By Joe Dolittle
In this all-new product review shootout, we put three products to the test. Read on to learn how Asus Eee PC 2G Surf from Asus, Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini-Laptop from Fujitsu, and Sony VAIO VGN-UX490N/C 4.5-Inch Portable Computer from Sony stand up to our editorial review.
Asus Eee PC 2G Surf
Play relax and entertain on the go with shock-proof design. At 7" and weighing only 2lbs you can take the Eee PC anywhere. Bumps and shocks are no longer issues. With a dependable solid-state disk, you get unparalleled shock-protection and reliability. Power-efficient design provides longer operating time when on the go. With a rapid start-up time that takes only 15 seconds to boot,the Eee PC is always ready to get into action.
Computing Unplugged's evaluation
We are fascinated by these new-style laptops. This one's a Linux laptop, but Asus has also introduced a Windows XP version. All go for under $500, and you can get the baseline model for as little as $399. This may well redesign the idea of the ultra-portable laptop.
You know what's sad? When Palm introduced it's still-borne Folio, at something like $800 and crippled to run pretty much only email, they could have done this and just blasted open the market. We applaud Asus, but honestly, this should have been Palm's product. Too bad. Buy it anyway.
Asus Eee PC 2G Surf, produced by Asus, has a retail price of $445.97. We give Asus Eee PC 2G Surf a rating of 4 out of 5.
RATING: 4 STARSFujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini-Laptop
The all-new Fujitsu LifeBook U810 has a 5.6" WSVGA Crystal View display and weighs only 1.56 lbs. It is one of the world's smallest convertible touchscreen notebooks. Perfect to allow you to work, IM access email, watch video, listen to MP3s, browse the Internet, take pictures, or stay connected with friends and family.
Computing Unplugged's evaluation
Like all itty-bitty PCs, it's light on power, but it's also lightweight. We liked the swivel feature a lot, but did notice that this is almost six hundred bucks(!) more than the Asus product. Is it worth an extra six bills? We don't think so. We're giving it a 4 out of 5 because it's a nice machine, but it's completely beaten by Asus' price-performance.
Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini-Laptop, produced by Fujitsu, has a retail price of $1099.00. We give Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini-Laptop a rating of 4 out of 5.
RATING: 4 STARS