A lightning fast laptop for less than 400 bucks

Looking for a kick-ass laptop that won’t break the bank? Take a look at the Asus Eee 701. Not quite the $250 price point the manufacturers were looking for, but seriously good value for money nonetheless.

Asus have developed their very own Linux based OS for the Eee 701. Combined with a flash based hard drive, you are looking at ten seconds from hitting the on button to full functionality. You can browse the web using FireFox, use Skype with the built-in web cam and microphone, open Word and Excel docs and edit them, view photos, listen to music files, use AOL IM, MSN messenger or just about any other major chat client via Kopete. Makes you wonder whether that $2500 laptop you just bought that takes 2 minutes to fire up was worth the money huh?

Linux may not have all the bells and whistles of Windows XP or leopard, but it certainly does the job. And with these sort of speeds, why would you want more ?

Basic specs are:

Processor: Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHz
Storage: 4GB of Flash based storage (SSD)
Memory: 512MB of RAM
OS: Linux (Asus version)
Screen: 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution
Ports: 3 USB, 1 monitor, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
Webcam (0.3 MP)
Battery: 4-cell 5200 mA (rated at 3.5 hours)
Wireless: 802.11b/g
Input: Keyboard and Touchpad

I like it. It’s tough, fast, and fully functional. I am expecting that once the buzz dies down after the release these will be available for around Asus’ original target retail price. And look for a later version with windows installed. In the meantime, here are some of the worst promotional photos I’ve seen in a long while and a video of the launch.

Check these items on amazon.com:

• Asus Eee Pc White
  
• ASUS Eee PC 4G Notebook PC (7″, 512 MB RAM), Pearl White
  
• ASUS EEEPC Ultra 7″ Linux Notebook - Black