Comments on: Cheap Lappy around $500 — Asus Eee PC or Compaq C710TU?

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:03:59 +0000

I saw an Eee PC today for the first time. The chap who had purchased it for a want of nothing better to do installed XP Media Centre on it. It performed extremely well, in fact better that his current media centre. The external VGA connector allowed us to connect it to a large LCD (40″) and the little thing was able to produce a very high resolution and excellent video play back either from a USB DVD or HDD.
An excellent bit of hardware…

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:47:49 +0000

@Michelel — I actually knew someone who worked in the development team of OLPC. Yes you need to know someone in US to get hold onto one. However Dec 31 last year is the last day of Buy One Give One program so I don’t think you can even buy one now.

@Jonk — thanks to Windows Vista even a 3 yo can use computers! (j/k)

Actually not much is involved for her. She normally just opens it up, click on Firefox (and she knows it is called Firefox), and then just go to the sites that have already been bookmarked by my wife (Sesame Street Workshop, Disney, ABC Kids, etc). My wife loves the fact that my elder daughter can sit down and play with the computers for an hour as that’s about the only time she can take some day nap :)

By: jonk : bargains

jonk : bargains — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:17:14 +0000

Lol, interesting post

Am I the only person who thinks that a 3.5 year old kid is doing pretty amazingly to be using a computer already? I’ve worked with 5, 6, 7 year olds on computers and let me tell you, I found it a very trying experience. Thankfully I only had to do it a few times. I’m not quite sure I would have been able to get a 3 year old going.

Either your daughter is a genius, you’re a genius or you’re both geniuses. :D

By: Michelel

Michelel — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:46:26 +0000

Or…
… make friends with someone in the US and get the One child Laptop. (They only ship to the US but you can have a friend mail it here.) I played with one a few months ago and they are seriously cool on so many levels. Bonus: when you get one someone in the 3rd world gets one too!

By: bill

bill — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:03:27 +0000

yer. the eee is betta for a 3 y/o and its lighter but i dont know a 3 year old who has a laptop!! also its the perfect for a student

By: Paulo

Paulo — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:02:38 +0000

Definitely the Eee, they’re even designed for kids, it’s the right size and even the keyboard is a better size for her, besides it’s a much better gadget which can be abused.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:40:09 +0000

Thanks for all the replies. I think it is more of myself wanting to play around with an Eee than actually wanting to buy a lappy for my 3 y/o :)

Unfortunately the old PC is a Compaq slimeline desktop recycled from work that has half-height PCI slots. USB wifi *might* work although PCI ones are usually better.

I am still hoping to get an Eee sometime this year (yeah I have already made up my mind :)