Customer Reviews
ASUS Eee PC 901 
2008-10-12
With the Atom processor, I'm getting 5.5-6-hours of operation from the battery. The screen is bright and easy to see. ASUS has divided the SSD into two approximately 6G "drives," "C" and "D." With the installed software, drive "C" had only 1G of free space. When I installed anti-virus protection and other software, I set up a folder on drive "D." This could cause problems in the future since most programs automatically want to install on drive "C." For some reason, ASUS provides two office suites of word processing, spreadsheet database etc. MS Works and Star Office. That seems duplicative. At some point, I'll probably uninstall one of them to free up space on "C."
The keyboard, while small is easy to type on. Main complaint is the sensitivity of the touch pad. Hit a key too hard and the ASUS thinks you've tapped the touch pad and moves the cursor, and you find yourself typing in the wrong place. I think there must be a way to disable the touch pad in favor of a USB mouse, which should solve that problem.
I bought a 16G SD card, so I should have plenty of space for photos when I travel with the ASUS.
Paul
A bit too small? 
2008-10-10
Over all I'm a big fan of the Eee. For 99% of what you'll do with it, it's awesome. It's surprisingly performant, and has great battery life, though don't expect the 6-7 hours the write-ups will promise - I'd say 4-5 is more realistic (still, that's pretty good considering my full-sized Dell gets about 45 minutes off the tether). Also, it's small enough to fit in almost any bag, durable enough so you don't have to worry about putting it in any bag, and so light you won't even notice.
The one issue is that the keyboard is too small. Typing more than a few lines is extremely frustrating even if you have small hands, and so far "getting used to it" isn't helping much. If you're planning on using this to take notes in class or write on the go, I recommend you look into something larger. I ignored reviews that made this same complaint and am regretting it now.
average 
2008-10-08
SOME KEYS DONT WORK,LIKE F8F9 FOR VOLUME,PRINT SCREEN,4 SWITCHES ON THE LEFT HAND ABOVE THE KEY BOARD DONT WORK AND LOT OF THINGS,OVERALL I DONT RATE THIS AS A GOOD PRODUCT.
Very satisfied 2008-09-30
Very satisfied with my purchase. It's really portable and the communication features (Wi-fi, bluetooth, web cam) are very convenient. Initially concerned about the size of the flash memory but it proved to fulfill my needs. My only problem is that my son took it from me to college and eventually I'll have to buy another for myself. . . .
ASUS EEE 901 2008-09-26
Worthwhile purchase. It has proved to serve its purpose for an alternate computer. It very convenient and versatile. I would not recommend it as a primary laptop/computer.
Great little device! 2008-09-19
This Eee PC by Asus comes in Fine Ebony style that is created with cutting-edge Infusion casing technology. The Infusion surface provides a new level of resilience; scratch resistance and beautiful style while you're out and about. The Eee PC has a sturdy display with a high-resolution screen. At 1024 x 600 pixels, images are clear and sharp, making it more comfortable on the eyes reading and editing documents. On the top of this screen is the 1.3 Megapixel Webcamera that works synchronously with the 802.11n wireless to provide web conferencing anywhere, anytime for easier web communications and increased work efficiency. 12GB of storage allows you to easily manage photos, music and data files more efficiently. The quiet 12GB solid-state drive consumes less power, allows the device to boot quickly, produces less heat and is less susceptible to shock damage. The exclusive Super Hyper Engine, technology found only in the Eee PC, is incredibly efficient and saves up to 15% of power. Combined with SSD, which consumes less power, allows between 4 to 8 hours of battery life. Preinstalled on the Eee PC to provide you a familiar interface is Microsoft's Windows XP Home, Windows Live Messenger and Works for numerous office applications, that allows anyone to learn, work and play. With all of these features the Asus Eee PC makes for a fantastic purchase as a well-equipped second notebook or a Web access tool, so beat the crowds, and get yours today before they sell out! Intel UMA Graphics Card 1.3 Megapixel Webcamera WiFi 802.11b/g/n Wireless Bluetooth 10/100Mbps LAN Hi-Definition Audio Speakers and Microphone Memory Card Slot - MultiMedia Card (MMC), Secure Digital (SD) Card, SDHC Connections - 3 x USB, VGA, Headphone, Microphone, RJ-45 (LAN) Approximate Unit Dimensions - 8.86? (W) x 6.90? (D) x 0.89? ~ 1.54? (H) Approximate Unit Weight - 2.43 Pounds
Perfect (or close enough). 2008-09-18
We just got our ASUS 901 XP. I won't repeat much of what everybody else has said. It's a small PC that's slow and cute and well-built. If that's what you want, then it's perfect!
Two things to note. You *will* have to deal with the small C-drive. Minimally this means:
-- Change the TMP and TEMP environment variables to point to a directory on the D-drive
-- Change Internet Explorer to use the D-drive for its temporary files.
-- Change your email program to store email on the D-drive (unless you just use webmail).
-- Download any tool that lets you analyze disk space on a drive and shows you where it's used up. One easy free one is Treesize Free at [...]. You *will* need this.
Second, there's been some confusion about what resolution is supported by the external VGA port. We have a Dell 24" monitor. I plugged it in, and the ASUS EEE 901 immediately, automatically started running it at 1920x1200. And it looks beautiful. So, external resolution is not a problem.
