Asus Eee PC T91MT-PU17-BK 8.9-Inch Intel Atom Netbook Computer
Posted by cheapest laptop staff | Posted in Netbooks | Posted on 30-08-2010
5
- Intel Atom Z520(1.33GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, FSB 533MHz)
- 1 GB DDR2 SODIMM memory, Max Capacity upto 2 GB
- 8.9″ WSVGA (1024×600) Multi Touch Screen Panel
- Integrated Intel GMA 500 Graphics Controller; Shared w/ system memory
- 32 GB SSD/li>
Product Description
Asus Eee PC T91MT-PU17-BK 8.9 inch Intel Atom Z520/1 GB/32 GB SSD/W7HP Netbook Computer (Black)… More >>
Asus Eee PC T91MT-PU17-BK 8.9-Inch Intel Atom Netbook Computer
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(Note – The T91MT is released in Black and White versions, I have the White Version.)
Since I’ve started using Ipod Touch generation 1 a couple of years back, I decided the future is all about touch screen and I told myself I would only buy mobile devices that would have access to touch screen. So I was looking forward to this netbook, as it was exactly what I’ve been hoping for in terms of concept and design.
Initially I was disappointed with the touch features due to lack of response, but after over a week I’ve started to like it. Don’t get me wrong, the T91MT uses a resistive screen so it is never as responsive as the IPhone Capacitive screen but once you get used to the amount of pressure you need to apply, the T91MT response pretty well to touch commands. The main culprit of lag and unresponsiveness is the low powered CPU. I’ve notice while it is tablet mode, the processing power is restricted to only 800mhz. You will only get the full performance of 1.33ghz in netbook mode, this may be purposely implied to lower the system temperature in tablet. The difference in performance is very noticeable while watching online videos.
Multitouch zooming is not highly inaccurate, instead of making small smooth changes; it makes leaps that zoom from 100% to 125% or 100% to 75%, depending on the program. Some program has smooth animation between zoom to give the illusion that the zoom is more fluid. The biggest problem here is still processing power. If you are running zoom while low in processing resources you will likely to make inaccurate zoom, going over the desired zoom level due to lag.
There is a official demo video floating around on YouTube of the T91MT, this is the same video that is installed onto the netbook that shows every time you startup. It can be misleading; the video shows a different version of Touch gate that has a different background graphics. They have show very smooth animation in their software, it is unlikely the real thing will perform this well, due to once again, lack of processing power. The real thing is much choppier.
However on the positive side, the design of the netbook itself is solid and reasonably attractive, one of the big selling factor of this notebook is the small form factor and the tablet option. The netbook is very portable, I find myself getting it out during long queues like I would usually do with my Iphone. It can operate in tablet mode without going back to the keyboard, thanks to the virtual keyboard in windows 7.
The battery life is reasonable to good; it runs down quicker in full performance setting, around 3hrs, which is what I usually have it in due to the lack of processing power. I installed the extra 2GB ram memory right away; it didn’t make much of a difference in terms of system performance. In addition, a lot of online videos are unwatchable or choppy. Youtube content cannot be played in HQ and depending on the video some will be choppy even in LQ mode while in tablet mode. Youtube is much more playable in netbook mode. Hulu has the same problems, more severe than Youtube since a alot of their video is in a higher quality format, Hulu is barely playable in netbook mode. Watching video’s from hard drive is a different story, they play rather well, they don’t suffer like those online videos.
I will also mention Asus’s in-house software. The Touch Gate and Eee docking software are rather poor. In the touch gate, the online radio has a trial period and a link to Internet explorer was very unnecessary. Touchgate was designed for the XP to give them some touch screen functionality on that platform which was lacking in touch functions, but in windows 7 they are rather redundant since windows 7 was designed for touch screen. On top of this, the program itself is laggy.
Another problem I ran into is the palm rejection. The palm rejection software “Intelliwriting”. It only works with sticky notes and windows journal. But this is not its only problem, this software is inaccurate, causing you to draw with your palm. It also distorts your text, making productive work very frustrating. I’ve turn this feature off and train myself to write without pressing my palm on the screen by using landscape mode making use of the side of the screen as a form of physical palm rejection. Updated – After a couple of weeks testing the T91MT, I can tell you that palm rejection is a lost cause. It is very difficult to write for longer than a few words on this net book, the palm rejection software distorts so badly that it is not worth turning on. A active digitalizer would’ve made a world of difference. Writing is only useful for making a couple of annotations.
The netbook has 2 USB ports and 2 SD/SDHC slots if you have the money, you can purchase 2 SDHC cards to increase the disk space by 64gb(2x32gb). This is kind of expensive, but does give you the option to expand without compromising portability.
