Sarkle Original: We take a look at the ASUS eee PC, and give you some tips for getting started with this fantastic portable device.

The ASUS eee PC has gone from strength to strength since its launch late last year. ASUS have a released a number of new models, but the original eee – the 701 4G – still represents the best value. It is lightweight (0.92kg), reasonably fast, and has lots of great features. Its only real drawbacks are a slightly smaller screen and keyboard than new models, and the small amount of storage available (maybe 500Mb after the updates are installed). The good news is that you get used to the small size, and for extra storage you can just pick up a USB flash drive.

The best thing about the 701 is the price – our friends at DealsDirect now offer the ASUS eee PC 701 4G for just $399 – a 20% saving on the original price and less than half the cost of most full-size laptops.

Things you can do with the eee PC

Here are five great things you do with your eee PC:

1. Browse Sarkle (where else?) and pretty much any other website with Firefox, including popular Web spots like eBay, Wikipedia, Blogger, YouTube, MySpace and Facebook

2. Video call your mates with Skype using the built-in webcam

3. Write up some study or work notes in OpenOffice.org Writer

4. Play a quick game of Solitaire or Tetris, or one of the five other mini-games

5. Sort through photos on your camera’s SD memory card using the Photo Manager and the built-in card reader

Plus, thanks to the wonders of mobile broadband, you can browse the Internet anywhere when you combine your eee PC with a compatible mobile broadband modem. For as little as $15 per month, you can connect to the Internet anywhere – cafes, on the train, even at the beach!

Convinced? Click here to buy your new Eee PC now!

Getting started

So you’ve bought your brand new eee PC and taken it out of the box. What next? Keep reading for 5 great tips for getting started:

1. Charge the battery
   Remember, you need to charge the battery for the first time, but don’t let that stop you turning the eee PC on. Once the eee PC is plugged in, you can turn it on and get started while the battery charges

2. Configure a permanent wireless connection
   If you have a wireless network at home, you can configure the eee PC to connect to it automatically when you turn it on. (If you’re not at home, the eee PC just starts normally without making a fuss.) Click on the Network icon on the main screen, then click Create and select Local Area Network – Wireless from the list. Follow the prompts to configure the correct security settings, and be sure to check the Connect automatically at system startup box at the end.

3. Get more room for web browsing
   Open the web browser and go to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4650 to install the Fullerscreen addon. Then, any time when you want to dedicate the entire screen to browsing the ‘net, just press the F11 key near the top right-hand corner of the keyboard. If you want to move between tabs, or access the Address Bar, just move the mouse cursor towards the top of the screen. To exit full screen mode, just press F11 again.

4. Update the eee PC
   Since the eee PC’s release, ASUS has released a large number of important updates, including some security fixes and new features like video calling in Skype. Go to the Settings tab and click Add/Remove Programs. After this, click on the various Update buttons to update your computer. There is no need to restart the eee PC after each update – just wait until the end and then reboot the computer. Note that when you restart wireless may be disabled. Press Fn and F2 together to turn the wireless off and then the same buttons together a second time to turn the wireless back on. Finally, restart the computer again to reinitialise the connection to your wireless network.

5. Connect to your printer
   If you have a home network, you can share your printer to the eee PC. Most modern printers are supported. Firstly, follow the instructions here to share your printer if you haven’t already. Secondly, go to the Settings tab, click on Printers, and then click the Add button. Follow the prompts to connect to your network printer. Note that if your exact printer model is not listed, you can always try a similar model – mostly this will work without issue. Remember that when you print from an application for the first time, you may need to change the paper size to A4 from the default US Letter.

For more help with your eee PC, be sure to visit the EEEUser.com forums, at www.eeeuser.com.

Remember DealsDirect have the eee PC 701 for 20% off the recommended price… !

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