It’s True: New Batch of Eee PC’s Missing Mini-PCIe Connector
December 2nd, 2007 by antWhich Eee PC did you get?
It seems as though there are two models of the ASUS Eee PC 4G: the “7A” and the “7B.” Both are the same price ($399) and identical to the untrained eye. There is one difference: the 7B is missing the second mini-PCIe (PCI Express Mini Card) expansion connector.
Yes, that’s the slot that this forbes article talks about for expanding the storage of the Eee PC:
But Asustek clearly wants to connect with the first billion, too. For instance, the 2- to 8-gigabyte memory cards can be upgraded to 32 gigabytes
Apparently, they’re not so much interested in the first billion anymore.
How can you tell which one you have? The serial number starts with either “7A” or “7B.” This can be found on a sticker on the back of the Eee PC. Of course, to see for yourself if your Eee PC actually has the second Mini-PCIe slot, you have to destroy the little yellow tab covering the screws of the hatch on the bottom of the Eee PC. By doing this, you are voiding your Eee PC’s warranty. If your SSD dies within the next year, you not only don’t have a warranty to get it fixed, but also can’t pop in a new SSD storage module into the secondary Mini-PCIe slot- since there isn’t a connector for it.
Early reports indicated that the loss of the connector had to do with black colored units or units shipped to the United Kingdom. I can confirm now that my US Pearl White Eee PC 4G bought via Newegg does not have the second Mini-PCIe connector. It is a 7B unit.
I’m now left with no warranty and no second Mini-PCIe connector- on a device that cost exactly double the original announcement from way back in June.
The weirdest part is that it seems to just be missing the connector itself, which is just a piece of metal. Cost savings? $1.
Regardless, I’d like to hear what ASUS has to say about this. I’m not very happy at all.
[edit @ 1:10am]:
Apparently, according to this thread (thanks muha), there are some users with serial numbers that start with 7B that actually DO have mini-pcie connectors. What in the world is going on?
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:03 am
My s/n starts 79OAAQ001… and then it’s sort of rubbed off. White 4G from Citrus Micro, shipped Nov 1. Haven’t cracked it open yet. Tough to tell.
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:08 am
ASUS is making a big mistake.
I was telling folks to get this Eee PC, now I am not. Easily many unit will not be bought, as well, you know, no word of mouth.
ASUS - please put back the miniPCIe. Why be so stupid?
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:37 am
ASUS is making to many variations with the same model # by having the PCIE on some and not on others. I like many other will avoid the Eee PC till ASUS gets this straight. I guess this is why many people avoid first generation products.
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:47 am
To be fair, this was never a published feature from Asus. We shouldn’t get so upset at something that was never promised.
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:04 am
This isn’t verified yet! In fact, someone on the forum reported that they had a mini PCIe connector on their 7B unit.
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:07 am
Here is the thread: http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=3824
Look at the first two posts. Both people report 7B units WITH the connectors.
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:09 am
I’m confirming that I do not have a mini-pcie connector on my own Eee PC with a serial number starting with 7B. What post on the forum are you referring to, muha?
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:09 am
Ah, thanks. Interesting.
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:40 am
how to check? sorry for my ignorance
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:47 am
Wait, you mean Asus has been raising prices and dropping specs?!?!
Sorry, but the eeePC is one of the most brazen examples of bait-and-switch marketing I can recall. It’s certainly the worst one I’ve fallen for myself.
Yeah, I bought one. I’d have purchased one of these things anyway. Why they felt the need to piss me off in the process I will never understand.
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:00 am
Regardless of whether this turns out to be the case once more data is in, it’s quite common for companies to build earlier units with a little extra flexibility so they can go back and make changes if it turns out there’s something that wasn’t anticipated.
Make buying decisions on the announced specs, and I don’t think those have changed since launch.
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:27 am
I just ordered one from ncix.com I’ll check and see if the minipcie is there or not, it’s a black one so should be a newer model. Check out my site for some EEE tutorials http://eeetutorials.blogspot.com
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:30 am
“What in the world is going on?”, indeed!
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:32 am
Perhaps earlier 7B models still have it? More digits may be needed!
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:37 am
If there is just a connector missing then it can be soldered - you just buy a connector and use some soldering station (or find a man with one).
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:25 am
mine is a 790aa unit too. and it defintiely has the connector…checked it when i upgraded to 2 gigs…bought it on launch day…white 4g 701
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:39 am
Mine starts with 7A. But I’m not too comfortable with voiding my warranty by opening that back slot. That is unless there is a really compelling reason to do so (maybe to install another SSD). Now if only there was a way to remove the sticker safely without getting torn.
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:41 am
A big mistake? Really? for the average user, who cares if it doesn’t have the card slot? Not too many applications for that anyhow. There is no bait-and-switch, as one person said - it was never advertised in any form. The price, quit complaining. This is still this best computer you can get for $400 anywhere on the planet. There is nothing else like this in existence - size, power, capabilities. Asus has done a great thing and all you want to do is complain.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:09 am
Ditto 7B no PCI-E. Socket removed.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:16 am
jangelo
-Where do you live? The sticker and the tie-in warranty in the US, is most likely not legal (meaning that if ASUS may be in line for a class action of some kind, if they deny the warranty with any kind of sticker restriction to access.
see:
http://cliffhacks.blogspot.com/2007/11/asus-eeepc-first-impressions-and-gpl.html
Quote- “The Magnuson-Moss Act is a 1975 Federal law that lays down some rules for how consumer warranties work. One of the specific things it prohibits are “tie-ins,” additional items or services you must buy from the manufacturer to make your warranty work. (This is why for-pay warranties these days are euphemistically termed ’service contracts.’)”.
Prometheus -
Do you work for ASUS? Who do you work for. The excitement for the unit, pre-release, was due to what folks saw inside, and not the Xandros OS (as Xandros has made a deal with Microsoft, and many as soon as they get their unit ONLY want to get another Distro on it (one that has not made a deal with the Microsoft) ASAP. The advantage of the miniPCIe is that when a SSD is available for it, or a combo bluetooth and SSD, that a dual boot can be done, using a easy to install Eeebuntu distro .iso file (burned to CD) that has all that is needed to install to such a miniPCIe device… and the proprietary wireless, if that is a problem, can be used anyway from the Xandros install (as it has been paid for, really the only use for Xandros on this unit). Ubuntu repositories have a HUGE amount of software available, that is the real value of Ubuntu over Xandros (Xandros has it’s own repo that is limited, very limited, and tied into just the whims of Xandros, and with their deal with MS, who knows what crap will show up there, with what kind of future EULA). Got it now?
Freedom to tinker. That is what the GPL is all about.
Ubuntu’s massive following is who you want to sell this to. Ubuntu and Red Hat ARE NOT going to cut any deal with Microsoft. OpenSolaris might even be fully GPL 3, making it too and option for install on the Eee PC (that is why the mini PCIe is important - Freedom to upgrade and improve where ASUS has left us with an inferior spec, we just want to improve on it at will)!
Oh - if you want to understand the Open Source thing and more importantly the GPL then read this below:
Your future business needs mandates that regarding he
GPL, that you should be aware of what is going on.
