Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
November 4, 2007

Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter
http://www.terryscomputertips.com
A computer tips newsletter for users of PC's.

Volume 3, Number 22 — Sunday, November 4, 2007

Part 1  | Part 2

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IN THIS WEEK'S ON-LINE ISSUE:
   1.   The Eee PC Arrives
   2.   Updates Last Week
   3.   Eee PC - The Hardware
   4.   Eee PC - The Programs
   5.   My Computer Security Software Recommendations
   6.   Recommend my Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter to Your Friends

Welcome to the on-line edition of my Terry's Computer Tips newsletter.

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1.  The Eee PC Arrives

Last week, I wrote about the new Asus Eee PC that I had ordered. This new 2.0 pound ultra mobile PC (UMPC) runs a special version of Xandros Linux. It defaults to an Easy mode of tabs and big square buttons, which is especially good for new computer users and children. Of course, anyone else can use the Easy mode, too.

In other words, it uses Linux as an unobtrusive operating system — in a way that Linux isn't visible and using it doesn't require a lot of specialized knowledge.

I ordered my Eee PC on November 1st, the official release day. Unfortunately, I missed that several of the Internet retailers handling the Eee PC started taking orders and shipping on October 31st, so that they could be delivered on November 1st. But, fortunately I ordered it then, because vendors quickly sold out multiple times.

Anyway, I specified the 3-day UPS Ground shipping option, so mine arrived on Tuesday November 6th. I could hardly wait to get the package opened...

The first thing I found was a box that seemed hardly big enough to hold a notebook, even an ultra small one. [Several reports have it that one of the major vendors accidentally shipped cases of 5 Eee PC's because they thought the case of five was actually a box for an individual unit!]

(click on the image for a larger version)

(click on the image for a larger version)

In the box, I found a Getting Started manual, a full manual, the Eee PC 4G, the battery for the Eee PC, a neoprene carrying case (folder type for a little protection, no sholder strap or handle), a power supply / battery charger about the size of a cellphone charger, a battery warranty and the Eee warranty.

Immediately below the manuals in the box, I found the Eee PC itself. Notice its size compared to the can of Coca-Cola.

(click on the image for a larger version)

(click on the image for a larger version)

Below, we see two views of the bottom of the Eee PC. The open slot is the location for the battery, which snaps into position. There's a release button to enable battery removal. There's also a lock button to help make sure the battery doesn't accidentally get pulled out (but, it's not loose, either). In the right-hand picture, you can see the multi-pin connector where the battery plugs into the Eee PC.

(click on the image for a larger version)

(click on the image for a larger version)

The next two pictures are: on the left, the Eee PC with the two types of protective film over the LCD panel. The right picture shows the 7" LCD uncovered. To the right and left of the LCD are the right and left speakers. Above the LCD is the web cam.

(click on the image for a larger version)

(click on the image for a larger version)

Next, we see the other accessories in the box. In the box, the item at the rear right is the battery. In the right photo, we have the Eee PC, its battery in front of it (looking at the part that inserts into the Eee PC, and a can of Coke for size comparison.

(click on the image for a larger version)

(click on the image for a larger version)

Finally, a couple more size comparisons of the closed unit.

(click on the image for a larger version)

(click on the image for a larger version)

At two pounds, the Eee PC is a light-weight powerhouse. The 900 MHz Celeron seems to have plenty of power, since it's not running Windows with all the overhead needed for it. While many Windows programs expect to have huge quantities of memory, large hard drives and fast processors, Linux has a history of running on older, less-powerful computers. That makes the Eee PC seem fast and peppy to me, despite the 900MHz speed and the Celeron processor.

Although I don't plan to install Windows XP on my Eee PC, it's possible. The Eee PC comes with a driver/reinstall DVD which includes an image to restore the Eee PC back to drive's contents from the factor. The DVD also includes the drivers needed for Windows XP on the Eee PC. In late 2007 or in early 2008, the Eee PC should be available with Windows XP pre-installed.

Speaking of the warranty, I was planning to break the warranty seal after about 3 months so I could upgrade from 512MB of RAM to 1Gb. But, imagine my surprise — the U.S. warranty on my Asus Eee PC is 2 years!

One of these days I might do it...

ASUS Eee PC 4G - Pearl White Intel processor 7" Wide VGA Integrated Graphics Eee PC ASUS Eee PC 4G - Pearl White Eee PC Intel processor 7" Wide VGA 512MB 4GB Integrated Graphics

 

2.  Updates Last Week

Microsoft (operating systems, email, web browser, office suites):
Microsoft releases almost all updates once per month, on the second Tuesday. This week did not include Patch Tuesday.

