Day with the Asus Eee PC

Filed in archive Devices on November 25, 2007

I managed to get hold of the Asus Eee PC two Fridays ago. The one that I have has 1GB RAM and 4GB of storage (of which 1.3GB is available) and in white (a black one would have been way cooler). I have been tinkering with the device for more than a week already but I only used it a couple of times since work ate up most of my time (my Macbook Pro workhorse took the burden).



My initial experience is impressive but I find some of the applications quite difficult to use. The 800x480 7" screen may be the culprit here because applications tend to span beyond what is viewable. It would have been better if there is some sort of magic being done in the background that allows you to automatically zoom-in and out if and when an application's window goes beyond what is viewable. I wish that there is some implementation of Apple's iPhone pinch-driven zoom feature - now that would have been great. OR if it can do what my Nokia E61's web browser does - allow you to adjust what part of the application, in this case the web site, is displayed on a rather limited screen real estate.

One solution to the above issue is to connect an external display once you get home or office. :) However, on-the-go, you have to make do with what is available. :( Maybe it is time that application developers start thinking of how their apps will scale down to smaller displays.