Asus Eee PC 2G Surf Review

What the heck is an Eee PC? That''s typically the first question people ask. The Eee PC would be best described as a "laptop light." It''s similar to a traditional laptop except it''s smaller in every way and doesn''t have quite as much "umph" to it. The screen is 7" diagonal and the entire laptop only weights about 2 pounds. That''s pretty light when you realize that even the lightest traditional laptop tips the scales at about 4 or 5 pounds.

Where the Eee PC really differs is that it doesn''t have a hard drive. Instead it uses what''s called a solid state drive (SSD). Basically, it uses flash memory instead of a hard drive. Our review unit, the Eee PC 2G Surf, came with 2 gigabytes of storage and 512 megabytes of ram. You won''t find Microsoft Windows on the Eee PC either, it runs it''s own Linux operating system. The Eee PC will support a Windows XP install but doesn''t come with it. None the less, ASUS did a good job of including most of the programs people will want including Firefox for web surfing, Open Office for word processing and spreadsheets, Pidgin for instant messaging and even Skype for VOIP. A few Linux games are thrown in too.

The Eee PC has a typical laptop touch pad and a decent keyboard, albeit very small! Wi-fi is built-in along with an ethernet port on the side. You''ll also find 3 USB 2.0 ports, a VGA output, an SD card slot (perfect for checking out those digital camera pics) and audio in/out jacks. The Eee PC comes in a variety of colors, we were blessed with the lime green flavor.

Overall, the Eee PC is pretty cool! It goes where many people wouldn''t typically take their laptop. You can throw it into your briefcase or backpack and barely even notice the extra weight. The battery is rated for almost 3 hours which isn''t too bad considering how small the battery is. I did notice a lot of battery drain when the wi-fi was pumping. The battery also seemed to drain pretty quickly when the Eee PC was in sleep mode so make sure you shut it down when you''re done. Bootup time is super short anyhow!

As for computing power, don''t expect a ton. The brains of the Eee PC is an Intel Celeron Mobile 800mhz processor. Powerful enough for surfing the web, typing up a document or playing a simple game but don''t expect anything amazing. Heavy flash websites also seemed to slow down the OS a bit.

The Eee PC''s blessings are also it''s downfalls. Size! It''s small, which is great for portability but not so great for usability. The keyboard feels cramped for anyone who is used to a typical keyboard and the screen can only hold so much info (800x480). If you have some big fat digits you may want to test out the Eee''s keyboard before you buy.

With those few drawbacks aside, I think the Eee PC represents the future of mobile computers. It won''t replace your 3ghz desktop but it''s a perfect companion. It''s great for checking e-mail when you''re on vacation or surfing the web while you''re sitting on your back porch. You also can''t beat the price! Eee PCs start at only $299. I''m excited about these new "mini-laptops!" In fact, with a little more power I think they could replace full-size laptops altogether. The important thing here is to realize what the Eee PC is all about. It''s not trying to replace your desktop, it''s trying to compliment it.