Asus EeePC Netbook

Lately, whenever I’m surfing at a wifi hotspot, complete strangers stop and ask me about my computer. They’re completely fascinated by it. “It’s not just a computer,” I tell them. “It’s an Eee.” Tech people call it a “netbook.” Basically what that means is it’s a small, very portable laptop designed for you to easily take to your favorite local Biggby’s or Capital Area District Library location. Not only does it fit inside a backpack, it probably fits in the cargo pocket of your khaki pants. It’s THAT small.

My Eee has video, ethernet and three USB ports, as well as a 1024×600 screen. Wait, what’s that you say? You can’t play World of Warcraft on 1024×600 measly pixels? I hear where you’re coming from, man. I know that if you combine the Eee’s minuscule screen real estate with a Celeron M 353 processor, a keyboard 15% smaller than normal, a less than impressive 16 GB hard drive and the lack of a CD/DVD drive, it might sound ludicrously inadequate. But wait!

Think about what’s required in order to read internet blogs, MySpace, and watch YouTube. With the Eee you get a fast wireless connection and internet browser, which is basically all you need to do 90% of the things you do on a computer. You can sit in your recliner in front of the tv and use the Eee to IM your friends, job hunt and upload (using the Eee’s SD card expansion slot) pictures to your Facebook page. You don’t need CDs and a huge hard drive because you store all your documents on Google Docs, stream all your music and transfer files wirelessly. The Eee also is designed to be pretty durable, sturdy and able to withstand moderate amounts of physical abuse and the inevitable accidents caused by overly-caffeinated antics resulting from sitting too long at the Gone Wired Cafe.

Yep, it comes with all the plugs and pins you need to connect it to your camera, mouse, iPod, etc. (None of which are included with the Eee.)

It’s smaller than your notebook paper. And see that? Even more holes and sockets.

Let’s admit it, people. If you use an iPhone, you can’t type fast enough keep up with a heated IM argument. Lugging around this thing will slow you down during the Zombiepocalyse. The Eee is best for when you need a lot more than a Blackberry but don’t want to be slowed down by a full-sized laptop.

My favorite part about the Eee is that you can mosey into Target or Best Buy and wrestle one up for yourself (or your loved one) for less than $300. Buying the model that runs on Linux instead of Windows knocks that cost down to $250. I think that’s less than the cost of most iPods, isn’t it?

Before you jump blindly into your Eee purchase, I have just one final heads up: any netbook shouldn’t be your only way of accessing data and the internet. The goal here isn’t to store your entire music collection or edit home movies, so you’ll probably want to keep your iMac around for that kind of stuff. The rest of the time, however, save electricity and desk space. Compute nimble: compute Eee-style!

Asus: http://eeepc.asus.com
HP: http://www.hp.com
Dell: http://www.dell.com

5 things to consider Before Buying a Netbook

Electronic Buying Guide 2008