By “Slim”

Introduction

Netbooks, once considered a niche market, over the past two years, has grown to become its own category of computing. And whenever anything starts to get popular, it will immediately garner attention from the media, clones from its competitors, and growth from its originator. Asus being the innovator that is, started the craze with the Eee PC in 2007, which grew to 6 models offered today; therefore it’s only fitting that we discuss the entry level model today. The Asus Eee PC 900 is perfect for getting your feet wet; in this case we will be looking at the linux version with a new technology, Solid State Drive.

Specifications

Dimensions- 8.8″ × 6.5″ × 1.4″

Weight- 2.2 lbs

Video Display- 8.9” screen size (wide screen display)

1024 X 600

WSVGA TFT

CPU- Intel Mobile CPU Processor (900 MHz Celeron M)

Memory- 1 GB RAM DDR2-400

Hard Drive- 4 GB internal

16 GB Solid state Drive (Shock Proof)

Card Reader-  MMC/SD(SDHC)

Network- 10/100 Mbit Ethernet 802.11b/802.11g

Web Cam- 1.3 Megapixels

Audio -1 Internal Microphone Speaker

2 Internal Stereo Speakers

USB- 3 USB Connectors

VGA- 1 VGA Connector (Yes you can hook it up to a monitor if you so desire)

Battery-  4 cell 4400 mAH- official battery life 3.5 hours- (I get about 3)

AC Adapter -AC Adapter Output: 12V, 3A

AC Adapter Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal

Design

Let’s start off by saying that the form factor of the netbook uses rounded edges to gives the Eee PC a sleek look. And the white color gives a throwback shout out to old apple design. You can also get it in shiny black if your tastes delve to the darker colors. The light weight, 2.2 lbs also makes it ideal for one handed use during lengthy commutes where there’s standing room only. Also comes with a nice little felt slip case to protect your netbook while not in use.

Features

When dealing with any computer the software is key to its intrinsic value. That being said let’s talk about what you receive when you buy the Eee PC. It comes loaded with a PDF Reader and Open Office, which coincidently allows you to do everything Microsoft Office can do. Not to say there are not a few problems importing file types, but it’s much better than the weird characters of doom that you would receive when trying to import documents from Microsoft in Lotus (circa 97).  Currently they have:

-Writer    A word processor vis a vis Microsoft Word

-Calc         A Spreadsheet tool vis a vis Microsoft Excel

-Impress  A presentation creator vis a vis Microsoft Powerpoint

-Base        A database management tool vis a vis Microsoft Access

-Draw       A vector graphics editor vis a vis Microsoft Visio

-Math       A mathematical formula creating tool vis a vis Microsoft Equation Editor

In addition to the utility applications it comes preloaded with Mozilla Firefox, Skype,  an instant messaging program, Pidgin which allows you to sign in from all your user accouts (Aim, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) , A link to Google Docs, Wikipedia, it’s own dictionary, and finally a World Clock.

Though it’s not all about work for this little guy, He also comes packed wih a media player (coincidentally able to view xvid, h264, and divx encoded video straight out the box), music manager, photo manager, video manager, and a host of games.

-Solitaire- no deception here

-Frozen Bubble-  A bubble shooting game (you gotta try it)

-Crack Attack- much like bejeweled

-Penguin Racer- Generic race game with items for points

-Sudoku- yep same game as you should expect

-Potato Guy- Mr Potato head on your computer

-Ltris- Think tetris

As an added bonus the machine is ready to go from off – on in 22 seconds, yeah that’s right you thought you could pop some popcorn and come back to settle in. Not so with this bad boy, he’s waiting for you to finish what you WERE doing. Also its interface is tab based to split between work and play, so only the icons you need at the time will be displayed. Another nice feature (not really encouraging you to test this) is that the SSD drive is much less susceptible to shock than standard disc hard drives, so less chance of damaging the device in case of a fall.

With all it’s bonuses it still lacks what traditional computers provide, Such as raw processing power. (Max upgrade to 2 GB of ram and a 900 Mhz computer vs. a 2.2 Ghz Dual Core easily upgrable to 4 Gb) It also lacks conventions such as an optical drive (CD Rom, or DVD Rom). It also has a shrunken down keyboard due to its size and for people with hands of my size it may resemble a little toy.

Bottom Line

The Eee PC 900 provides just enough function to match with its form. It’s Linux design follows an almost Firefox-like browser for familiarity and ease of use, it has all the productivity tools one would need on the road, and it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice. Perfect for Travelers, but still an enjoyable experience for the casual user.

Scores (Out of 5):

Features: 5.0

Ease of Use: 4.0

Hardware Capabilities: 3.0

Bottom Line: 4.0