Thread: Pre-installed software

Looking at the pre-installed applications, it's hard not to think that the ET1602 is great for students. There's a multitude of programs well suited for fun and work. And school and college students could use this machine well for learning.

The Eee Bar: The Eee Bar is a quick launcher with sections and subsections for different purposes, for instance, the Applications section has shortcuts for Opera, Skype, Internet Explorer, Eee Cam, Eee Cinema, Eee Memo and so on. Similarly there are other sections called SoftStylus, ASHE, LED and Eee Manager. If the Eee Bar isn't comfortable for you, you can switch to a tabular or window representation, the the Eee Manager.

EEE CINEMA: This brings up a media center look-alike interface where you can play music, movies, videos and photos. The interface is eye catching-similar to Windows Vista's Media Center.

EEE CAM: It is one of the coolest features of the Eee Top. Here, the webcam can be used with a multitude of special effects. There are presets which allow overlaying animations on your videos. Other effects include animated photo frames and other Photoshop-like filters and effects. The funniest of the lot are the mirror effects, which skew, expand, disfigure and do a lot more with your picture or video in real time. It may seem like this little novelty could get boring very soon, but trust us, the Eee Cam can keep you entertained anytime plus kids will love it!

The Extras: A whole lot of other useful software is also included:



SOFTSTYLUS: This has two modes. One lets you hand write characters and the software attempts to convert the handwriting into text, and the other lets you peck at the on-screen keyboard. ASHE: It lets you toggle between the three power modes which are Power Saving, High Performance, and Super Performance. The table of scores will give you a good idea of the difference these modes make.

LED: This button lets you control the intensity of the decorative blue light at the base of the bezel. There are four modes to choose from: High, Medium, Low and Off.

EEE MEMO: Here, you see an analog or digital clock, and you can pull out a paper like a post-it note to write small reminders or memos using the stylus. You can edit, store and delete notes using this application.

Easy mode
If you ever used Windows 3.1, you'll instantly recognize the Easy mode. It is nothing but a set of large icons representing the applications installed. The ico'ns are large enough to be tapped with a finger. This mode will help children get used to computers. There are four tabs under which the applications are arranged: Communication, Fun, Work and Tools.

Communication includes Skype, Email, Eee Memo and On The Web. Email is handled using Outlook Express, and On The Web contains some shortcuts to websites related to communication such as Windows Live Mail, Gmail and so on.

The Fun section has icons for Eee Cinema, Eee Cam, Sound Recorder, Tutorial and. another On the Web icon with links to fun websites.