The EEE PC portable computer range has received a lot of coverage over the past year partly due to its low price but also partly due to its small size. How does Asus' minilaptop compare to Nokia's microlaptop, the E90 Communicator? All About Symbian's Tzer2 is about to find out, in an article with somewhat predictable outcome but plenty of interesting insights along the way, including Download! being held up as a relatively good example of how to do things - for a change.
Read on in the full article.
I'll buy an Eee PC anytime over an E90. E90 is not really pocketable and it is too expensive. By the way, the latest Eee PC also come with 3.5G (among other new features) for about 50 Euros more. It is still very affortable.
>'By the way, the latest Eee PC also come with 3.5G'
You mean it comes with a built in mobile network card?? That sounds impressive.
How does that work? Presumably you have to put in your own sim card from your own network provider??
Yes, you need a sim card from your network provider. That really makes Eee PC a truly NetPC.
Unregistered wrote:>'By the way, the latest Eee PC also come with 3.5G'You mean it comes with a built in mobile network card?? That sounds impressive.
How does that work? Presumably you have to put in your own sim card from your own network provider??
ehhh, the Eee PC is not pocketable either.
They should not be compared, because they are truley different devices. If the E90 had a keyboard comparable with the former Psion 5mx series than the E90 would have been a formidable and better Office device, but the E90's keyboard sucks...
This comparison is somewhat incomplete as many people use their EeePC's with Windows XP installed, which means the EeePC is much stronger on the software front. I'm using the EeePC with a dual-boot option, with both XP and the stock XandrOS installed, and it serves all my needs short of any task with heavy CPU utilization (ie. video production, 3d rendering etc.)
With an E90 you can do much less, but you can still do a lot carrying around only your cellphone, which is the whole point of the device. I'm certainly looking forward to future "Communicator" style devices from Nokia...
I'll buy an Eee PC anytime over an E90. E90 is not really pocketable
Are you saying the EEE PC is pocketable? You'd have to be wearing circus clown trousers to fit the EEE PC in a pocket, or be Captain Caveman. 😊 There is no way you could carry the EEE PC with you everywhere, the E90 is much more plausible as a take-everywhere device.
The E90 is as pocketable as a mobile phone from about ten years ago, and I seem to rememer a lot of people carrying phones in their pockets even back then.
Also, the E90 has a much better claim to fitting in handbags than the EEE PC (lots of the hype for the EEE PC talked about it being handbag-size but that's just not true).
By the way, the latest Eee PC also come with 3.5G (among other new features) for about 50 Euros more. It is still very affortable.
First of all, as I said in the article, you don't really need built-in 3.5G because you can connect the EEE PC to the internet through your normal phone (on USB with cheaper EEE PCs, on Bluetooth with more expensive models). Alternatively you can buy a USB 3.5G modem dongle. I agree it would be nice to have it built in though, so you aren't as dependent on your phone or dongle.
But, second, I don't know any currently available EEE PC model with built-in 3.5G, especially at such a cheap price. Could you provide a link to where we can buy one?
They should not be compared, because they are truley different devices.
As I said at the very beginning and middle and end of the article, they are very different devices, but they have one thing in common: they're trying to offer a much smaller alternative to the traditional laptop.
Which device you choose depends on what you want to do and where you want to do it. The point of the article is to explore who would appreciate which device.
This comparison is somewhat incomplete as many people use their EeePC's with Windows XP installed
Good point, but I'm sure almost all readers are well aware of what Windows can do and don't need us telling them. On the other hand people probably don't know what Xandros Linux can do so this article covers it.
I don't understand the implied criticism "..underwhelming as a multimedia device" for the E90. I have upwards of 60 albums with great play back quality, 1 to 2 FULL WIDESCREEN films playing back without a flicker in sight and great sound, great photos (in daylight), widescreen picture viewer, e books that read just like the real thing thanks to the great screen (with auto scroll!!) and desktop functionality for all of these. Underwhelming is the understatement of the year..
As another Eee owner, I just wanted to make the point that an Eee with Windows installed is (IMHO) an abomination. The whole *point* of getting an Eee is to get away from Windows and hard disks.
Our Eee 701 runs beautifully and fairly quickly on its solid state disk. No spinning hardware to break, no Windows to patch and break, no viruses, etc. A great little second-string mini PC.
And yeah, and I'm back on my trusty E90 as well. For the winter anyway. Hopefully by the time the sun's out again (in May 2009) my i8510 will be mature and rock solid 8-)))
I just cannot see the point in this article.
