EeePC Now Shipping w/ Windows XP
The Asus Eee PC 4G is now available with Windows XP for $399 from Best Buy. Built for children, the 7-inch Eee PC 4G comes with a 7-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage and a 900MHz Intel Celeron M processor.
Asus has gained a lot of attention with its Eee PC line of mini notebooks and adding XP to the mix will only widen the Eee PC’s appeal. The Asus Eee PC line was previously available only with Linux, which many mainstream consumers shun.
The Windows version of the Asus Eee PC 4G will only be available in white and black. Best Buy is selling it online only for now.
This notebook is very basic, even for children that have a year or two of computer experience under their belts. For just a $150 more you can get something that has a lot more functionality and can accommodate adult-sized hands…
I first saw the XP version of the Eee PC at CES 2008 and it seemed snappy enough to handle basic office tasks and web browsing. I understand the appeal of the Eee PC for some users, but the munchkin-sized keyboard and anemic storage capacity limit its audience.
Robert Newman
April 15th at 4:46pm
Built for children!!?? Come now! This is a fully capable computer. Though I am predominately a Mac user, I really appreciate the size of this computer. I use it whenever I travel. I liked it so much that I bought a second one with XP (I am an OS junkie). Yes the keyboard is small, but if this is why you consider it a children’s computer, then what are the tiny keyboards on cellphones, and Palm devices, et al? It is all in what you get used to. If you are going to use it for prolonged typing, you can always add a usb keyboard. Both the Linux and the XP versions are very capable. The only problem with the Linux version is the headaches involved in installing any new software even updates from ASUS, sometimes do not work. Not so for XP. I think they would sell themselves if anyone could actually touch one in the store. So far only online.
Robert