The netbook is functional for reading PDF’s and Amazon’s Kindle. It is easier to read Amazon kindle, as that is less processing intensive. PDF magazine with lots of graphics can load slowly between pages and zooming can cause lag if you use the tablet mode, due to the reduced clock speed. I’ve learnt to use the pdf software’s internal function to change screen orientation rather than using the netbook’s function, that way you will scroll your books from the side like they are naturally. Another interesting fact is the notebook fits very well on the standard book holder at your local gym, so you’ve the option of working out while reading your pdf books or watching a movie on your netbook.
I’ve installed Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, ArtRage and Corel Painter 11. Photoshop works surprisingly well despise the low processing powers. Applying filters only took a few seconds. Photoshop demanded much less power than I had imagined it would.
There was initially a problem with the drawing tools on all these programs, they would not perform short strokes and sometimes would not draw at all. After some tweaking with settings, I worked out that this problem was caused by touch gestures sending both commands for drawing and moving the canvas at the same time, which confused the software. To fix this, I disabled “Single Finger Panning” under “Pen and Touch” control panel, this solve much of the drawing problems.
In conclusion, this device is not bad but could’ve been much better with more power. The touch screen function gets more responsive as you get used to it. The portable format lets the user to work anywhere. It works very well as a portable tablet. However the palm rejection is a lost cause, realistically you cannot do any kind of productive handwriting on this netbook, this netbook desperately needed a active digitalizer. The other main let down of this netbook is the processing power. The overall lag caused by this is discomforting, if Asus had put in a high powered cpu and gfx, this would be a award winning product. Note that your processing power will be lowered in tablet mode(800mhz), you can however work around this by putting your netbook to sleep during netbook/laptop mode then change to tablet mode while it is powered off. Once you repower on you will keep the same clock speed as the laptop mode(1333mhz), but this may cause heating problems.
I was initially very angry with this netbook, as Asus make a deceiving marketing video giving false expectation of the netbook, but as time went on this netbook grew on me. It makes a nice toy for reading and watching movies on the move, it is a cross between a iphone and a netbook. But as a first generation touchscreen netbook, it is not much of a productive tool in it’s current form.
Rating: 3 / 5
After using the t91mt daily for 6 months, I still think that this is one of the best electronic products I have ever used. This is an updated review added on May-2010 with some corrections and additions, including notes on Firefox, ready-boost, the iPad vs. t91mt, and using of the t91mt to control(keyboard/touchpad) my Home Theater PC.
Another very informative source of info about the T91MT (and t101mt) is [...] (if the link is not displayed, Google “myt91 info”).
My personal learning experience with this Tablet was very satisfying . After using it for extended periods of time over the 4-day long Thanksgiving weekend, and then on my daily commute and at the office for occasional use, it easily fulfilled all of my expectations:
1. Reading any size of PDF files was a breeze. Acrobat 9 runs quickly on the T91MT. You can switch between portrait and landscape modes by a push of a button on the frame, and although it’s a nice to have, I found it to be most useful to read just about everything in the default landscape-mode. Want to read Amazon eBooks? – just download the Kindle-for-PC and let the reading begin..
2. Internet use was as fast as on my dependable desktop. Both PCs access the Internet via wi-fi and downloads to the T91MT were even a bit faster than what I get on the desktop. (600 kB/sec from fast servers).
3. Web Browsers and Multi-Touch:
Update: May-2010 – Initially I defaulted to using MS-Explorer for a few of months because Chrome which I liked on a desktop does not support well the multi-touch features, but After trying out the Opera, Chrome, and Mozilla’s Firefox, the latest version of Firefox turned out to be superior in any respect to the Windows Explorer browser. Firefox responds to ALL of the precious Multi-touch features, and most importantly, uses less RAM which proved very beneficial for speedy response. I still have 1GB of RAM and the usage of it dropped from a common 90% with the MS-explorer to 65% with the Firefox! Firefox also lets you configure the Browser’s look, icons etc. to make the most out of the 8.9″ screen.
Its zooming comes at much smaller increments than the huge 25% jumps of the MS Explorer, and that provides for adjustments to the pages.
Touch-ability: The scrolling of pages is quick to respond, and zooming is quick too – just sweesh two fingers away or toward each other.
Proper usage of ‘flicks’ – sweeping a finger right or left will take you back or forward on the internet pages. You can also enable diagonal flicks (Control Panel –> Pen and Touch) to Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete at a fingers move.
3. Watching videos: Whether watching a full feature film or a video clip played from a file on the local Drive, or streaming Youtube in regular or HD resolution, the Picture was smooth and nearly always jitter free. An episode of a TV Series which I played with a “VLC player” was jumpy, but once I switched to Windows Media player, the picture was smooth again. Darker scenes are not very detailed/clear on the t91mt however.
