November 13, 2008
I Ditched my MacBookPro for an ASUS eee Netbook
If you're new here, please subscribe to my RSS feed. And follow me on twitter. Thanks for visiting!
I’ve had a MacBookPro for maybe 6 years now, and until recently I was on my second one. I finally upgraded it last July to the latest hardware with the multi-touch trackpad, ever paralyzed by Apple’s rapid product release schedule. Of course only a few months after that purchase, Apple launches their totally redesigned unibody MBP. That’s the way it goes.
I don’t travel very often, and increasingly, when I do, I’m less and less dependent on the notebook. I get all my email in my iPhone, and while I schlep that 15″ notebook around with me everywhere, it’s most important responsibility is to act as a backup battery to my iPhone.
Collecting dust and powering an iPhone is no life for a $3500 MacBookPro. So I decided that it’s time to upgrade my desktop and downgrade my laptop.
The desktop became an 8-core Mac Pro with 30″ and 23″ Cinema displays. The notebook became a netbook; an ASUS eee PC. Here’s the new happy family:
I purchased the ASUS eee 1000HA from Amazon (affiliate link). I got the version with Windows XP on it with the intention of setting up dual boot with Linux.
That was a very easy process once I figured out how to boot off the SD card upon which I put the bootable installation for Ubuntu-eee. The short version is that I had to adjust the bios settings so I could watch the boot, hit F2, and select the boot device. I’ll write up the long version in a later post.
Anyway, I love this little netbook PC. I haven’t taken it for a walk outside the house yet, but it’s great for catching up on email, RSS feeds at the kitchen counter, or for couch-surfing while watching television.
There are even some uses that I didn’t anticipate as I’m discovering that it is a fantastic multi-media device. I use it to listen to podcasts, so I’m not tethered to my desktop computer. It is a great for Skype, for the same reasons. It’s fantastic for watching video. Hulu works great on it, even in Ubuntu, and I use it to catch up on TV shows while running on the treadmill. It opens up flat and sits perfectly in the magazine holder on the treadmill. You can’t do that with a MacBookPro (they don’t open 180 degrees).
Yesterday, I watched my friend Jim Kukral launch his new business live on ustream (and relaunch his own self) while running a few miles. That’s not Jim Kukral in that picture, it’s Jim Halpert from “The Office” On Hulu. On Linux. Did I mention that?
My only regret is that I accidentally bought the version of the laptop without Bluetooth. There are so many variations on this little computer that you need to be really careful about the one you’re buying.
It is a little bit chunkier and heavier than I would have liked in an ultra-portable laptop. But I guess maybe I’m expecting too much out of something with a 160GB hard drive and a 10″ screen.
The keyboard is tough to get used to. The thing that catches me up mostly is the sensitive trackpad that I hit accidentally while typing and the right shift key is only single key width. I always hit the page up key where it should be. I’ll get used to that.
Thanks to the tiny price-tag, I won’t feel bad ditching this netbook as well when a real MacBookAir killer becomes readily available.
But honestly, my biggest problem with this new computer is that I don’t know how to say it. How do you pronounce “Eee”? Is it “e.e.e.”? or more like “Weeeeeee”?
Congrats! The eee is a “game changer” (especially with the netbook Ubuntu installation).
I love Macbooks, but when I upgrade my Macbook Pro this fall, I'll prob be going the same route as you.
It's true, I do so love the new MBPs. They can even power a 30″ display now. It was tempting to go that route.
Honestly, I'm so sick of the buy now get annoyed 6 months later game with Apple and the MBPs.
This Mac Pro is cheaper than a jacked up MBP (sans monitors) has a dual quad core CPUs and upgradeable to 32GB of RAM. I can actually put PCI cards in it, upgrade the video, run 8 monitors if I want.
Dream machine.
I have been thinking about doing exactly this, downgrading my laptop (just recently upgraded my desktop). I use RoboForm like a mad dog, so the XP version solves that need i may want to flex on the Ultra mobile, but an even better scheme has been in my mind…
Could I run GoToMyPC on the Ultra portable for these reasons:
+GoToMyPC is owned by someone who understands security, so i'm thinking it's safe over unsecured networks where ever i travel. And, as i understand it, most of the data being sent back and forth is to display my office computer - i'm not downloading / uploading my sensitive office work files, just the information to remotely view my desktop's display and relay inputs back. So hackers basically have access to the wire connecting my keyboard (the Utlra) to my office computer.
+no need to synch anything on the Ultra Mobile, I'd actually be working on my office desktop remotely. just install GTMPC and remember the one password i need to use it.
+if someone steals my ultra mobile while i'm out and about, there are no files on the machine, it's a display device I use to remotely use my desktop whereever i am travelling.
Scott, does this plan have merit in your opinion? See any problems I've overlooked?
You forgot to mention the stickers. By my count it's got at least four stickers plastered all over that thing. And as everyone in the Pee Cee world knows stickers = performance. I think it's kind of like over-clocking. You should try adding a sticker under the Asus one on the right side. I know, how about a Bluetooth sticker?!
haha, yeah, it's been a long time since I have had a notebook loaded up with these silly stickers.
Sounds like a decent plan to me. I'm not up on GoToMyPC tech specs these days, but I would hope they've got at least some rudimentary VPN-like security that would thwart any would-be hackers.
I'm guessing you're not actually the target of any hard-core hackers, therefore anyone who might randomly try it would surely move on to easier pickings.
Shawn Collins is a big GoToMyPC user. Maybe he'll weigh in.
That's a great little set up you've got there. And yessss for The Office
Shawn has said on GeekCast that he runs GoToMyPC on his Asus.
Move to the cloud, Pat!
Outstanding to read both of your replies, will confab with Shawn in Vegas and hope to see it in action before I take flight into the stratosphere.
Along those lines, Windows7 (the follow-on to Windows Vista) looks like it's being designed for Ultra portables:
blogs.inquirer.net/m-ph/2008/11/12/windows-7-netbook-friendly-vista/
Citrix's overview of the security and the white paper they have there, also confirm for me, that an Ultra running GoToMyPC is likely a very secure and convenient way to go about things:
https://www.gotomypc.com/en_US/ourTechnology.tmpl
Hope others chime in with their good and bad notes if they are already UltraMobiling with GoToMyPC… sort of a tethered cloud computing approach…
I use GoToMyPC all the time on my Asus - just had it at my booth at ad:tech last week and in sessions at PubCon earlier this week.
It's just a matter of changing the resolution on my home machine after logging in to make it readable.
I am not in tune with levels of security for networks, but I have an AT&T laptop direct card, so I use that with the Asus, instead of Wifi.
In Brazil eeePC is around 900$, this is so expensive to our.
I´d like to buy something like this, but not so expensive, lets wait the sale…
Well what's wrong with Acer laptops
Thanks for the eee post. I'm looking forward to getting one as my next laptop!
These new netbook style machines look REALLY nice. My brother has an Asus that he's running Ubuntu on. The only thing I see is that the keyboard as you mentioned is a bit cramped (at least it IS a real keyboard though instead of a touchscreen.) Also, this generation the processor is a bit underpowered for some tasks. If I understand correctly the next generation products will be dual core though. Now, if they can just give a way to expand the keyboard size to “normal” size it wouldn't be at ALL bad for a “take wherever you go” system.