The ASUS has made maiden entry into the low cost ultra-portable laptop market with the introduction of UL Series laptops. There are 3 models to choose from in UL Series viz. UL30A-A1, UL30A-X3 and UL30A-X1 with varying size of hard disk and processor speed. The first one has been reviewed here.

One of the highlights of ASUS UL 30A is the ability of the user to switch between different power modes on the run. By pressing a button on the upper left corner, the OS moves from High Performance, Entertainment, Quiet Office and Battery Saver in sequential fashion.

This pink netbook laptop encompasses beauty and mobility. It has a feather-light 2.4lbs and slim 1” thickness. It can be easily carried anywhere and everywhere. The design is shimmering and ea-shell inspired, and has a 10.1 LED backlight display with expanded keyboard and multi touch board and an Intel atom of N280 processor. It can be used with 802.11 n wireless and Bluetooth v2.1 and has premium SRS sound speakers.

The battery is definitely an improvement over the previous model of Asus’ Eee PC. It actually can be used all day long now, without setbacks. The make is shiny yet durable enough. The screen is 10 inches in size and accounts for the clarity of images it provides. The keyboard is well mounted too. The touchpad is extremely sensitive and user friendly. Along with the 160 GB hard drive that is provided, an excess 10 GB of online storage helps in safe keeping important data, in case the net book fails to perform. The 802.11n Wi-Fi provides possibly the fastest wireless connection. Ethernet is also included.

This particular net book has features which makes it clear that it was designed keeping the business community in mind. The package that comes with the purchase of this net book, does not offer much except for the usual comprising the battery, power supply, AC cable and primary documents. The rocker left/right button right below the touch pad is extremely responsive and is a revelation compared to the otherwise stiff buttons on the Eee PC 1000 series. The major aspect which differentiates this model from its predecessors is its removable battery which comes of great advantage to the user.

T91 at the onset is very attractive and compact. It weighs just over 2 pounds and is 1 inch thick. So it is indeed very slim. The screen swivels to the left with a smooth movement and is very sturdy to hold. The movement of the screen to form a tablet is smooth and stable.

The keyboard is small compared to other netbooks owing to its size but is quite handy while typing and does not give the feeling of being overcrowded. The backlight LED is really bright and a pleasant sight, though very shiny and prone to fingerprints. At the right hand side of the power button is a bezel; it is used to switch on the touch screen. Towards the bottom, at the right side is a flexible stylus.

The small laptop is powered by Intel T2310 Pentium Dual Core Processor with 1.46GHz CPU speed, 533MHz FSB, and 1MB Cache. Other models in this range powered by either Intel Celeron M or Intel Dual Core T2080 processor are available. Expandability depending on one’s needs is possible with the X51 range of PCs. The hard disk is a 160 GB 5400 rpm Hitachi make. The laptop has generous 4 USB ports as well as a Wifi card, 56 Kbps modem and a 10/100 LAN that take care of external connectivity.

The Asus Eee PC range are ultra portable notebooks with low price developed jointly by Intel and ASUSTeK and originally meant for educational purposes but now available for the consumer market. Their appeal lies in a blend of low cost, high portability, relatively good performance, and ease of use. There are 4 models to choose from in the range.

With overall dimensions of just 8.9 x 6.7 x 1.4 in and a weight of just 2 lbs, the Asus Eee PC 701 can practically fit in any carrying case. The display measures 7″ diagonally and has a resolution of only 800 x 480 which is low for gaming, large spreadsheets etc. But the display is bright and clear with good colour reproduction. The keyboard as well as the touchpad is tiny in keeping with the overall size and it would require some practice for fast typing.