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Who"s davidlian?

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davidlian is an ultra-geeky chinese dude that works for a technology PR agency. He loves fiddling with techno-toys, plays Warhammer 40K, and shoots pictures wherever he goes. Here, he rants about PR, Technology and anything else. Don't expect balance and un-biased, he ain't no journalist. Anything said on this blog are solely davidlian's personal views. Don't confuse them with company mantra, client's views or views of any organisation he may be part of.

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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

davidlian wants: an Eee PC

A while ago, I was tagged by SlowCatchupKuan to post my "dream" gadget on my blog. So, I went home and took a nap, but quite unsuccessfully, I found that when I woke up, I couldn't remember what gadgets I had dreamt about.

After reading Kuan's post more carefully, I think she may have actually meant what gadget I would want. So here goes:

Pic from Slashgear.com

I had just gotten rid of my Acer notebook last year in favour of a home-brewed desktop setup (for the games) and have my Nokia N95 for my mobile computing needs. Then, I met this guy at an event with a cool looking, darn compact sub-notebook with a cool Linux interface. It looked like those RM 8,000 Viaos Sony had and i thought "Surely must be super-ex one lah."

We started to chat about general computing stuff when I popped the question: "How much?"

"RM 1,400."

"What?"

"Yeap. There are cheaper models."

That pretty much sold it for me. I love the concept of the EeePC - 4 - 8 GB of storage space (put everything else on your thumbdrive), 1 GB of RAM, Built-in Graphics Card, 7" Screen (with a 9" version on the way), nicely sized (though not full) keyboard, WiFi, BlueTooth. It's the perfect carry around sub-notebook for when you want to use a PC to do something.

It's light. It's tough enough (especially since everything is solid state) . And it looks cool.

I could see myself using this at Starbucks to browse the internet, or sitting in front of a TV typing up a blog post. Or paired with the N95 (you can install Windows on the Eee PC) to do some heavyweight browsing.

So why haven't I gotten one? Coz I'm waiting for this 9", 12GB version to come out sometime mid-2008.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure it doesn't have bluetooth, which makes it kinda retarded!

You need a Bluetooth USB dongle, or connect your phone directly via USB.

The 8GB version has 1GB of RAM too, not 512mb so it's a better bet if you want to run Windows.

For the price it's a steal anyhow.

davidlian said...

Argh! Darn... I was pretty sure it had. :(

But yeah, it's a steal at the price it's at. Just waiting for Mk II!

KY said...

but got wifi lah.

The 8.9" model will be pricier tho. I think this model is still the choice to go for now

Kamigoroshi said...

I've been wanting this for 2 years now ever since I've heard it before it came out.

One thing you got to know is that this is the modders laptop. There are even detailed instructions on how to up the space, put in bluetooth, turn it into a touchscreen, install Windows or other Linux distros, even OS X if you want.

Also you got to know that by default, the highest resolution is only 800x480 which is sad. There are mods to up it to 1024x768 but only for Windows and surprisingly doesn't work too well for Linux.

I'm going to get it in a couple of weeks and I'm not going to wait for the 9' model because I know they'll up the price and right now, cheap and portable is what I want it for.

davidlian said...

KY: Hmmm....you want an iPod Touch? Hahaha...if I win, I'd trade the touch for this.

Kamigoroshi: Thanks for your insight. Wow... I didn't know THAT much about the Eee PC. But the 9" screen is still so tempting...

Kamigoroshi said...

Told you I've been waiting for it for a long long time. It's tempting because it's bigger and has a higher res, but the catch is that it'll probably be about the same price as a base model laptop that has a bigger storage space and an optical drive, both with the EeePC doesn't have.

The question would be whether you really need something cheap and ultraportable. If you do and don't mind it's limitations, then this is your PC. If you want a main laptop, then this is not it.

The EeePC was meant as a compliment to what you already have. Not as something primary.

davidlian said...

@kamigoroshi: Yeaps. As I already have a Lenovo Thinkpad for work, this'll be the device that fits the niche between my Nokia N95 and Thinkpad. :) Casual surfing, blogging and face-booking device.

s.kuan said...

OMG!! i was thinking bout getting this lappie too!

very mobile can bring go travel kekeke. it runs on linux which is cool but inconvenient i but i heard they are coming up with a windows version soon...not sure. the 8.9" model runs on windows?

it'll be more expensive than the current one for sure but i don't think it will be that pricy lor.

davidlian said...

You can wipe the Linux and install windows like shaolintiger said. :)Trust him, he's smart with all these things.

Unknown said...

LOL @ "this guy." I do have a name, David. ;)
I have a gig of RAM in it, and the Xandros install is pretty solid. Adding a few repositories to it, and a KDE desktop, has made it a very competent machine.
True, it should have Bluetooth, but a highly mobile WiFi device it is, and a damn site cheaper than any alternative.
Bigger screen will be very nice, but just for once I am happy to be an early adopter. :)

davidlian said...

@grant: Hehe...I wasn't sure if you wanted anonymity :) But yeah, you got me dreaming. I 'm waiting for the 9 incher to come out so either I'll pick up the 7 incher at a lower price or go straight onto a bigger screen. My wife won't like me buying this tho...haha