I finally succumbed and picked up a 4GB eeepc Surf.

I've had it for a week or so and am really happy with it thus far. It is a really cool little (and I do mean little) machine.

I got it to be more of a laptop replacement than anything else and it fits that role quite well. As a result, I'll probably be putting my Thinkpad T40 up on the block.

The smallish keyboard isn't an obstacle for me. I type with only two fingers so, even with my big hands, the keyboard is workable. It does have a spongy feel and is not nearly as nice as the Neo's, but I can get used to it.

The eeepc poses no threat to my trusty N800 which is in my hand more often than not. The N800 is my trusty communication machine, has wi-fi and Bluetooth and has really good battery life (4-5 hours for me).

The eeepc does have wi-fi. I just haven't been able to get my Bluetooth dongle functioning completely as of yet, so tethering it to my Razr isn't an option right now. Battery life on the eeepc is also much shorter, although I am using some aggressive power management techniques (turning down the screen backlight as low as possible, turning off wi-fi when I am not using it, automatically turning off the screen and powering down the machine when not used, etc.) to make the batteries last as long as possible.

With three USB ports, the eeeepc makes a great "mother ship" for all my other devices. It can "see" my N800 and Razr hard drives if I connect via USB cable. The Neo also can dump data via USB. I use a Logitech notebook mouse with it and several USB flash drives. I bought a 2GB SD card to reside in the slot for storage. I have about 1 GB left on the 4GB SSHD even after installing several programs.

The machine seems to be well-built and it should last a long time. Highly recommended!  http://eeepc.asus.com/global/

After spending a few weeks with my N800, I can say I really like it. It is a different paradigm than a notebook or an AlphaSmart Neo, but it fits my needs quite well. It bridges the gap quite nicely between an entertainment device like an iPod, an organizer like the Palm and a notebook. I like the fact that it uses an open and extensible OS: Maemo based on Debian Linux. That means new apps are in development and there will be more to look forward to. In fact, the new OS2008 that will make its debut on the new N810 will also run on the N800.

The fact that it has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios (plus an FM receiver) really sealed the deal. It talks quite nicely to my Palm and my Moto Razr, allowing me to connect to the Internet anywhere I can get a cell phone signal. The Palm acts as something of a "translator" between my AlphaSmart Neo and the Palm since it has an IR receiver and the Neo doesn't. I'm getting used to the Think Outside Bluetooth keyboard and it seems to work well with the N800. I may also try the new Apple Bluetooth keyboard. (Update: Actually, I did add the Apple aluminum Bluetooth keyboard and it is a killer device.) The price is certainly right for all that you get and I am certainly happy with my purchase.

10/07

ENTER THE NOKIA N800

The N800 Internet tablet arrived the other day. It is a really elegant device. The form factor is really small--not much bigger than my Palm T|X. Its OS is Gnu Debian Linux-based and is supported by the open-source maemo.org project. What attracted me to it was its wi-fi and Bluetooth capabilities. I can use it at any hotspot and I can also tether it to my Motorola Razr for web access anywhere. It offers Opera as its browser, so you get the full-web experience, not just wap pages like on my Palm T|X.

It can also play videos and mp3s as well as Internet radio streams. I also found out that it was designed with an FM chip and an app was created to allow it to function as an FM radio. Enter your city and it automatically finds all of the FM stations in your area. Other apps include a RSS reader, clock, Skype (using the N800s built-in camera, mic and speakers for webcam apps), contact manager, IM, e-mail, calculator, clock, notepad, games, PDF reader and sketchpad. Data entry is via a styus and onscreen keyboard, handwriting recognition, a larger finger keyboard or an optional Bluetooth keyboard like (I am seriously considering getting one).

As far as storage capabilities, it has 128MB of RAM, 256MB of flash memory and 2 SD slots for up to 8GB of additional storage. A USB port is included for enabling you to hook up to a PC for data transfer (its 2 SD slots appear as drives). Unfortunately, no host mode for the USB as of now.  (Update: Host mode is now available using OS 2008.)  Battery life is decent--4-5 hours or so with the radios on and more with them off. While this may not be a replacement for the Alphasmart Neo, it would be a great companion for surfing the web, watching videos, listening to tunes and checking e-mail on the go. And at its current price point, it is a steal.   http://www.nseries.com/index.html

10/07