Asus eee pc T91

lmarie · 07-22-2009, 01:46 PM

My T91 arrived yesterday, and though I bought it for a completely different reason, I find that it works well as an ebook reader! It's a convertible tablet with an 8.9 inch display that can be rotated lengthwise. The touchscreen functions perfectly with Mobipocket Reader, so if you don't mind the LED backlit screen it can travel nicely as an all-round useful device. I'm heading off for a week's vacation so will definitely be taking it along. Question is, will I take the Cybook too?

rgeorg · 07-22-2009, 03:15 PM

I am so jealous! Does the T91 backlight dim way down? My Eee dims very nicely so the backlight can be adjusted to a comfortable level. But the Classmate tablet doesn't dim very well and it is uncomfortable to read in the dark (and there are other drawbacks to it as well).

lmarie · 07-22-2009, 05:31 PM

Yes, it dims down quite low. Also, after your post, I played around with Mobipocket Reader, turning the background color light purple with black text, which makes it very easy on the eyes. A couple of other benefits: I can download directly to the device without the transfer step like on my Cybook, AND the screen can be rotated in all four directions, so you can set it up easel-like on the table while reading, tapping the screen to turn the page. I think I'm really going to like this thing.

wermy · 07-22-2009, 05:40 PM

I am jealous as well! I ordered a SmartQ7 for comic book reading, but I was just thinking the other day that this thing would be just about perfect. Couldn't justify the price for just reading though..

Houndx · 07-22-2009, 06:26 PM

I was having some envy looking at one of these yesterday, but I'd really want one without the keyboard. I have a laptop for that.

That led me to looking at the Archos 9, but there I'd want one with an SSD and not a hard drive - again, the laptop has one of those and I've got a NAS for longer term, network wide storage.

tl;dr: I want a 9"(or larger) tablet device, no keyboard, SSD, intel atom(or amd equivalent) for no more than $299. I'm guessing that it'll be a few years. I'll make do with a SmartQ 7 while I wait.

thebigalphamale · 08-20-2009, 09:39 PM

how is the overall speed (atom right?) and battery life of the t91? What OS did it come with widows xp home? 1gb ram or 2? How are the touch features and screen resolution?

how is it for reading pdfs? I am thinking the 8.9 is as low as I would wanna go after trying a 5.6 fujitsu u820 ( it was nice in landscape tablet mode with my 20/20 vision, but not optimal as black bars on the top and bottom of the screens in reading mode took up some of the viewable screen as with any screen it would be the same...so now with my girlfriends 10 inch eee its much better...but im thinking 8.9 would be the smallest)

sorry for all the ?s as i was really looking at the t91 until i saw some blah reviews on it...and now im thinking more about the new archos 9 with windows 7....

lmarie · 08-21-2009, 07:45 PM

Speed is fine -- but I'm not watching video on it, and I'm only going to put a very few work-related things on it. You wouldn't want to overload the thing, I'm sure. OS is Windows XP. Oh, and I bought it with 2G ram, not the 1G it comes with. Boot up is pretty fast, but then again, I don't have much on it. I use it mainly as a web browser. Keyboard is very tiny -- nobody with big hands would be able to use it comfortably. My hands are about medium, and I still occasionally hit a wrong key.

Battery life is around 4 or 4 1/2 hrs. You can rotate the screen to see a full page pdf file, but it is very small (this is only a 9 inch screen.) However, the screen on the one I got is really bright, which I love -- I don't understand why people have said it's dim. It is way brighter than my everyday, older laptop. You could enlarge the pdf and read it of course.

The touch screen is nice -- I'm starting to use it more often. I don't use the silly (imho) software it came with, but I won't remove it until I'm sure it's useless. Seems nobody else really uses it either.

The build is very solid, very high quality. I'm quite fond of the little thing -- but I've never had a netbook before, so I can't compare it to others. It is going to be a useful tool that I can take to work and use for some things. For serious, long term work though, I'll stick with my 15" laptop.

Good luck, and be sure to post here if you do get the Archos. I've watched that one too.

davidsk · 09-11-2009, 08:17 AM

That is exactly what I use it for (Ebook reader).

Try PDF XChange Viewer if you are reading PDF. You can make notes on it very easily.

Although it is only about 1Kg, I still feel a bit heavy when holding it for reading book. :-)

I hardly use any funky stuff. The handwriting on the notebook is useless. It doesn't work as it is advertised. You can only write letter by letter, but not the whole word. However, I hardly use it.

