I purchased a touchscreen originally for the Everex Cloudbook but when it delayed for a third time, I decided to jump onto the ASUS bandwagon. At the time, I was not sure if I had made the right decision until I actually got my ultraportable. After I added the touchscreen to the EEE successfully, I was very relieved. Having used the EEE for a week, I must say that it’s an extremely useful device. I no longer use my phone for web browsing. My phone is only used for Outlook Exchange email viewing.
With that said, the EEE is extremely hard to modify due to there is little to no space to do any mods. I am surprised and quite jealous that others have done so many mods to their EEEs and I am having difficulty doing one. I’ve attached the touchscreen via an external USB port through internal connections. I will make this a fully internal USB connection in due time. I just need to get the right tools first.
JAmerican
I was browsing the web to see if I could find a photo comparison between these two machines and could not. So what was the first thing I did after I got my EEE, I got myself a photo comparison.
While everyone knows that the MacBook Air is going to be larger than the EEE as well as thinner, I don’t know if people realized how these devices look side by side. See for youself :).
JAmerican
I had previously recorded myself playing Grand Theft Auto Vice City on the EEE but I decided to one up it. I decided to play Multi Theft Auto on the EEE. While I did more flying than fighting, it still shows you how well GTA Vice City plays on this machine. I have not tried San Andreas but it is worth a try when I get my 16GB SDHC card. I did get a heli-kill though ;). Don’t know what that is, then watch the video below. It will explain.
JAmerican
I posted a video overview of the EEE on YouTube yesterday. Due to a string of bad luck yesterday, I couldn’t post it on my site until today. I also was going to post a video another more internal video of the EEE but my main computer’s install of XP bluescreened on me and even after a new install still bluescreens. My EEE had a similar problem where it gave me some generic error message then just stop booting into XP. I have since installed a lite version of XP SP2 and now just load into Vista on my PC, which doesn’t bluescreen ironically.
Anyway enough with my problems, here is the video.
JAmerican
I finally decided to break down an buy a cheap UMPC. It was a difficult decision to decide between an EeE and the Cloudbook but I finally decided to just get a Cloudbook last Thursday. On Friday, Wal-Mart released the Cloudbook. I just took it as a sign that God wanted me to get the EeE instead.
Some initial reactions to the unboxing and other things. First thing I must say is that this keyboard is really uncomfortable. While I am getting used to using it, it still is somewhat of a pain. The next thing is that the music cuts out every time I click on a different tab or change the program I am using. Also, some keys do not respond when I press them. I may just have to break the device in first. Finally, the box came from Amazon mostly open. It only had two strips of tape with the words “MEJ” keeping the bo closed. My EeE works great so I don’t know.
I was going to post pictures but I have a really old CF card reader that works only on Windows so I’ll post some pictures later :). By the way, if anyone know how to get WordPress into a smaller format for the EEE screen, that would be great.
EDIT: Pictures added via main computer. Article typed on EeE.
JAmerican
A few visitors were interested as to how I upgraded my Dash to a different ROM so I decided to spend some time making a video on the process since the guys who created it at XDA-Developers have only posted text-based instructions. I hope this helps those who were not able to figure it out and gave up. You owe it to your self and your investment to make it the best it can be, which includes removing a bloated ROM from the carrier.
Check it out here… Upgrade your Dash’s ROM
Leave your comments in the post located at the link above.
JAmerican
If you read my previous entry regarding my bad luck, you know that my Dash’s screen cracked. T-Mobile shipped my Dash on Tuesday, Feb 12, with 3-day shipping and I got it today! I was amazed to how quick I got the phone. I did have to pay for the 3-day shipping, $15, but it was worth it. Some of the obvious likes and dislikes about the device is that the keyboard backlight is more purplish than bluish. The screen has a yellowish backlight instead of the white backlight in my original Dash. The speaker is either the same or clearer. I can’t really tell. Overall, I love my new Dash!. One of the best things about this replacement is that my old Dash had a deep scratch in the screen. When I got my new Dash, I got out my Clarivue Screen Protector out ASAP and put it on the Dash. Now, the screen is crisp, clear and clean :).
The funniest part about my smartphone breaking is that I could only use it as a phone because I immediately put the official T-Mobile ROM on it after it broke. I was afraid the screen would die on me at any second and I would not be able to put the official ROM back on it. The phone application has the huge box for numbers so I was able to see the list of my contacts by typing them out and just selecting them.
