Call them sub-notebooks, netbooks, Mobile Internet Devices (if you're Intel); call them what you want.
What you simply must do though, is see these wonderful compact, yet versatile devices in action - they're incredible. Don't worry if you're feeling a little left behind though - the second wave of ultra-affordable machines is on its way.
Asus is no longer the sole purveyor of these ultra-portable marvels, and with the likes of Acer, MSI and HP wading into these bountiful waters, you can expect things to liven up pretty quickly here.
Take the Acer Aspire One for instance, a machine that boasts the same core specification of the latest Eee PC, the 901, but at the same price tag as the original 701.
Meanwhile HP has entered the fray with its 2133 Mini-Note, a stylish machine that boasts a quality specification. MSI's Wind meanwhile offers a bigger screen than its rivals, and a tad more space for the keyboard too.
Core to this latest slew of machines is Intel's recently released Atom processor - a price- and power-conscious CPU that has been built with these very machines in mind.
How do these devices stack up against each other and to the original Eee PC? It's time to find out...
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There are plenty of ways to use these machines, and it could well be that your primary intention is to only ever take your sub-notebook of choice for a tour round your home.
Even there though, battery life is important, as you're not always going to want to be anchored to a power point.
And of course the value of battery life increases the further you plan on travelling with it, peaking at those long journeys where you demand entertainment en-route.
The core specification for each of these machines is defined by power efficiency, but this is offset by the space available for the batteries. This is why so many of the base models boast a relatively modest 2200mAh 3 cell battery pack as standard.
A 6 cell pack is worth investing in as you buy though, and will extend the usefulness of the machines linearly - they'll last twice as long.
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Your comments (4) Click to add a new comment
whitespiral
August 3rd
4. Your comparison is total BS.
"highlight some failings of Linux, such as their ability to competently handle NTFS drives"
Maybe the Linux distros included in theses machines don't do so, but Linux is perfectly capable of doing it. So the OS is not to blame, but the manufacturers for don't installing what's needed. Besides, what do you need it for? Access drives over a network? That's not what there little machines are for!
You say "we'd suggest buying Windows pre-installed if you want to do anything beyond the basics with these machines."
These machines were designed to do just the most basic stuff!! Why the MS advertising?
Now, be fair and say XP is a bad choice given its record as the most unsafe OS in the history of mankind. Have the balls to say "XP highlights some failings of all MS OSes, such as their ability to competently handle EXT2, EXT3, RaiserFS, XFS filesystems".
But nah, we know whose hands feeds you.
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wisostic
July 20th
3. Yeah i would like to hear something about battery life as my Sony Viao is almost a disgrace when it is unplugged.my next notebook will definitely be ASUS brand, they are in top form.
Thanks
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eugb
July 17th
2. Great article.
I'd love to see it updated when the Dell E debuts soon!
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reload
July 17th
1. Good article, thanks.
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