Asus Eee PC 901
Windows XP Home Edition SP2; 1.6GHz Intel Atom; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 945 Express; 12GB Phison Solid-State Drive.

We were impressed by the PC Asus Eee line from the first 7-inch model in the autumn of 2007, and it seems as if every time we turn around, there is a new version to hit store. This 9-inch version, the EEA PC 901, is simple months after the substantially similar Eee PC 900, by adding a few features list, another $ 50 for the price and, more particularly, the new Intel-based NETBOOK Atom CPU.

We were surprised to find that Intel-based model atom finish behind the Celeron-based Eee PC 900, but $ 599 Eee PC 901 is still the best version of this laptop inexpensive yet, thanks to its fantastic autonomy the battery and design tweaks - including better touch pad and mouse buttons new quick-launch buttons. Like the EEA PC 900, it offers a choice of Windows XP and Linux operating systems have a valid reason for 12GB (20 GB in the Linux version) solid-state disk drive of the space.

Although the EEA was the first consumer NETBOOK on the market, competition has not been idle. Hewlett-Packard now has the excellent 2133 Mini-Note, Dell is working on a NETBOOK style laptop, MSI and often delayed Wind gaining buzz as a PC EEE-killer. Now, priced at $ 600, EEA PC suddenly is in the same category as the budget include laptops, which offer faster processors and much larger hard disks, but not the portability and the battery life of the EEA. To keep pace with competition, Asus will have to double on price or performance in future versions of the EEA PC, or risk being squeezed out of a market almost single-handedly created.

The new Eee PC is slightly larger than the first 9-inch version, the EEA PC 900, and our review had a glass black finish, rather than white, plastic pearlized search for three previous Eee PC we reviewed. The EEA PC is still incredibly small, roughly the size of a paperback trade, a size which, until recently, was only available in high-priced ultra-portable or even more expensive UMPCs.

The touchpad now has two mouse buttons, as opposed to the rocker-type left / right move on previous models of computers Eee. The touchpad also contends the gesture control (similar to the MacBook Pro and Air) introduced for the first time on the EEA PC 900. Images can be pinched and unpinched with the thumb and forefinger to zoom in and out, and two fingers can be used to scroll up and down Web pages.

The keyboard, with its small size UMPC key is still difficult to use for periods spent, but we do like the new line of rapid launch buttons that sit above the keyboard to turn off the display, scroll different screen resolutions, the transition of power between modes of economy and the launch of Skype.

The display is the same 8.9-inch on the EEA 900, with a decent 1024×600 pixels native resolution, which is much easier to use than the 800×480 pixels resolution of the original 7-inch Eee PC.

The SD card slot offers a good opportunity to strengthen the hard drive space, so you can insert your own flash memory, adding the construction 12GB (4 Go east on the motherboard, and there is a chip 8 GB SSD as part of a group User accessible on the merits of the system. It is still not a lot of space for files and applications (and less than 20 GB per elsewhere that the Linux version identical supplies - your premium to skip the cost of a license XP).

The EEA PC 901 is the first laptop, we have our hands on the new Intel processor Atom, specially designed for small, low-power NETBOOK style devices such as this. While the pre-hype has Atom CPU running faster, cooler, using less energy, and even pick up your dry cleaning, the reality is somewhat less impressive. The 1.6GHz Atom is actually a little slower than Eee PC 900, which has the most Celeron M 900 MHz CPU, and much slower in our multitasking test. On the other hand, the atom-powered Eee was faster than the old 7 inches Eee PC (which has the same Celeron) and much faster than HP VIA-powered Mini-Note 2133. We also saw significantly improved scores battery, and low energy consumption is a major outlets for Atom-powered products. Intel is already expected to work on a new generation of dual-core chips Atom May improve performance while multitasking.

The Asus Eee PC 901 has operated for 5 hours and 15 minutes playing our video battery drain test, which is one of the best scores battery life, we have seen a laptop in a category. It is thanks largely to the EEA energy efficient, using the new Intel processor Atom and a solid-state disk drive. The system will also automatically underclock the CPU while running on battery power (although you can force it to run in high performance through a mode of application system tray).

Asus covers its laptops with one standard, one year parts and labor warranty, and offers online on the Web and assistance toll-free telephone number. The company Web site includes technical assistance should the driver downloads and a brief FAQ, but lacks useful features such as user forums or the opportunity to interact in real time with a technician.

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

The bad: New Atom CPU is slower than previous Celeron Eee PC, 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.