Now it’s time to remove the bloated T-Mobile ROM for the Simple, Fast Generic HTC S620 ROM :).
JAmerican
I usually like to keep my blogging relating to modifications of some sort or tech-related posts but Monday was a very odd day for me. Mondays are always the worst day for me because I have all my classes packed together with only one to two-hour breaks in between from 8AM in the morning to 9PM at night.
I got out of my 11AM class and went to lunch with a few friends. After we finished eating around 1PM, I walked back to my bike when I had my shoelaces were untied. As I went to tie them, my headphones fell off my head to the asphalt causing the right headphone to break off. While it still works, it’s pretty much useless. I will be getting the receipt for it so I can replace it. Hopefully, it will be replaced without any problems from Sony but I highly doubt it.
After the headphones broke, I rode to my dorm at 1:30PM to get some books ready for my next class. I placed my coat on my chair and stepped out my room. I returned and landed heavily into my chair. Looking around for my phone I couldn’t find it anywhere until I checked my coat pocket. When I took the phone out, the LCD was cracked making around 80% of the screen white and unusable. The bottom portion of the screen is still usable for making phone calls but that’s it (which I find is the most important thing anyway). I called T-Mobile regarding the issue stating that my phone’s screen had malfunctioned. They asked me whether there was an obvious pressure point (like if there was a crack through the plastic into the screen). There was not. They asked to report the color of a sticker next to the battery terminals which was white; this sticker determines whether or not your phone was dropped in water–white means no and red means yes. She then proceeded to tell me this problem is known and that my phone is old enough for a replacement. The funniest part is that my phone’s warranty expires today. Having called yesterday, I barely made it. This shocked me because they told me that I would get an additional 90 days having used the warranty for a replacement. I just pay $15 for express shipping. Talk about a deal and luck.
So a bad luck turned into good luck for the most part. I just hope I get the same kind of luck with Sony when I get the receipt.
Here are pictures of the broken Sony MDR-NC60 and the T-Mobile Dash.
JAmerican
After months of considering the usefulness of my TX now that I have a T-Mobile Dash, I decided to take the sell it. I also need the money to buy books for school and other projects that I will not name at this moment.
If you are interested in purchasing my Palm T|X, check out the ebay page here…
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330210754129
JAmerican
I can’t write much due to I am busy studying for finals week. I just wanted to post that I’ve updated my computer from Windows Vista to Windows XP Media Center Edition. I posted a video some weeks ago but was too lazy to post a supporting article for it. The video is mostly self-explanatory. Also, when I say upgrade, I mean it. My computer runs much quicker and smoother under XP Media Center Edition. I also love how XP Media Center Edition and Vista Media Center Edition are very similar to each other. The only thing I can find different is that Vista Media Center has a different starting sound and slightly glassier theme. Otherwise, all the controls, guides and navigation seem to be the same. This is somewhat off-topic, but Media Center is the best DVR software I’ve used to date. I am quite amazed that Microsoft made it. It’s perfect. One of the annoyances of Vista was the fact that applications would just stop working and an error would pop up stating so. The most common was the “COM Surrogate Has Stopped Working” error. It seemed to relate somehow to my Windows Mobile Device Center connection but that still worked.
Overall, I think the most satisfying about the upgrade is that my Nvidia graphics card fan doesn’t run for several hours. At most, the fan will be on for 10 minutes. It usually stays on for less than 5 minutes. Only under intense graphics operations, like a video game, will it stay on for much longer.
The point of the video was to show how you could take XP and make it look like Vista without having to actually upgrade to a whole new operating system. Using the following links, you to can Vistafy your XP! All these Vistafied XP add-ons are all FREE!
-Vista Sidebar
http://www.wincert.net/forum/index.ph…
-Complete Vista Theme
http://www.crystalxp.net/galerie/en.i…
-Yod’m 3D
http://www.wincert.net/forum/index.ph…
-Xbox Friends Watch Gadget
http://adamkinney.com/blog/272/defaul…
-XBList (Better Xbox Live Friends Application)
http://brh.numbera.com/software/xblist/
-Video Captured (with audio) with CamStudio!
http://camstudio.org/
Let me know what you think overall in the YouTube or my site’s comments
-JAmerican