Below, is for anyone who really wants to know why you use and participate in GPL projects/products (not just LINUX, but any other GPL’d product, for example Sun’s UNIX OPEN OS is on it’s way to being tracked as a GPL licensed software, the Asterisk, HylaFax, Samba, and other software is under a GPL license as well - but I don’t know for sure if it all is at GPLv3 yet, Samba is). Anyway, if time is an investment for you,then you should spend about 1.5
hours and view this:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2408787365037153871
Eben Moglen was indeed a programmer at IBM, and Eben is now a lawyer who was key in the understanding and the GPL direction, and the GPL direction is not a Free
Software direction but instead it is an open knowledge direction, it is a direction of understanding the foundations for the reasoning of the GPL evolution process, and that the GPL process is a process of KNOWLEDGE sharing, vs a direction of using or being locked-in to code that does not promote KNOWLEDGE at
all (like Microsoft wants). Xandros likes the GPL, maybe, but why did they do the patent deal with Microsoft (patents that MS has not published openly so that FOSS can see what they are, and so can challenge them and defeat them - as many software patents now are likely to be defeated using the Supreme Court’s new “obvious” test. In fact, this test, because software is math, might defeat all software, as math is math. Even encryption, not a software only invention, can not be patented. The UK Court of Appeal has ruled that software patents can not exist, it is only a matter of time before the law in other countries wakes up to this “correct” reality as well. Copyright is the rightful protector of software, and only copyright. With GPL 3, we are again free to tinker and share, like in a time past that Eben talks about in the above video.
ASUS could profit from getting an education about where the world is headed, and once educated can then profit by it. GPL3 is heaven for hardware makers.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:17 am
http://flipbitsnotburgers.blogspot.com/2007/12/7a-vs-7b-eee-pcs.html 7A vs 7B Eee PCs - do YOU have the extra mini PCIe connector?
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:22 am
My 7B0AAQ01xxxx do not have a mini-pcie connector
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:27 am
Black 7A Ultra here, ordered 11/24 from JR.com in NYC, received 11/27, it HAS the connector. What can I do with it?
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:04 am
Prometheus-
Footnote, due to reference above, if you did not know, article about the UK not allowing pure software or business method patents anymore (see links below):
” Software patent rulings become Patent Office benchmark”, OUT-LAW News, 09/11/2006
http://www.out-law.com/default.aspx?page=7457
“The law in the UK says that inventions which are business methods and computer programs and nothing more cannot be patented”.
also-
“Ideas behind computer games can be copied, says Court of Appeal”
OUT-LAW News, 22/03/2007
http://www.out-law.com/page-7896
“General ideas and structures behind computer games and programs can be copied as long as the source code and graphics are not, the Court of Appeal has ruled”.
Much of modern law, in many free countries around the world, finds some roots in the English Legal system. The UK is leading on fairness and the law again. Now the rest of the world needs to wake up as well.
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:07 am
http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/modding-the-asus-701-eee/
“Inserting a Novatel mini PCIe EVDO card into the empty mini PCIe card slot disabled the built-in SSD - as a result, my Eee was unable to boot! I think this mini PCIe card slot is designed for an optional SSD that replaces the built-in SSD…”
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:16 am
Skender-
Makes sense, as if the built-in SSD, soldered onto MB, goes down the tubes (after the warranty has expired), then what use, other than being a coffee mug coaster, is the Eee PC then?
The miniPCIe, it seems, is a needed feature.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:29 am
Needed, mistake… dang you people are dramatic.
It’s not a published feature. 90% of users (people that probably don’t post here) won’t EVER use it. Remember it is warranty voiding to get to it.
Put down the pitch forks. It’s absent on some probably because of a supply issue. Why is the initial reation that “ASUS is out to screw us?”
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:02 am
xwing-
“you people”??? user forums are mostly “you people types” if you did not notice.
Anyway - per an above post… It is reported that everything needed to run the miniPCIe, is *still* on the MB, except that now there is NO connector part now (a part that might cost 5 cents, the poster above was generous that it would cost a dollar - in china? (nope, 2 cent tops for that part).
My guess, a pure guess, is that Microsoft, who wants to have the hardware and software locked down to be “registered” with Microsoft, where folks can’t just swap out the SSDs and share them between machines…, that MS did not want removable OS capability when the XP ones hit the stores (so ASUS took out the to satisfy Microsoft). Just a guess.
Oh read this and find the part about the warranty sticker and it’s value.
http://cliffhacks.blogspot.com/2007/11/asus-eeepc-first-impressions-and-gpl.html
read the part of the page that starts with “However, since I’m already pretending to be a lawyer in this post, allow me to discuss the Magnuson-Moss Act, what it says about tie-ins, and what exactly ASUS is doing here”.
It is a very good read.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:16 am
********
Yes, that’s the slot that this forbes article talks about for expanding the storage of the Eee PC:
“But Asustek clearly wants to connect with the first billion, too. For instance, the 2- to 8-gigabyte memory cards can be upgraded to 32 gigabytes”
********
I’d disagree, when I read the forbes article the first thing that came to mind was the actual SD slot, at the moment SDs range up to 8gig but there is already support in SDHC for up to 32gig. It then mentions the Ram and the screws to change the ram but as other people have aleady pointed out, ASUS have never advertised it as coming with a mini PCIE port for upgrading the storage, that’s always been the job of the SD slot and USB ports. I think it’s alot of fuss about nothing.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:38 am
As far as I know, Eee PC has two models so far, they are standard 4G and Surf 4G. The different between them is the webcam and may be the mini PCIe slot as well as the RAM slot. The Surf 4G comes without webcam that you can identify it very easily.
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:23 am
It looks like the 8GB version won’t have it neither
http://www.dynamism.com/eee-pc/specs.shtml
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:49 am
While I can sympathize on the disappointment of not having a PCIe connector, I fail to see why all are so pissed. I didn’t think (after reading the specs) that mine would come with PCIe. However, it did.
I got what I paid for and more.
What ASUS should’ve done would be to just remove the PCIe connector and leave the specs as they were or add it to all eee’s and publish it in the specs…
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Bait and switch? Do “you people*” even know what that means?
I’ve posted stuff on the Wikipedia entry about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:ASUS_Eee_PC#Criticism_needs_citations_too
Have a nice day.
There was no bait and switch because *ASUS* never advertised the product for sale in a specific store at a specific price. Can someone point to a press release *by ASUS* stating that the 4G *is* in stores for $199? I didn’t think so. It was all a bunch of media cross speculation that created the $199 4G myth. Take a look at the actual ASUS press releases and when you find the one for the original 4G one you’ll see something very important - *NO PRICE*. The other early announcement for a $199 Eee PC was for a *2G variant*. Get informed and “you people*” will stop sounding like whiny children.
*- Apologies to Groklaw Reader
And thanks to Prometheus Fire for remembering some of this from the last “bait-n-switch” go around.
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:07 pm
May –
The system specs that a reseller posts are not a guarantee - they basically tell the person, what it is, not the internal specs. We will have to wait for the 8G to be officially released, and ripped apart to see the truths .. IF the 8g has a 2nd pci-e slot .. I’m buying it .. and buying an affordable upgraded ssd card
But yeah, Here is to waiting.
December 2nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
http://uk.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=7472
$199 2G announcement from *ASUS*. This is the start of the $199 price, but there is *nothing* about a 4G in there.
I’m not seeing the 4G announcement on the ASUS site with my searches but I remember very clearly that it had no price on it as it was a subject of another dispute on an earlier post on this site.
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:17 pm
If 7A and 7B don’t correlate with the second PCIe socket, What are the motherboard revision numbers?
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I’m now left with no warranty and no second Mini-PCIe connector- on a device that cost exactly double the original announcement from way back in June.
