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Has anyone used an Eee PC?

Would you recommend them?

Are they easy to use?

Do your eyes hurt with such a small screen?

 

I'm a bit scared because they run Linux. Although I like the idea of Linux, I have never been able to make it work or access the internet. Is it easier now?

 

You can get them with Windows. They are more expensive and have less disk space, but I think it might be safest to stick with what I know.

 

Can you get external CD/DVD drives, which also are CD recorders, which attach through a USB point?

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I have memory sticks with more space than an Eee PC :lol: :lol:

 

I only know about their use from an education perspective but I think (although this might be just one model) they were designed with the 'a laptop for every child' policy in mind, i.e. cheap to produce, simple and fairly robust.

 

If I had one it would be as a separate, smaller laptop to take into seminars etc. (although actually there's other alternatives I would choose now in terms of super-light machines - and isn't the battery life poor?). I wouldn't have one as my main PC - it's not even 7" - maybe it's personal preference but I prefer a bit more, particularly when doing anything with graphics etc. - depends what you want it for I suppose.

 

Can you get external CD/DVD drives, which also are CD recorders, which attach through a USB point?

Yes.

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Can you get external CD/DVD drives, which also are CD recorders, which attach through a USB point?

As Mumble says, 'yes'. I've got a DVD writer sat on my desk that connects up via USB. How easy it is to actually write CDs and DVDs with Linux is another matter though :unsure:

 

The newer machines are now running Windows XP which makes configuring them as easy as configuring any other PC. Linux is, unless something radical has changed in the past year, still a bit of a black art and getting apps (and more importantly installing them) can be something of a pain

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The battery life is apparently very good, since there are no moving parts.

 

They normally come with 20Gb space, but you can get them with 40Gb, and there is a Windows one with 80Gb, although that uses a standard HD instead of the other thingymajig, which kind of defeats the object. Maybe I should stick with Windows though.

 

Hmmm, lots to think about then . . . :wacko:

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Has anyone used an Eee PC?

Would you recommend them?

Are they easy to use?

Do your eyes hurt with such a small screen?

 

I'm a bit scared because they run Linux. Although I like the idea of Linux, I have never been able to make it work or access the internet. Is it easier now?

 

You can get them with Windows. They are more expensive and have less disk space, but I think it might be safest to stick with what I know.

 

Can you get external CD/DVD drives, which also are CD recorders, which attach through a USB point?

 

My eldest (age 11) has one - she saved up various birthday/pocket money etc to get it and absolutely adores it - and I've rarely seen anything cause so much of a stir as this did when I bought it into the house.

 

For the most part it's excellent. Because it runs Linux it's surprisingly quick - I'd expect the Windows ones to feel a bit sluggish - unless you buy the top spec one with the faster processor, but then you're paying as much as you would for a normal laptop (which you can get for about �300 now).

 

She only really uses it for web stuff, though it comes with Open Office so she can do docs/spreadsheets etc if she want to.

 

The 7" screen is very small - you can get them with 9" screens which would be better I think - but again, she doesn't have an issue with it, and the screen is very sharp.

 

The only issue we've had is with the wireless. That may be down to my dodgy router which does play up, but I've heard reports from some friends that they had problems too (one of my friends has 4 (!) and one of them had to be rebuilt with a different version of Linux as it was so fussy). Don't let that put you off, though.

 

Other than that, everything just worked, right out of the box (even the wireless worked straight off, it just sometimes refuses to connect).

 

Overall I think it's a great little machine - but look around and you'll see there are others now. Acer's equivalent is called the "One" and is getting very good reviews. HP do one (more expensive I think) and Dell will be releasing one very soon. Beware, though, that there are even cheaper versions available in various electronic outlets which don't seem to be getting such good reviews as they come with much less memory.

 

Ultimately, it's about what you want it to do - I'd never have one to replace my normal laptop, but I'd happilly have one (or some) for casual internet use with the ability to more if you need it occasionally. And they are very portable compared to a normal laptop.

 

Phil

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