Comparing phones to phones is fine, but this is like comparing apples to peanuts!
I hope this is not a sign that AAS is struggling for content! 😉
Now a comparison between HTC Touch Pro and E90 might be more revealing!
I think an Asus EEE PC v Nokia N810 would be a more interesting comparison.
In relation to add-on software, your points are correct in relation to Asus own site. However, I should point out that there is a thriving eeePC community and it is *very* easy to find stacks of high-quality free software which runs on the Xandros-based EEEPC 900. I wouldn't want anyone reading your article to think they can't add extra software. Even at FreEPOC, despite our normal focus on Symbian (Epoc) OS, we have added instructions for running some of our software on the eeePC. So there's definitely good stuff out there 😊
Best regards,
Malcolm
www.freepoc.org
I just cannot see the point in this article.
If you actually read the article you'll find out. The article begins by explaining its reason for existence.
Both the E90 and the EEE PC are intended to provide much smaller alternatives to the normal-sized laptop. They're both intended for people who find a normal laptop just too large.
The article explores the advantages and disadvantages of these two very different approaches to miniaturising the laptop.
Comparing phones to phones is fine, but this is like comparing apples to peanuts!
Absolutely no one buys an E90 as a straightforward phone. You would only pay 800+ euros because you want something like a laptop but which is much smaller than a laptop.
That's the same sort of reason someone might buy an EEE PC, they want laptop functions but in a much smaller package.
I agree they're aimed at different markets, it says so in the very first paragraph of the article, but I then go on to explain why it's worth comparing them.
The two devices have taken the miniaturisation to different degrees, and this creates some interesting contrasts between them, which is what I've written about.
I think an Asus EEE PC v Nokia N810 would be a more interesting comparison.
It would indeed be interesting, and I do own an N810, but that would have absolutely nothing to do with Symbian so you won't ever see such a comparison on this site.
I don't understand the implied criticism "..underwhelming as a multimedia device" for the E90.
I agree it's perfectly adequate for music playback and the large screen makes it better than most phones for videos and ebooks, but as a competitor to laptops it's not especially media-friendly. For example there are no dedicated playback controls and there's no 3.5mm headphone socket either.
The E90 is also not significantly better than the EEE PC for multimedia, which is why I rated them as equals (the E90 wins on portability but the EEE PC wins on screen size, so it sort of cancels out).
Seems to be a reasonable middle ground and worth considering.
Why noth throw the N810 into the mix
Seems to be a reasonable middle ground and worth considering.
AAS already did an E90 vs N810 article some time ago:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/Nokia_E90_vs_Nokia_810_Part_1-Hardware__Communications.php
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/Nokia_E90_vs_Nokia_N810_Part_2-GPS_Apps_Web__Multimedia.php
However, I should point out that there is a thriving eeePC community and it is *very* easy to find stacks of high-quality free software which runs on the Xandros-based EEEPC 900.
Malbry, I did try to find some third party sources for EEE PC apps but couldn't. The EEE PC community seems to be largely made up of Linux enthusiasts who can do things that ordinary users cannot.
I did find various hacks for getting add-on software installed on the EEE PC (or even installing another OS), but there was nothing easy enough for the ordinary non-anorak user who wants to do things entirely in the GUI.
If you know any sources of easy-to-install (i.e. no command lines, no editing script files etc) software for the EEE PC please do post some links.
everything changes if you add an external keyboard to your Nokia E90. But anyway, you are gonna find all the features of the e90 in pretty much every standard N or E-Series devices today (except for the screen (resolution) and the keyboard of course). So, for example, take the 5800 Express Music (no build-in keyboard but featuring a nice screen), ad a bluetooth keyboard and you have a clear winner over every eee pc. and you are still under 400 euros (and you get an e90 for 580 and not 800), and under 400 gramms of weight plus a much better connectivity range and way better batterylife.
You need a little Linux knowledge, but I installed a lot of programs on my EEE 900 with the apt-get command after adding xandros/debian mirrors. You only add one line to apt settings, it could not be easier, and there is nothing that beats debian based systems in number of programs! With Linux knowledge, EEE is unbeatable when it comes to installing more free programs.
See:
http://wiki.eeeuser.com/addingxandrosrepos
You need a little Linux knowledge, but I installed a lot of programs on my EEE 900 with the apt-get command after adding xandros/debian mirrors.
