@Keebz: Thanks.

MagnoliaBoy

how am i supposed to hook this up to my TV with no HDMI, Optical, Composite, Component connections? Through DVI and old skool L-R stereo?

for a secondary desktop in the kids rooms its a deal!

no DVD/cd is a big negative, i might as well get a refurbished machine for that much...

B1663R

@MagnoliaBoy: It has a power Adapter, which is different, power supply was just an example. Not saying it's a bad PC, just that it doesn't fit my specific needs.

MagnoliaBoy

I really wonder whether this fits any need; I don't think it'll be great as a MythTV box - the processor and video capabilities just don't seem to be up to snuff. As a cheap desktop, the lack of optical drive means getting a $100 external one that reduces the value and increases the clutter. If I had to outfit an internet startup on a budget of a few thousand dollars, I'd probably get a dozen of these, but for any kind of home use it just seems to be off on the specs by >that much<

weatherman

Are these Hackintoish Capable?

pomophobe

ok. If they can figure out a way to squeeze a blu-ray drive into this thing, this would make a killer HTPC !!

kchilaka

i may not have a use for this (today) but i'm glad somebody is making a box like this.

i just wish it had one PCI slot.

tucker

@MagnoliaBoy: I'm pretty sure that the PSU is one of those external power "bricks." Not something you would have to send the entire thing in for.

Keebz

Dude! that is fantastic pricing! Sure hope they start selling the seperate components in this size, so I can continue to feed my family by selling this stuff to people for less than Best Buy and Circuit City.

Evan394

FUCKING SOLD!

robotleawesome

@vividaurora: I'm talking about the insides. What are you going to do when the power supply blows. Go to CompPOS and pick up a new one? No, you'll need to call Asus and send it in. Doubt they would sell you one directly. The way the thing is put together, there are no user replacable parts inside it. No room for future expansion (not much anyway).

MagnoliaBoy

No optical drive. :(

or

May boost the sales of USB optical drives.

Windhawk

I think this is a great small form factor cheap PC. Exactly what I was looking to get my mom so she can get online and organize her digital pictures. All of her gadgets are either hand me downs or presents from me so it would be good to get her going on a computer like this where she can manage all of her gadgets (i.e. mp3 player, digital camera, etc) and email friends overseas. Large desktops are too much for her to move around and laptops have screens that are too small (or get too heavy with bigger screens). I think anyone who has a single parent living alone can agree that staying connected in this digital world can be difficult to the older generation who never fully embraced personal computers and the internet.

TOWken22

FSB 533 - is this thing strong enough?

i mean a refurb lappie is around 800

flyboy

@MagnoliaBoy: Proprietary connections? Dude, it's got DVI and USB and an Ethernet port. Since when were any of those proprietary?

vividaurora

I just wondering how do you do a recovery of Windows when it fails or becomes corrupted with no optical drive, what do you do send the computer back to Asus ?

utube2007

I'm sold... I mean, a machine for my kids - this would be MOST ideal! Hook up a cheaper 15/17" LCD, this is the perfect solution for the kids.

ksat

I dunno, gotta give a 'Meh' on this one. Would say it looks like a good replacement for my kids hand-me down boxes, but I know I could scrounge around for parts if they break down, or build allot better one for $350 or $400 dolllars that wouldn't have all propriatary connectors and with more hardware selection further down the line. I could see this being a good PC though for others, just not me.

MagnoliaBoy

@D0rk: Exactly where I'm coming from.

Gimme. Where do I order?

strider_mt2k

I know as a mid-twenties male I should base my purchases on the relevant merits of the product, the cost-benefit analysis I come up with when looking at my budget, and, when it comes to gadgets, the relative utility of the item when compared to the similar items I already own.

But it's just so DAMN CUTE.

PipeRifle

Holy crap I think I've found my next toy.

Nice.

strider_mt2k

300? I think i'm sold. I've been wanting a mini pc to toy with on my desk along side my main desktop. This looks like it's the one.

D0rk

If only the Mac Mini came in that price!

Earthslide

Mon Dieu! French Linux? Vive le Quebec libre!

Maksimir

Damn! They'd make it cheaper than my planned mini-itx build.

ripfire4

That would be nice on a new big LCD to ditch the cable, which I am dying to do. I need a second job to afford all this cool stuff.

maven2k

Anyone notice the picture of this Wii-alike with it's wii-mote in the gallery??? No shame for Asus I see.

sergio_e

and also; let me buy this nao, thnx.

robotleawesome

will it play sims2? Daughter destroyed her inspiron.

cubejockey

@PipeRifle: I'm gonna have to punch your mancard for referring to a computer as 'cute'

Superevil

@pomophobe: Possibly, someone has gotten OSX running on Atom - and it benched pretty well.

robotleawesome

@B1663R: DVI to HDMI cable (or adapter) for the video, SPDIF coax for digital sound.

aseriesoftubes

I wonder how well it will handle HD playback. My hunch is that it won't, but I'd like to be wrong.

aseriesoftubes

@flyboy: A FSB of 533MHz is more than serviceable for the market this is after. My Rev A Macbook has just over 600MHz and it runs Leopard just fine. My PowerMac G4 MD, which I just upgraded to Leopard (preserved Tiger for my heavy duty work stuff on a separate volume) runs just fine with its paltry 133MHz FSB runs surprisingly well too.

