Asus Eee PC 900

Few could argue that Asus created something special when it launched the Eee PC last year. The idea of making a truly mobile, yet very affordable mobile computer was welcomed by the Press and consumers in equal measure. Although the Eee PC 4G 701 that Andy reviewed back in October 2007 was a great machine, there were a couple of issues that took away some of the shine. Now however, I have the Eee PC 900 to play with, and it looks as though Asus may have got everything just about perfect this time.

Anyone who's got a few years under their belt, will be well aware that the concept of a basic, portable computer with solid state storage and no moving parts is nothing new. About ten years ago I did a significant amount of my writing on a Psion Series 5, which was laughably referred to as a PDA. In the Series 5, Psion created a device so usable, that I was able to write entire features on it while sitting on the train. The company then pushed the boundaries even further when it launched the Series 7 and eventually the NetBook.

What Psion got right with its machines was a balance of essential functionality, small form factor and great battery life. As time moved on, though, fully fledged notebooks became smaller and lighter and end users wanted to run feature rich (read bloated) operating systems on their mobile computers. All this spelled the end for Psion hardware (although it did spin off its EPOC OS as Symbian), and for a long time we simply didn't see machines like the Series 7 and NetBook. Thankfully Asus realised that there was room in the market for a basic, affordable machine that didn't need to run the latest version of Windows - thus the Eee PC was born.

For anyone who hasn't heard of the Eee PC before (where have you been hiding?), let me give you the low down. The Eee PC is a very small machine measuring 225 x 165 x 35mm (WxDxH) and weighing around 1kg. that puts it well and truly into the ultra-portable sector, being lighter than even a Sony TZ31MN, and smaller too. This is a machine built to be used on the move, without the need to make much space for it in your bag. The Eee PC comes in two colours, pearlescent white, like the one I'm reviewing here and black - yes, that does sound very similar to Apple's MacBook range, but that's most definitely where the similarities end.

Although the chassis that houses the Eee PC 900 is pretty much identical to the 701 that Andy reviewed last year, you only have to open the lid to see the first major difference between the two. The screen on the 900 is a huge improvement and one that makes this new Eee PC even more attractive than its predecessor. The 7in screen on the original Eee PC was hampered by the 800 pixel wide resolution, which meant that you had to scroll sideways on the vast majority of web pages. The 8.9in screen on the new model rectifies this issue by sporting a 1,024 pixel wide resolution, which allows it to display the vast majority of web pages perfectly, without the need for sideways scrolling.


The full screen resolution is 1,024 x 600, which means you've got a widescreen aspect ratio, just like the majority of fully featured notebooks on the market. It should also be said that the quality of the screen in the Eee PC 900 is superb. OK, so it's not gloriously bright and vivid like the screen in a Sony TZ, but it is evenly lit, has a wide viewing angle and this sample at least, suffered from no dead pixels. The 8.9in screen actually fills the lid properly too, whereas the 7in display in the 701 just looked tiny, flanked as it was by speakers and surrounded by a large black bezel. As well as offering much improved functionality, the new screen also improves the Eee PC aesthetically.

Considering the overall size of the Eee PC, it comes as no surprise that the keyboard is quite small. Anyone who struggles with a reduced size keyboard on a traditional ultra-portable notebook isn't going to have much joy with an Eee PC, it really is that simple. However, if your hands aren't too big, you shouldn't have any problem typing - I'm currently writing this review on the Eee PC 900 and I can't say that I'm typing much slower than if I was using a full size keyboard on a notebook or desktop.



Also surprising is the amount of travel that each key has, and the fact that there's a solid break at the end of each keystroke, ensuring that your finger bounces back up ready for the next attack. If there's one small annoyance, it's the reduced size Return key, which resembles the flat Enter style key seen on US keyboards. This isn't anything that you won't get used to after a short time, but I'd still rather have seen a larger Return.

The other major component upgrade is the amount of storage on offer. The original 701 had only 4GB of storage, while the 900 comes in two configurations - one with 12GB of storage and the other with 20GB. There's no difference in price between these two versions because the 12GB model comes preloaded with Windows XP, while the 20GB version is running Linux. Basically Asus has used the money saved by installing an open source operating system to increase the storage. Of course if you really are set on Windows XP, the obvious suggestion would be to buy the Linux machine, then just install XP yourself - assuming that you have a spare copy of XP knocking about that is.

