So after being out on the road for a few days with my new Asus EEE ultra portable laptop, I can confirm that it's really a perfect balance between power and portability. I have started to get my head around the Linux Operating System (which the EEE comes with), which I still maintain, is NOT for the faint hearted. But if you could get around with DOS many years ago, you will take to Linux very quickly.
I have added a few programs, all of which are free. Things like GIMP (which is like Photoshop), Audacity (audio editing), Thunderbird (email client) and plus a bunch of utilities, and I will be installing Crossover, a Windows emulator, so I can run Windows programs that I can't find equivalents for in the Linux world.
I am really impressed by Open Office (MS Office like suite) and in some ways, I can't believe major corporations don't make the switch, they would save a fortune. Open Office is after all, free!
As for the actual computer, it's very nippy. I never click and wait. Sure the screen is small as is the keyboard, but that means it's ultra portable – and I can plug in a screen and run it in higher resolutions when using it back at 'base'. So I have Office, Internet, Email, wireless, all on the move and as light as a feather.
I have also found the EEE to be a geek magnet. Just switching it on in public draws people over to ask 'What is that?', 'How much did it cost?' 'Where can I get one....' It's amazing how people are wowed by it.
Perhaps the best thing about the EEE is that I can drop it in my bag and really not feel in any way that I am lugging a laptop. Awesome!
Onward and upward!
Chris Jones, Film Maker and Author
www.livingspirit.com
[email protected]
