How useful is the Asus EeePC?

Its been a while since I got my Asus EeePC and no, I did not forget to write about it. You know how it is about techy gadgets? As soon as you get one, a new better improved version will appear in the market. Damn geram I tell you!

My EeeePC was the early 7″ screen one with 4GB of space. In non-geek speak, that’s barely enough space to swing a cat in (not that I will in case I get lambasted by animal rights activists!) So, I don’t store anything on my PC at all. That’s what 4GB and 8GB thumbdrives are for right?

The new version is the EeePC 900 which boasts a larger 9″ or 10″ screen and 20GB of space. Sure, it also boasts a bigger price tag, but still….

Anyway, green-eyed bitching aside, what do I think of the EeePC? I won’t go into specifications and techy talk – that’s what geek review sites are for. This is a fluff site right? So, I’ll tell you instead 7 ways an EeePC is a useful tool.

1) The EeePC is small enough to fit into a handbag.

As the EeePC is only about the size of a paperback novel, it fits right into my medium sized everyday tote bag with no problems. It also barely weighs 1kg so I’m not walking around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. You can’t even tell I have a pc in my bag until I whip it out and start tip tapping away to the envy of all present! Ask Rinnah! Mwahahaha!

Best of all, the charger is just about as big and as bulky as a phone charger, so it is easy to carry around since the battery doesn’t last all that long.

2) The EeePC is useful in the car

Well only if you have a wifi signal in the area or if you have work to do. Because the EeePC is so small and dinky and light, you can tip tap away on it while waiting to pick up people or at long traffic lights (not that I recommend this of course! But its an option)

3) The EeePC is useful in the kitchen

I felt an urge to bake recently and in my mind I knew I wanted to make a marble cake. However, I’m a baking dummy who overbakes and burns her cakes so what I needed what a simple fool-proof recipe.

I found it on BBC and with my trusty little EeePC perched on a ledge while I measured out ingredients and followed instructions to the letter, I got a decent (not pretty but decent) palatable marble cake. Whee! You know, this is like taking recipe books to a tech level! I loved it.

4) The EeePC makes a good bed partner

Well, not in that sense, but as I have Wifi at home, I can do some surfing at night in bed, or reply to emails without having to lug around a monster of a notebook or to have to turn on the desktop PC.

5) The EeePC is useful for working on the go

I sometimes have to be out of the office for whatever reason. Times like these, I pick up my EeePC and documents and work on the go, in the car (as a passenger of course) or while waiting to be seen, wherever I am. I found that there was practically seamless integration between my documents prepared in MS Word and OpenOffice. It was just like working on Word which I appreciated since I’m a dummy otherwise.

I would say that the EeePC cannot quite replace the bigger notebooks available in the market though. The keyboard is small and you can’t work on it if you have long nails. Also, it is easy to hit the wrong keys (but you do get used to the layout) and I do get this cramp in the shoulders after a while. The 7″ screen works, but its still very small and working on documents can be a strain. So, its a good tool for working on the go, or in an emergency, but nothing that you’d want to use as a notebook or desktop PC replacement.

6) The EeePC is useful for recording recipes and notes off the TV

Gone are the days of the VCR when you just pop in a tape to record your favourite programme. These days, I have no idea what people are using. Me? I use my EeePC! Sometimes, while watching cooking shows (which I love for the creativity and droolworthy dishes; and which I hate because I can never remember the recipe after that) and I see something that I might be able to replicate at home, I just whip out the trusty EeePC and tap in the recipe as it is presented on TV. Tada!

7) The EeePC is useful for bloggers

As a blogger, you’d sometimes come across something blog-worthy that you wish you could write about there and then instead of waiting till you get home. With the EeePC you can because of reason #1 – it fits in your handbag. Just snap your picture, insert the SD card from your camera into the EeePC, copy and upload your picture and if you find a working Wifi signal, voila! You are blogged!

Ok, its not quite the Nokia N-Series that fits in your pocket and allows you to take pictures and make calls but it comes pretty close. In fact, the software comes bundled with Skype so if you have friends on Skype and a headphone handy, you CAN make calls from your EeePC too.

So there you have it. 7 useful ways I use my EeePC and they all work well.

Would I recommend it? I’d say, try it out for yourself and see. Retailing at just a little over RM1299 for a notebook PC for the 4GB version, I’d say its an excellent deal. I’m not so sure about those that come with higher specs.

Despite its tiny little size, the EeePC is quite hardy and sturdy. It looks and feels like a toy but works like a powerhorse. I’m lazy clueless and fluffy so I’m still using the prebundled Linux software that makes the EeePC look like it belongs to a kindergarten kid. Those who are hardworking, savvy and techy have changed their OS to look sleek and swanky. For me, so long as it works and works well, I’m not overly fussed about looking like a kindergarten kid. After all, beauty is just skindeep and hey! Looking young is cool!