KEY POINTS:
The instant I read about the EEE PC I though it sounded like the perfect travel companion.
It's small and light, making it easy to carry. Because it has no hard drive, only a solid state flash drive, it can survive the assaults of airline baggage handlers.
It instantly copes with WiFi, broadband or dial-up connections. It also comes with Skype, plus a built-in microphone and webcam makes it easy to chat with the folks at home.
Plenty of USB ports mean you can plug in your cameras, flashcards, printers, etc. You can also plug in your headphones, play tunes and it comes with entertaining arcade games.
Plus it has a reasonable-sized qwerty keyboard and screen. Oh, and perhaps best of all, it sells here for as little as $495. Amazing.
But is it as good as it sounds? I rang Insite Technology (www.insite.co.nz), the local agents for Taiwanese computer-makers Asus, and within a couple of days had an EEE PC 701 in my hands to try out.
The EEE PC's appearance lived up to my expectations. It was about the size of a paperback book and about as heavy. You could easily slip it into a jacket pocket.
The manual was not as impressive. Its quality was basically summed up by the fact that it was divided into "chpaters" (sic). It was neither easy to understand nor well-organised.
Fortunately, that doesn't matter. The EEE PC comes preconfigured, you just turn it on and seconds later you're in action.
You want the internet, you click on "internet". To connect via WiFi you select "wireless networks". You want to check your emails you click on "webmail". You want to download some photos, you plug in your camera, select "play" and open the photo manager. To write about your travels, you choose "work" and OpenOffice.
The keyboard was adequate for me, though a touch-typist with large hands might have a problem. The 18cm screen was similarly suitable. But if either poses a problem, you can plug into a standard keyboard or monitor when they are available.
As a trial run for life on the road I took my wee toy up to the ultra-electronic Sky City Grand Hotel. In one of its rooms I plugged the EEE PC into the broadband, entered my room code and, woosh, I was on the web, checking my emails.
In the adjacent conference centre I opted for wireless networks, entered the hotel code, and was immediately checking the sports results.
I had intended doing another check at Starbucks just down the road but it turned out I needed a Telecom log-in number or a pre-paid card and I couldn't be bothered (but the EEE PC certainly got strong WiFi reception there).
Instead, I sat with my coffee and started tapping out this review. So far, so impressive.
As you'd expect, the EEE PC does have its flaws. The downside of its stripped-down solid state drive is that the 701 has only 4g of memory (the next model will evidently have 12GB) which is fine for reports or emails but not enough to hold many photos or tunes.
On the other hand, flashcards are getting cheaper by the day, so if you want to, say, download photos off your camera, you just plug in and save to them.
But that leads to another problem. The Linux operating system is not perfect, especially if you're used to Windows.
I also found the touchpad a bit tricky to use but it was easy to plug in a mouse and operate as usual.
Overall, it's an impressive device. In fact I've bought one to replace my hardworking old Nokia Communicator. I can't say fairer than that.