Kaiser-Machead

forget it then, thanks

cubejockey

@sergio_e: No, because it's more like a Mac Mini (sans optical drive) due to round corners.

ripfire4

Question, Question, I have a question!!!

Say I want to put a new OS on my system...how the hell am I going to do it? I can get an external drive, sure. But will the BIOS read off an external disc drive? HMMMMM?

ChrisH027

dust of that old Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive
no need for another external usb drive :)
it might be bigger than this sucker though

jadams

@savedsoul: It's got 4 total USB ports though. Also, Bluetooth is an option.

matt buchanan

I'm seriously thinking about getting this just to use for web browsing.

Current home computer usage for me is probably 95% web surfing and 5% gaming. Having a dedicated browsing box would save me from having to fire up the noisy gaming rig all the time.

Bender

Does anyone know of a DVI + SPDIF to HDMI adapter (sometimes called audio injector) that doesn't cost as much as the eee box itself??? That would've made it the perfect Media PC that sits behind my TV...

[www.gefen.com]

Makkuro

The price is great! I might pick one up when it's released depending on the results of a few benchmarks vs. a Mac Mini Core 2 Duo.

But the one thing I believe it's missing (well there are a few, but the one I'm MOST upset about) is the lack of interconnectivity for external hardware. 2xUSB 2.0 slots you say ... I say thats depressing. Mac's have a 'firewire' slot ... and they should both have an eSATA for fast interfacing to quality external enclosures. Streaming video content over USB will be painful.

But now that I'm complaining, I'll mention the lack of an optical device (which has already been overstated) which I can tolerate, but how about an integrated IR port ... or a bluetooth connection ... big oops I think for those that would like to have this thing power something HTPC related! And I know it's a pipe dream, but Cable coax in and HDMI out would really be a nice "option".

Now that I think about it ... it's probably not worth it without the at least the remote interfaces. After plugging in the wifi antenna, usb mux, wireless keyboard, 'air mouse', IR receiver, bluetooth dondle, and gimped external harddrive, you have a:
1: Much more expensive PC than the $300 price point.
2: A cluttered mess for a setup.

Funny how I talked myself out of this purchase in only a few minutes :). But don't let me dissuade you, I'm just saying it's probably not for me.

savedsoul

Where can I place an order? This is perfect for my current needs.

ChrisH027

@sergio_e: It's the Weee!

CaseyG

@MagnoliaBoy: Yeah, my buddy here at work said something about loading from usb, and instead of thinking for just half a second, I panicked.

ChrisH027

@ChrisH027: Too late, sorry.

MagnoliaBoy

@ChrisH027: Haven't seen a computer made in the last 5 years that didn't have a boot from USB option, i could be wrong though. I think finding the appropriate drivers may be a larger issue.

MagnoliaBoy

@ChrisH027: I retract my previous statement. In a moment of panic, I managed to forget that USB loading of BIOS is just about a standard now, and has been for years. PHEW.

ChrisH027

Sounds like alot of you are trying to make this something it's not. It's a mini computer, not a HTPC.

Not sure why so many people are trying to make this into a HTPC. I suspect it's because we are all cheap bastards at heart. Myself included. I'd love to have a HTPC, but don't want to plunk down a lot of money for a 3rd computer.

A $300 PC like this would fit the bill nicely, if only it was completely different.

Bender

If it had an MPEG-2 TV-tuner (like Hauppauge PVR-100), it'd make a killer MythTV box. My current MythTV box is HUGE for what it does - mainly, record TV shows and share them on my network, along with music and videos.

Although it would make great MythTV Frontends for the other TVs in the house.

Grodesh

So, now we call asus' remote and Eeemo-te?

I know, I know...

Groggy Banana

This PC would make an ideal kids computer. The one thing I worry about from my experience of the 701 is the version of Linux that it runs. I think I would just dump it for Ubuntu or similar because I don't trust an Asus + Xandros hybrid with questionable support.

