Canllaith.org

I picked up the ASUS EeePC 901 Windows 12G edition in black from Ascent about a week ago and I don’t think I’ve gone anywhere without it since.

I’m getting between 5 - 7 hours battery life pretty consistently and it runs cool to the touch. I’m unconvinced about the chrome touches, but there’s no doubt the glossy black finish and rounded edges make the Eee 901 look like a far more expensive gadget than it is. The touchpad is nicely improved over both the 701 and the 900, and the slight extra weight from it’s more solid construction and larger battery balances the machine far better on the lap. The keyboard is exactly the same, but I’ve gotten fairly used to it by now.

It’s been drawing comments everywhere I go. Everyone seems to want to hold it, and I’ve had many conversations over the last few days explaining where to get them and how much they cost.

I’m running Windows XP on it until Ubuntu Intrepid is released, which is slated to have 100% EeePC compatibility. I’m looking forward to it. Now for the mods! I’ve ordered a 30GB 1.8″ ZIF hard disk from trademe, and I intend to swap out the second SSD for it, and see what that does to heat/performance/battery life.

I’ll be blogging the process for anyone else who wants to do a similar mod - all I’m waiting on is ZIF cables to arrive from dealextreme =)