well, being more of a geek than most, i installed the full KDE desktop. There are instructions aplenty on the web for doing this.
Now that i have a real desktop, and, using a real repository (Debian–beyond what Xandros offers) i was able to successfully install and run a whole slew of linux applications and customize the device to my liking. at this point, i’m pretty happy with the machine.

My only big complaint is the battery life, which is even less than the paltry 3 hours they advertise.
Without the need for a physical hard disk, this machine should be able to run for 12 hours or more without a charge, imo. I guess the Intel chipset (which really heats up the back of the device) makes this not a viable option for now.
Hopefully (please??) Asus will come out with a next generation that does not lock them into the energy hungry.

Your reviews are usually spot on, but in this case, I think you do a disservice to your readers. The version of the Eee PC you are reviewing is the Surf, which is apparently badly hobbled. Most people buy the regular versions which have all the missing functionality you talk about.

My Eee PC automatically connects to known wireless networks. It is a setting in Networks, under the Internet tab. Highlight the access point name, and set the auto connect in Properties.

There is an email program – Thunderbird from Mozilla.

There is a calendar and organizer.

Although I am a Windows veteran, I was able to install new software following instructions in online forums.

As an experiment, I took an Eee PC on an 8 day holiday instead of my usual ThinkPad. I was able to continue to function, including connecting to my work email. The lack of a hard disk is easily fixed with an 8Gb SDHC card in the slot. I was also able to download my Canon camera pictures to the Eee, freeing up its memory card.

There is always a trade-off between screen size and resolution. Frankly, with middle-age eyes, I can’t read the high res screens on most UMPC. The clear, bright screen on the Eee is fantastic, and yes, you have to scroll somewhat, but going to full screen mode helps a lot.

You didn’t mention it, but the Eee is also quite capable of playing video and music files. It makes a very cheap player in that respect, with excellent quality playback.

I added a 1 Gb memory SO-DIMM to the unit to increase the main memory just because I could.

I think you have missed the niche it fills. You say “its tiny 7-inch display is just too stingy for serious work”. That is like saying a Porsche 911 has lousy seating for 4. Asus has sold more than 350,000 units and are predicting sales of 5-6 million this year. That doesn’t happen unless people are perceiving value.

The Eee was an impulse buy for me initially, but now it has become part of my toolkit. Great for surfing in the living room, excellent accessory for my camera, good media player, CHEAP. For the price, which is half of a smart phone, Asus has made a marvelous device.

Waleed Hanafi
Singapore

I’m an avid reader of your Personal Technology column in the Wall Street Journal. I have to say though, I was a little disappointed in this particular article. Lately, it seems the only products you recommend are Apple products and even though I’m a loyal reader, I’ve become less confident on your reviews for non-Apple products. Yes, Apple does make fine products but for those of us that use that live in the corporate Windows/Linux/Unix world…we know Apple isn’t the only company out there doing IT right.

I fully admit that I do not own an Eee PC, so your review about this device may be accurate. However, from what I get in the majority of reviews I’ve read on this device…the Asus Eee PC is a winner.

In my opinion, technology writers for the masses are in rut…with very few willing to look and promote devices that aren’t Apple or Windows. I’m amazed writers haven’t caught on that consumers are ready for something different than Windows and even different from Apple. At my “day job”, my people easily switch back and forth between Windows XP and Linux platforms and I’m not sure why technology writers see Linux as “difficult”. Some of these same people (including myself) also own Macs at home. Oddly, these same people that own Apples and say bad things about Windows, rarely say anything negative with regards to Linux (we use KDE on RHEL for the desktop). Linux is more Mac-like than Windows…so many of my Apple fans see Linux as better than Windows.

Reports that I have had are that the Eee PC just works and to say that the it is hard to fix is a non issue.

It comes pre packed with heaps of installed software, including a full Office Suite, this is a significant feature of the device. When I went to play with one I was impressed with what I saw.

Also the author started out saying that the Device fills the need between the Smart Phone and Ultra small laptop, so expecting it to be a full laptop is a bit unrealistic.

Given that they are selling them at a rate of one every 6 seconds (according to their web site) I think that these are pretty popular.