Hijinks Inc.

Category: Eee PC

  • Tablets Are the New Netbook

    Remember when the iPad was announced and people said “meh…”? And now, less than a year later, it’s a huge bread winner for Apple. Everyone else appears to be noticing as well, in the past few weeks more and more tablet rumors have popped up with the vast majority of big name players in the industry on board.

    Don’t believe me? Let’s review…

    • The long rumored Notion Ink Adam has pricing, and is expected to launch between November 2010 and January 2011.
    • HP confirmed internally a webOS tablet, then confirmed publicly both a Windows and webOS based tablets for 2011.
    • Bloomberg reported recently that RIM is working on a poorly named tablet, dubbed “BlackPad”, which is supposedly going to launch in November.
    • ASUS was quick to announce the Eee Pad, but it likely won’t ship until March of 2011.
    • LG has confirmed their own tablets are in the works, including a Windows 7 based model and Optimus, an Android tablet. Promised ship date is Q4 2010.
    • Kmart is selling a cheapo Android tablet and even though it has terrible specs they seem to be selling like hotcakes, with Kmart barely able to keep them in stock.
    • Acer teased an Android tablet back in May, but apparently put it on hold until it can ship with Android 3.0 Gingerbread.
    • Toshiba just shipped, and promptly sold out of, a limited run of its dual-screen Libretto tablet.
    • Also from Toshiba is a rumored Android tablet, hitting the streets in September or October.
    • And of course Google and Verizon are supposedly prepping a Chrome OS tablet of their for launch next yet.

    While I did go outside the scope of the past few weeks, you get the idea. I’m also probably leaving out a ton of other tablets, like the failed JooJoo tablet for example.

    This whole jumping on the tablet bandwagon seems to me to closely resemble when ASUS first launched the Eee PC and the netbook revolution took off, people were a little skeptical at first and then realized it was a great idea. Now I’m not saying tablets will kill off netbooks, but they seem to be the flavor of the month for the foreseeable future. And reportedly the iPad by itself has caused a decline in netbook sales for ASUS.

    Bottom line, I love the iPad, but I really am excited to see cheaper (and hopefully better) tablet solutions from companies besides Apple.

  • OS X on an Eee PC

    I recently purchased another Eee PC, this time around I got the 1000H model, which has quite a bit more power than the 2G Surf which I started with.

    Now it comes with Windows XP Home, but leaving it with its stock configuration is just plain boring, so I’m setting out to install OS X on it. Granted it has been done before with varying amounts of success, but taking someone’s word for it isn’t half as fun as doing it yourself.

    First Step: Download iDeneb 10.5.4.

    iDeneb is a modified (read: illegal) version of the OS X Installer, which basically allows installation on unsupported hardware. Which is exactly what we need.

    Second Step: Update the BIOS.

    I read on a few other websites that it’s recommended that you update your BIOS before proceeding, especially if you purchased the 901 model of the Eee.

    Download BIOS update for 1000H
    Download BIOS update for 901

    Once you grab the correct BIOS file, you can use the ASUS update utility that came installed on your Eee.

    Third Step: Configure Your BIOS.

    First you’ll need to change a few BIOS level settings, to access the BIOS quickly tap the F2 key after you first power the system on. Once the BIOS menu appears, go to Advanced > CPU Configuration. On my 1000H there was only one option and it was already disabled, apparently some people have three options, and you need to disable all three. Press Esc. Next, go to Onboard Devices in the BIOS and disable all but the first two items (first two items are USB related). Finally, Save and Exit.

    Fourth Step: Installing OS X.

    Of course this step requires a copy of iDeneb burned to a DVD and a USB 2.0 DVD-ROM drive.

    When the computer first starts up, quickly Escape key until the Boot Menu loads. Select the DVD drive from the menu, then hit any key to boot from it.

    After the Installer loads, select your preferred language. Next, go to Utilites > Disk Utility.

    Select the drive you want to format. Go to the Partition tab that appears. Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the partitioning.

    Click Options. Select GUID Partition Table and click OK. Then click Apply to format the drive.

    Follow the onscreen prompts. When you reach the drive selection, chose the drive you just formatted. Then press Continue.

    Now comes the fun part, on the next screen, chose Customize to select the correct packages.

    Expand the list of patches.
    Expand the options for Chipsets and check ICHx Fixed.
    Expand the options for Kernel and check Kernel 9.4.0 Vanilla.
    Expand the options for Network -> Wireless and check Broadcom.
    Expand the options for Fix and check both FireWire Remove and ApplePS2Controller
    Expand the options for Video, then the options for Intel. Check the box for GMA950.

    Click Done.

    Click Install. Cross your fingers.

    Complete the Setup Wizard after the install finishes.

    Step Five: Make Stuff Work.

    You might notice that audio, graphics acceleration, and Wi-Fi all are not working. Whoops. We can fix most of this, though audio and built-in ethernet support aren’t possible as of writing this.

    Download this ZIP of patches. Extract the contents.

    Next, restart your computer and boot back into the BIOS (tap F2 repeatedly). Under Onboard Devices re-enable everything. Save and Exit.

    Now run the AboutThisMac tool inside the folder you just extracted. This will fix the processor identification on your regular About This Mac window.

    Copy the Kext Installer utility from the folder you just created to the Applications folder. Run it. Now drag all the files from the Drivers folder into the Kext Installer window. Enter your password. Let it finish. Restart.

    Lastly, install the Wi-Fi driver. You can download a copy of it from Ralink. Mount the disc image, then install the OS X 10.5 version of the driver. Restart.

    To configure your newly installed Wi-Fi, open System Preference > Network. It will notify you that a new Ethernet connector has been located. This is your Wi-Fi card. Click OK, and close the System Preferences window.

    Connecting to a Wi-Fi network is a little trickier now. You’ll notice there’s no AirPort menu, so instead you need to go to your Applications folder. Launch WirelessUtilityCardbusPCI. Open the Site Survey tab, click Rescan. Double click on your network to connect to it.

    My experience with the wireless is anything but reliably, but it’s still awesome to have OS X on an Eee.

  • More Eee PC giveaways!

    If you missed the memo (and the ensuing knockoffs), Eee’s are hot right now. Not only is some bank in Canada giving them away for free, but now PowerUp Mobile is as well.

    UK customers who sign a two-year contract with PowerUp Mobile for T-Mobile’s Web n Walk broadband service will get not only a free Eee (2G), but also a free USB modem.

    PowerUp Mobile - Free Eee

    Again, this offer is outside the US, but maybe someday we’ll get a similar deal.

  • US Banks Suck

    RBC Royal Bank of Canada is taking promotional offers to a whole new level, offering up a Eee PC 2G surf for opening a new account! A nice upgrade from the free coffee pot I got for opening my account.

    Of course, there are hoops to jump through…
    Checklist

    Not quite enough to get me to move to Canada, but if they start offering a 4G Eee PC, I am so there.

  • Eee PC 900 Arriving May 12th

    You heard right, the big brother of the current Eee model is hitting stores May 12th. Not only will it feature a larger screen, but it will also be available in both Windows XP and Linux flavors for the price of $549.

    How does that work you ask? One has a free OS and the other Windows, but they cost the same?! Outrageous! Actually not really, turns out if you opt for Linux you’ll be getting rewarded in the form of a 20GB SSD as opposed to the 12GB SSD with the Windows model.

    Storage space aside, both options have the same specs: 8.9-in. screen, 1GB of system memory, a 1.3-megapixel camera and a multi-touch trackpad.