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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
 Posted - 04 mai 2008 : 19:09:43
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Yesterday I bought an Asus Eee PC. Best Buy had gotten in the Windows XP version (512 RAM, 4Gig memory) for $399 and I just couldn't pass it up. I also added an 8 Gig SD card to hold more programs.
Here you see it running iGuidance. I've used both the Globalsat BU-353 USB receiver and the Deluo Mouse GPS. You need to load drivers for both receivers.
I loaded the programs and all the maps onto the SD card by attaching an outboard DVD unit to the Asus. The Asus, of course, has no inboard optical drives.
Everything works just fine, as you can see in the above shot. Here are another couple of pictures:
Route calculation, and recalculation, is fast. The volume is just fine but the main problem is the screen. It isn't optimized for outdoor use so it washes out in bright light. If you use this in your car then you will want to have some sort of sun shade constructed. The screen is NOT a touchscreen, but I tried the iGuidance UMPC version anyway. I found that the buttons were too big for the display and that the regular PC version worked the best.
The Asus has a video out port and here is a picture of iGuidance running full screen on my spare 19" Samsung monitor:
I've had the unit for less than a day, but so far it is a joy to use. The WiFi reception is excellent. As a matter of fact it is better than my wife's Dell and IBM and equal to, if not slightly better than my MacBook. The machine fits into my medium size Tom Bihn Cafe bag (http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/200/TB0202)
and I hardly know I'm carrying it around. Battery life is spec'd at 3 hours, but I haven't tested it yet. Typing is a bit cumbersome on the small keyboard, but I haven't had much practice.
The machine will remain connected to the Samsung monitor, and when not travelling with it I'll be using it as a spare Windows machine for those things I can't do on my MacBook. I'll probably load up Streets & Trips and will report back with some pictures when I do. |
Don't forget the GPSPassion Club! |
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Marvin Hlavac
Canada
6817 Posts |
Posted - 04 mai 2008 : 19:48:49
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Paul, it's great to read that you've bought the EeePC! How slow/fast does running applications feel? First impressions in comparison to your MacBook, etc...
Why doesn't the GlobalSat GPS unit require any drivers? I thought all USB units did.
Do you find that the PC version of iGuidance has too small buttons, and text, and the UMPC has everything too big? Perhaps an in-between version would be ideal? |
Marvin Hlavac |
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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
Posted - 04 mai 2008 : 20:28:03
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1. Well, it's certainly slower than my macbook but not so slow that it's bothersome. I won't be doing any high end stuff on it anyway. Perfectly fine for a second machine.
2. I just plugged the Globalsat in and iGuidance recognized it. Maybe the version of XP that they use has some sort of drivers built in. I checked the Globalsat site and you are right. Drivers are necessary, so I'll change the text above.
3. The PC version is just fine. Since this isn't a touch screen the button size is not too important anyway. |
Don't forget the GPSPassion Club! |
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Marvin Hlavac
Canada
6817 Posts |
Posted - 05 mai 2008 : 01:38:47
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I envy your new toy, Paul  ! Enjoy it! By the way, do you plan on mounting it in your car, and using it for GPS navigation? |
Marvin Hlavac |
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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
Posted - 05 mai 2008 : 02:37:47
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| Not sure yet. Have to see if I can rig some sort of sun screen. I do have 4 GPS units on my dashboard now! |
Don't forget the GPSPassion Club! |
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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
Posted - 09 mai 2008 : 02:56:07
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I have loaded up Streets & Trips on the Eee PC and it runs just fine. I've been using the Deluo Mouse GPS, and while not as sensitive as a SiRF III unit it seems to work well outside. One odd thing is that with my GlobalSat unit the number of satellites received is displayed by S&T but this is not the case with the Deluo Antaris unit. Voice guidance is loud and route computation time is speedy. Here are some pics I took of the screen.
Streets & Trips, with all its extra bells and whistles, makes an ideal companion on the Eee. The ability to do internet searches from the program on the PC could be extremely useful. The Deluo Navstick GPS might make the best choice for use with the machine, because in order to use the GPS portion of their Mouse GPS you have to disable the mouse function. The Navstick would make an extremely compact package and it is a SiRF III unit.
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Don't forget the GPSPassion Club! |
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34Ford
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 09 mai 2008 : 15:22:05
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Ah, so you bought one. I really like mine. So small and light and the wifi works great with hot spots too.
I had considered installing Mapopolis along with my iGuidance. Do you like Streets & Trips better than Mapopolis?
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Dennis |
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Marvin Hlavac
Canada
6817 Posts |
Posted - 09 mai 2008 : 15:33:47
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Nice photos! If you find that the S&T 2008 "voice guidance is loud",than that's likely thanks to your EeePC. Some people complain that S&T08 is not loud enough on their laptops.
By the way, what screen resolution is the EeePC using? |
Marvin Hlavac |
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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
Posted - 09 mai 2008 : 18:45:56
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Marvin: 800 x 480
34Ford: I don't see how you could get Mapopolis to run under Windows. My memory is that it was for the Pocket PC only. In any event, their maps should be pretty outdated by now and S&T is much better at handling multi-state/multi-county routing. |
Don't forget the GPSPassion Club! |
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34Ford
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 18 juin 2008 : 12:58:03
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Hi Paul,
Just wanted to tell you I sold my 7" EEE for a 8.9" 20G model. If you like I can post some pics of the increased screen size.
So far I like it except the keyboard.
Dennis
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Dennis |
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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
Posted - 18 juin 2008 : 20:30:42
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| Sure, please do. |
Don't forget the GPSPassion Club! |
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34Ford
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 21 juin 2008 : 03:00:32
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Here is a few pics I took. The last one is just to show the screen comparison on Google news.
Its 1024x600 res.
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Dennis |
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paulkbiba
USA
5024 Posts |
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gpspassion
84988 Posts |
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34Ford
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 22 juin 2008 : 17:08:51
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Your welcome.
Well both the 701 and 900 and a bit cramped, but what I meant to say is this new 900 requires you to press the keys in a more "straight on" fashion to get them to work.
The 701 is more forgiving.
I noticed this on the 900 immediately when I was typing in some passwords and found out I had to type more carefully.
Asus next machine the 901 is supposed to have blue tooth built in and the new atom processor. And then their 1000 is coming too.
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Dennis |
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34Ford
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - 07 sept. 2008 : 01:48:22
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And now I have moved up to the Eee PC 1000h model. 10 inch screen, bigger keyboard, 20gig ssd, and bluetooth built in.
All for the same price I paid for the 900.
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Dennis |
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iGuidance/Streets & Trips on Eee PC with Win XP