Firefox (web browser, http://www.mozilla.com, free):
No new version. Version 2.0.0.9 was released on Thursday, November 1, 2007. This release corrected some stability problems in the previous release.

Opera (web browser, http://www.opera.com, free):
No new version this week. Version 9.24 was released on October 17th. This release is a recommended security upgrade.

Opera 9.50 beta 1 became available on October 25th. Based on the changelog, there are a lot of changes coming to Opera. But, bewware, if you're using OperaMail, this is a one-way upgrade as it will change your mail storage system.

Netscape (web browser, http://browser.netscape.com, free):
No new version this week! Version 9.0.0.3 was released this week. If you're using Netscape 8, the automatic update will not update to 9.0.0.3. You'll need to download and install version 9.0.0.3 manually.

SeaMonkey (web browser, email, HTML editor, newsreader; http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey; free): New version! Version 1.1.6 was released on November 5, 2007.

Eudora (email, http://www.eudora.com):
No update last week. Version 7.1.0.9 was released October 11, 2006. Eudora is now free, with no ads and no "paid mode" option.

The first beta version of v8 (v8.0.0.b1) was released several weeks ago and is available from http://wiki.mozilla.org/Penelope_Releases .

Mozilla Thunderbird (email, http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird, free):
No new version this week. Thunderbird version 2.0.0.6 was released on August 1, 2007. This is primarily a security update.

OpenOffice (office suite — spreadsheet, word processor, presentations, graphics, web design; http://www.openoffice.org; free): Version 2.3 was released during the week ending September 22nd. This version includes new features as well as bug fixes.

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3.  Eee PC - The Hardware

Weighing in a mere two pounds and a 900MHz Intel Celeron, I thought the Eee PC would feel like a delicate piece of equipment. Not so.

As I write this, the only size solid state hard drive available is 4GB. Both 2GB and 8GB models are supposed to be available in the future. While 4GB doesn't sound like much to people used to the world of Windows, especially if you handle video and lots of pictures, it is a lot of space in Linux. Video will really soak up drive space, though. I'll use an external hard drive for video (I have a Western Digital 80GB Passport drive that fits in a shirt pocket).

Similarly, the current 512MB of RAM sounds marginal to Windows users. It seems like a lot in the Eee PC, though.

The case has a good, solid feel — then, I remembered that part of its target market is children. It looks way too good to let the kids play with it, though...

The keyboard is about 70% the size of my Dell Inspiron's keyboard. From a practical matter, this means that I have to look at the keyboard as I type. I'm sure that, if I used it extensively, I would be able to touch-type.

On the right-hand side, the Eee PC has four slots and a VGA video output. The four slots include one for an SD/MMC memory card, two USB 2.0 slots and one Kensington lock slot (the longtime locking standard for notebooks, although I don't know anyone who uses locking cables any more).

The internal LCD displays at 800x480. The external video output has settings for much higher resolution. I connected the VGA output to a projector yesterday and found that the Eee PC easily displayed 1024x768, the projector's maximum resolution. Based on reports, the Eee PC's maximum appears to be 1600x1200.

On the left-hand side of the Eee PC, we find the wired Ethernet port, a plug in the hole for the "optional" phone modem (which does not appear to be an available option anywhere at this time), another USB 2.0 slot, a stereo speaker jack and a microphone jack.

Wireless works well, including remembering the networks to which you connect. One surprise, though, the maximum encryption is WPA (with TKIP) as opposed to WPA+AES encryption. The Eee PC remembered my secured home network and defaulted to trying to connect to it. At that point, it would not display any other wireless networks. The procedure to find other networks was easy — turn off the wireless connection via the menu and turn it back on. It might have worked with the Alt-F2, but I think that switches the wireless' radio on and off, rather than controlling whether the OS tries to make a wireless connection or not.

The touch pad is also about 70% of the size of my Dell Inspiron's touch pad. It has a single rocker button that clicks on the left or the right, rather than two separate buttons. Of course, you can always connect a USB mouse to it, so if you plan a lot of use, get a small notebook mouse (I prefer a notebook mouse for every day use).

Built-in microphone: I'm not sure where this is, but it's in addition to the microphone jack. The Eee PC has voice controls, at least to some extent. The setup information is on the Settings tab. I played with it a bit but didnt find much to do.