4. Power levels: the T91Mt has several power levels. Should the video not run smoothly, or any other action not be fairly fast, it may be an indication that it is in ‘power-saver’ mode. To bring it back to higher power usage, simply click on the small battery icon on the the toolbar and select ‘high power’. (it defaults to the latter when plugged in of course).
5. Battery: with declared battery life of of 5 hours, I initially carried the charger with me to the office and back, but soon enough realized it was not necessary in my case. The t91mt still serves me for a full day’s use due to realizing that I use it as one would use his cell. When needed, it comes out of ‘sleep-mode’ in only 3 seconds (!), or ‘Hibernate-mode’ in 20 sec. ready with Internet pages and other forms just as I left them, and goes back to sleep instantly at the slide of a button. After repeat casual use during a full day of several minutes at a time, there are still 2+ hours of life in the battery to last me the 45 min commute back home. You can improve on battery life by turning off unused bluetooth and other devices, or keep the screen brightness at just the right level or do other tweaks easily with the provided power options.
7. CPU: If you are looking for a powerhouse of a multi-tasking-supporting machine that can play demanding games, then this machine (and most available netbooks probably) are not for you. For daily use of Internet, Music playing, eReading, and other common activities, the t91mt does a great job.
8. Sound/Equalizer: You cannot expect too much from the small standard speakers on the t91mt, so the sound quality is fair. It gets far better with headphones or a good set of PC speakers where the sound card does a great job. Both streaming audio from Pandora and mp3 on the local disk sounded great.
9. Booting / Other Comments: The initial booting+setup took ~15 min and was without any glitches. Just hang with it and reply to the prompts. Setting up the Wifi Connection was very fast. Windows 7 may be Vista based but is a delight to work with. Many functions are intuitive. To me it seems like Windows has really matured. The t91mt has no moving parts (except for maybe a tiny fan on the CPU?). It hardly gets warm, and is totally silent.
10. Update: May-2010
Readyboost – Buying a SD/SDHC fo add memory on its own is fine, but do not buy one for a ‘ready boost’ option because the internal SSD is already taken as fast enough, which is why the readyboost option is not there for added flash drives.
iPad versus t91mt: Initially I thought the iPad was going to beat the t91mt in every area. The iPad sure is an extremely potent device, but if I had to chose all over again, the t91mt would have still come up on top for me because it is a real computer that can multi-task (the iPad – cannot), can play flash (iPad – no), has a Keyboard/touchpad and can easily connect to a monitor (iPad – needs costly external hardware), has 2 USB connections (iPad – NONE!), is a totally open system – sweet Windows 7 onto which you can easily download anything (iPad – requires convertion + sync from external PC/Mac to be able to watch movies/play music) and the list goes on.
Being a sibling of the iPhone, those who own one will find the iPad a familiar territory of course and may take the iPad as a no-brainer decision. It’s all about knowing what you are getting with an iPad, and just as important – what you don’t.
Anti-virus: I do not have any resource-hogging Anti-Virus anymore. Instead, I use the free and excellent ‘Microsoft Security Essentials’ which gets the protection job done better than any other A-V I have used so far: It takes hardly any resources from the machine, never slowed Internet access and is continuously updated with new virus info. – Highly recommended for any PC you have.
Using t91MT as a remote control: Having the t91mt 100% of the time with me, meant I have it right there when sitting in front of the TV as well.
It played perfectly into also using its Keyboard/touchpad to control the HTPC. Just download this small free installation to your t91mt and to your HTPC and 10 min of configuration later, you don’t need any dedicated wireless keyboard/mouse: [...] (in case the link is not displayed, google for “synergy2 sourceforge”)
Final thoughts:
I was aware of this tablet coming out already in Jan-2009, and the wait was well worth it when I finally bought it in Nov-2009. Asus has created a well rounded and refined product with attention to detail, from a well laid out keyboard to a nice suite of software. I did not find any need for the Asus Gate utility and uninstalled it altogether. I mostly use the virtual keyboard, and although initially liked the stylus, I did not find it useful.
If you had in mind to buy any extras for the T91MT, then depending on your needs, instead of an upgrade to 2GB you may chose to go for an additional Memory Card simply because the T91MT comes with a 32 GB card but about 12 GB are taken by the system + programs software.
As with any sophisticated device, it may take a little getting used to. Normally the T91MT runs fast and the display is responsive, bright and sharp.
Initially I though I would wait for the 10″ T101 by Asus, but the 9″ is light & more compact and was a good choice to take anywhere especially when my daily commute requires the use of public transportation.