You only add one line to apt settings, it could not be easier,
Have you actually read the link you provided? 😊
http://wiki.eeeuser.com/addingxandrosrepos
Here's a brief quotation from the summary: One very important advice is: If you are installing a certain program and synaptic or apt-get is asking you to upgrade a long list of programs for fulfilling dependency, then you better stop!
The only people who will understand that are people who already use Linux regularly.
Anyone who is trying out Linux for the first time will take one look at that page, laugh themselves silly, and go right back to Windows or Macintosh.
The only way Linux is ever going to be popular is if it has a 100% GUI approach, which is what the EEE PC is supposed to offer. These occasional requirements for using command lines (even on Ubuntu) totally kill any chance that it will be any kind of threat to Windows.
Ordinary people nowadays simply don't want to learn text commands, they're totally unintuitive (how are you meant to know what to type?) and about as much fun as algebra.
It would have been intresting comparing the battery life while browsing the web.
Tzer2 wrote:
Both the E90 and the EEE PC are intended to provide much smaller alternatives to the normal-sized laptop. They're both intended for people who find a normal laptop just too large.
Really? I disagree. The E90 is a phone (running a phone OS), the eeePC is a subminiature laptop running windows or linux (desktop systems). I cannot see how the E90 can be pitched with an eeePC.
I think the E90 is intended for a totally different market (business/power user) than the eeePC (easy to learn, easy to play etc. etc.) which I know is already popular with youngsters/students etc.
Tzer2 wrote:
The E90 is also not significantly better than the EEE PC for multimedia, which is why I rated them as equals (the E90 wins on portability but the EEE PC wins on screen size, so it sort of cancels out).
...so my original point remains.... what was the point of the comparison in the first place?
Whatever next? The N96 versus a Sony PSP, maybe? 🙄
Come on AAS, you can do better than this!
haha.well you can't do a device x vs device y unless they are pitched at exactly the same market which these are not.as the eee adage suggests easy this easy that well its not aimed at the power user like the e90 is.I honestly don't see the point in the comparison and without sounding funny but just who is this author as I keep seeing his articles popping up and have never noticed them up until recently.gotta agree with the post above-come on aas you can do better than that!
Blimey Chrissbear, who rattled your cage?
As far as I'm concerned, it's a perfectly valid article about two different solutions to the same problem; how to be productive while on the move? Sure, the devices are quite different, but so what?
And the EEEPC is not exactly what one would call a toy. It comes with a good browser, a good email client and runs OpenOffice; all things you need to be productive when away from the home or office.
How about trying to be a bit less negative for a change...
why so many hater's on here lately !?
there's a lot of ppl who i feel are coming here just to hate on your work and they need to grow up,
it's just a comparison about performance and practical uses of 2 different technologies what can do the same thing's.
it's not the end of the world ,if you don't like it then why read the whole article and decide to stick around to argue.
if you can do better then make you own site and try getting as many readers as these guy's .
Unregistered wrote:
How about trying to be a bit less negative for a change...
I am simply registering my opinion, to which I am entitled (free speech etc. etc.) - Not everyone on the site is expected to agree with everything that is posted here. This is a news discussion board, not a "let's agree with AAS whatever they say/do board"
For the record, I have been a Symbian fan since Psion 3 days. I have also been a professional journalist and I (forgive me if I am wrong) think AAS can ( and usually does!) do better than this kind of article.
I am not having a dig at Tzer2, just the subject matter, which, to my way of thinking, is (trying to find a good word here...) a little inappropriate.
We have had great stuff on this site over the years, but, to me, comparing the E90 to the eeePC smacks of desperation!
More Symbian please, more phone comparisons please. Less "let's talk up how great the E90 is compared to a mini laptop(!)"
For me, there's one thing that hasn't come out strongly in the article. The E90 can function as a decent GPS SatNav system, which the Eee just can't do.
I'm looking at the options for travelling, and so far the E90 (perhaps with a bluetooth keyboard) looks like my best bet. The keyboard is its real weakness, and by adding a small light bluetoooth keyboard, I can overcome that.
From the very start, it has been emphasized by the author that both comes from different categories bu there are some parallelisms (although really, it's the size).
I would use the E90 communicator more than I would with Asus EEE PC. Having a proper laptop means that EEE PC is out of the question.
Aesthetics wise, the E90 always gives the user an air of importance and exclusivity. Never fails to turn heads in a cafe or public area. No offense but EEE PC will give the an impression of the user being practical/skimming on budget.
With the latest firmware, browsing is now more desktop like although it would really never compare with the EEE PC.
