Asus Eee PC 4G review

Every once in a while something comes along that really shakes up the computer world, and the Eee PC is one such.

A tiny ultraportable like this might be expected to cost £1000 plus VAT, but the Asus Eee PC costs a fifth of that. And it doesn't skimp on portability or build quality, either. The body is about A5 size and only 36mm high when closed, weighs less than 1kg, and feels tough and solid in every area. So how has Asus made such a compact computer for such a small amount of money?

The first thing that differentiates the Eee PC from a standard laptop is the hard disk - or lack of it. Four gigabytes of storage might sound tiny, but it's a 'solid state disk', or SSD. This slightly silly term (it's not a disk at all!) describes the use of Flash memory in place of a disk, as in most MP3 players. It's impossible to damage by accident, unlike a mechanical drive, and it works faster. The operating system takes up about 2.5GB, leaving room for the word processor, web browser and suchlike software that the Eee is intended to run.

If you're wondering how they squeezed Windows in, they didn't. The main reason for the surprisingly decent responsiveness of the Eee PC is the Linux operating system. One of the reasons Linux isn't more popular already is that it has the reputation of being a bit geeky to set up and use, but Asus has customised this version (Xandros) to make it very user-friendly. The main screen groups applications according to their purpose -click the Work tab, for example, and you'll see a collection of friendly icons with sensible names like Spreadsheet or Documents.

Linux does still have drawbacks, the main one being application support. You can't just take your Windows programs and install them on; you have to hunt out suitable applications that are compatible with Linux. You'll also have trouble finding printer drivers that work: even HP and Canon only support Linux on some models, while Lexmark doesn't at all. But the Eee PC has wired and wireless networking built in, so you can easily transfer files to another PC that has a printer connected. And most programs you'll need for basic tasks are already installed, including a word processor, web browser and presentation program.

Linux and crannies

Then again, the quality of these applications varies wildly. The Firefox web browser, Thunderbird email application and OpenOffice 2 are great, but Music Manager is terrible - a mess of tabs and buttons and gimmicks that makes playing tracks from a USB music player a chore - and we hated the instant message application, which claimed to work with any IM account, but didn't work at all.

Given these problems, you might wonder why Asus has chosen Linux. Firstly, Linux remains true to its Open Source heritage, so the developers have been able to strip it down to run on modest hardware; Windows, being Microsoft's property, can't be customised in the same way. Secondly, as we've seen, it doesn't demand much space. Last but not least, it's free, so there are no Windows licensing costs to add to the Eee PC's price tag.

The screen is a compromise that might be less easy to live with. Seven inches across, with just 800x480 pixels, it can't accommodate much information. You'll have to scroll most websites across to read them, and documents and spreadsheets are very cramped. For light use, it's fine - especially as the keyboard and trackpad are of a high quality, if small - but the Eee PC would be too frustrating if it was your only computer.