This is a stupid point to bitch about. As if your loss was so great. You don’t have to buy it
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Here is the deal with flash memory with hard use it will fail at some point. Then you have a a brick. With the mini-pcie at least you could keep it going after the initial 2 years. We all know that it will cost more to fix it that replace it in 2 years. But hey what another throw away device to fill up the rubish pile. I am not saying that this is a promised spec. I’m saying the dollar for the part might have been worth it, at least eviromentally and longevity.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:04 pm
To everyone complaining about the HD failing…the SDHC card slot is bootable, AND higher-capacity (up to 32GB). If, someday, your HD fails, your device is still fully usable.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Yes, I said “you people”… as in everyone crying wolf. It’s simply getting nuts that you are complaining instead of enjoying your EEE.
-The hard drive will fail
-Asus violated GPL
-The original price was $200
It’s becoming a list of what will be complained about next…
A missing connector for an unpublished spec isn’t something to complain over. Like I said probably didn’t have a consistent supply… It’s not unfathomable that they simply didn’t add the connector because they didn’t have it?
Why jump to the: “Oh it’s so cheap! Asus is screwing us for every penny.”
No one has shown a flash drive fail yet. I never heard the cry for that under say the iPod Nano.
Just get over it.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Grokaw,
Again… NEEDED???
There is three USB slots and an SD slot. All of which are bootable.
If you are so adamant about failure… I’ll buy you another EEE if all of those fail or are removed and render your EEE a brick.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:15 pm
The average consumer that buys this thing, they’re going to be shocked that the disk and RAM are not upgradeable like every other laptop sold in existence.
What gives any laptop manufacturer the justification for making RAM and storage non-upgradeable on any laptop?
Advertised or not, it’s assumed that you’ll be able to open doors on the laptop to replace RAM modules and disks without voiding a warranty.
Having said that I’ll still get one. Even if the flash fails in 2 years the price of this thing makes it a disposable laptop. In 2 years there will be something 10 times more capable at the same price.
I think ASUS will start a trend here and we’ll see several competing products in the next few years. Some upgradeable.
Because it’s non upgradeable, this is one reason I’ll hold out for the 8G.
Now if only the 16G was coming some time soon.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:17 pm
One simple possibility is that Asus ran out of mini-PCIe connectors at some point, and decided to leave the connector off rather than halt production. If they never advertised the mini-PCIe slot, and have no plans to use the slot for after market upgrades, it would make perfect sense to leave the connector off.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:47 pm
does any have problems with there mouse? mine seems to get stuck everyonce and awhile. thought it had to do with how much battery was left, then i started even with the full battery. im not touching that yellow sticker until my 1 year is over
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:01 pm
I made the original “bait and switch” comment.
1) I decided to buy one of these the moment it was announced. I haven’t obsessively crawled through the ASUS press release archives and don’t care to, but there’s no doubt that it was the idea of a 4 gigabyte micro-laptop at $200 was the story that launched ASUS into the headlines back in May or June or whenever it was. They made no attempt to clarify and clearly switched that up when it got closer to release. It was a sin of omission, I suppose, but they were passive and complacent when it came to enjoying the publicity it brought them. They could have clarified.
2) I know for a fact that specs were changed after I placed my pre-order. I was in line for what would become the 2G Surf at $259. That combination of features and price points was nixed entirely — AFTER I placed my pre-order — and features were removed from the other price points.
3) Whether or not ASUS officially put the mini-PCIe slot on the spec sheet, it was in the first models released, and users discovered it and passed the word along to other users, thereby informing the decisions of the more cautious purchasers. They’re free to drop it without notification, but you can’t seriously expect buyers not to react with dismay.
Sorry dude, but I’m going to stand by it. Any one of these would have been fine, but with three in a row, it’s a bit hard to swallow the notion that it was all accidental.
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:12 pm
1) It’s not required of ASUS to patrol the internet to find who is misreporting the story. ASUS openly published the press releases which are fairly easy to find by anyone for confirmation. That you didn’t do it and believed the hype of your preorder company is your own fault. Why would ASUS have to clarify if the press release is right there? It’s up to the reporter to not be a dip shit and do due-diligence when reporting on a story.
2) Your preorder was not with ASUS, thus your bait and switch complaint lies with the company that sold you the preorder. Get a clue. The product was NOT ON SALE hen you made the preorder, and ASUS never told anyone that they could get an Eee at a specific price until it was released. Even that $199 2G link I posted says “around $199″.
3) Not a response to me.
Sorry dude yourself, it was your mistake right along with all the dumb reporters and editors who can’t fact check worth a damn.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Asus is of course protecting the next EPC launch, wich will have more disk space and
a bigger screen, they want the same people who already bought EPCs to keep upgrading
just like apple with ipods.
But they’re missing a loyal fan(boys) base, unlike apple.
You see, a percentage of off EPCs byers are Linux users and they(we) tend to complain alot…
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Those who think that they will upgrade with a PCIe SSD on your current eee is pretty unrealistic. A 16GB PCIe SSD costs more than the eee itself right now. Yes, price will drop eventually. But by that time, your money is better spent on newer and more powerful eee-type PC.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:29 pm
The price increase is likely due at least in a major part by the free-fall of the US$ in relation to other world wide currencies.
Hate the fact that you are paying much more for stuff imported - vote next election someone who is concerned about the American economy.
This is an innovative product. I would rather it be a financial success for ASUS instead of them going out of business selling them at a loss.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:40 pm
JDP,
1) It’s not required, but it would have been wise and ethical. The fact is that Asus announced this thing by promising a $199 price point and an August release date. They came out in November/December and cost twice as much. It’s the OLPC syndrome, but without the good karma of giving educational tools to needy kids.
2) You don’t seriously think that retailers just fabricated the specs for that first round of configurations, do you? All the retailers were reporting the same details. This likely means that Asus confirmed them with the retailers, who then started taking preorders based on that information. If you have an alternative explanation for the fact that the configurations were reported identically on many different sites, I’m all ears.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Further on item #2 — I would argue that neither $350 nor $400 qualifies as “around 199.”
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:47 pm
okay so here goes (is still mad that his last post was lost in “submit” black hole)
It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t promised. IT was included on sold units. That means that there is an implied promise that if you buy this you’ll get that, that’s a big deal if you ask me.
Also, *anything* in a computer that allows you to add more functionality to the unit is something worth keeping. If I can open up a door and add something to the computer and get a new feature through that slot, I’m that much more willing to buy it. I don’t care if you are some dummy off the street that can’t find the power button or an experianced user…there are still a lot of people that would like the ability to upgrade with a mini pci-e slot if they so chose to, even if they never do.
This thing about the warranty sticker sounds to be pointless griping….from the description I heard of the sticker, it’s one of those common warranty stickers that one could probably find pretty easily…I’m sure (from what i’ve heard on here) that you could use a smaller screwdriver to get the door off too. Either way it’s not a huge issue, just paste on another warranty sticker before you have to send it back…on this subject, whoever said “not opening that up until the year is up” This thing actually has a 2 year parts and labor warranty according to Newegg’s specs list. You might be waiting a little longer
To anyone still complaining about Asus screwing them on the price originally, get a life, it was 3 month old speculation and talk, things change as the project evolves, it’s just how it works.
We’ve got a black 4G surf coming in the mail tomorrow at work, I’ll base my *actual* opinion of this rig on that, because sadly enough, with everything that’s sorrounding this thing, good and bad, it’s still worth it
for $400 you can have a portable computer that will survive 2 years through warranty and won’t be a burden to haul.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:12 pm
I guess I’m glad I didn’t pay attention to the Eee until after it was released, lol. I don’t care about all this, I’m just really excited. I can’t wait until mine gets here on Mon/Tues!