DrXym

I can't imagine using this as a desktop computer for a lot of reasons, but I can imagine using it as a universal console attached to my TV, replacing my increasingly-temperamental modded XBox. The hardware should be more than adequate to run emulators from the 2600 through the SNES, maybe even through the N64, and the Wii-knockoff case and controllers would sit nicely alongside my Wii. Also, if the video hardware can handle it, running something like XBMC on the machine gives you a great media player. Now Asus just has to release a good Bluetooth keyboard with a built-in touchpad.

AtomicPlayboy

$30 for either XP or double the memory / hard disk?

Really nice toy. I don't need one, can't figure out what I would use it for, but I'm seriously tempted.

theimmc

oh my & i juz bought 1 from dell wit all da same specs juz a tiny bit bigger for more $, not to mention not as cute as this. even tho i know i wont need dis its 2 cute 2 pass

niel718

@Bender: I think that people are interested in the idea of using this box as something like a media center extender, just streaming the vids from the HTPC to remote TVs elsewhere in the house with this little box (i.e. this box is with the remote TV).

I think we all understand that hooking up an external tuner to this and trying to turn it into an HTPC/DVR would almost surely end in tears...

/duh

bpapa9013

Sure but will it run cr.... Nah, thats getting old.

eFrisk

@MagnoliaBoy: If these things take off there will be parts galore on ebay...

@ChrisH027: So long as the BIOS support it, it is dead easy to create a bootable USB key with drivers enough to get a USB CD drive running to re-install ur OS. BartPE via USB baby!

bpapa9013

ehhhh i'd rather put my $ towards a hackintosh....

MrBlahBlah

@b3n: my guess? pretty much silent.

firesign

how loud is it?

b3n

@AtomicPlayboy: You're right on the money. This would make a decent XBMC box especially if you already have the 360 controllers or feel like splicing up regular xbox controllers and pinning out a usb dongle (instructions everywhere on the internet). I have a macbook pro i use for the same thing.

Now all they have to do is make a decent cheap gaming box. It's definitely possible if they could get microsoft to release a stripped down version of windows that just ran DX9/10. Throw 2 midrange video cards in sli/crossfire, with 2 gb of ram and a proccesor we'd be in business and you would probably revitalize pc gaming.

kingbob337

This is perfect for a box to setup and run a home automation system. Pair this low powered PC up with some Z-Wave stuff for the rest of your house and you have a very usable system that could save you a lot of energy.

M.A.S.

Nobody here seeing it as a nice little homeserver ?
Definitely going to buy one to put next to my Wireless router/modem and function as fileserver/downloadthingy/etc.

jorisje

This will sit nicely beside the Wii. DVI-HDMI and audio to my receiver. Sold!

electrikecho

GMA 950? It can't drive 1920x1080? Erg. So much for being a TV box potential.

But finally, a small box with gigabit Ethernet. At least it might make a good streaming server!

lilbyrdie

wow, below $300...that was the sweet spot. Might have to pickup one of these.

xxdesmus

@lilbyrdie: I agree. The 1600x1200 limit is the biggest drawback to me so far. Having it able to display native res on a 1920 LCD TV would be great for music. Not sure if processor could handle good video though.

jamus

@robotleawesome: Seriously. I would happily buy one of these right now and do some client work on it starting tomorrow morning. The Eee Box B202 looks like a very decent little system.

I wonder how large the "19Vdc, 4.74A, 65W power adaptor" is, how much the optional Bluetooth expansion is, whether said Bluetooth expansion is internal or external, and whether the video system can drive a 1680x1050 display, which has vertical and overall resolutions that are less than 1600x1200 despite the slightly greater horizontal resolution.

For anyone who is not quite happy with the specifications, remember that this is merely the first model; more capable models will almost certainly follow, including both later contemporary models and eventually replacement models. This is the way of things.

Brian Sexton

@ChrisH027: It's 2008 and any manufacturer shipping hardware that can't boot from a USB optical drive does not deserve your business.

Brian Sexton

@utube2007: Just plug an external optical drive into one of the four USB ports and off you go. And if you're using the optical drive only occasionally for installations, backups, and such, you can share one such external drive among multiple systems and shelve it when not in use, saving you money and keeping desktop clutter to a minimum.

Brian Sexton

WTF. If you want a cheap PC, you build it yourself. I do everything I want on my PC, and for a little less than the $300 (Granted, I DID get most of the components on black friday)

Alucard

@Alucard: Show me where to buy parts to build my own pc that small and I'll be all over it.

ChrisH027

If it does touch screens, I want one for all my bosses propane trucks. GPS USB dongles for "you want me to go where?" MP3 player for my podcasts and audio books. Backup and side mirror cameras with Hellfire missile targeting. Remote camera system so I can monitor filling progress from inside the truck at 2AM when it's -14 degrees outside.

DevSpamNull

I'm already laying the ground work for one of these.

The time factor simply insures my sincerity. :)

strider_mt2k