I’ve been in the market for a new laptop for a few weeks now, since our old Toshiba Satellite had succumbed to an AC adapter design flaw and could no longer be charged. Not wanting to spend a lot of money, but looking for something more portable and lightweight, Kurt from Row Three dropped by last week to record The Movie Club Podcast and just happened to bring with him what may be the smallest laptop I have seen to date. All he had to do is tell me that it cost $400 and I was pretty much sold.

Given my past history with new computer systems (read about my short-lived stint as a Mac owner for more details) I was hesitant to jump into something Linux-based. However, after seeing the software that came pre-installed, and knowing that I could install Windows XP if necessary, I was ready to take the plunge. I’ve now been using the EEE for a little over a week, and I can say that I don’t regret the purchase at all. This laptop is definitely not going to suit everyone’s needs, but there is a growing user base out there, and I can totally understand why.

So here’s what you get for your $399:
- 512 MB DDR2 RAM (expandable to 2 GB)
- 4 GB solid state disk (no hard drive)
- 900 MHz Intel Celeron CPU
- 7″ LCD screen running at 800×600 resolution
- 1.3 megapixel webcam
- no CD or DVD drive
- 3.5 hour battery life
- built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- built-in Wireless LAN, 802/11b/g WiFi connection
- 3 USB ports and an SDHC card reader
- Linux OS with Open Office, Firefox, Skype and lots of other apps pre-installed

Clearly this isn’t something that could act as a primary machine for anyone who does graphic-intensive work, video editing, or PC gaming. On the other hand, this machine is probably more than enough to handle what most people in the world use their computers for; that is, web surfing, word processing and e-mail. I have also installed GIMP, a Photoshop alternative, and Comix, a comic book reader (turn the laptop sideways and it’s pretty damn close to reading an actual comic). It plays videos and MP3s fine too.

Although standard laptops are now sometimes seen hovering around the $600 mark, the portability of the EEE is its main strength (the thing weighs less than 1 kg). The storage space is small, but you can extend it with USB flash drives and SD memory cards — plus, the lack of hard drive and optical drives actually make the laptop more sturdy and a lot less noisy. Did I mention that it only takes about 10 seconds to boot up?

The only real frustrations that I experienced were the low screen resolution (you might have to scroll horizontally when reading certain webpages) and the cramped keyboard/tiny touchpad area. These took a little getting used to, but for some people I could see them being a deal breaker. I still do occasionally hit the Up arrow instead of the Right Shift key, although there are scripts that switch the functionality of the two keys for people who just can’t adapt. The good thing is that there is a great user community out there with plenty of ways to customize the machine to suit your needs.

Ironically, it was just announced that the new EEE 900 model is due out in May and it will have a 9″ screen. I suspect this may actually be the perfect size for the machine (assuming they make the keyboard and touchpad a little bigger too), but the problem is that now the price is creeping up towards $550, which puts it in direct competition with full size laptops. I’m really happy with the 701 to be honest. At $399, it is an extremely versatile machine at a price point that is comparable to an iPhone — but you can actually type with a real keyboard instead of that infernal touch screen! If you’re looking for something super small but still functional, the EEE is it as far as I’m concerned.