Gadget Greed

HANDLING this incy wincy computer for the first time is like feeling the future. It’s just so tiny, cute and perfectly formed.

Given its size, it’s hard to believe this baby PC runs Windows Vista Business and operates like a regular computer. It’s like being told an infant can code HTML in Notepad, recite Shakespeare and change its own nappy.

But, like that analogy, this computer is not a bad idea.

The LifeBook U1010 3.5G weighs just 630g, making it the smallest laptop in the world, according to Fujitsu. It is also the smallest tablet PC in the world, as you can fold its screen around and back on to its keyboard to make it compact as well as lightweight. Its 5.6in touchscreen then provides all the navigation you need, which saves a lot of fiddling about.

All the key Vista features are on board this PC, including desktop “gadgets”, and it also features the most popular Microsoft applications if only for a trial period (hello Microsoft Office 2007).

Surfing the internet is dead simple thanks to wi-fi connectivity and the ability to add a 3.5G/HSDPA SIM card near its battery and surf the net via the phone network.

This PC also comes with a 0.3-megapixel webcam, onscreen handwriting recognition, fingerprint scanner (love that), two LEDs that light the keyboard when you need it, 40GB hard drive, and slots for SD and CompactFlash memory cards.

It’s not perfect though. The U1010’s keyboard is so small you’d need infant fingers to work it well on the first go, and buttons have been moved around (using it does get easier with time).

It also has just an 800MHz Intel A110 processor and 1GB RAM on board, so it can be a bit slow, and its battery seems to drain disappointingly quickly if you use a wi-fi connection.

It’s just so small and pretty though. Like Kylie Minogue.

Greed good: Small enough to carry everywhere, handy touchscreen, lots o’ features.
Greed bad: Poor battery life, slow processor, tiny keyboard.

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How much do I love this PC? So much my husband should be jealous. Seriously.

Thee Eee PC has some very low specs, it comes without an optical drive, and it looks like a toy. But what other laptop can you buy for a mere $500 and carry around in your handbag/manbag/backpack like a hardcover book?

In fact, you can even take this baby through airport security without taking it out of your bag (on Virgin Blue, anyway - Qantas are all finnickity).

Those low specs include a mere 4GB of storage, 512MB RAM, and a made-to-order Linux operating system. However, the operating system feels just like Windows, its wi-fi works superbly (wi-fi 802.11b/g), and the whole computer system boots in 20 seconds.

Plus, you can easily boost its memory with an SDHC card or a USB stick, its memory is flash-based so it’s quite rugged, it has a built-in webcam, its battery lasts for 3 hours, and it weighs less than a kilogram (92g). It also comes with more than 40 open-source programs that fill the role of the most frequently used Windows apps (though you can get a Windows Eee PC model if you really must).

The Eee PC certainly won’t fill the role of your sole computer, but for travellers, geeky types and gadgeteers who love to show off in public, this ASUS creation is a beautiful and useful toy.

UPDATE: The 4G model now comes in pale pink at no extra cost. If only I could have waited…

Greed good: Super-cheap, lightweight, ultra-handy laptop.
Greed bad: Not a fully fledged computer, small screen.

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