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Ask HN: Is the Asus Eee PC a good gift for a 13 year old?

3 points by weegee ↗ HN
My nephew just turned 13, and I want to buy him his first computer. He currently uses his parents PC in the livingroom, but his dad doesn't take care of it and I think he's old enough to have his own machine. The Eee PC is intriguing for its price and that it runs Linux. I think it might be a good tool for him at school and at home, but am not sure if it is too limited. Anyone here have one and can chime in? I also like the small size. Thanks for your input!

9 comments

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rms
Definitely not too limited, people a lot older than 13 years old use Eee PCs. Sounds like a great gift.
brk
I have one, it's very handy, lots of cool things you can do with it.

HOWEVER, I think it's more of a laptop augmentation than full replacement. If he wants to really hack around with it and load any additional software he'll soon find himself out of storage. The screen is a tad small and lo-res, and the keyboard is cramped (but maybe not so much for a 13 year old).

I'd look around for desktop in the same price range and/or at craigslist and ebay "gently worn" offerings for the money of an EEE for this application.

weegee
thanks for your input, I'm looking for something he can carry with him to school and use anywhere. and I'm trying to find a computer he can call his own without spending too much money.
SwellJoe
I have an XO (not the same, but same form factor and screen size as the smallest/cheapest Eee). The only thing that makes me hesitant to say, "Hell yes!" is the tiny screen. It's usable, and has pretty good resolution, and maybe my 33 year old eyes just aren't up to the task, but I find it uncomfortable to use for anything serious. Catching up on email or the news is fine...hacking, not so much.

But when I was a kid, I loved tinkering with various computers--including limited ones like the Timex Sinclair and Tandy portable computer line (I couldn't afford the model 100, so I had one with like 2k of memory...basically a calculator with BASIC). But I had my first computer (a C64) when I was 8 and loved computers pretty much all along.

I think it's gonna depend on the kid, but I'm guessing anyone without a laptop would be very pleased to have a laptop, even one with a few limitations.

weegee
yes, my first computer was a timex sinclair 1000 with the 16k memory expansion pack plugged in the back, and then when that blew up (just stopped accepting keyboard inputs one day) I got my first "real" computer, a Commodore 64!! I'm also looking at other alternatives, but seems that the $299 price point for this thing is pretty hard to beat.
mixmax
Great idea - get'em while they're young...

:-)

Tichy
I love my Dell Latitude X1, and apparently it does not cost much more than the eeepc on ebay (new - it just isn't available from Dell anymore). And it's a real computer with a similar form factor to eepc (still holding up very well and I have had it for two years now). In my opinion eeepc is just garbage - sorry. I think it is one of those things that let's people go "oooooh, cute, want", and two days after being bought it ends up unused in the corner.

Try to find a Latitude X1 on ebay (I am running Ubuntu Linux on it - also, I just learned it can be upgraded to 2GB RAM, despite officially only supporting 1GB).

I use it as my main computer for everything except playing 3d shooters. The keyboard is fine, the 12' screen is OK for traveling and at home I have attached it to an external 24' screen.

saundby
I have an Eee PC 4g model 701 and both my 13 and 16 year old love it, and are aching to have one of their own. They're both saving up to buy themselves 2Gs, though if the prices keep falling they may be able to afford something better.

I get along with the screen and keyboard fine, they don't even notice that they might be a problem.

I think they make great systems for kids this age.

weegee
Thanks to all. I ordered an eeepc 900 with Windows XP from costco.com.