Day to day use also shows me that this machine is much more practical than a ‘flat screen only’ iPad-like Tablets (which do not have a real keyboard), because you can position the screen at ANY angle you want on your lap or on a desk. The hinge is VERY Solid & stays in place exactly the where you want it.
The t91mt pretty much put my desktop ‘out of work’. I only use it rarely now. The t91mt is now also functioning as my ‘remote’ to control the wonderful Acer AR3610 that I use for my HTPC.
The welcome arrival of the T91MT was indeed a game changer in more than one way for me.
Rating: 5 / 5
First, let me get this out of the way: I bought the T91MT because I didn’t want an iPad.
In addition to the T91MT, I own an iPhone and a HP TouchSmart TX2. I am sold on touch computing, and find the Tablet concept fabulous and essential. I teach, and I use the TX2 and a projector as a substitute for a smartboard, so I knew that the tablet is for me. Unfortunately, the TX2 weighs in at around 5 pounds which lead me to looking for a smaller tablet. I wanted something lightweight, portable, and handy for movies and such on the run.
I waited until the iPad specifics came out, and I was intrigued but sorely disappointed. What disappointed me was the idea of a large iPod touch or iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone is a great phone, but it is a lousy tablet. I cannot check ebooks out from the library, I can’t access my Zune Marketplace, and I can’t tweak or customize it at all. At times, it feels like I am “borrowing” my iPhone from Apple because I can’t customize it. That is why the T91MT and full-blown Windows 7 was so intriguing. The Asus Netbook has been surprisingly nice.
The Good:
It is small, light, and very comfortable.
I can check out EPub Library Books, stream Netflix, and listen to Zune.
I can ink in Evernote and keep all my notes together on all of my machines.
I can tweak, customize, and install anything I want.
The Screen size is perfect.
By disabling non-essential services, Aero effect, using 16-bit color, and disabling bluetooth I get nearly 6.25 hours of battery.
Kindle App works great (would love to see inking).
Two USB ports and SD card slots are a major plus.
The So-So:
The machine must be upgraded to 2GB of RAM (I have done that).
The SSD drive needs substantial tweaking to ensure performance.
The Windows Install needs to be slimmed down a whole bunch before it fully usable.
90% of the included software is not needed/actually makes the experience worse (by fully customizing the machine, it can nearly keep up with my TX2).
The T101MT is coming soon, and it is bigger but faster – personal difference.
Bluetooth is available (I just don’t use it)
The Bad:
Palm rejection is non-existent (especially after uninstalling bloat) in OneNote and Evernote.
Upgrading the hard drive is possible but very scary
32GB SSD is small, must have 1 or 2 FAST SD cards for IE and Firefox Cache, downloads, media storage, and Skype Portable.
I am afraid of keyboard build – it seems flimsy.
Processor is underclocked, and it undervolts automatically when in tablet mode (there is a trick to get around this though).
Fingerprints
This machine is not an iPad and that is a good thing. For the comparable iPad, you will spend much more and get much less, and you will have no customization ability. My T91MT is running as fast as my iPhone can, and I have the same (and more) software installed on both. Yes, it is a half pound heavier and the battery will last 2.5 hours less, but I am more than happy with my choice.
Rating: 4 / 5
I really enjoy the T91MT. I got mine in white a few days ago, now they offer it in black. The screen is very receptive to touch by both fingers and the stylus. I largely use the stylus as I find that it is more accurate and I can do things faster. Windows 7 works well and the ASUS software isn’t too bad. I haven’t found a way to change the icons that display on the touchgate screen, but I hope there is a way. The blue tooth functions very well. Also, the netbook seems to be of sturdy build and the screen swivel is pretty sturdy as well.
I do have to agree with some people that the processor is a bit less powerful than I would of liked. It doesnt multitask too well, but after all it is a tablet netbook not a desktop pc or laptop. With that being said, after loading netflix and youtube videos for a little bit, they usually play fine with nothing else running. I have even watched netflix in full screen many times with no problems.
I really dont use the multitouch that much and could do without it. A lot of programs don’t even support the multitouch. I still need to work on using OneNote better, but as of now I cant write with my palm resting on the screen.
Overall, I recommend this computer for use as a great tablet/netbook.
Rating: 4 / 5
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2NVLE1H57TFL8 This is what I was looking for in a tablet PC. Very light, small and completely silent. The processor is slow but its enough for web browsing, eBooks and DVD quality video. There occasionally was lag, but only enough to be a minor annoyance. The build is solid – I don’t worry about the hinge between the screen and the rest of the computer breaking off. It lived up to its advertising for the most part, so I’ve given it five stars.
I included a short hands on video so you can get an idea about its performance.
Rating: 5 / 5