Incidentally, over on the eeeuser.com forum, they're reporting that the CPU speed of the Eee runs at 667MHz, and not 900MHz. This is because the FSB runs at 66MHz, with a 10x multiplier. The chip itself can do 900MHz but it needs to be run with a 100MHz FSB for that to happen.

Apparently there's a BIOS update available that lets you up to the bus speed but it makes the system unstable to the point of not even booting on occasion.

From what people are saying, ASUS have never said it runs at 900MHz. It's simply the case that reviewers made the claim.

I should point out that it seemed plenty fast to me and it's not really right to judge these machines on clock speed. It's more about what they do, rather than how fast they are.

However, this does mean the Eee is only 266MHz faster than the N810 (or the N800 running OS2008).

I think Nokia would make more sales if they included basic PDA software and advertised the device as both a PDA and an Internet Tablet... what's the harm in covering both markets? They would attract a lot more interest from the average consumer who already knows what a PDA is and can see themselves needing/using a PDA.

Or does Nokia seriously think people are going to buy a cellphone, a PDA, AND an Internet Tablet??

I think Nokia expects people to carry a phone and an Internet tablet. This is cool. I do this, and it isn't demanding. You forget that PDAs are only used by a small selection of the population compared to mobile phones.

There are some fundamental reasons why Nokia chose not to include PDA functionality. The main one is that they intended to carve out a new niche for themselves upon the release of the 770 -- the Internet tablet niche (I prefer the phrase "Personal Internet Device"). If they'd included PDA stuff then people would have assumed it was a PDA, and thrown it into that camp. People like to categorise things

Secondly, if they'd included PDA functionality, people would have reviewed the tablet as a PDA and marked it down accordingly. Magazines would have paid particular attention to handwriting recognition, for example. Several reviews would have moaned about the lack of a dedicated text entry area, as with Palm devices, or shortcut buttons to the main PDA functions. Other reviews would have compared it to Pocket Windows, which is mature, when OS2005 was immature at the time.

Thirdly, the PDA market is already crowded with some major players (Microsoft and Symbian), and at the time Nokia was developing the 770, Palm was going through hell. Launching a new PDA at that time (and even now) would be commercial suicide.

I still think it's wrong of Nokia to dismiss the PDA functionality. I think it's a trap to think 'use case' (e.g. "before we design and implement: What are you supposed to be doing with this device?") here. It's not a phone, or an MP3 player, or a shaving machine, it's a programmable computing device and should be treated as such. A lot of people will probably end up using the thing for something they didn't have a flicker of an idea of when they bought it. So, I don't really want too much second-guessing of use cases from the vendor's side..

PDA functionality isn't constrained to form factor; Nokia met that form factor on their first try, the 770. With all the developers out there, why has nobody created a decent software suite? I realize there's a lot of stuff to take into account, but I find it absolutely bizarre it hasn't been done in the community... and by 'done', I mean 'done well'.

So far as Nokia not doing it themselves... they've eluded to it in comments of their 5 step program. They're banking on the future, it's a wired world and eventually we *will* be interconnected everywhere. The lessons they learn by 'reserving' their place in that upcoming market will be ones everyone else will be scrambling to catch up on. Everyone from this point onward will be imitators, not innovators in the internet tablet game. Officially sponsoring PDA functionality will make the N810 a PDA... an already overcrowded market.

Except Apple. Anything Apple does, no matter how similar to others, is 100% original and looks good in a room full of IKEA. When their Internet Tablet comes out the sheep will feast. (From the comfort of their EKTORP couches.)

Nokia would be wise to use the mechanisms of Software Bounties or Competitions to spawn development in key areas (namely a decent PIM suite), rather than trying to do it all themselves, in-house. This is the beauty of the open model.


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

There's been a lot of talk about installing WinXP on the Eee. This is easily done because the Eee is little more than a miniature x86 notebook, although you'll need an external DVD drive and also one of the recent SP2-enabled XP install CDs because this has a tweaked installer allowing for USB-based install.

The problem is that the Eee has a solid state drive (SSD), which has a limited lifespan because of reduced write cycles compared to a standard hard disk.

Windows is constantly saving temp files, and loves to use that swap file (particularly considering the Eee only has 256/512MB of memory). Linux is arguably simpler in its hard disk use. The default install of Xandros on the Eee doesn't include a swap file or partition. I'm not sure if the logging services are trimmed too, but that would make sense.

There are also dangers in using any kind of indexing service, such as Google Desktop.

The most sensible recommendation if you want to install XP is to increase the memory to 1/2GB (which will invalidate your warranty, btw), and then either switch off the swap file or shift it onto a removable storage card (the Eee has a MMC/SD port built in). You should also shift your /tmp directory onto removable storage.

But the fact of the matter is that Windows XP just isn't optimised for solid state drives. Then again, if the Eee's disk fails in, say, three years, is this likely to be a problem? Will you still be using your Eee in three years or will you have moved onto something newer?

Which is why it's kinda lame of Asus to have soldered the main SSD onto the motherboard.

Oh, wow. I can't believe I missed that before; I'd always just assumed... well, thanks. I was almost selling myself on one as a walk-around-IRC device (... that is very lame but true), but now I think I will wait for the N810 instead and hope for the best for its thumb keyboard. Thanks!

You know, just now I picked my 770 up for the first time in a few days (since using my Eee). And I've got to say that I infinitely prefer accessing the web on the 770. It's better designed for the task. The operating system is better, the GUI is better, as is the form factor. I enjoy holding the 770 in my hand. The Eee, on the other hand, must be used like any other laptop. At the moment, as I type this, it's perched on my thighs rather precariously.

That said, for interacting with websites (entries of forums etc), then the Eee is better, because it has a full keyboard and interactive sites tend to use javascript or Flash, and benefit from the increased CPU speed.

But if I really want to interact with websites then I do it from my desktop computer. For example, while I might check emails while out and about, I only really reply to them while at home. Same for website forum postings.

So, really, my internet usage (and probably yours) splits into two types: reading, and interacting -- or passive and interactive. Portable devices tend to be crap at the latter, although Nokia and its competitors may yet pull something out of the bag. But the Eee only takes us a step or two further towards being able to interact with the Web while out and about. It's still a little impractical, and best saved until you get home.