Introducing the Asus Eee PC

I am typing to you from a clunky, 8 pound mega laptop with a power cord that needs to be propped up on a book to function. One unintentional jiggle, and the screen goes dark. All communication functions are down until I reboot, wait - a little longer - before the power light feebly flickers back on. The 17" screen and "spacious" keyboard appealed to me two years ago when I purchased this behemoth computer, but both have proven burdensome. If only there was an ultra mobile laptop that would be small enough and sleek enough to take anywhere, a sort of futuristic mini-computer that's fast and efficient, while still being compact.

Introducing the Ultra Mobile PCs. If you haven't heard of the Eee PC yet, you are in for a treat. Taiwanese based hardware manufacturer, Asus, released the Eee PC in October 2007, and computer geeks everywhere have been scrambling to get their hands on one. EeePC stands for "easy to learn, easy to work, and easy to play." At just over 2lbs, 7 inches, and priced between $299-$450 (depending on the model) it is easy to understand why it is stirring up so much excitement.


The Eee PC is part of a new class of notebooks, called netbooks, that are capable of surfing the internet, and accessing web-based applications, but do not not store information on your hard-drive like traditional notebooks. Instead, users save information directly on the web. This adds to the speed and efficiency of the devices, because they are not bogged down by stored data.

One criticism of the Ultra-Mobiles is that many adult users feel uncomfortable using the keyboards, which are significantly smaller than the ones found on average-sized laptops. A further concern is the Linux-based platform which does not support Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite programs. Instead, the netbook comes with free copies of open-source software like OpenOffice and AbiWord, which are great, but require some adjustment. (It is possible to override the Linux system and replace it with Windows XP, but you will need to purchase it separately and install it using an external DVD drive - which is also not included.)