Netbooks News, Hacks and HowTo’s

The competition on Netbooks is getting tougher, Eee PC has a very good standing, yet prices keep on rolling down. Just like in Newegg, they just cut $100 off on Asus Eee PC 1000H. Best Deal?

If you planned to avail the Asus Eee PC 701 before but was not able to due to lack of budget, maybe it’s the right time for you to buy. At just £164.49, the Eee PC 701 is probably the only “tested” cheap netbook you could have. You can buy now this item directly at Misco.

Asus Eee PC 701 (White) Intel / 7″ Display / 512MB / 4GB / Linux / 2 Year Warranty

via Atom Netbooks

Koreans are known to be stylish when it comes to clothing and dressing up. And now they are gonna have a taste of a fashionable Eee PC 1000H in Red that they deserve. And it’s Limited.

via CoolestGadgets

I heard about this during the press launch in Manila. Asus 900 series will be capable to stay on for a whole day. And by whole day they mean 8 hrs. But JKK explained very clearly how Asus will do it… And gave ideas how to make eee pc lasts more than 8 hrs too.

I love jkkmobile.

Few hours ago, I posted that MSI Wind could be available in Amazon by today, but apparently we have to wait two weeks more before it comes real. (Still not confirmed).

According to the email posted at MSIWind Forum, MSI Wind will ship on the week of July 7th. Sounds like there’s still no exact date. On the other side, Asus has confirmed date of shipping for two models. [EEE PC 901, EEE PC 1000(H).

MSI has initially stated that the first batch that will ship will contain 3-cell batteries and that do not bring high interest to the customers. It would be better if they can also push back that initial statement so at least they could make up for pushing back the ship date twice. While this idea could be good, I don't think they can get their target number of customers that easy since EEE PC's are also out on the 8th. Yes, MSI stands out among other awaited ultra portables but EEE PC is still a big factor.

[via liliputing, small-laptops]

While we all know it’s not officially out, you can already download and install the Ubuntu Netbook Remix on your little friend Eee PC. I was able to install it without any hassle, though with minor inconsistencies with the expected result. After all, my Eee PC is now closely similar to Ubuntu Mobile.
The Ubuntu Netbook Remix comes with several modules for UI and background manipulation. The UME Launcher is the main beauty of this tool though in my case, its beauty did not bloom perfectly. The icons that are supposed to be larger stayed small and I don’t know how to fix it yet. I have tried reinstalling the new theme but it did not fix the problem. Maybe I need to try once more?

The maximus module on the other hand, functions perfectly from the first install. I assume it does not add automatically to auto-started applications since the instruction asks you to add it yourself. The purpose of this module is to make all opened and being opened windows in their maximized state. It’s even beyond that since it also removes the window borders and title bars for a tabbed feel. Those windows that do not have maximize properties kept their sizes such as the Screenshot tool, and other message dialog boxes.

The tabbed feel for every window does not automatically appear on the Eee PC. The responsible module for this is the window-picker-applet, which runs automatically with UME Launcher (I suppose), but you need to add it manually on the main panel.

The go-home-applet is another module included on the installation. The basic purpose of this small application is to provide a shortcut on your panel to easily access your desktop. There’s a BIG problem though when I tried to launch it on my Eee PC 701. It returns a serious error that I again do not know how to fix.

The workaround I did is I just used the Show Desktop applet, which functions basically the same. I realized I should have not install the go-home anyway. If you don’t like the Show Desktop, follow your heart and just press Ctrl+Alt+D instead. Now, it makes it even easier.

Another module included on the installation is the new Human theme, specially designed for the Ubuntu Netbook Remix. I personally can’t notice the big difference with the original human theme though. Maybe it’s the borderless window that I initially suspect being caused by maximus. I do not know exactly.

Despite these minor and major inconsistencies, I don’t think I would remove this uber cool tool on my Eee PC. Thanks to all who made this possible. I wish I could give more than just giving opinion and blah blah about every application that I freely avail and use.

In Australia, Asus announced at a Computex that the Eee PC will evolve to a non-clamshell factor and with touchscreen as the main input. This came straight from the mouth of Emmanuele Silanesu, Asus Australia national retail manager. { Read }

And now we can call it UMPC. Let’s picture it! Pearl white with 7″ hi-res touchscreen and sliding keyboard plus a small 1.3 MP camera on the face. That’s sweet, but still looks more like a toy rather than a PC. How about Shiny Silver instead of Pearl White?

via liliputing

While the release of the Eee PC 901 Atom-powered processor has been announced officially (DigiTimes), it’s not the same with 3.5G version. A question during the Press Launch in Manila was raised by Yuga if they are going to release 3.5G version in the future and the answer was clearly NO. But the good thing is, Ethan Hung (Asus Exec) confirmed that 3.5G is already available, though not integrated internally with the coming versions.

Now, if you happen to have the T500 3.5G card for the Eee PC already, here’s how to install it.

Installing in Linux (Xandros)

1. Download the .deb package from Asus Support (look under Utilities)
2. Copy .deb file to home directory (tip: use XandrosFileManager)
3. Open terminal and navigate to /home/user>
4. Install the .deb by typing “sudo dpkg –i asus-t500-3gmpt-1.0-9_all.deb” without the quotes and press return key.
   Note: actual filename might vary depending on the downloaded version.
5. Connect the T500 Card with your SIM Card via USB cable. Wait for a while for Xandros to detect the device. (might ask for PIN)
6. Configure APN (depends on Provider)
7. Hit the Connect button and enjoy!

Installing T500 3.5G Card on Windows OSes should be much easier. Just download the right drivers and you should be fine.