Floeee · 09-20-2009, 06:39 AM

is there any input lag while writing??
how long does a startup take without anything in the autostart?

is it possible to buy a better battery with which i can get 10 hours running time?? because that should be my minimum

im also looking to the archos9 dunno
anyone able to make a comparison?

david83k · 09-20-2009, 11:48 AM

@Floeee
You can't buy a better battery because it is inside the casing. Perhaps an external power pack can help to get a few more hours but it would restrict the portability of the device.

wodin · 09-21-2009, 01:24 AM

AAARRAAGGHHHH! (Is talk like a pirate day over?) You guys are gonna keep me BROKE!

tr_tr · 09-30-2009, 12:41 AM

I wanted to buy a Gigabyte t1028x mainly for its bigger dimensions (10') but they are pretty much sold out everywhere and it will take at least a month for new supply.

The T91 is tempting though.. How is the screen? Would 10" really be a lot better or is 9" big enough.
I intend to use it for scanned pdf reading (also scribbling on them).

EDIT: Never mind.... nothing to see here..... just bought a Smartq 7

Floeee · 10-02-2009, 08:32 AM

9 inch is big enough, 10 would be nice, but not for over 40% more weight
the 960gram from the t91 are already a bit heavy, but over 1400gram with the 1028 are a nogo, espacially for reading
screen is ok and not that dark as mentioned but glossy, didnt test it in direct sun

so how do you like the smart7?

tr_tr · 10-02-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floeee

9 inch is big enough, 10 would be nice, but not for over 40% more weight
the 960gram from the t91 are already a bit heavy, but over 1400gram with the 1028 are a nogo, espacially for reading
screen is ok and not that dark as mentioned but glossy, didnt test it in direct sun

so how do you like the smart7?

Haven't received it yet, only sent the order

I am not sure if I will like the smartq 7, but I have read some reviews here and I expect it will be a great 'in between' buy. My ideal tablet pc/ebook reader is not build yet, so this is hopefully good enough for now. My major concern is that it will have problems reading most of my pdfs, but we'll see..

Taboo · 10-02-2009, 05:24 PM

I just bought a T91 and I have to admit, I'm loving it more than my Sony Reader and Smartq7. I love being able to read any file format without having to worry about converting!
I tested a couple of comics using comicrack and cddisplay and it looks amazing..
Also the weight isn't an issue to me, I'm not looking for something to throw in my backpack, just a reading device to use while at home

07-22-2009, 01:46 PM	#1
lmarie Dilettante Posts: 148 Karma: 132 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Philadelphia area Device: EB1150, Cybook Gen3, Kobo Touch	Asus eee pc T91 My T91 arrived yesterday, and though I bought it for a completely different reason, I find that it works well as an ebook reader! It's a convertible tablet with an 8.9 inch display that can be rotated lengthwise. The touchscreen functions perfectly with Mobipocket Reader, so if you don't mind the LED backlit screen it can travel nicely as an all-round useful device. I'm heading off for a week's vacation so will definitely be taking it along. Question is, will I take the Cybook too?

09-11-2009, 08:17 AM	#8
davidsk Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Eee PC T91	That is exactly what I use it for (Ebook reader). Try PDF XChange Viewer if you are reading PDF. You can make notes on it very easily. Although it is only about 1Kg, I still feel a bit heavy when holding it for reading book. :-) I hardly use any funky stuff. The handwriting on the notebook is useless. It doesn't work as it is advertised. You can only write letter by letter, but not the whole word. However, I hardly use it. Last edited by davidsk; 09-11-2009 at 08:19 AM. Reason: adding more

09-20-2009, 11:48 AM	#10
david83k Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: SmartQ7, Sony PRS-600	@Floeee You can't buy a better battery because it is inside the casing. Perhaps an external power pack can help to get a few more hours but it would restrict the portability of the device. Last edited by david83k; 09-20-2009 at 12:06 PM.

09-30-2009, 12:41 AM	#12
tr_tr Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: none	I wanted to buy a Gigabyte t1028x mainly for its bigger dimensions (10') but they are pretty much sold out everywhere and it will take at least a month for new supply. The T91 is tempting though.. How is the screen? Would 10" really be a lot better or is 9" big enough. I intend to use it for scanned pdf reading (also scribbling on them). EDIT: Never mind.... nothing to see here..... just bought a Smartq 7 Last edited by tr_tr; 09-30-2009 at 05:03 PM.

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07-22-2009, 03:15 PM	#2
rgeorg Guru Posts: 675 Karma: 3314796 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Europe & USA Device: K3/3G(2x), Glo HD, Amazon Voyage	I am so jealous! Does the T91 backlight dim way down? My Eee dims very nicely so the backlight can be adjusted to a comfortable level. But the Classmate tablet doesn't dim very well and it is uncomfortable to read in the dark (and there are other drawbacks to it as well).

