Asus Eee PC 900 Review

The Asus Eee PC 900 is the new update to the original Eee PC ... the affordable mini notebook that shook up the notebook market in 2007. Is this $550 mobile companion the best choice for your next travel laptop? We took an in-depth look at the Eee PC 900 to find out if this latest addition to the Eee PC family offers enough performance and features to get you excited.

First, let's review the system specs for the all new Eee PC 900:

• Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHz processor
• Integrated Intel GMA 900 GPU
• 12GB of Flash-based storage (4GB onboard SSD and 8GB PCI-E mini card SSD)
• 1GB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
• Windows XP operating system
• 8.9-inch screen with 1024 x 600 resolution
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
• Webcam (1.3 MP)
• Battery: 4-cell 5800 mAh 7.2V Li-Ion (rated at 3.5 hours)
• Wireless: 802.11b/g Atheros
• Input: Keyboard and Multi-touch touchpad
• Dimensions: 22.5cm(W) x 17cm(D) x 2cm~3.4cm(H)
• Weight: approximately 2.2 lbs with battery, 2.8 lbs travel weight with AC adapter.
• One-year warranty

Build and Design

Like the original Eee PC, the designers at Asus had no easy task creating an attractive ultraportable notebook while also making it cheap to produce. Customers also indicated that they wanted a larger screen and a larger touchpad, so both of these features had to be incorporated into a very small footprint.

The chassis seams match up with reasonably tight tolerances, plastics feel thick (though the pearl-like white plastics look cheap) and the display hinges are molded into body with the battery. Overall, the Eee PC 900 is almost identical to the original Eee PC. The only obvious differences are the larger screen and the slightly deeper dimension (front to back) in order to accommodate the larger touchpad.

Lifting the display cover you find the same amazingly small keyboard surface found on the original Eee PC. In short, the build quality is quite high despite the low cost.

The design of the original Eee PC was something truly unique in the market. Weighing in at just two pounds and delivering a performance level similar to a full-featured budget notebook, the only notebook that came close to "directly" competing with the Eee PC in 2007 was the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 tablet PC ... which retailed for more than $1,000 last year. After the success of the original Eee PC, other manufacturers have started to flood the market with low cost mini notebooks. The Eee PC isn't the only kid on the block anymore, which is why Asus is trying to raise the bar with the Eee PC 900.