It's the 20GB Linux version that I've got in front of me right now, and I have to say that I'm simply not convinced that I would ever need Windows XP on a machine like this. The beauty of the Eee PC is its simplicity, so filling it up with a heavy duty OS, when you simply don't need the majority of the features it offers seems pointless. Unless you absolutely, positively have to run Windows applications like Microsoft Office, when you're out and about, there's pretty much nothing that you can't do with the Linux version.

Performance wise, the Eee PC 900 zips along, without any of the tedious grinding that Windows Vista users will be used to. Unlike with Vista, 1GB of RAM is more than enough for a well configured Linux build, while the fast solid state storage also helps to ensure that the Eee PC 900 responds instantaneously to your commands.

Navigation on the Linux install is unbelievably simple. You're basically presented with a tabbed desktop, and clicking each tab will change the icons on offer to you on your desktop. The first tab is labelled Internet and unsurprisingly, all the icons are linked to Internet access in some way. Highlights include a Webmail button, which opens a page with various Webmail client icons such as Gmail and Hotmail. The Web icon will open the pre-installed Firefox browser, while the Skype and Google Docs icons will do exactly what it says on the tin. The Messenger button will launch Pidgin, which is a multi-protocol instant messenger client, that works very well. I especially like the fact that all your conversations happen in one window, with tabs for each person you're talking to - this is very useful when desktop real estate is at a premium.

The Work tab gives you access to OpenOffice, for all your word processing, spreadsheet and presentation needs - and yes you can save in Microsoft Office format. Here you'll also find a PDF reader, a simple notes program and a shortcut to Thunderbird for all your email needs. This is also where File manager lives, which basically equates to Windows Explorer and lets you search through all your folders.

The Learn tab is clearly aimed at the education sector, which is a big part of the Eee PC market. Here you'll find games and applications to help improve your vocabulary, spelling and even maths ability. There's also a basic Paint program here, which is similar to the identically named application found in Windows, while the Science icon will give you access to a periodic table and a planetarium.

The Play tab brings up all the fun stuff like the Media Player, Music Manager and Webcam utility. There's also a Sound Recorder and a Games icon, which gives you access to a handful of pre-loaded games, including the obligatory Solitaire.

The Settings tab gives you access to all the system utilities and configuration applications. Here you can configure the touchpad, change the date and time, monitor disk usage and implement a virus scan of the system. The Add/Remove programs button also lives here, which not only lets you install or uninstall applications, but also checks for updates on all your installed programs. Finally the Favourites tab is just that, a place where you can store all your favourite links and shortcuts.

Despite the very small chassis, Asus has managed to squeeze in a surprising amount of connectivity. On the right you'll find a D-SUB port for hooking the Eee PC 900 up to an external monitor. Next to this are two USB 2.0 ports, along with an SD card slot. Considering how cheap flash memory is these days, the SD card slot means that even if you do run low on internal storage, augmentation won't be expensive.

On the left there's a third USB 2.0 port, which is one more than you'll find on most fully featured ultra-portable notebooks. Here you'll also find headphone and mic sockets - so you've got a choice of using a traditional or USB headset while taking advantage of that webcam and pre-installed Skype. Of course there is a microphone built into the lid of the machine, but you're always better off using a proper headset.

The final connection on the left is an Ethernet port for the 10/100 network adapter. It's worth noting that the Apple MacBook air doesn't have an Ethernet port, despite being considerably larger and heavier than the Eee PC 900, making Apple's machine look like a lightweight in metaphorical rather than literal terms. Of course you also get 802.11b/g wireless built-in - Draft-N would have been nice, but let's hope that when the Atom version arrives it wll be Draft-N compliant.

If there's one area where the new Eee PC 900 doesn't really improve on its predecessor, it's battery life, and that's a real shame. With the improvements that Asus has made in this new Eee PC model, battery life is about the only chink in its armour worth mentioning, but it's still a significant chink. Asus quotes 2.5-hours battery life for this machine, but I barely got two hours out of it, although to be fair I had the screen on full brightness and wireless running. Perhaps with a bit of a tweak to the brightness and more frugal use of wireless I could have matched Asus' estimate, but even then, two and a half hours isn't much by today's standards.

Ideally I'd like to see at least four hours battery life out of an Eee PC, especially since full fat ultra-portable machines like the Sony TZ can last well over six hours. Of course you can buy a larger battery for the Eee PC, but that will push both the price and the weight up. On the plus side, the power brick is tiny, so it wouldn't be too much of a chore to carry around with you, but that's not going to help you if you want to work out in the garden, or perhaps in a park where there are no plug sockets.

