Lap Dancers

Small is good, especially when it comes to gadgets. After officially making all the phones go on a crash diet, the slim fad continues on to notebooks as well. Now there is a whole new category of super tiny notebooks called netbooks just to fill in this d

by MALIN GURUNG

FROM ISSUE # 156 (December 2008) | IN THIS ISSUE
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MSI Wind U100

Unlike most of its counterparts in the category, the Wind packs in a solid 10-inch display with a desktop grade resolution of 1024X600 pixels and an almost full-sized keyboard, all in all maintaining its modest 1.3kg frame. You also get 80GB of storage – enough to store all of your media and more. Connectivity comes in the form of WiFi, Ethernet and Bluetooth and you also get a built-in card reader. With its body reminiscent of the MacBook, it certainly scores high in the design department. Whats more, it even packs in a built in webcam. With its super-sized screen and mammoth storage it can even replace your media player on the next trip. Apple, be aware!

ASUS Eee PC 901

The Eee PC is to netbooks what iPod is to music players; this is where it all began. Although certainly not the first, it is Eee PCs who made netbooks mainstream. In its short life span, this diminutive wonder from Asus has received many updates and with its latest iteration, it packs in even more punch. The storage has now been bumped to 20GB–not much but plentiful by netbook standards. It now runs on Intel's Atom 1.6 Ghz processor, providing enough juice to run even Windows XP. Battery life has been given some modest upgrades and now runs for about five hours. With an 8.9-inch screen and even smaller keypads, ergonomics gets a big blow, but seriously, who's complaining?

HP 2133 Mini-Note PC

This high-end netbook or Mini-Note PC, as HP puts it, is the only netbook to come pre-installed with Windows Vista. With its super-sexy chrome finish and a generously laid out keyboard, it is one contender that can compete even with the full-sized laptops. Storage comes in the form of a whopping 120GB hard drive and 1GB RAM means no slowdown when it's show time. It's also the only one in its category to have an ExpressCard slot built-in for constant connectivity. Add to that other amenities like a spill-proof keyboard, plexiglass screen and a full aluminum body; this HP sure is one hard-to-resist package.

Acer Aspire One

Read this, the Aspire One only takes 15 seconds to boot! And add to that, the specially designed, super intuitive user interface, this Asus sure does guarantee productivity right through the roof. There is a headphone/microphone jack, USB slots and a multi-card reader and you also get 120 gigs worth of storage with an added SDHC storage expansion slot. The regular includes Wifi, an 8.9 inch LED backlit display, webcam and 1GB RAM. It is a great value netbook with good price/quality ratio but few oddities like noisy fan, heat issues will make you search for other viable alternatives.