ASUS Eee PC: Laptop, UMPC, or Something Else?

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Many of the complaints that we've leveled against the Eee PC are intentional design decisions. There's really no good way to fit a full-size keyboard into a 7" laptop chassis. ASUS' goal was to create an ultraportable laptop that would be great for computer neophytes and children. We don't have any children readily available to write a review of the Eee PC, and we certainly don't qualify as computer neophytes. (Okay, that's not quite true. My five-year-old thinks it's cool; she calls it her "baby computer" and thinks Tux Racer is awesome.) While we may feel that the user interface is Spartan and that there aren't enough applications, ASUS actually put a lot of time and effort into creating the OS front-end. As a power user, we might not like it too much, but it does keep complexity down to a minimum.

It's easy to see the Eee PC as a popular item for people whose lives don't revolve around technology. It does everything you really need from a computer, and if you're looking for similarly priced options, you either have to get something a lot larger or something smaller. Look around on eBay and you can find a used laptop that probably offers more performance for the same price (or less) than what you will spend on an Eee PC. For that matter, you might not even need to go to eBay. You can also pick up PDAs for under $400. The problem is, both of these options end up being completely different from the Eee PC. Any new or used laptop that costs under $500 will likely be twice the size of the Eee PC, if not larger, so you're no longer getting an ultraportable. PDAs on the other hand serve a completely different market. Keeping track of your calendar, checking an email, or writing a quick note are all things that you can do with a PDA. However, you need to do this with a stylus input device (unless you grab a keyboard accessory) and the screens you get on PDAs make the 7" LCD on the Eee PC look positively huge.

There are 7" computers out there, of course. We're talking about the UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC). That still isn't the same as an Eee PC, however, and they cost more than twice as much. They still use a stylus input/touch-sensitive screen as well, so if you're comfortable using a keyboard - even a small keyboard - writing any lengthier notes/emails/documents on a UMPC could take some time. It's all about using the best tool for the task at hand, and UMPCs serve a different niche. The stylus interface allows you to walk around a warehouse for example, jotting down notes or checking inventory.

That's really the crux of the problem: in what areas does the Eee PC excel? It's too large to be a PDA, too small to function as a laptop for most people, not particularly fast, and the default input devices are somewhat limited. Anyone interested in purchasing a UMPC might find the Eee PC functions adequately and costs a lot less, but with the Eee PC, you have to flip it open and use a regular keyboard/touchpad. That makes using the Eee while standing or walking around somewhat difficult. There are still things that the Eee PC can do better than other systems, however.

Going out on a quick luncheon trip and don't feel like lugging along your regular laptop? Grab your Eee PC. You'll have plenty of battery life, it doesn't require a lot of table space, and if you happen to be carrying a purse anyway you should be able to fit it inside. Jot down notes, maybe fire off an email, or just surf the web. If the thought of trying to lug around a large 10-15 pound laptop bag makes you cringe, the Eee PC can provide nearly all the same functionality in a much smaller package. You could do this with a PDA as well, and it would require even less space than the Eee PC; however, while surfing the web at 800x480 might feel a bit limiting it's still worlds better than trying to surf on a 240x320 screen.

In short, the Eee PC is exactly what it appears to be: a really small laptop. It's a different take on the ultraportable market from UMPC, at a much more attractive price. It's easy to fit in a child's backpack for school, and it weighs a lot less than your typical textbook. You still get a regular QWERTY keyboard, even if it's small, decent networking, and a display that's better suited to surfing the Internet than other tiny computing devices (cell phones/iPhones, PDAs, etc.) If size matters and you are simply unwilling to carry around a 5-10 pound laptop, the Eee PC might be exactly what you need. We would still have issues using it as our primary computing device, but then you just can't run stuff like Crysis on an Eee PC.