Battery life aside, Asus has thrown enough enhancements into the Eee PC 900 to make it a very attractive proposition for anyone who's thinking of buying a small, thin and light notebook. Of course those enhancements have also pushed the price up, with the Eee PC 900 costing £329 instead of £219. Even so, I can't see too many people being put off by the higher price point. In fact some of the guys in the office have already said that they'll be buying one of these little notebooks as soon as they get paid.

Verdict

Asus has done a brilliant job of updating an already great product. The engineers have clearly listened to all the comments regarding the original Eee PC and attempted to put them right. The 1,024 wide screen makes the Eee PC 900 a joy to use, especially if you spend a lot of your time in a browser window. The extra memory and storage are also very welcome additions, and help make this version of the Eee PC a real alternative to a fully featured notebook.

Yes the price is higher than the previous model, but I personally believe that the Eee PC 900 still represents staggering value for money. Ultimately, if you want a notebook that's small, light and still very affordable, the Eee PC 900 should be top of your list.

MSI Wind Mini notebook

So, what do you need to know about MSI's effort, the Wind? Much like the HP 2133 Mini-Note it weighs a little more than an Eee PC, at around 1.3kg. In turn that makes it just a smidgen heavier than a Sony TZ, which typically weighs around 1.2kg. In any case it's perfectly portable and unlike the HP Mini-Note or the Asus Eee PC 900, the first edition of the Wind will come equipped with a comparatively large 10in screen. However, despite its screen being significantly larger, it surprisingly doesn't have a resolution to match, with the screen running at 1,024 x 600.


This will no doubt disappoint those who want to watch high resolution video - of which there are many - but there is some crazy kind of logic to this move. Though it may appear wasteful to have such a large screen at a comparatively low resolution, it's a combination that makes the Wind very usable. Text is large and sharp, icons well defined and it's a scale that arguably suits more people than it disappoints.


Naturally enough, it's going to be a cheap machine. On launch the Wind will come loaded with Windows XP - a Linux version will follow at a later date - and will be retailing for a very palatable £329. This will net you 1GB of RAM, an 80GB standard mechanical hard drive and all the usual bit pieces like wireless, wired networking and even Bluetooth as well. Unfortunately we still can't officially confirm the CPU inside the Wind, but the consensus in the rumour mill has it using a certain new Intel CPU that begins with an ‘A', ends with an ‘m' and has ‘to' in the middle.
And, from our brief time with the machine, we found the Wind to be a nippy little thing. Programs loaded efficiently and were responsive to use, something that can't be said of the HP Mini-Note and its lackadaisical 1.2GHz Via CPU.

That's enough with the introductions, though, so let's take a much closer look at the MSI Wind has to offer...

Though not quite as accomplished as the HP Mini-Note, the keyboard on the Wind is nonetheless very good and a definite improvement over the Eee PC. Keys have a nice crisp response to them and most of the important elements of the layout are very good, though the Fn seems to have been directed to an incorrect location!

If you look closely at each bottom corner you'll see the two integrated speakers. They're not really up to much but then we weren't expecting anything special and these will do just fine for Windows' various chimes. Meanwhile, the battery you see at the back is the standard 3-cell that'll ship with the machine, though there's a 6-cell available separately as well.

Status lights for pretty much everything are on the front edge. Here you can also see the Page Up/Down, Home and End keys have been mapped to the cursor keys, which themselves are quite intelligently placed and shouldn't get in the way.There's a 1.3 Megapixel, with its own microphone, set into the bezel. Here you can also see the new MSI logo that'll be seen on all its new notebooks.

Here we see one of the Wind's most important features. Can't you see it yet? No? That's because it's the F10 key. Nothing exciting about that, of course, however it activates a feature unique to the Wind: hardware over and under-clocking. This, at the touch of a button, will either overclock or underclock the CPU, providing you with extra performance or improved battery life. Indeed, it's something MSI seems particularly keen on and here we can see it becoming a very useful feature.


On the left edge you'll find one USB port, a memory card reader, microphone and headphone jacks, a D-SUB (VGA) video output and an Ethernet port for wired networking.

And, on the right, there are a further two USB ports for a total of three, a lock slot and power input, with the rest of the space taken up by an air vent.

Side-by-side the Wind is perhaps slightly thinner than the Mini-Note.

Likewise, this shot shows the extra depth of the Wind as well.