07-22-2009, 05:31 PM	#3
lmarie Dilettante Posts: 148 Karma: 132 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Philadelphia area Device: EB1150, Cybook Gen3, Kobo Touch	Yes, it dims down quite low. Also, after your post, I played around with Mobipocket Reader, turning the background color light purple with black text, which makes it very easy on the eyes. A couple of other benefits: I can download directly to the device without the transfer step like on my Cybook, AND the screen can be rotated in all four directions, so you can set it up easel-like on the table while reading, tapping the screen to turn the page. I think I'm really going to like this thing.

07-22-2009, 05:40 PM	#4
wermy Member Posts: 19 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: SmartQ 7	I am jealous as well! I ordered a SmartQ7 for comic book reading, but I was just thinking the other day that this thing would be just about perfect. Couldn't justify the price for just reading though..

07-22-2009, 06:26 PM	#5
Houndx Groupie Posts: 159 Karma: 149 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: A81 MID, Dell Streak	I was having some envy looking at one of these yesterday, but I'd really want one without the keyboard. I have a laptop for that. That led me to looking at the Archos 9, but there I'd want one with an SSD and not a hard drive - again, the laptop has one of those and I've got a NAS for longer term, network wide storage. tl;dr: I want a 9"(or larger) tablet device, no keyboard, SSD, intel atom(or amd equivalent) for no more than $299. I'm guessing that it'll be a few years. I'll make do with a SmartQ 7 while I wait.

08-20-2009, 09:39 PM	#6
thebigalphamale Member Posts: 18 Karma: 40 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: u820, asus t91, eee pc	how is the overall speed (atom right?) and battery life of the t91? What OS did it come with widows xp home? 1gb ram or 2? How are the touch features and screen resolution? how is it for reading pdfs? I am thinking the 8.9 is as low as I would wanna go after trying a 5.6 fujitsu u820 ( it was nice in landscape tablet mode with my 20/20 vision, but not optimal as black bars on the top and bottom of the screens in reading mode took up some of the viewable screen as with any screen it would be the same...so now with my girlfriends 10 inch eee its much better...but im thinking 8.9 would be the smallest) sorry for all the ?s as i was really looking at the t91 until i saw some blah reviews on it...and now im thinking more about the new archos 9 with windows 7....

08-21-2009, 07:45 PM	#7
lmarie Dilettante Posts: 148 Karma: 132 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Philadelphia area Device: EB1150, Cybook Gen3, Kobo Touch	Speed is fine -- but I'm not watching video on it, and I'm only going to put a very few work-related things on it. You wouldn't want to overload the thing, I'm sure. OS is Windows XP. Oh, and I bought it with 2G ram, not the 1G it comes with. Boot up is pretty fast, but then again, I don't have much on it. I use it mainly as a web browser. Keyboard is very tiny -- nobody with big hands would be able to use it comfortably. My hands are about medium, and I still occasionally hit a wrong key. Battery life is around 4 or 4 1/2 hrs. You can rotate the screen to see a full page pdf file, but it is very small (this is only a 9 inch screen.) However, the screen on the one I got is really bright, which I love -- I don't understand why people have said it's dim. It is way brighter than my everyday, older laptop. You could enlarge the pdf and read it of course. The touch screen is nice -- I'm starting to use it more often. I don't use the silly (imho) software it came with, but I won't remove it until I'm sure it's useless. Seems nobody else really uses it either. The build is very solid, very high quality. I'm quite fond of the little thing -- but I've never had a netbook before, so I can't compare it to others. It is going to be a useful tool that I can take to work and use for some things. For serious, long term work though, I'll stick with my 15" laptop. Good luck, and be sure to post here if you do get the Archos. I've watched that one too.

09-20-2009, 06:39 AM	#9
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	is there any input lag while writing?? how long does a startup take without anything in the autostart? is it possible to buy a better battery with which i can get 10 hours running time?? because that should be my minimum im also looking to the archos9 dunno anyone able to make a comparison?

09-21-2009, 01:24 AM	#11
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	AAARRAAGGHHHH! (Is talk like a pirate day over?) You guys are gonna keep me BROKE!

10-02-2009, 08:32 AM	#13
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	9 inch is big enough, 10 would be nice, but not for over 40% more weight the 960gram from the t91 are already a bit heavy, but over 1400gram with the 1028 are a nogo, espacially for reading screen is ok and not that dark as mentioned but glossy, didnt test it in direct sun so how do you like the smart7?

10-02-2009, 05:24 PM	#15
Taboo Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 14 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Canada Device: Smart Q, PRS 505, Asus T91	I just bought a T91 and I have to admit, I'm loving it more than my Sony Reader and Smartq7. I love being able to read any file format without having to worry about converting! I tested a couple of comics using comicrack and cddisplay and it looks amazing.. Also the weight isn't an issue to me, I'm not looking for something to throw in my backpack, just a reading device to use while at home

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