Asus Eee PC 901 (white, Windows XP)

The good: Much-improved battery life; new mouse and quick-launch buttons; still highly portable and reasonably priced.

The bad: Slightly bigger than the Eee 900; price is creeping up to the full-size laptop range.

The bottom line: The long-awaited Asus Eee PC 901 is the best version of this inexpensive Netbook yet, but it's facing increased competition from the likes of HP, Dell, and MSI.

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Description: This configuration of the ASUSTek Asus Eee PC 901 is a 2.4-pound, ultra compact notebook computer. Compared to other ultra compact notebooks on the market, it is very inexpensive at around $600.

Pros: None noted, given available product data.

Cons: Only has a atom processor. This is not out of line with the product's price, but is less efficient than the average notebook on the market today. The ASUSTek Asus Eee PC 901 comes with no-frills word processing software -- serious business or academic document authors may want to upgrade to a full-fledged office suite .

Suitability: A ultra light notebook, suited for traveling light.

Value: In view of its very inexpensive price, this notebook has great features for the money. Generally, given the trade-offs between performance and low price, this item will likely only appeal to serious bargain hunters.

Suggestions: (1) To get the most out of this laptop's Bluetooth capability, you could have a Bluetooth-enabled headset, PDA or other device, and be able to link it wirelessly to your computer within a range of 20-or-so feet inside the same room. (2) For help in deciding if this is the right notebook for you, see CNET's buying guide for notebooks .