EEE “most wished for” computer for 2007?

According to this report on BusinessWire, Amazon has announced that the EEE 4G was the “most wished for” computer for 2007, based on the number of people who had the EEE on their Amazon.com wishlist. Perhaps if more stock had been available, it could have made the “most purchased” list too – could it have competed with the Nokia Internet tablet and the Apple machines on the list, though?

Eee PC accessories & extras

Asus has launched a range of official accessories for the EEE. Some of them are, erm, interesting (pastel coloured mouse, anyone?), but the spare AC adapter and extended battery should be useful. There’s no news as to price, or availability, but, they do at least show Asus’ commitment to the EEE.

Case Logic HDC-1

I was looking for a case for my EEE, which would offer more protection that the supplied slipcase, allow me to carry my power supply, hard drive and other small accessories, but without the bulk of a “full” laptop case. Case Logic’s hard drive case (HDC-1) caught my eye, and, through an Amazon Marketplace vendor for £13.50, I decided to give it a go, and see whether it would suit my needs for carrying my EEE or not.

The case is nicely made, with a substantial feel to it. The external colouring of the case is quite understated, being a mixture of black and reasonably dark grey, with a variety of materials used in the construction. The inside of the case is a bright yellow colour, but, as this is hidden away for most of the time, this doesn’t bother me. The zip feels solid, and the ends are padded, in case you accidentally knock into something. The body of the case is made from reasonably thick material, but, the whole thing encourages me to trust it holding my EEE. The hand is small, but is also padded, so it is unlikely to cut into your hand too much. My preference would have been for a shoulder strap, but, perhaps the number of people who wish to carry their hard drives over their shoulder is limited; in any case, it would be possible to add a loop to the handle, to give me this capability, should I want to do so in the future.

The inside of the case has a vertical divider, which is stitched on one side, and held in place by Velcro on the other. I’ve found that this divider is best kept “floating”, so do not bother to attach the Velcro; this approach didn’t seem satisfactory at first, but, with the amount that I want to carry in this case, it ended up being the only practical approach. So, what do I have in my case?

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• Asus EEE
• Power supply
• Western Digital Passport 250GB HDD
• Bluetooth dongle
• USB corded mini travel mouse
• Spare battery (checked by removing my current battery, for when my spare battery arrives)

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It’s a bit of a tight fit, but not to the extent that I am worried about breaking, or even scratching, any of the items. For smaller items (in my case, the mouse and the Bluetooth dongle) there is a small, zippered compartment in the top of the case (the flap which opens), which would be suitable for storing memory cards and the like; I didn’t notice this at first, although, it is clearly visible in the photograph above. With all my kit in position (everything goes in the same place each time, and there is a packing order to get it in correctly), the zip fastens without a problem, but, the case does bulge slightly. Without the extra battery, this is significantly reduced, so, should be absolutely fine for most people.

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Overall, and notwithstanding the slightly bulging sides, I am very pleased with this case, as it means that I can have everything to do with my EEE in one place. The price was very reasonable (even after delivery at about £4.50), and I am now carrying me EEE around with me, with confidence that it will not come to harm, and with the advantage of all my accessories being in one place – I just need to remember to grab the one bag in the morning.

The case appears to be available from PCWorld and the like, as well as online.

Cup Holder Car Mount for Asus EEE PC

Okay, so I wouldn’t usually post a link to a website called “mountguys”, but, this time it’s slightly different- although it looks a bit off, the cup-holder car mount could be useful for those of you who travel as a passenger in a car on a regular basis, and want to use your EEE. Or a driver, who wants to use the EEE when stationary. For the price, you can’t go far wrong…

£5 off all Eee PC cases

PDA Hut are offering £5 off any Eee PC Case ordered before or on 10th January 2008. Hand crafted in soft leather, this beautifully custom designed high quality case is designed to fit your Asus Eee PC securely.
- Contains 2 credit card slot and 4 memory card slots.
- Magnetic closer for ease of use.- White stitching compliments the case perfectly and has magnetic closer for ease of use.