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:44 pm
The lack of the mini-PCIe doesn’t trouble me as much as having to void the warranty to expand the ram. I had never seen mention of the mini-PCIe in the official specs so I wasn’t actually expecting it initially.
If you notice in the Forbes article - Shen demonstrating opening up the back to upgrade memory had not been mentioned in the marketing materials. Part of the problem may be that the people at the top are not aware of how the machine is being crippled.
My white eeepc arrived on Friday. The serial # starts with 7B. However, I’m not ready to break the warranty seal so I don’t know whether mini-pcie is there.
When I remember that I paid about a thousand dollars for a Libretto 95 (with Windows 95) some years ago, I think $399 still represents a tremendous value considering the functionality that you DO get.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Why should a RAM upgrade be allowed to void the warranty?
Is the RAM not user serviceable like all other laptops?
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:39 pm
I have to agree with what other users have already said… If it was never written down, you don’t really have the right to get pissed because of it… No official advertisement for the EEE mentions this connector, nor does it appear on the manual… So, if they included it in some of them, good for them, but it’s not as we have any right to be pissed at Asus. Yes, we may say “tough luck, mine doesn’t have it”, but nothing else… And regarding price…My two cents are this: Asus did make an annoucement at the beginning saying it would be around $200, but indipendently of that, all discussions over the price were posted at non-official Asus sites (like this one), and were basically rumors… besides that, if you don’t really feel like paying $400, no one is forcing you to buy one. The fact that they are selling like hot cakes means simply that Asus was correct (market wise) in selling them at $400, as enough people would buy them anyway, as it is still a great deal…of course, it would have been better at $200, but I don’t regret for a second having spent $400 for mine…
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:33 am
7B with the connector - bought 11/19 from NewEgg
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:28 am
I have had my E over two weeks now, and am very pleased with it. I upped the memory to 1 gig, installed a nLite formed XP and in many ways outperforms my dual core Toeshiba. All this wringing of hands over this slot is pointless. As others of said by the time that type of memory drops enough in price where it would be a real option for the E, it will be more cost effective just to upgrade to the latest E like machine.
Mine works as advertised and then some…..
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:35 am
Bremen, good to hear a realistic (straight-to-the-point) voice. Can you please clarify what a “nLite formed XP” is and if you can have this alongside Linux? Thanks!
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:17 am
hmmm, makes me wonder if Asus was trying to hide something by putting the warranty void sticker on the panel in the first place?
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:17 am
You can check these to see if you have the pcie port by taking out the screw on the side with no warranty tape. then pop up the panel along that side being careful not to break it then look under it to see. I don’t like the idea of getting less for the same money when it would cost asus at most a $1 to put the upgrade option on all of these eee pcs. The soured me for sure. When all you guys with no pcie port need a hard drive replacment, good luck on your sd card option its really slow to run an os from sd or usb. It will be a slow brick.
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:24 am
I have a white 79B00, haven’t bothered to check for the connector. I have an 8GB SDHC card living permanently in the slot. Why would I care about a connector that allows me to (potentially) expand my Eee’s SSD at a cost that significantly exceeds that of the notebook itself? Especially considering the fact that I was able to double its built in SSD with the SDHC card for $55. In terms if SSD this is a ludicrous argument. Now if that connector offered some other appealing function then maybe I could see the point.
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:25 am
Sorry I meant 79OAA.
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:33 am
@Seraphim
Check the WIKI on this site and you will see instructions on installing XP. Including in those is the link to nLite and the instructions on it. After the install I searched on the site and found how to remove the page file from XP. Bottom line is after installing XP I had nearly 3gig free on the installed “hard drive”. There is a lot of really good information on this site, just spend some time searching around….
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:40 am
For those who think ssd pcie cards will be expensive forever probably thought a 500gb hard drive would never exist for ~$100, just go down to compusa and check for yourself. SSD hard drives will be cheap and soon, all hard drives will be ssd soon. SSD is 20 times faser than sd or usb,ssd is not the same as sd or usb at all. SD is very slow in case you have not ried that before no matter how fast the card says it runs, the interface is slow. The superfast pcie will come in handy in a year, trust me for a few lucky ones
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:52 am
48-49: What part of *THE $199 Eee PC WAS A 2G DON’T YOU GET?*
Like I posted, get a clue. The 4G was never announced at $199 by ASUS - and it’s the 4G that is being sold at $399, not the 2G. Your complaints have no merit. Just because a company makes a product introduction announcement that they want to sell their shiny new product at $X at some point in the future doesn’t mean they have any requirement to do so at the actual product sales launch anyway. The 2G still isn’t on sale so any complaints about the $199 Eee PC are invalid. ASUS has since also said that the $199 is for bulk 2G orders only.
All preorder retailers were *not* showing the same details, thus much of the speculation/controversy before the actual launch. If you bothered to payed attention to the preorder sales sites most disclaimed price and spec changes anyway, so the point is invalid because *THEY KNEW IT MIGHT CHANGE*. A few offered refunds if the specs or price varied, but I’m not aware of anyone being refunded on a claim.
You still have no beef against ASUS for bait and switch or price gouging or whatever because you used a preorder company. If you see a Best Buy ad for an Eee PC 4G for $399 and walk in to find them on sale for $450 you’re still only going to be able to file a bait and switch against Best Buy, not ASUS. For the third time, get a clue. Retailers are not ASUS and if they publish bad specs it is on them, not ASUS.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:11 am
This blog is less about bait and switch and not really about price. The fact is ASUS did change the spec of the ASUS eeepc, they originally had a pcie hard drive upgrade port, now they do not for the same price, less specs for the same price is what people don’t like. If they put a slower processor in an smaller screen, whould you still not understand what people are complaining about? People don’t like to loose options for the same money.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:27 am
stephan: My issue isn’t about the missing mini PCIe port - when I get an Eee I’d rather get one that has it. I get that people don’t like spec changes, but I’m trying to get people to realized that much of it was MEDIA SPECULATION that gave them the false expectations that they have/had. Have the specs changed from the initial October release, other than the mini PCIe slot (which was never ADVERTISED anyway!) or has the MSRP changed? It’s not that I don’t get it about people complaining, but they are mostly complaining about crap that is easily refuted once you look past the frenzied hype of the past several months. Expecting the 4G to sell at $199 is a false belief because there never was a 4 GB model for $199 announced by ASUS. If you think it was, show me the press release. I’ve already linked to the original $199 release where it mentions 2 GB. Link a release where the mini PCIe is promised and maybe there will be valid complaints about the missing slot.
Until then it’s all whining because noone wanted to look for the *truth* beyond the media hype (not ASUS hype).
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:43 am
The best hack of an Eee PC to date award goes to….. tnkgrl - where bluetooth was added (of course need to do some soldering). Modding the Asus 701 (Eee) - Bluetooth « tnkgrl Mobile your creative mind and love to hack eee pc, then you can try this hack which was demonstrated by tnkgrl
Of course, without the Mini PCIe, then some products like this in the following link, will not work in the newer Eee PC (without the Mini PCIe slot ) -Vaulter Disk is a flash-based, standard-sized mini PCIe module.
see:
http: //asuseeehacks.blogspot.com/2007/11/sandisks-vaulter-disk.html
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:45 am
Has anyone tried this flash extending Mini PCIe “Valuter Disk” yet?
http://asuseeehacks.blogspot.com/2007/11/sandisks-vaulter-disk.html
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:49 am
So, since not everyone with a 7B is missing the slot… it’s not really “True”, is it?
