As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my computer situation. My four-year-old Dell Inspiron laptop is nearing the end of its usable life, and I needed a suitable replacement.

What I eventually settled on was building a nice desktop and supplementing it with a netbook, as I do not have the same need that I had in college for a high-powered and portable machine. I feel that I will now have the best of both worlds: a powerful home computer and basic access when away on  a reasonable budget.

At this point, I’m waiting until I have a bit more available money to buy a desktop, but I did go ahead and purchase a netbook. I recently found the ASUS Eee PC 1005 on sale at Newegg for $275 (normally $340). This particular model boasts a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1 GB of RAM, and a 250 GB hard drive. The screen is 10.1 inches, and the installed operating system is Windows 7 Starter Edition.

From a technical standpoint, this machine is certainly not a beast. It scored a 2.0 out of 7.9 on the Windows Experience Index. That being said, it is really not meant to be a powerhouse. The main purpose for this machine is to enable me to access the Internet away from home. I might use it for some minimal document creation and editing, but that is essentially all it will be utilized for.

The Eee PC (right) compared with my Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop.

When looking at the system from that perspective, it really fits what I am looking for, and it is a good value for the money. The keyboard is well-sized and comfortable to type on, though there is a bit more flex in the keys than I would like. Other than the keyboard, though, build quality appears to be rock-solid. The screen is brightly backlit and very clear at a maximum resolution of 1024×600. The touchpad is large enough and comfortable to use, though I find myself wishing that the left and right buttons on the pad were separated. Zoom, scroll, and rotate multitouch gestures are also supported by the touchpad. An integrated webcam and microphone are also included. Furthermore, ASUS boasts that the battery can last up to 10.5 hours, though I will have to see how that holds up under real-world use.

One of the features that intrigues me most about the machine is the included 500 GB of ASUS WebStorage. In addition to the 250 GB hard drive, this 500 GB of space can be used to store and synchronize files, and it is absolutely free with the computer. Since I will now be juggling files between multiple machines, being able to synchronize files seamlessly in the cloud will be very handy if the service works as advertised.

As I mentioned before, the computer comes with Windows 7 Starter Edition, and while I would rather have that than Windows XP (which is still the standard on many netbooks), there are some significant drawbacks. The Starter Edition does not include Aero Glass, personalization features (i.e. desktop backgrounds), support for multiple monitors, or remote media streaming. There are a few other missing features such as DVD playback, but those don’t really concern me with this system. Even the missing features should not detract from what I need this system to do.

Overall, I think this is a great, portable machine that holds up when reviewed on its merits for what it sets out to do. I definitely do not think that a netbook is for everyone, but if you are in the market, this is a good one to consider.

Here is a link to the product page at Newegg. It is still on sale for $280 with free shipping.