HTC Wizard vs. Asus Eee PC

Mar 7, 2008 | blog

This is really just a fun comparison that I wanted to do.  I’ve had an HTC Wizard (My T-Mobile MDA) for the past two years and it’s been my grab-n-go mobile solution all that time.  Along with the HTC Wizard, I use the ThinkOutside (iGo?) Bluetooth Keyboard and Stowaway Bluetooth Mouse to great success.

But with great software, usable keyboard, and highly useful mouse, it still isn’t a great performer, and is missing that full browser experience that is crucial to a web worker.

There really is no contest, but here goes:

T-Moble MDA vs.Eee PC

T-Mobile MDAAsus Eee PC 4G
200MHz900MHz
64MB RAM512MB RAM
802.11b/g WiFi802.11g WiFi
128MB ROM4GB SSD
240×320800×480
Slide-out KeyboardClamshell, full keyboard
MiniUSB for sync/charging only3 USB 2.0
Bluetooth 1.1No Bluetooth
QuadBand GSM/GPRS/EDGENo mobile data service
Windows Mobile 5Linux (Windows XP compatible)
MiniSD SlotSD Slot (with SDHC support)

The biggest thing about either of these devices is realizing that they are an access terminal, or “Cloud Computer” in popular terminology.  If you can get away from the idea that you need to have serious storage space, keep your entire music library, or have every conceivable tool you’ll ever need with you at all times, then this type of device will work for you.

In fact this is not limited to these two devices – add in the Nokia N800 series devices, UMPCs, MacBook Air, Everex Cloudbook and other such capable systems.  The idea is that you are connected to the Internet (the cloud) and the majority of your data and tools are located there – accessible from anywhere on anything.

The biggest plus for solutions like the Eee PC or Everex Cloudbook is that they run real, modern operating systems, have very useable screens & keyboards, and rely on fast connections like WiFi.  Solutions like my HTC Wizard and related devices are handicapped mostly by screen & keyboard size.

Even so, for the common, basic tasks I have used that T-Mobile MDA for over two years, written many blog posts, performed hundreds of Internet activities, along with the usual meetings, notes, calls, and pictures.  But I needed to carry three pieces of equipment to get a useable mobile access terminal – something that the Eee PC class of device is putting in a 2lb. clamshell that is no larger than a modern paperback.  You seriously just grab it and go – there is nothing more to think about.

I’m curious on your devices and feedback though.  What are your thoughts?  Have you tried an Eee PC or similar devices?  Have you used a Windows Mobile based device like the HTC Wizard for the same function?  How successful has it been for you?  What would you recommend to others?

Oh yeah, wondering what device wins in my book?  The Eee PC. Cheers!

Eee PC and online storage

Feb 28, 2008 | blog

Eee PC Here’s an idea, and one I should have talked about sooner.  As a cloud computing device, the Eee PC is the perfect example of a device that should take advantage of online storage.

Not only should mini-laptop, or Internet access devices be leveraging online software suites like Google Docs, Zoho Office, or ThinkFree, but also online storage as well.  Services like Box.net, Microsoft’s SkyDrive, and AOL’s XDrive (thanks to Kevin Tofel for reminding me of it) all offer up free storage with options for additional storage as a premium service. 

XDriveAOL’s XDrive is really exciting to any Eee PC device loaded with Windows XP as AOL offers a utility to map a drive directly to your storage account.  All three of these options (I’m sure there are others I’m not aware of) will work with either IE or Firefox and with Windows or Linux, so even if you don’t try to have a mapped drive, you can easily upload/download files as needed to any of these services.

Just one more way to solve the data storage concerns for potential Eee PC users.

The Asus Eee PC – Is this the real cloud computing client?

Feb 19, 2008 | blog

Asus Eee PC While it’s been out for awhile now, and I’ve read a quite a bit on it – only last night did it really hit me how useful this device may be.  The little device with an instant-on capability that can be had for as little as $300 is getting rave reviews by just about everyone.  Especially those that have been using one.

I’m thinking this is the perfect device to provide the grab-and-go needs that I have nearly daily.  My laptop is great, but it’s always set up and running either at home or work.  With a second device, I could simply grab it and head off to anywhere and still be able to take notes, read feeds, blog, write manuals, perform remote-control support as needed all in a 2 pound package.

Guess we’ll find out more about it this week.  While mentioning it to Amy, she pointed out how nice it’d be to have a smaller device for herself to be able to use around the house and such.  The interesting part was that after pointing out all the “deficiencies” in the device, like no storage space, slower processor, Linux instead of Windows, small screen resolution, etc… she was still really interested in the device.  We’ll be off later today to try a hands-on with one to see what she and our daughter think of them.

At any rate, using nLite, I’ve built a small Windows XP build (533MB installed)that may fit nicely even on the extremely storage challenged Eee PC 2GB Surf model.  Personally though, I’m interested in looking at getting Ubuntu loaded on it.

Anyone else have one, or thinking about getting one?  I’d love to know your thoughts on this super-inexpensive and uber- portable device.

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