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:34 pm
stephan: No one doubts that the SSD price will drop eventually. However, the problem is the sales volume. Gartner projects global consumption of SSDs in consumer and business notebooks to leap from about 4 million units in 2007 to 32 million units in 2010. So there is not much chance that SSD will replace hard drive in the near future. Even at 32 million units, the volume is still too low comparing to hard drive to take advantage of the economic of sale and drive down the price dramatically. By 2010, you would probably want to have a more advance version of eee anyway. So the mini-PCIe slot is a non-issue.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:33 pm
What you guys are not realizing is that pcie is not just for SSD…. pcie is an interface, and a fast one at that. There also will be adaptors shortly that will allow pcie ports to support small form factor hard drives ie pcie to ata interfaces (aka a 30-100 gigabyte 1.8 inch hard drive+) or pcie to high capacity fast cf cards etc. To say the pcie is non-issue is naive. Would you like a eepc with a full speed ata 30 gig hard drive picked up off ebay for 70 bucks?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160185169674
This is possible with pcie. All of these adaptors available for mini-pci(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_PCI) now and will be soon for pcie, mini-pci’s replacement, do some research.
Asus also did originally announce that these would be 199-299, well they are 399-499 exactly 100 dollars more than they said. I do think that the eepc is a good value at 399-499 though and don’t complain about price, but the price did go up.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2142026,00.asp
ASUS did not promise a pcie port, but the absence of one make it not a usable computer to me 4 gigs is just not alot and no upgrade options is cheap, sd and usb are slow, look it up. So I love the eepc but with no upgrade option it is worthless to me. I am getting one with the pcie slot off ebay, I had a pcie eeepc on nov 1st before but sold it to my brother since he liked it thinking the slot would be in the next one I got but it was not, hence I returned it, I don’t want alot less for my money like some people just to make asus $1 more on my purchse, I do think ASUS is an awesome company, my geforce 2 was from them
And I have been a fan ever since 
If enough people complain, asus will put the port back. I think some people work for asus here as much as they want them to make money off us… at the expense of our upgrade future, so it is ok if they remove the upgrade port for ram too? They can solder it on if they want to and save even more at our expense. They never said we should be able to upgrade ram right?
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Groklaw Reader: The slot is there, the bracket to slide the card into and make use of the pins is missing…you should still be able to solder to the right pins if you do the bluetooh mod…
btw: Warranty shouldn’t be such an issue with you nutters…peel it off, put it back later…messed it up? buy one, if they are the generic warranty stickers that have been described by eee users it should be easy to find one with some effort online.
we just got the black 4g surf delivered at work, waiting to finally check this thing out.
December 3rd, 2007 at 3:53 pm
… so the 8G is out?!
woohoo!
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:09 pm
7B here. Purchased from Directron last week. No connector.
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:48 pm
I’m sold on the EEE…we unpackaged it and powered it up and it was love at first sight, all the deleted hardware just kind of melted away…the keyboard is pretty easy to get the hang of, even for touch typing with larger fingers…it’s quick enough and my boss that knows nothing about linux is able to use it and is even working through some howtos (with help) to get a start menu and other things added to it.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
I don’t understand what the big deal is here.
Maybe if you’re one of the 8 or so people who are actually going to use the MiniPCI-e slot then I can see your point, but it’s really nothing to cry about.
(Incidentally, I have a 7A with the slot but I don’t expect I’ll ever need it.)
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Gathering info as I read this post made me formulate a theoretical situation.
NOTE: The below ideas are from OTHER USERS. I simply made a CONNECTION BETWEEN THEM to formulate a logical situation.
So here goes…
Originally, Asus had in mind that EPC users would keep upgrading, just like Apple and iPod users.
However, the clear difference would be that users WILL find transferring between old and new EPC a pain in the ass.
Asus’ solution, and a clever one at that, is to release “backuppers”, which go in the 2nd mini pcie slot.
How it works is the backupper will be of the same size as the “old EPC”’s SSD storage (for the sake of users needing to keep upgrading the backupper along with new EPCs as storage grows), and you plug it into the 2nd mini pcie slot.
When it’s plugged in and detected as empty, and you bootup, your OS will not load. Instead, the backupper will trigger an automated full system backup onto the backupper. Once everything is backed up, the old EPC will format itself.
Once that’s done, slap the backupper into the new EPC. When the backupper is detected as non-empty, the EPC will format itself and copy everything from backupper to EPC’s SSD, then format backupper. Done, now users have a 2-step solution to transferring between EPC and Asus is happy.
But Microsoft isn’t.
MS doesn’t like the idea that new EPCs need not buy new Windows copies. And what if hackers find a way to make the backupper not format itself after copying, or the old PC does not format after backingup? Then multiple EPCs can load Windows into their SSD EFFORTLESSLY! No, MS does not like the idea at all.
Hence, MS offered to pay Asus to throw the backupper plan down the drain. Microsoft probably paid Asus A LOT for Asus to do so (I mean, come on, Asus is throwing away a potential get-rich-quick scheme similar to iPods), or MS is paying Asus in continuous payments, not single payment.
Random notes:
- The mini pcie is hidden behind “void if broken” seal, meaning once users transfer to new EPCs, old EPCs are no longer under warranty. Though, users will not complain as much because they have a new EPC to use anyways. Perfect balance between keeping costs to a minimum and keeping users from bitching about things, if you catch my drift.
- The mini pcie is not mentioned in specs because Asus only intends on it being used by the backupper. It is kept a secret because user-end expendability cripples the iPod-scheme and goes against Asus’ reason for putting in the 2nd mini pcie slot. Hence the “void if broken” seal — if you add a 16gb SSD there, and it breaks, then it’s not their fault. They didn’t want you to do that anyways, just get their next generation EPC!
December 4th, 2007 at 1:25 am
I seriously doubt this is a conspiracy by MS to keep people from pirating Windows.
There are already far too many easier ways to pirate the OS.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Hahutzy, I award you the Medal of Internet Conspiracy for your brave efforts. Now go forth on the newsgroups and spread your message!
December 4th, 2007 at 10:48 am
I think some need to understand why others are upset about this, I think the non-belivers will relent when there are pcie to ata 1.8 inch hard drive adaptors, that already exist for mini-pci and will exist soon for pcie. Which means for the non-technical that you could slap a 70 dollar 30 gig hard drive into an eee pc and run it at full speed, but only if you have a pcie slot
December 4th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Asus also did originally announce that these would be 199-299, well they are 399-499 exactly 100 dollars more than they said. I do think that the eepc is a good value at 399-499 though and don’t complain about price, but the price did go up.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2142026,00.asp
December 4th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Also if enough people complain, and if enough people understand the relevance, ASUS will put the $1 port back.
http://vip.asus.com/forum/topic.aspx?board_id=20&SLanguage=en-us
December 4th, 2007 at 11:12 am
But where in your link does it state that the $199 or $299 model is the 4G that is for sale at $349-399, or the 8G at $499? That’s the big issue that people are mistaken and are complaining about. The 4G is not what was promised at $199 — a 2G was inferred at “around $199,” and even so that promise of a $199 2G is not bound by anything anyway. It’s not an apples to apples comparison to complain about a system with better specs selling for more. Until the basic bottom end 2G is on sale and we have a hard MSRP for it the $199 argument has no merit. Period.
