstand quite a bit of punishment. Unfortunately we are unable to test the true extremes of the device.

The Important Stuff

As with any computer, you guys want specifications. So here they are:

Processor: 1.6Ghz Intel Atom
Memory: 1GB
Screen: 8.9″ Widescreen (1024×600 resolution. Perfect for websites)
Connectivity: Wi-fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth
Keyboard: Standard laptop keyboard (Small keys sometimes cause errors)
Outputs: VGA, Headphones
Inputs: Microphone, Touchpad, SD/MMC Card Port, 1.3mpx camera, 3 USB 2.0 ports
Bonus: Overclocking feature, Voice Recognition (more about that later)

The above features are the same on both variations of the EEE 901, but there are some differences. The most notable difference is in the Operating System (and storage), with one variation using Windows XP (with a 12GB SSD) and the other using Linux (with a 20GB SSD).

The use of a Solid State Drive (SSD) means there are almost no moving parts within the EEE PC. This helps with it’s sturdiness and resistance to damage form moving. The SSD also gives much faster read/write speeds. This allows the device to boot to Linux within 30 seconds of the power button being pressed. For a modern device with single core processor, and ‘only’ 1GB of RAM this is a blistering fast speed.

The EEE PC features an integrated Overclock/Underclock feature. When running on battery the processor is instantly slowed to 800mhz, this reduces power consumption and gives the EEE 901 it’s reported maximum battery life of 6 hours. But with the press of a button the 901 can increase it’s processor speed from 1.6Ghz to 1.8Ghz. This increase may seem small, but can mean a lot on the low demand applications preinstalled on the device. This increase in speed will, unfortunately, decrease battery life.

Next we look at the voice recognition. This technology never got off to a good start, and even now is known for it’s unreliability and hatred of accents. I myself have much difficulty, with a device always wanting to type Hallo instead of Hello. Now it must be said the the EEE PC 901 only uses voice recognition to allow voice control of the devices features, but the feature has been implemented wonderfully. Users can either press F10, or say Computer, followed by the command. Ranging from Calculator to Shutdown, the computer will repeat the command and then run the software. The computer voice has improved brilliantly from the EEE PC 700, to a point where the calculator response no longer sounds like Matt Damon from Team America World Police.

But every device has faults, and the EEE PC is no exception. We must report that we had network problems with our review sample, with the network often cutting out half way through loading a page. The network we use is tested and used regularly by laptops and we have never experienced these problems before.

The second was the keyboard. Unfortunately all the people we could get to test the device were male, so every one of them had a couple of teething problems getting their ‘manly’ fingers used to the smaller than normal keyboard. Asus will soon be releasing the EEE PC 904 HD, which comes with a hard drive and standard sized keyboard. If you would like the look and ease of use of the EEE PC in a bigger package, this may be what you are looking for.

Overall we see the device as a good companion for anyone who needs/wants to electronically record notes in a lecture. The small size, mixed with the ability to run full applications when needed, makes this a brilliant all-round low-end device.

Score: 4.5/5