Asus Eee PC 701 review

Asus Eee PC 701 Review

Reviewed by: Rory Reid

Reviewed on: 22 October 2007

The Eee PC comes with an integrated Wi-Fi adaptor that supports 802.11b/g wireless networks. It's great for jumping online at a wireless hotspot, or for casually browsing the Web at home, checking film reviews before you buy from Sky Box Office or just for staying in contact via a messenger program. Asus says some versions of the Eee PC ship with an integrated 3G datacard -- an extra £40 -- so you can go online over cellular networks. We did not see this implemented on our review sample.

The Eee PC doesn't use a Microsoft operating system, which is part of the reason it's so inexpensive. Instead, Asus supplies its own Linux-based graphical user interface. The laptop also ships with some 40 applications, which is arguably more than you'd get with a standard Windows laptop. It includes Firefox for browsing the Web, Skype, OpenOffice and SMPlayer for video playback.

Obviously, it being a Linux machine, users can download any amount of open source software -- so long as it'll fit on the hard drive. The Eee PC is theoretically fast enough to run Windows XP, which is great news for those of us without beards.**

Performance
The Eee PC isn't as quick as most laptops but its 900MHz CPU and 512MB of RAM are just fast enough. Applications generally open a couple of seconds after clicking and it's powerful enough to edit photos without becoming a cause of frustration. It generally boots up in about 30 seconds, which is quicker than most Windows-based laptops. The Eee PC is in no way designed as a gaming machine, but it ships with a couple of Flash-type games, and runs these well. Just don't expect to play F.E.A.R. on it.

Battery life was quite impressive. Asus claims it will last approximately 3.5 hours depending on what tasks you're performing, and this was in line with our own experience. With very light use, the machine lasted as long as four hours, though your own mileage may vary.

Conclusion
It's hard to fault the Eee PC, mainly because of its price. It can be difficult to use because of the cramped keyboard, but it's better than similar-sized laptops like the Toshiba Libretto. If you're in the market for a second PC, or looking for something you can take with you almost anywhere, the Eee PC is definitely worth buying.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday

*Asus will supply an 8GB solid state hard drive option.
**Asus plans to release a version of the Eee PC with Windows XP.