Your comment of the mini PCIe card adapter to a 1.8 inch drive might not fit. A quick Google search brought up a mini PCIe card at 2.2×0.8×0.2″.
http://www.softwareforless.com/findspecs.asp?partid=61820C
December 4th, 2007 at 11:22 am
True, but why even say it will be 199 if you know prices will vary, maybee to get people hiped up about it? The eee pc surf was supposed to be 199, its 299. The 4g was supposed to be 299 it is 399. 100 dollars more, but still a good deal for a umpc like computer.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Here are some idea of what they can do with mini-pcie… these are mini-pci cards but they will do the same with mini-pcie since mini-pcie is a replacement for mini-pci.
http://www.globalamericaninc.com/index.php?cPath=55_57
Look at the Mini-PCI Type-IIIB Card with 124-pin interface
It can be and will be done with mini-pcie too.
The size of the pcie card is irrelivant, it just needs a connetor for a mini hard drive interface or compact flash card and it will run at full speed, not slow sd or usb2
December 4th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
The size is very important if you want to fit into an Eee PC…
December 4th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
I was refering to smaller hard drives like a 1″ microdrive
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=349854&sid=22c88023167c2c8397bd4c7ff3fbc7e7
December 4th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
@Stephen
“Here are some idea of what they can do with mini-pcie… these are mini-pci cards but they will do the same with mini-pcie since mini-pcie is a replacement for mini-pci.”
Where did you get this information from? You’re clearly wrong.
The PCIe Mini Card is a replacement for the Mini PCI card found on many Mini-ITX mainboards. It is half the size of a Mini PCI card, measuring 30 mm x 51 mm. It has a 52-pin edge connector as opposed to the 100-pin stacking connector of Mini PCI Type I & II cards and the 124-pin edge connector of Mini PCI Type III. The new card is modeled after the Mini PCI Type III, but is sans side retaining clips.
December 4th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Wow you all are getting a bit uptight about what? A laptop. It’s not the end of the world. Buy it or not.
December 4th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
It reminds me of the hoo-ha when Apple dropped the (unadvertised) Mezzanine slot from the original iMac…
December 5th, 2007 at 1:29 am
Where can you buy a mini pci-e connector to solder on?
December 5th, 2007 at 3:32 am
I DON”T GET IT! Why would anyone want a dumbed down laptop, which was most likely conceived as a device for people way on the other side of the digital divide, eons away from where most of the people posting on this site live — for those who do not know the digital divide relates to people who have no PC, nor access to PCs, through a lack of the resources/opportunity etc to own one…hence the low price concept — you then buy the pathetic “Yet oooohhhh so stylish” EEEPC then want to beef them up and pull them apart and carry on like it’s your birthright to do so and moan about the process. I SAY, GET OVER IT! Rather than buy the next widget most of you clearly do not need, consider the Negroponte concept and support the OLPC project and leave ASUS to wither and wane as they clearly deserve to, for their deceptive and manipulative goings on in respect of this product.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:16 am
idgi, you really don’t get it.. The Eee machine is not dumbed down, it is an innovation. It is a first of its kind device and we are all excited to be part of it. And judging by your comment you don’t own one, because if you did you would have a different perspective. It’s not only stylish and small, its also the start of something really big… change.
The machine was built on innovation, being the first mass produced and cheap solid state flash memory laptop out there. If we bought it, it is obvious we bought into that concept, so the fact that many users want to upgrade, hack, or overclock their units should come as no surprise.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:08 am
For a laptop, the Eee PC is extremely small and lightweight with still a useable screen and keyboard and it is shockproof (no harddisk). It has anything I need ‘on the road’, I can write letters, use e-mail, surf the web, work in spreadsheets, create or view presentations, store and view photos I take. In short, it is the ideal machine to take with me always and anywhere, complementing my desktop machine at home.
The Eee PC is cheap, anything remotely comparable is at least twice the price of this little gem.
The Eee PC is a beauty, a little machine you want to be seen with.
I feel no desire to tinker with it and I am sure that will be true for most users. The ‘geek’ factor is overrepresented in these internet forums and blogs.
I will order one as soon as the 8G will be available in the Netherlands.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Chris,
You are quoting this article which is about mini-itx boards: http://www.logicsupply.com/blog/2007/10/16/what-is-the-pcie-mini-card-why-now/
But that does not mean mini pcie is not a replacement for mini pci slot on laptops as well. Your quote actually proves my point that mini pcie is a replacement for mini pci. It is the same thing as pci slots on motherboards being replaced with pci express slots now. They are actualy thr same thing as the desktop motherboard slots just in a smaller form factor.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Cyb3rGlitch
Get it here:
http://www.twinner.com.tw/SearchProduct/ProductContext.php?Product_SN=59824
December 5th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Ronald, as someone who has travelled often in the Netherlands, I have always admired the abililty of the Dutch to express so succinctly, in English, the bleedin obvious. I hope that Asus reads these blogs from the real users, who don’t want to pimp their kit, just use it for what it is intended to be used for. Hurrah for Ronald!
December 5th, 2007 at 9:48 am
The 8G is out in asia
Eee PCs with the pcie slot are going for 500-550 on ebay now. Since they are upgradable 
Im waiting for the 32G eeepc now, haha.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Ronald, I completely agree with you! As soon as I saw this little beauty, I ordered it - so low price for this nice little machine with so many functions available - I bought it right away -it’s no brainer here.
Don’t care if I have an other PCIe or not - with 512MB onboard Xandros Linux boots up in 20 seconds - it’s so important when you travel. ASUS - thank you for this piece little jewel called ASUS Eee!
December 5th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Please excuse me if this is a stupid question, but what exactly do you achieve with this mini-PCIe port?
I’m thinking of getting an Eee PC, but I have no idea with this mini-PCIe port is.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:30 am
lops- the mini PCIe has nothing to do with the 512MB of RAM on the Eee PC; that goes into the OTHER slot on the board.
December 5th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
JDP I know that. What I meant was - I didn’t care if I had an other PCIe or not (which I could use to extend my SSD storage), since current configuration of ASUS Eee meets and even exceeds my expectations, so I don’t need to pimp my Eee at all.. \m/
December 5th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Well, it looks like I got a 7A unit!
Not that it really matters to me… lol.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
I got 790AA serial number
and I got mini-PCIe
December 6th, 2007 at 2:24 am
Cheers stephen!
December 6th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Story added…
Your story has been submitted to fsdaily.com! Come and promote your article by voting for it here on FSDaily! Let your readers know they can vote for your story too….
December 6th, 2007 at 10:14 am
I have a black Eee PC that starts with a 7A for the serial number. I don’t really care if it has the slot, as it doesn’t affect my usage of the machine. At some point I may want to upgrade the RAM (hoping that it does not void the warranty in the U.S.) but otherwise, I am a happy customer.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:57 am
It looks like the 8G is also missing the PCIE port
I’ve talked to some suppliers about it already. So the PCIE will not be making a comeback on more expensive models.
December 6th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
I’ve got a Black EeePC with serial number starting “7A” and I do not have the Mini-PCIE connector
… which is annoying as I may have use for it if my SSD dies.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
I was going to order a black Eee PC, but I am hearing they don’t have miniPCIe? Hmmmm?
So, instead.. maybe… well… Has anyone tried putting a different distro on an OLPC that they got via Buy One, Donate One OLPC $400 deal (with the wireless subscription built in to the deal) that is now extended until the end of the year?
see all the reasons why just one OLPC is a good deal (also for some child somewhere, maybe the next Linus Torvalds, but in a different part of the world):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37c-Iwg4ml0
With OLPC you will not be let down on the SPECs (what you see is what you get, and no bait and switch).
December 7th, 2007 at 8:01 am
The trolls for the OLPC are getting annoying.
And troll Groklaw, when you buy an eee there is no bait and switch, and the specs are also “what you see is what you get.”