Overall, though the Wind lacks the classiness of the Mini-Note's metallic finish and gloss black bezel, it's a good looking machine that shares a very similar visual style with the Eee PC - albeit in a slightly larger chassis. Either way it looks as though MSI has put together a very commendable effort and with Acer and Dell due to officially announce their efforts shortly, the Eee PC will have plenty more competitors to worry about.






Specifications

1.6GHz Intel Atom Processor
10" WSVGA (1024 x 600) LCD
Windows XP Home Operating System
Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics
1GB 667MHz DDR2 Memory
80GB 2.5" SATA Hard Drive
Wireless: 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0
3-Cell 11.1v 2200mAh Battery
Size: WxDxH 10.2" x 7" x 1.3"
Weight: 2lbs 8.6oz

Build and Design

The MSI Wind really has a great look and feel to it. The soft rounded edges coupled with the glossy texture make it easy and comfortable to grip onto, while also giving the mini notebook a very professional look. Another great aspect of the Wind is nothing appears "look at me" flashy, making it very appealing to business professionals, as well as children and teenagers alike. No chrome is found anywhere, and all the labeling and branding is a light grey which really goes well with the pearl white finish.


Build quality is excellent, and reminds me very much of the HP Mini-Note. Fit and finish is top notch with smooth and tight plastic seams, beveled edges, recessed hinges, and plenty of touches here and there that make you feel as if you are getting every penny's worth of notebook from MSI. The quality of the plastics used is top notch, and most thick enough to prevent flex even under a firm grip. The LCD cover and palmrest show no flex under heavy pressure, but the bottom panel is thin in a few spots and easy to bend. Not a deal breaker by any means, but I'm just saying it might not hold up well to being run over by a car.

Display

The Wind has a LED backlit matte textured LCD. It is very bright and easy to read, and rates very well to others screens I have used. Colors are vibrant and contrast is excellent. On the flip side, the screen does have the infamous sparkly texture to it giving solid colors a dirty look, and on high backlight settings you can see some backlight bleed and almost make out each individual LED. None of those drawbacks would be enough to make me not buy one, but it might be enough for someone to give it a second thought it they were more on the obsessive side of things.

Viewing angles are just how I like them, wide in both vertical and horizontal planes. I have always found it kinda funny that "cheap and affordable" subnotebooks can always manage to beat out multimedia powerhouses in this screen aspect. With some screens inverting colors or going distorted with minimal vertical movement, the MSI Wind's LCD keeps colors true until much steeper angles. I could say you could probably go 45-50 degrees above or below the screen before you might want to reconsider your seating position. Horizontal viewing angles were not as good as the vertical, with the screen appearing much darker in side viewing positions. The colors didn't exactly invert, but screen was dark enough to become unwatchable for secondary viewing buddies who you might be sharing a movie with.

Sunlight readability for those who might adventure into the wilderness on occasion is fairly good. At full brightness the screen should still be readable. Below is a comparison between the MSI Wind, Lenovo T60, and Dell D630. The Wind is a good deal brighter than the other two notebooks.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The MSI Wind really shines with its keyboard, and taking up almost every inch of space side to side to have the largest possible keys on such a small device. The keyboard takes all but 2-3mm of space going side to side, and is really great to type on even with large hands. The only big flaw I can find with the keyboard is the super narrow ",", ".", and "/" keys which are 2/3 the width of standard letter keys. This threw me off at first trying to type in websites, and hitting the "/" key instead of a period. Once you got used to the layout it wasn't as much of a problem, but come on, why ruin such a good thing? The shift keys on both sides should have been reduced in size by half and still been perfectly fine, and you wouldn't have to have 2/3 size symbol keys.

Ports and Features

The MSI Wind has a laundry list of features, including everything you would expect to find on a full-size notebook. Key features include 802.11b/g wireless, Bluetooth 2.0, Webcam, and a card reader, with USB, VGA, LAN, and audio making notable appearances. While Firewire would have been nice to see, it was understandable to be missing, with an already crowded port selection on each side.

Audio

Speaker quality on the Wind makes most full-size notebooks sound like full surround sound systems. They work well enough if you have to watch a YouTube clip or listen to system sounds, but it doesn't have any purpose beyond that. Volume levels can't get high enough, and you are missing all midrange without even a hint of bass. The headphone jack provides a great alternative though and comes highly recommended.

