The Asus eeePC has a 7" inch screen, a full keyboard, wifi access, weighs less than 2kg and costs less than $US 400. It could be the perfect laptop to go travelling with
Asus released the EeePC about six months ago - here in Thailand, it was long anticipated because it's the first computer that's at an affordable price point for many students (they even got an extra discount which was nice). You might not expect much from a computer priced at less than $400 on Amazon.com, but the Asus EeePC has been a universal hit to critics and the public alike across Asia, Europe and America, thanks to its tiny size and full capabilities. It's sold a staggering 1 million units since launch.
Asus eeePC
For travellers, the Asus EeePC solves a lot of the common problems of going travelling with a laptop - no hassle with the weight of lugging it around as it's so light, and it's cheap enough to almost not worry about losing it or accidentally trashing it (although, of course, you wouldn't want to). Travelhappy contributor Greg Lowe has been using the Asus EeePC since it came out for day and found it to be a solid unit, although he cautions that for those with larger hands, the keyboard might still be too small. Windows XP can be installed on the machine and therefore you can run all your normal apps as well.
With the success of the Asus EeePC, it's not surprising that other laptop manufacturers are entering this market. HP have released the MiniNote which retails around $500, while Dell are also said to be preparing a Asus rival later this year.
For their own apart, Asus have just released a 9 inch screen version of the Asus EeePC - the EeePC 900 - which will retail at 399 Euros apparently. I think I might get myself one of these for travelling as I like to store and edit photos on my trips and the 7 inch screen would probably be a bit too small for image editing. The price point however might be too expensive -- $600 US would be the equivalent of 399 Euros - and the 7 inch screen version of the EeePC might have a price crash when the 9 inch comes out, making it even more of a bargain.
Over the next year, I think this area of computing is going to get very interesting with more and more competitors entering the fray and trying to stay under the $500 price point. That is good news for travellers who want to take a laptop with them without the traditional grief of carrying one of the bigger, more traditional models.
Latest Asus EeePC auctions on Ebay:
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 12V 3A AC Power Adapter Charger For ASUS Eee PC 901 900  US $20.99
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 Shoulder Sleeve Case Bag for Asus Eee EeePC 1000h 1000 US $39.90
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 New leather sleeve case bag for asus eeepc 1000 1000H US $17.61
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 Keyboard silicone skin cover for Asus EEE PC 1008HA US $3.85
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 Li ion Battery for Asus Eee PC EeePC 901 1000h 1000 US $39.99
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 10400mAh Battery Asus Eee PC 900A 900HA 703 AL22 703 US $60.12
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 EXiM SPUC Screen Protector ASUS eee PC 1000 series 10 US $14.99
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 USED Asus Eee PC 900 in good condition FREE SHIPPING US $152.50
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 Black Sleeve Bag for Asus EEE PC 700 701 900 901 904HD US $5.70
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 N561 Leather Case for Asus EEE PC 900SD 900HD 900HA US $20.98
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 LightScribe Drive Burner ASUS EEEPC S101 N10 N10J N10E US $72.50
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 H909 Hot Screen Protector for Asus EEE PC 1002HA S101 US $6.94
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 External USB CD Drive ASUS EEEPC 901 1000H 1000HA 1200 US $26.50
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 6600mAh Battery for Asus Eee EeePC 901 1000h 1000 BLACK US $56.88
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 DC Car Charger Adapter For Asus Eee PC EEEPC 900 901 US $12.94
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 6600mAh Battery AL23 901 for Asus EEE PC PC901 1000H US $50.99
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 Laptop Battery for Asus Eee PC 901 1000 1000H AL23 901 US $50.99
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 New Battery for Asus Eee PC 1000 1000H 901 870AAQ159571 US $50.99
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 6600mAh New Laptop Battery for Asus Eee PC 901 AL23 901 US $50.99
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 66AH New Laptop Battery for Asus Eee PC 1000 AL23 901 US $50.99
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 Car Charger adapter for 7 ASUS Eee PC 700 701 2G 4G 8G US $4.27
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 66AH Laptop Battery for Asus Eee PC 1000 901 AL23 901 US $50.99
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 New 6600mAh Battery AL23 901 for Asus Eee PC 901 1000H US $50.99
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 6600mAh Battery for Asus Eee PC AL23 901 PC 1000 Black US $50.99
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 8800mAh Battery for Asus Eee PC AL23 901 PC 1000 Laptop US $67.99
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 88AH New Laptop Battery for Asus Eee PC 1000H AL23 901 US $67.99
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 88AH New Battery for Asus Eee PC 1000 1000H 901 Laptop US $67.99
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 8800mAh NW Battery AL23 901 for Asus Eee PC PC901 1000H US $67.99
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 88AH Battery for Asus Eee PC 1000 1000H 870AAQ159571 US $67.99
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 New 8800mAh Battery AL23 901 for Asus Eee PC 901 1000H US $67.99
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