December 7th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Bremen -
I think that if you took a look at the youtube video
in the post just above yours, after agreeing with the YouTube video program host, about the “need for OLPC world-wide, at still 1/2 the price per unit than the Eee PC, that you would agree that OLPC is a worthy cause (so your use of the word troll is maybe not the “correct choice of wording”. OLPC is the correct “social” move to make, to buy one and get one for $400 should make anyone feel good. Hey, you are helping some kid somewhere. Why not?
Eee PC, if it chooses to anger it’s users, as is evident above by the many posts about this miniPCIe removal issue, most except those posted by obvious ASUS employees or agents (maybe Intel agents), that agree that the miniPCIe is something that is wanted in the Eee PC and was inevery unit evaluated by the Press prior to release of the unit….! THAT IS A FACT.
Hey, if ASUS wants us to, with LINUX we CAN and indeed will find a way to use the tech in the OLPC (dual mode screen that can be used in direct sunlight, outstanding battery life, MeshNetworking, etc), to replace the Eee PC totally! Now, that is not a troll, that is a promise.
ASUS really needs to wake up and put the miniPCIe back into their designs… as OLPC and Quanta’s 200 laptop, with the Quanta, that will be a commercial version of the OLPC is not far away (and in fact we can use just each of those, as easily as the Eee PC. Note: This post is simply a wake up notification to ASUS’s marketing and engineering departments. Hey ASUS, Wake UP!
December 7th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Windows on XO OLPC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7130637.stm
December 7th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
I can’t believe this issue with the mini PCIe slot has gotten so much discussion. Remember guys, this isn’t a mainstream device. It’s the first of its kind. Everybody knows the first model of anything is going to have some kinks to be worked out. If you bought this early (as I did) just relax and enjoy the ride until the second generation model comes out and then you can complain! LOL
And by the way on this subject of the OLPC, I think it is a noble effort but I will not be participating. If I did, I would just request that BOTH the OLPC’s be shipped to needy children. I wouldn’t use it anyway. My daughter has had her own computer since she was two years old (an older 500Mhz desktop) and she is four and a half now. She would look at the OLPC and laugh. The pink Eee would be more her style…. Maybe when she turns 5.
But for the record, I think the OLPC is a great idea. If I were a citizen of a third world country and my child had an opportunity to get one I would be very thankful to whomever had sent it. My hat off to all who buy it. Quite noble of you…
December 7th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
I hope there will never be Windows on XO OLPC. The whole UMPC concept is finally a good opportunity to promote Linux among non-technical people. If manufacturers will start installing Windows on it, they will not only make it almost unusable (too slow, too many applications removed to find a space for “core” Windows components) and hence bury UMPC, but also lose a chance to somehow diminish Microsoft’s domination as the OS provider for personal computers.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Bremen you retarded Asus troll, are you on their payroll?
December 8th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I stumbled on this forum and as a non technical user, I am confused with what the added PCIe does.I want this laptop mainly for portable email (AOL)as I travel a lot.I need some specific web access. I would like to increase the “hard drive” but do not know if it is possible or what to buy.Can someone just give answers for a “dummy” ? Thanks
December 8th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
The PCIe slow allows you to replace the built in flash drive, potentially with something larger or replace a worn out one.
See comment #20 above for a little more.
I’m personally not going to stress over this.
I’m going to get the 8GB model that just went on sale at newegg.com.
I’m also going to get an SD SDHC 8GB (later 16GB when they’re cheaper) and use that as 2nd ‘drive’.
I’ll also consider getting ‘portable usb hard drive’ which is essentially an external laptop drive, for storage of sorts. I won’t pull that out and use it unless I need it, but it’s there to offload files, to use at home, etc.
Use the internal 8GB flash drive and SD memory card as my two internal drives. That should be plenty.
8GB model $500
SD card about $100
Portable USB drive $100
It adds up.
When the internal flash drive goes south, if I can’t find an boot off an SD card I’ll simply trash it and get something new. It should be a very long time before the internal drive wears out and by then newer, butte models should be out.
Or so that’s my assumption.
December 8th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
The only thing the mini PCIe connector does is allow for a replacement mini PCIe flash drive to be added if the internal flash drive fails.
My Eee doesn’t have it, which is annoying because one day I’d have liked to upgrade the storage capacity of the Eee internally without modding, or extend the life span of the SSD to allow for me to use it for the full extent of my degree course at university.
(which I’ll admit is a silly idea as I’ll probably need something more powerful by that time)
Essentially, no one should NOT buy the Eee just because it doesn’t have the mini-PCIe connector, as it doesn’t add any functionality, merely a backup for if things go wrong and the internal flash drive borks itself.
Well, that’s my opinion…
Also, people who feel wronged or lied to because they got an Eee PC without a mini PCIe connector, you shouldn’t. I was disappointed, but Asus didn’t announce it as a feature, and it’s hardly a key feature of the Eee PC anyway… If you need more storage space, buy a huge SDHC card or a USB flash/hard drive.
I think I’ve covered everything relevant there. I’m not looking to engage in a flame war, just hopefully shedding some light for those who aren’t fully informed.
December 8th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
I truly agree with Banjo and RF9. This is ridiculous to have spent this much time agonizing over who has a mini PCIe and who doesn’t. Unlike desktop computers laptops inherently have a shorter shelf life than desktops anyway. In two years there will be something much better for around the same price, and everybody who was complaining about the PCIe slot here, will have something new to gripe about. I say just enjoy our new toys and get the most out of them for now….
December 8th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
I would like to thank the Asus employees and spin control doctors, the people getting screwed by Asus and the rest of you for participating in this conversation.
The gist of it is Asus played marketing games to generate a buzz by using everyone here, then at the last minute due to various reasons hiked the price way up and crippled the machine.
All
Stupid
Users
Suck
December 9th, 2007 at 3:22 am
Ruben Trinidad, you’re a n00b.
Tell me where you can find a similar spec machine that size for a similar price?
Exactly.
December 9th, 2007 at 3:55 am
Ruben Trinidad, how long did it take you to come up with the All Stupid Users Suck (ASUS) acronym? Did you spend all day? LOL
So I guess if I disagree with you that makes me stupid? No, actually it makes you close-minded and inflexible but I digress. I am not saying that I was disheartened by Asus’ methods of getting this product to market. I was mad, I called it a bait and switch among other things but I bought the product and I LOVE IT. Was the execution of the pre-release marketing perfect? By no means.
But the product is wonderful. It’s not without its obvious faults but lets not lower ourselves to insulting each other because I think the only stupid user is one who insults another for no good reason. Nuff said….
December 9th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I *think* having the mini PCIe slot matters to me. I’m still learning.
I originally got mine on a lark–a chance to see what’s going on in the low cost (NOT! LOL) “one child-one computer” arena. I thought I’d have an expensive toy.
What I got still boggle s me! What I quickly discovered is that not only could the eeepc replace my full-sized laptop, but
eeepc is to laptop as cell phone is to cordless phone
I suspect that anyone who is dissatisfied with cost, capacity, or related characteristics has not spent a few days carrying it around. I can toss it in a large purse, my briefcase, or a backpack and take it with me everywhere. It does not pass the “look inside the tote to be sure it’s there” test, but it’s surely the future just the way the large clunky original cell phones paved the way for the tiny wonders many of us now carry.
I’ve discovered that there’s little (nothing?) the eeepc can’t do that my full sized laptops can do. I even had Adobe Audition 2.0 running successfully! (I removed it because it took up nearly 0.5GB and I have CoolEdit 2k.) I still have SAS running! The only thing limiting me is space.
