Same new toy as earlier, just a few more observations.
More pleased with this thing for web surfing, email and general office, computing tasks, etc., than I’d thought I’d be. Oh, I was sure it’d be OK for general computing, web surfing, etc., but that this lil notebook has proven so very easy to adapt to for everyday use has been a bit of a surprise. Oh, placement of some keys on this almost full-size keyboard and avoiding the touchpad while typing sometimes causes minor glitches in use, but apart from those things, it’s capable of replacing my main machine for ordinary tasks.
Nice.
The 15.6″ “widescreen” (1366X768) is nearly as good as my nice 23″ display on my desktop. Love the numeric keypad. I’m using a M$ Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 most of the time, since that just leaves me less of a transition to my other computers and to those I work on, but it’d not be a deal breaker if I didn’t have it plugged in.
The bad? Almost all the ASUS software it came loaded with. Who really needs some Dock-like piece of crap (ASUS ControlDeck) to navigate with? People who need training wheels on their tricycles? And ASUS WebStorage? *feh* ASUS EeePC users get 500GB of online storage just for buying their midget computers. I get an ASUS WebStorage app that won’t even let me register, but even if it did, I’d qualify for a measly 1GB of storage. Useless. Even M$ SkyDrive (which works flawlessly, BTW) gives me 25GB of storage for free.
The rest of the ASUS utilities and applications are all things I can live without, though most are innocuous. Still, I’ve killed loading every one of them at Windows startup.
Killed off ALL the trialware the computer came with, as well as a lot of really stupid games. Chess and Freecell: all the games I’ll ever want on this puppy.
The only hardware quibble I really have is that all the USB ports (4 of ’em) are on the left and right sides of the computer. I’d like to have seen two on the back edge, but that’s really just a quibble. I can see some folks breaking off connectors/damaging ports just as easily there as on the left/right sides, as I’m more likely to do. OTOH, I like the media card port dead center in front. I run Thunderbird Portable off the thing, and it’s nice having all my email archived on a handily-ejected media card front and center. Since I now collect it all at Gmail as well, I’m pretty well covered in the email archiving stuff, especially if I just copy the mail folder off to other removable media every now and then.
Everything about this lil 15.6″ notebook says, “well built” and for $500? *sheesh* I walk by WallyWorld displays selling much less capable lil toys for as much or more. Still wondering if I ought to pinch myself. *heh*
Still, it does have limited uses as a platform for installing multiple VMs–only a 320GB HDD (and a max of only about 280 of that actually available for use right now because of the partitioning scheme) and just 4GB of RAM–not ideal for running several OSes simultaneously. And some of the other uses I have for computers aren’t best met by a lil notebook like this. But. It’s ideally suited as a “couch computer” when mated with this:
The rubber feet on the laptop grip the top of the lapdesk nicely, and the lil mouse “likes” the surface. The storage is just lagniappe.
You mentioned the issue of the keyboard as minor; but that is one of the most important aspects to me. I solved that with a wireless keyboard (ergonomic) and wireless mouse that sits on a solid mouse pad so I don’t have to use the laptop setup. It makes working from a laptop about the same as from the other unit.
I use a swing out table, much like they use at a hospital for serving meals. I added a secondary platform to hold the mouse pad.
Having useful tools and programs makes life a little sweeter, glad you’re enjoying your new toy.
Well, TF, as many keyboard layouts as I’ve used over the years, the issues I have with my “Toy’s” keyboard really are minor. I considered making a setup like you describe, but my summer schedule, the fact that my table saw is still at Lovely Daughter’s house and an already full “honey-do” list argued for the quick fix with my lap desk. It works (not that I’ve not already thought of improvements to it I want to engineer when I have the time :-)).
If it works for you then stick with it. I got the desk unit at Staples;but saw a similar unit at WalMart, both were inexpensive. I posted on this with pictures if you wanted to search my archives to see how it looked.
I purchased something similar to your setup for my Wonder Woman about 4 ears ago. Works for her, but my fav seating didn’t work with its feet (clearance issue), so I went with the lil lapdesk. Works. Kinda “lap warm” though. 🙂 (That’s just a function of the styro beads in the base of the lap desk. Computer stays cool.)