Review of Asus Eee PC 900 Laptop computer.

We researched various machines and decided that as our main laptop is fine for Internet access by means of a usb 3g modem 'dongle', the second machine did not have to be anything too fancy as it would primarily be used for word processing. We tend to use an external hard drive to store our work so the new laptop did not need a massive hard drive.

The laptop we purchased the ASUS Eee PC 900 had the 'What Laptop' magazine gold award, having rated 8 out of a possible 10 in the May 2008 issue test reports section. It was purchased from PC World in Newcastle upon Tyne for £199.99.

The Asus Eee PC 900 is classed as a entry level ultra mobile laptop and around the same size of a hard back novel, it most certainly is ultra mobile! It weighs a minuscule 940g and the overall dimensions are approximately 225mm lengthwise x141mm wide x 36mm thick. It looks like a standard laptop that got shrunk in the wash!
The screen is a 7" TFT, which uses LED technology making it brighter and more energy efficient than the usual laptop screen. The screen is set inside a large bezel flanked by speakers, this means there is room for a fair sized 'qwerty' keyboard, much larger than on similar 7" models.
The laptop comes in white or black, colour was no real issue for me so I was not too bothered that the shop only had white in stock. The main manufacturing material is as you might expect for such a light weight machine, plastic, it is sturdy and robust.
The Asus Eee PC 900 is available from PC World shops and online and from the online retailer, Laptops direct, www.laptopsdirect.co.uk , plus various other suppliers. Prices seem to be around £190.00- £225.00.

Hard Drive
The hard drive is a 2 GB Solid State Drive (SSD), there are no moving parts which of course helps the robust nature of the laptop. The SSD does limit the amount of files that can be stored, but as I have said, this isn't an issue for our usage of the computer.

From the front.

From the right side.

From the left side.

The Asus Eee PC 900 operated on a Linux variant, Asus Xandros. It fires up very quickly into an icon driven interface. The interface consists of six tabs arranged across the screen, these break down into the main functions of the laptop, work, play, Internet, settings, favourites and learn. It is easy to navigate, each tab opens into a further selection of icons relevant to the subject.
The laptop can be switched to Windows should users wish and a Windows Installation guide is included in the box, although NOT the Windows service pack discs, these have to be obtained separately from Microsoft. I found the operating system slightly strange at first, but it is actually simplicity itself to use once you are used to it.

The system is pre-loaded with a huge range of tools from a full Open Office word suite, tools for getting online, power utilities and media tools. The browser pre loaded is Mozilla Firefox, my personal favourite browser. A wireless connection or mobile USB connection is require for accessing the Internet, the necessary ports are inbuilt to accept your Ethernet cable. The laptop can be used as a movie and music player and the sound quality is excellent. As it does not have a CD/DVD drive, the music or movies would need to be run from a USB memory stick or a separate CD/DVD drive added via USB.

The laptop is very portable and easy to use. It does everything I need for a second laptop. It is very sleek looking and was set up and running in minutes. For everyday use the Asus Eee PC 900 can be attached to a full sized monitor and keyboard should you wish. The price is very competitive and the test reports I read on this model rated it extremely highly. It is small but perfectly put together and for a basic ultra compact machine, it is in my opinion very hard to beat.

I feel rather disloyal to my lovely little laptop by listing it's failings but, in the interests of Ciao readers, here goes!

**Conclusion**