The Nokia E90, won't replace fulpledged laptops anytime soon, but has succeeded in being a mobile computer.
Apparently EEE PC with 3.5G is still not available yet but it is coming:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/news/2008/09/25/Asus-Introduces-HSUPA-Fitted-Eee-PC/p1
Tzer2 wrote:Are you saying the EEE PC is pocketable? You'd have to be wearing circus clown trousers to fit the EEE PC in a pocket, or be Captain Caveman. 😊 There is no way you could carry the EEE PC with you everywhere, the E90 is much more plausible as a take-everywhere device.The E90 is as pocketable as a mobile phone from about ten years ago, and I seem to rememer a lot of people carrying phones in their pockets even back then.
Also, the E90 has a much better claim to fitting in handbags than the EEE PC (lots of the hype for the EEE PC talked about it being handbag-size but that's just not true).
First of all, as I said in the article, you don't really need built-in 3.5G because you can connect the EEE PC to the internet through your normal phone (on USB with cheaper EEE PCs, on Bluetooth with more expensive models). Alternatively you can buy a USB 3.5G modem dongle. I agree it would be nice to have it built in though, so you aren't as dependent on your phone or dongle.
But, second, I don't know any currently available EEE PC model with built-in 3.5G, especially at such a cheap price. Could you provide a link to where we can buy one?
As I said at the very beginning and middle and end of the article, they are very different devices, but they have one thing in common: they're trying to offer a much smaller alternative to the traditional laptop.
Which device you choose depends on what you want to do and where you want to do it. The point of the article is to explore who would appreciate which device.
Good point, but I'm sure almost all readers are well aware of what Windows can do and don't need us telling them. On the other hand people probably don't know what Xandros Linux can do so this article covers it.
I had for several years the Psion Series 5, first the regular one, later the 5mx pro with 24MB and 32MB.
This was a great machine! I even developed a larger program totally on the device. It had nice office programs and it had thanks to macros and crontab great use for a power user.
Only problem was that opening and closing it many times a day resulted in breaking the cable connecting screen and machine. I killed 3-4 machines in 4-5 years. It became an expensive hobby.
After my last Psion died I had the first laptop. A laptop is not really useful for work on the go. I have a daily commute in busses and trams. I Psion is great there, a laptop is no option.
I have seen people using a eeePC and it seems to me there would be one machine that could be put in a bag pack and carried around, but 1 kg and the size is not really tempting, but on the other hand the price is great.
On the other hand a Nokia E90 seems similar to the Psion 5 mx, but more modern and also a mobile phone. Great, that is another alternative to be working on the move using public transportation. But the price is not tempting, I think it is too high.
After reading the above paragraphs you will see, there are people around that value the article very highly, I am very much interested in seeing a comparison of those two machines.
Many thanks for the article
Harald, Hamburg, Germany
This subject has been running for some time now, however I just had to add this...... I have spent considerable time following both the E90 and the EEE, alternating between the two, being first elated then crushed when neither had exactly the features I want. In the mean time I actually bought a N800 and have been equally disapointed (poor office document support). At least the price at �120 was a bargain!
To state the obvious, the EEE is too large, but has pretty much every thing I need for usability (minus a fingerprint reader and 3g) and the price is about right. Even the start up time from cold is ok (about 30 seconds for the solid state drive plus Linux I read). The E90 is ultimately crippled by its small size which is the main limiting factor to its every day usability. On the other hand it is too large to use as a credible mobile phone, and it is vastly overpriced.
What I really want is a pocket size smart phone with Qwerty Keyboard, which has just about enough capability to include native editing of Microsoft Documents and can surf the web in a limited fashion. It has to be small enough to hold to my ear for long periods. When time permits I need the additional capability that a larger keyboard provides - as per PSION 5MX, and a screen size which can display a full width web page without eye straining.
The solution to the ultimate road warrior device is already out there, look up the 'Redfly'. It is is a bluetooth dumb screen and keyboard about the size of the wonderful PSION 5MX that works in conjunction with a smart phone. Unfortunately reviews I have read say the current execution of this is poor (starting with the MS OS on the phones), it only works with some Microsoft OS smart phones, has poor web page formatting, is slow and buggy.
I just want them to make it work properly with a N95, better still Nokia to wake up, smell the coffee and create their own version.
seems that all of u r genious so here is the place were i can ask thing that i had on mind recently, i wanna turn my e90 to a xp windows pc,what is required? is it possible, could anybody do that? so i place my two e90s in my both pockets everyday, thanx for your attentions