Please note, first stock of these is expected to arrive on 7th January, 2008. Place you order today, your Credit Card payment is not release until stock is dispatched.

Order today and receive £5 discount.
At checkout, in discount coupon field, please enter “asuseepeeoffer” without quotes. Offer ends 10th January, 2008. Offer subject to stock availability.

They have various Eee PC cases available- more details are here.

Leather case for Asus Eee PC 700/701 – Book Type (Brown/Crocodile Pattern)

PDair has released a smart looking case for the Eee PC, in Crocodile pattern leather (not real Crocodile skin:))-

Crocodile Pattern.
Contains 2 credit card slot and 4 memory card slots.
Opens and closes with magnetic ,for ease of use.
White stitch finishing,making this case look more beautiful.

Eee PC with touch screen (video demo)

Richard spotted this You Tube video demonstrating a touch screened Eee PC. Real of fake? You decide…

QuickTip: keyboard shortcuts

Several people have asked me about mapping shortcuts on the keyboard in Advanced mode, as things like Ctl+Alt+T no longer launch the terminal.

To map key shortcuts using a GUI, use Launch / Control Centre / Control Centre, and select General Settings / Key Assignments.

If you want to map a shortcut to a particular application, select the middle tab in Keyboard Shortcuts, called Command Shortcuts, and then follow the tree to whatever application you want.

Select the application, and, in the box below titled “Shortcut for the Selected Command”, change the radio button from “None” to “Custom”. In the ensuing pop-up window, press the key combination you want to use. That’s pretty much it

Brando Eee PC Case Review

Eee PC owners have had to wait a while for the first cases to appear but finally they are starting to ship. The Eee PC is so portable that it simply must have a case because it is likely to be carried on a train, dumped in a briefcase and go through the rigors of it’s owners for a large proportion of the day. My ideal case must keep the portability of the Eee PC itself and thus act as a protective skin, without adding too much bulk.

The Brando case is designed to carry the Eee without adding any bulk, yet still affords good protection thanks to the fairly rigid leather structure. The front and back are protected well but there is little protection on the sides and back. To be fair, this is a logical compromise because the Eee has a lot of ports that the user will require access to and the Brando case leaves them all open for use when in situ. The ‘in situ’ ability of this case is what I like the most because I can use the Eee 100% with the case attached, as I am now, and I strongly suspect that the Eee will be spending 98% of it’s life shrouded in $38 of leather for here on in.

On the underside are 5 sets of air vents which is good to see. Those of you who own an Eee will know that it can get a bit hot during prolonged periods of use and thus ventilation is essential. The Eee is held in place by a strip below the keyboard that surrounds the trackpad with holes for the front LEDs, SD card slot and headphone/mic jacks. Fortunately this strip is thin enough to not interfere with the trackpad and actually feels more comfortable when resting your hands on it than the bare Eee PC.

When closed the case is secured by the now standard magnetic circular set up and is placed far enough in to stop accidental undoing when picking it up. It is difficult to write case reviews at the best of time because they are ultimately just pieces of leather designed to suit a particular device. If they are designed well, made of good quality materials and good value for money then they deserved to be recommended. In the case of the Brando case, I am pleased to say that it ticks all 3 boxes and would be a good purchase for any Eee owner. The inclusion of 4 SD slots and a slot for credit and business cards is an added bonus. I suspect my search for a case for my Eee is now well and truly over…

Available from http://shop.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=02253 for US$38.00

Brando Eee PC case

My Brando Eee PC case has just arrived- expect a review tomorrow. First impressions are good value at $38 and Brando is offering free shipping until 8th January.

Brando Workshop Leather Case is made of fine genuine leather. The leather case offers high protection for your device. It features a slim, perfectly fit and stylish design.