After seeing how nicely vinyl dye recolored my AlphaSmart Neo, I had to try the same thing on a spare Dana I picked up from ebay. This time I used SEM's "Portola Red" Color Coat product. (The Neo is "Flame Red.”) I think it turned out really well. I like the darker red. It seems like it won’t draw as much attention as the brighter red of the Neo.
Even though I live in Taiwan, I hadn't had a chance to play with the Asus Eee PC until just a few days ago. (I've seen a few in local coffee shops, but I never had the nerve to ask if I could fondle the keyboard.)
Anyhow, wow… the thing is small. Much smaller than I expected. I really like what Asus is doing with this device. "Real" laptops are not truly mobile devices… they are portable desktops, running an OS that makes more sense in a system that doesn't need to be booted up or shut down all the time. The Eee boots in under 20 seconds, shuts down just as fast, and fits in a small bag or coat pocket. It is 1/5th the price of most subnotebooks, does 80% of what most people use a computer for, and 100% of what people use their computers for when sitting in a coffee shop. This market is going to be huge.
That said, I do hope for a real keyboard that I can touch type on, and a larger LCD. I think the Palm Foleo got a lot of things right. Instant-on, lovely form-factor, real keyboard… a mobile work pad for all the moments of life when you wouldn't think of using a full laptop. Too bad Palm didn't bring the Foleo to market.
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