Excellent product 2008-09-16
This little computer is perfect for someone on the go. All the features worked great right out of the box. The keyboard IS small, but not unpleasantly so. The touch screen is annoyingly sensitive, but this is easily remedied by downloading a new driver from Elantech, and I also believe it's on the CD that comes with the machine.
I recently took it on a trip and streamed movies from Netflix with no problem. The screen compares favorably in size to most portable DVD players and the sound quality is quite decent.
The battery life is a nice feature. My machine goes easily 6 hours on one charge, with wi-fi switched on. Turning off the camera and wi-fi will extend it even further.
I'd definitely buy one of these again!!
Wow! Great price and very impressive portable computer 2008-09-15
I'm not sure I can call this a "notebook" so my title says "Portable Computer" instead. I have built and configured computers & laptops/notebooks for many family members of the years as well as my own. I have quite a bit of experience and knowledge when it comes to parts:performance and price:value.
This computer is SMALL. So amazingly small that my mother in law (who I bought and configured it for) can EASILY slip it into her purse and take it with her anywhere she goes. She's never without her laptop or internet now. This may sound a bit "addict-like" but it's really not. You see she uses this computer now to make Skype video calls to her new grand daughter (our child) on a whims notice. It's so cool when grandma video calls in and has a conversation/session with us while she's out and about.
The performance of the computer is not that great once you start updating windows with all the crap & security patches they push. My recommendation is to get ONLY the security patches, skip the "malicious software removal tool" (because it really is worthless for what it does considering the performance hit you take having it installed), and DON'T get any non-priority updates (I think they call these "optional" updates). You won't get ANY of these options if you don't select the "CUSTOM" update. If you choose "EXPRESS" you will get EVERYTHING.
This computer has very limited C:\ space when it arrives. The first thing I did was change the default installation directory to a new 16GB SD card I bought and put in the computer. You have to make this change in the registry but it's rather easy to do. The reason you do this is because not ALL programs allow you to select the destination installation folder when you install them. Changing this in the registry defaults them to the installation place of your choice even if they don't give you the option. Go here on how to do that: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-change-the-default-location-for-installing-applications-in-windows/
This will allow you to keep what little precious C:\ space you have. Don't even bother changing it to D:\ though, as you'll quickly out grow the 5GB that is left on that as well.
I'm a little annoyed by the "Auto-Performance Engine" that always self-selects what mode to run the processor in, but if this is how they're achieving the incredible battery life I can live with it I guess - after all my mother in law is using the computer and has far more patience than I do since she doesn't know any better. If my normal desktop performed like this I would literally smash it with a mallet and toss it out the window into our pool. It can be frustrating at times.
Overall I personally would own and use this computer. When I was configuring it for my mother in law I carried it with me for about 7 days and used it every where I went (I have the computer tethered to my bluetooth Sprint phone by Bluetooth so it can use my EVDO from my phone for the internet capability - it's essentially using my phone as a modem). This works out great when I'm somewhere that doesn't have WiFi - I even made a Skype video call over my cell phone with this computer and it was pretty darn impressive considering I didn't think it would even work!
The computer is extremely portable and great for someone who needs access to web, email, Skype, office documents, etc. My mother in law also uses it to watch my Tivo I have here at my house via a Slingbox I have. I installed the Slingplayer application (it's free) on the computer before I sent it to her. She loves this. TV anywhere she goes in case she needs some entertainment - but not just any TV - Tivo like she was here at my house watching & controlling it.
The computer is NOT good for someone who wants to do hardcore graphics gaming, video or audio editing, etc.
***UPDATE*** Price dropped from $574 to $483 and Amazon customer support gave me a $90 price adjustment!!!! (I just bought the computer a few days ago). I am so happy with them right now, I just purchased another $300 worth of merchandise I've been needing (well, sort of needing! :o) )
I'm in love! 2008-09-13
I've had the 901 EeePc (XP) for several days now and I am in love with it! It is so nice to have a full featured XP computer that fits right into my purse or briefcase. I tether it to my Sprint phone as modem enabled phone and get DSL internet speeds on the go. (It works with usb tether and bluetooth). I recommend visiting the EeeUser forums for info on how to maximize drive space by removing a lot of the software that comes installed on the Eee - http://forum.eeeuser.com.
I have small hands, so the keyboard is not a problem for me. I love the fast boot and shutdown speeds. The battery life is phenomenal! I've actually found that I'm not even booting up my 17" laptop in the mornings, I just carry the Eee around with me while I'm getting ready. I can stream TV video from my Slingbox or watch web TV while I am getting dressed and curling my hair!
How did I live without this little cutie? I used to have a Nokia n800 Internet Tablet and that was nice and portable, but this is so much easier to use and much more responsive. I'm glad that I decided to upgrade to the Asus.
The only slightly negative thing I can say about it so far is that the speakers aren't very loud. I find that I have to use external speakers if I want to hear music or video from the Eee while I'm running the shower or bath. ***EDIT*** I installed the audio drivers from the Asus site and bumped up the levels in the equalizer software and now the speakers are plenty loud! A little tinny, but loud enough to use while running water ***