Battery Life

Currently only the 3-cell battery version of the MSI Wind is shipping, and I would barely call the Wind travel friendly because of it. At lowest screen brightness and the processor locked in ECO mode, the Wind almost broke 3 hours with wireless enabled but no activity taking place. When you turned the backlight brightness up to reasonable levels which range between 60-70% and leave the processor in the normal mode, battery life plummeted to 2 hours and 6 minutes under "normal" conditions. This includes heavy web browsing, installing a small application, and viewing images off of a memory card. For something a business user might want to take with him or her on the road, this is unacceptable, even compared with gaming notebooks.

When the 6-cell battery starts shipping as a standard item, my harsh opinion would change as you might be able to break 4-5 hours depending on usage since the battery is twice the size. This is basically the only option for road warriors, besides packing an AC adapter and extension cord at all times to gain outlet access.


Conclusion

The MSI Wind is one of the best subnotebooks I have seen come out of the mini notebook storm that has hit us the past few months. It offers a 10" widescreen, 2.5" SATA hard drive, Intel Atom processor, and WIFI with Bluetooth for well under what some of the other mainstream competition charge. All all of this seems to come with a small caveat right now: horrible battery life. MSI is only selling the 3-cell version of the Wind, which averages just a hair over 2 hours of mobile use. This is unacceptable for a travel companion device. Good news is sometime in the future a configuration will be sold with the extended battery, and early adopters will need to wait for a 6-cell accessory battery.

Pros

No heat to ignite pants or palms
Super bright LED backlit screen
Near perfect keyboard
Storage device offers an easy route of upgrade
Cons

Battery life is abysmal with the 3-cell
Limited supply at release, hard to acquire

Benq E2200HD Full HD Monitor

BenQ E2200HD 22" Full HD LCD Monitor

BenQ has introduced the new E2200HDA Full HD LCD display, which the company claims is the world’s first 21.5” Full HD 16:9 LCD monitor featuring 100% mapping to 1080p content. BenQ also promises to deliver five 21.5” and 24” Full HD 16:9 1920x1080 native resolution models in its E Series and M Series later this year.

The BenQ E2200HDA features 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 300nit brightness, fast 5ms response time, 16.7M colors, and Senseye+photo which instantly optimizes viewing for all home and office applications. The monitor includes integrated speakers and a headphone jack.


With continuous effort to stay ahead of its game in the arena of visual technology, BenQ proudly presents to you the world’s first 22” Full HD 16:9 LCD monitor - the brand new standard for personal digital audiovisual entertainment and the most picture perfect visual experience for your room.

These impressive monitors give you the ultimate freedom in the digital realm, allowing you to surf the cyber space at ease and connect to the latest video outputs such as HD camcorder, PS3, , Blu-ray DVD and MOD. What is more, the incredible100% dot-to-dot image quality of Full HD resolution relieves you of the discomfort caused by picture distortions and black bars, allowing you to fully indulge yourself in the world of digital entertainment.

NEW LATEST HIGH END BENQ 22" FULL HD LCD SCREEN (Yes this can display FULL 1080P Resolution)!!

BenQ full HD monitor support 10000:1 contrast ratio, 2ms speed and response of the owner BenQ SensEye and WADA (Advanced Motion Accelerator technology, 16:9 these screens full HD adopts a HDMI version 1.3, three USB ports and ports D-sub / DVI.

Specs:
Screen Size: 21.5" Wide
Product Color: Glossy Black
Resolution: 1920x1080
Pixel Pitch: 0.248
Brightness: 300 cd/
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (DCR:10000:1 )
Response: Time 2ms(GTG)
Display Area: 476.64x268.11 (mm)
Display Color: 16.7 million
Viewing Angle: 170/160 (L/R;U/D) (CR>=10)
Input Signals: D-sub / DVI-D/ HDM1.3 / Audio in: Headphone Jack
Horizontal Frequency: 34 ~ 94 (KHz)
Vertical Frequency: 50 ~ 85 (Hz)
Video Bandwidth: 25 ~ 205 (MHz)
Color Temperature: Reddish / Normal/ Bluish / user mode
Power Supply: Built-in
Speakers: 2 x1W
Features: Senseye+Photo AMA
HDCP Support*
OSD Language: 17 languages
Adjustments: Tilt -5/20 (down/up)
Dimensions: 522.8x407.8x186.8 (mm)
Accessories: (Standard) Quick start guide
User manual CD, VGA, Audio cable



Note:
Both the video source such as a PC, PlayStation 3 or media player and the LCD monitor must support HDCP to play back protected content on HD- DVD or Blu-ray Discs via an HDMI connection. If either device lacks an HDCP chip, image quality may be reduced or playback may not even be possible. Most current PCs graphic cards are HDCP-compliant and support output over HDMI partially.