Truthfully, I bought this unit for the sheer 'gee whiz' factor. It was also not that substantially more expensive than the Asus eee. The base eee costs around $300 but that includes a puny 2 GB HD and no webcam. For roughly $140 more I got a 60 GB hard drive and a webcam.While the Asus comes with a flash drive generally limited to about 8 GB or less (some newer models come with a standard hard drive), the Classmate comes with a 60 GB hard drive (on the Series 2 model, 30 on the first series). The Amazon website lists the HD as 40, but it's actually 60.
My unit was the bone grey model handle and covering with Windows XP Home edition and wireless capability. Straight out of the box this unit located my wireless signal and locked on.
This unit is slightly more bulky than the eee but this is mainly because of better protection. The eee was an accident waiting to happen while the Classmate has rubber bumpers and a protective covering to make sure the kids don't bash it in.
The Classmate is better built than the eee, though. My eee looked nice but creaked and groaned as the cheap plastic parts sometimes meshed. Using the mousepad on the eee was something of a chore, also, as it constantly clicked and flexed. The Classmate is definitely better in that respect. No flex, no play, just solid.
As I later found out from some reviewers, the eee also has a problem with falling apart in any drop more than a few inches high. Although I didn't try it, I'm sure the Classmate would fare better, not that I plan to drop it anytime soon.
The only fault I could find is that the computer comes with no owner's manual but you can get one for free at Of note, the manual comes in German, English and French which may be why it isn't shipped with the unit (this would put it in violation of NAFTA which requires English, French and Spanish in the U.S.).
My eee booted in 15 seconds with Linux on it but it took a good 2 minutes with XP and 1 GB of RAM. The Classmate took about a minute but I'm sure this is due to the rather miniscule 512 MB RAM included. Since the machine utilizes a DDR chip, I'm sure I can upgrade to 1 or 2 MB later (one chip instead of two so you'll to buy your preference since you can't double stack the chips). Since both units utilize the Celeron chip, the difference in boot times is somewhat confusing when using XP, especially since the eee's 1 GB of RAM should make a difference (but it didn't). Making this more confusing is that the eee uses a solid state drive while the Classmate utilizes a 1.8' PATA hard drive spinning at about 4,500 RPM. A sold state hard drive should always boot quicker than a rotating one.
The eee's keyboard was an absolute nightmare. It was way too small and difficult to use. The Classmate's doesn't appear much larger, but it is easier to use, albeit not as easy as a standard keyboard. Again, it's made for kids. It's much better marked than the eee's and doesn't require a manual to figure out.
Both manufacturers include a recovery disk for the unit without realizing there is no CD drive in either. Duh! How about a small flash drive instead of a CD for the recovery system?
Both units accept external CD drives, burner or not.
Heat is a problem with these small units but the Classmate doesn't have the heat dissipation problems of the eee. While using the eee it quite often became too hot to leave on my lap. The Classmate never seems to get hot although it gets warm. Part of this may be due to the leather covering on the bottom (which is held on by Velcro and is easily removable to access the RAM and HD).
In the end analysis, I'd choose the Classmate any day over the eee. I got rid of the eee after two months of frustration but I'll keep the Classmate!
1. Wireless internet connection doesn't work after upgrading to Windows XP SP3. Once I upgrade, the wireless is able to connect to my router and my other PC's, but internet connection is spotty at best and broken at worst.
2. Customer support is nonexistent! I've emailed them a couple of times and no one has responded after three weeks. They don't seem to offer telephone support.
3. Reformatting drive using provided recovery disk crashes computer. I thought my wireless issues might be a software issue so I tried using the recovery disk to start from scratch, but after the hard drive was reformatted, the computer would freeze on the initial 2goPC screen with no way of going forward. I had to return the laptop to Amazon and get a replacement, which is when I figured out the wireless problem only occurs when Service Pack 3 is installed.I originally purchased this for my 9 year old because the kids computer was losing keys and was sufficiently outdated that it would not run some of the games like the new versions of Zoo Tycoon. I liked the idea that this would have a more durable "kid-friendly" form factor. However, it is woefully underpowered and frankly, not significantly more durable than some of the comparably priced Acer or Asus systems. In addition, the CTL, Acer Aspire and Asus EEe do not have DVD/CD drives which is very inconvenient if you want to run children's games which require the original disk be in the drive in order to run.
I came across an Acer Extensa which is a dual AMD with 2 GB memory. I bought the Extensa at Best Buy for 399 which is less than the CTL or the Asus EEe and the Acer Aspire and it has better specs. It has a larger 14" screen and it is a comparable size to the CTL. While the Extensa comes with Vista and is an "ok" speed, if you wipe it and install Windows XP -you have a system with performance that should last indefinitely for the kids -particularly if you use Open Office (a great FREE alternative to MS Office).
So if you want an economical system for the kids that will allow them to play today's memory/CPU intensive games AND be able to do dual duty as a "real system" capable of running office and home productivity suites, check out the Acer Extensa or even the Aspire systems. In the long run, it will be cheaper since you won't be looking at having to upgrade in a year as the needs of the kids and your family changes.I purchased the CTL 2 go pc and it wouldn't boot to the operating system ( Windows XP )
When I called CTL I was transferred to a guy names John who identified himself as the 2go project manger. When I asked him if he could help me he was rude and aggressive and told me he didn't have the time to answer my questions and transferred me to the technical repair line. I then spoke to a guy who sounded Eastern European and he told me he wasn't in charge of repairing 2go pcs and then he transferred me to a guy named Jason. I got Jasons voicemail and left a message with my name, number and email address. 2 weeks later, no reply. I called again and asked to speak to the manager and was transferred to the voicemail of a guy named Eric Stronqist who is the guy in charge of CTL. Again I left my info, again no reply. Companies like these will be the first to go in this economic downturn and they deserve all they get.
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