Asus Eee PC: Competitors abounding

Well, it seems MSI has introduced their own equivalent of the ASUS Eee PC 900 series. Pricing looks good, features are decent.. and it is creating a bit of a buzz.

But I have to agree with one comment: MSI’s build quality isn’t particularly good, even on the more expensive laptops they make. I have picked them up in the shop, and I don’t think they are particularly robust. Still, we’ll see. Read the Guardian story. Acer are also introducing one soon.

Consider this as an alternative to the ASUS Eee PC… it’s a positive review.

This is the new Asus Eee PC 1000 series..

The new 1000 is a serious contender for mobile pc of the year… it’s light, affordable, big enough for some serious work, and highly desirable.

From Wikipedia:

It features a new 10 inch screen and an 1.6 GHz Intel Atom CPU. The 1000 model ships with Linux and a 40GB SSD; the 1000H model ships with Windows XP Home and a 80 GB HD. Both the 1000 and the 1000H have 2 GB of DDR RAM. The 1000 has a rated battery life of 4.2-7.5 hours, while the 1000H is rated for 3.2-7 hours. It also offers a keyboard that is 92% the size of generic notebooks, aiming to make it more comfortable to type. Like the Eee PC 901, the new machines feature 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The prices are NT$18,988 (approx. US$625) for the 1000H and NT$19,988 (approx. US$658) for the 1000.

Though the price is creeping towards a lower end notebook, it’s still offering some interesting subtleties, including Linux, SSD, and a fairly decent screen. I would reckon that the 1000 model is probably more robust… and suitable for those who are ‘road warrior’ types!

Last.FM – What can I say? I’ve been blogging about the different music services for quite a while. I’ve already used Last.FM for about two weeks, and I can honestly, it’s everything that Pandora was, and much more. It offers a lot of additional options for users, including profiles, search, favorites, a downloadable application, … and great music. In the few weeks of listening, I’ve racked up a huge diversity of music… this is like the CD store I can’t find anywhere in Tamshui or even downtown since Tower Records closed up in 2004.

I also like the additional features and plugins that you an add to your profiles in Web2.0 apps like Facebook, etc. or on your blog. It’s easy to do, and helps to link your musical tastes with your readers! How neat is that? So…

I’m now using four different sources for finding my music online: Emusic, Sky.FM, Amazon, and Last.FM. In addition, I surf a larger number of online radio stations, download sites (all legal), and I’m now looking to see if I can’t get an iTunes account in the UK. Smoke that in your pipe, Pandora. You could have that money! Hah!

Please remember, don’t steal music – after all, you just don’t need to.