I was about to get an 8GB unit because, along with 1GB of memory, it would let me install and run ALL of my important applications. Now, I’m not so sure. The 8GB will cost an extra $100 over the 4GB. Maybe I’ll get my original investment back (a black 7A unit with intact warranty sticker), but maybe not, especially after eBay and PayPal take their fees. So, maybe the best strategy is to wait 6 months for the 16GB mini PCIe cards to not only be introduced but to become reasonable (your thoughts and opinions appreciated).
I noticed that in today’s paper, a Dell advertising supplement offered a $500 laptop with features that well exceeded anything the 8G had to offer–except that I wouldn’t be tossing it into my bag to take everywhere (which, for me, is the whole point of the eeepc)!
December 9th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Oh, sorry! I forgot to sign the last post!
–BriAnn!
December 9th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
It gets me that there are still all the boo hoo price babys who claim to have read this thread and are still making a point of the “price hike” (Rubin Trinidad). The machine spec’d in the $199 announcement is not what is for sale at $349 or $399. Either figure that out or STFU. This is exactly the kind of ill-informed crap that caused the whole $199 Eee PC mythos to be created and is continuing to churn it. A bunch of people took someones speculation for fact, a bunch of reporters told a story that was not backed up by actual press releases and now we get people crying wolf at ASUS for something that is not on their shoulders. Point me to just one place where an *actual* ASUS official ever said that the 4G was going to sell for $199 and I’ll stop getting defensive on this. And I don’t mean some article where “a source inside ASUS says” I mean an actual interview or press release. Until then IT WAS MEDIA SPECULATION THAT GAVE YOU ALL THE IDIOT IDEA OF A $199 4G EEE PC! Blame the dumb technology press!
December 10th, 2007 at 6:30 am
Asus eee update: UK models include expansion slot…
We’re currently reviewing the eee PC - Asus’s £220 mini-notebook computer. One of the unusual things about the eee is that it has no hard disk - instead, it uses 4GB of flash memory. This isn’t much, especially if you…
December 10th, 2007 at 10:28 am
I hear that Asus say units shipped in the UK will continue to have an internal PCIe slot.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Groklaw Writer wrote:
Bremen you retarded Asus troll, are you on their payroll?
Friday, December 7, 2007 at 4:59 pm #
Gee Groklaw, you bring the discussion to a whole new level. Reminds me of grade school…. anyway.
The fact is there is not bait and swith, and the specs released by asus for each product are exactly what you get. The OLPC is still called by many the $100 laptop, but like any product it is hard to know exactly what it will cost when it is actually produced.
And for the record, it is the OLPC that is struggling, not the eee PC. So perhaps Asus does know what they are doing. Actually I think the success of the eee is as big of surprise to Asus as it is to anyone….
December 11th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Unfortunately these posts aren’t signed, so that may not have been the person who has been posting as Groklaw Reader. The only way to be user is if ant wants to dig through the logs and verify the included email addy and the IP of the sender….
December 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Good point JDP, I had not thought of that. One more reason to let it go
December 11th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
[...] model har et ekstra mini PCIe-slot, så det overvejer jeg, om jeg evt. kunne udnytte til at smække et 3G-modem i maskinen, så den [...]
December 15th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Sorry Asus, I’m bailing on you. Besides, I need a magnetic touch screen for people to sign credit card transactions, via, wireless broad band, thus a mini-pci slot. C-ya!
December 17th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Bremen -
If you look back it was not my post that called you those names. (the question about payroll, really with no faces, one sometimes wonders who is posting (I really wonder when folks start talking about XP on the Eee PC if some Microsoft employee is not lurking behind that screeen somewhere).
Anyone know about what software is being left off of the 2G Surf (as the 4G models all show that much more than 2G is used on the Flash Drive for OS and Applications)?
December 17th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I just got a 701 from Taiwan and it starts with 7BOAA and has no PCI-e slot.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:30 am
My UK 4G 701 Eee PC serial starts with 7C0AA - go figure!
December 19th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
I purchased my 701 from Newegg as soon as they were released. It has a serial number starting with 79, not 7A or 7B and it does have the pci-e slot. I upgraded my ram and installed Win Xp on my SD card, life is good. I hope someone releases a card for the pci-e slot, maybe some type of phone card would be nice.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Asus is going to have the last laugh when the color ones start selling. I saw advanced pics and it looks like there is no access cover to the memory at all. can someone else confirm this? I’m glad i purchased one right from the start even if they never release anything for the pci-e slot. I don’t blame the people who feel cheated out of it but it was never supposed to be a feature of the unit anyway. I use mine all the time in Starbucks, love the small size and weight.
December 27th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
couldn’t someone just solder on a minipcie slot right onto the board themselves…
December 28th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
So where can I get a 16 gig SD card for a good price? Love the Advanced mode for eeepc too! Had eeeXubuntu in it but removed due to grub on external thumb drive
January 2nd, 2008 at 5:37 am
First off my life isn’t ruined b/c I don’t have the slot, I ordered it and got what I ordered. My question is has anyone added the slot? If so please tell us whether it works! I plan on doing the wireless N upgrade and would like to know a head of time b/c I’d like to do everything at once and not take this puppy apart again. And if adding the connector doesn’t work I’ll just add an internal usb port (or 2 if it fits) instead. Please let us know. Thanks
-Matt
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I just bought a new 4 GB Black and my serial number starts with 7C. So what does this mean??
January 6th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
hmmm - yeah - mine starts with 7C as well - just bought it in Taiwan a week ago
January 7th, 2008 at 5:14 am
All this discussion is foolish. You have a $400 carry anywhere pc that you can install any OS you want. OK the memory might fail in 2 years, that’s $200 per year cost to you.
Then you can always open it up and get a soldering iron out to try and fix it yourself. If you mess it up, just get another one and you will know a lot more.
Look at it as a learning platform. Something to play with. If you break it, well consider that folks spend more than $400 on a good time in Vegas.
Quit complaining and see the big picture. Asus has shaken up the IT industry which was long overdue and we can all enjoy more focussed hardware and software…Microsoft move over!
January 8th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I have a white 7c - have cracked it - no mini PCIe
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:01 am
[...] the modem uses the USB slot instead of being fully integrated into the Eee PC. As we reported back in December, Not all of the latest Eee PC’s have the internal mini-PCIe connector [...]
January 28th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I have a black 7b with no connector. I know the connector was not in the published specs but the first generation had it and from the first generation reviews I expected it to be there. Now that I bought one and have found it’s not there I feel a bit cheated. I did want to use the connector for extra storage so that I would still have the sd slot available for swapping cards between my other protable devices.
At least the solder pads are still there. I’ll probably be soldering a connector in soon.
February 2nd, 2008 at 4:05 am
Eric…
Thanks for the info. By the way, I am a big fan of your site. Keep up the great work….
February 7th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Got a 4G (701) /w webcam and just love it. Bumped up the ram to 2gb and got the xandros kernel updated to support the 2gb ram.
As for the minipcie connector, my eeepc is missing it, but I’m not loosing sleep over it. I’ll use SDcard to upgrade it in future *if* the ssd should fail. I seriously doubt it will fail in the unit’s lifetime. I’ll probably be using a 2nd or 3rd gen eeepc before it fail on me.
I know how some of us also expected the eeepc to cook eggs for us in the morning and wash our laundry, but let’s not punish Asus because it couldn’t ok? ‘cos they never published it as a product specs for goodness sake!
Someone lock down on the comments already! :p