ASUS has developed its own software – the Eee Dock – which acts as a centralised place to get access to all the extra, value-add features bundled into its netbooks. The Eee Dock sits at the top of the screen and pops down as you roll over the arrow, to reveal the four main links: Access, Sharing, Experience and Tools. The interface follows the Windows Aero style semi transparent design, but actually runs completely independent of it and the effect can be adjusted within the program.
ASUS Eee Dock
The Access button links to ASUS Cloud services – including @Vibe, Game Park, AP Bank and WebStorage. Netbook users get an extra 500Gb of WebStorage free for a year, so it’s worth checking out, while the AP Bank and Game Park include thousands of applications and gaming software suitable for the netbook or used directly online.
ASUS Eee Dock 'Access' drop down menu
Its Sharing button is linked with the in-build webcam – for video calling and photo taking – while Syncables again extends to another ASUS Cloud service that allows file, folder, media, email and bookmarks syncing between PCs, so whatever PC or laptop you’re on there’s always have access to important files and email. Throw out your USB flash drives too because it also doubles up as an online backup service. Everything specified by the user is kept online in a secure account, so you never lose the data.
The Experience button currently only holds a font resizer, which on a small netbook screen is actually more useful than you think, while the Tools button links to a live update to keep all the drivers and apps up to date with the latest version available, and there’s also the LocaleMe service and a Dock customisation function so you can change which side the Eee Dock anchors to, what ‘Docklets’ above to enable/disable (to keep it tidy if you don’t use them all) and also a transparency adjustment too.
There’s the Eee Dock in a nutshell – if you still have questions, give us a shout in the comments below or shoot an email in my direction!
Nick Holland
Nick Holland – Portability and PC gaming are essential to Nick’s life. He’s enjoyed the latter since a very young age – eschewing consoles for customizability of a PC (with the finest backbones like the Asus P3B-F and A7V133) and the feel of a keyboard and mouse. As soon as he could afford a notebook he got one and things have rolled on from there into sleek DTRs (desktop replacements) netbooks, smartphones and he’s already eyeing up the latest tablets while trying to think up an excuse to own one. After writing about all things tech for several years it is only natural he sought to join the already awesome TiS team.