It’s an existential question — what makes us buy? And when I look at so many of us literally breaking our backs (not to mention our bank accounts) on gleaming laptops which serve as mere document editors and web browsers that question gets even louder. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get all you wanted in a truly portable computer? How about an option that’s wallet-friendly as well — now that wouldn’t hurt, would it? Well then, it’s time you gave your back (and bank account) a break and switched to a laptop that’s huggable, not just luggable!

Call them mini-notebooks, ultraportables — the product category no one would give a second glance to under a year ago has gone supernova!

You could thank the Asus Eee PC, the little 7-inch wonder that started it all towards the end of last year — though truth told this wasn’t the first stab at this hitherto elusive market. Previous generations crammed in cramped keyboards, sluggish performance at a stratospheric price — not really the recipe for success, wouldn’t you agree?

HP 2133 Mini-Note

Where the Eee PC, and many others on this page, innovated was with keeping the price low — we’re talking under Rs 20,000 for some. All this, while retaining screens that are not much bigger than a paperback book. Pocket friendly — check, back-friendly — check. Which one is right for you? Let’s find out.

So is a mini-note for you? While there’s no question that their size makes them much easier to carry than standard laptops, you’d have to see if the screens and the reduced-size keyboards work for you. Depending on when you decide to buy one, you may have to look around a bit, as not all brands may make it over to Indian shores. Judge each one on quality, price, portability and simplicity — all reasons which make this category so popular in the first place — and decide. Clearly, mobile users with moderate performance needs and students are the obvious target, but then again, I’m considering one to supplement my desktop-replacement 17-inch notebook — for all the times I pack in a notebook just to stay connected while travelling, I’m investing in a far more important piece of my life. My back!

Asus Eee PC

Where it all started really. The Eee PC, which launched towards end 2007 with a low-end Intel Mobile CPU, 512MB of RAM, and a 4GB solid-state flash hard drive (versions with 8GB hard drives are now available, although India still only has the 4GB version on offer) proved naysayers wrong and turned out to be highly portable Web surfing and office productivity machines. Even the choice of OS — Linux — did not deter first timers from lapping it up worldwide.

The same couldn’t be said about its keyboard — too cramped for touch typing for any but the smallest hands. Over the span of this year, Asus has launched the Eee PC 900 ($550), an 8.9-in model with a big jump in resolution — up to 1024 x 600 pixels which makes a big difference in on-screen estate.

RAM has been doubled, and you get the option of Windows XP pre-installed, although there’s only a marginal improvement in terms of keyboard design. It’s hunt-and-peck friendly though still not at touch-typing levels. And battery life is about the only chink in its armour worth mentioning, but it’s still a significant chink.

At the time of writing, Asus has announced support for Intel’s new low-power chip in the Eee PC 901 (and update to the 900), but the writing is on the wall for Asus — innovate or perish. It may still be one of the best implemented mini-notes but the competition is catching up.

HP 2133 Mini-Note

Setting its crosshairs square across Eee-territory is the HP 2133, also known as the Mini-Note. Clearly one of the best lookers of the lot, HP’s emphasis on design shows in its keyboard design.

Bucking the trend to fit the keys to the screen size, the 2133 sports a keyboard that is 92 per cent of a full-sized keyboard, manna from heaven for peck-sore fingers. Due for launch soon in India, the Mini-Note ranges between $499 to $789 and operates on either Linux or Windows.

The base model has 4 gigabytes of flash memory storage instead of a hard drive while the top-of-the-line version comes with a 160-gigabyte hard drive. Built-in wireless and webcams are standard issue as well.

Where this baby suffers is under the hood — the 1.6 GHz VIA processor is just not an even match for the pre-loaded Windows Vista, and as a result, it drags in places. Even the top-end model has the same processor, and at that price, the price-feature equation doesn’t work in HP’s favour. Nothing ‘personal’ HP — just change the processor and give the Mini-note a fighting chance.

Intel Classmate 2 (2Go PC)

Intel Classmate 2 (2Go PC)

Initially positioned as a basic, inexpensive computer to students in developing countries inside a moderately rugged, smaller-than-ultraportable case, the original Classmate PC met the brief well, and remains the toughest PC on this list. Blame commercial interests if you must, but clearly Intel saw the need to release a version designed for mature markets as well (read: the US and Western markets) — the Classmate 2($400). Toting a 9-inch LCD display, six-cell battery, 512MB RAM, 30GB HDD, integrated webcam, 802.11b/g WiFi support, Windows XP or Linux OS and an Intel Celeron M processor (future versions will move to Intel’s Atom platform), it retains some semblance of its education roots by providing mesh networking — so that laptops can piggyback their wireless and create ad hoc networks. The tough tag is well deserved — a nifty handle is velcroed on to the machine for carrying and has a “water resistant” keyboard. The screen however displays at a low 800x480 pixels, and the finish is rather, shall we say, kid-oriented. Storage space, at around a half GB available to the user, is not nearly enough, and limits the number of serious consumers this will attract in the mainstream market.

HCL Mileap

Having worked closely with Intel’s original ClassMate PC initiative earned HCL the rights to sell the ClassMate PC under the MiLeap X-series brand name. At Rs 15,990 for the Linux based Mileap X variant and Rs 16,990 for the Windows XP Starter version, this is the cheapest way to get onto the mini-notebook bandwagon, but it suffers from all of the problems of the ClassMate PC. If you’re willing to spend some more, the high-end V-series features a 7-inch Wide swivel LCD (1024×600 resolution) with LED Backlight & Touchscreen Panel and a 80GB hard disk. At 34,990, you also get Windows Vista Home Premium — a clear case of overkill — Windows XP would have done the job better on the minimalistic hardware. Other than that, the Mileap V performs capably, and the touch panel is a breath of fresh air in a crowded and mostly me-too market segment. Plus it’s Indian — that’s gotta count for something, right?

Everex CloudBook

Everex Cloudbook

The CloudBook is an impressive machine at first glance and looks and feels sturdy, even more since the non-standard design packs in so much into a 7-inch frame. Using a gOS Rocket Linux variant, the CloudBook has an attractive user interface that may not look good at the non-standard native resolution (800 x 480), but when you boost the resolution to “scale” higher resolutions on the screen, it looks much better. In other words, you can boost the number of pixels it displays with slight loss of detail — immensely useful for viewing certain websites. Unfortunately, to release the CloudBook at the $400 price tag meant some sacrifices — slow hard drive and slow overall performance. And the slight trouble of the system overheating means you wouldn’t want to be using the CloudBook for too long, or for that matter, maybe not at all…

MSI Wind

No compromises. Aside from the name (WiFi Network Device, anyone?), the MSI Wind 100 is first mini-note to sport Intel’s zippy new 1.6GHz Atom chip, and looks and feels closest to a regular notebook. At 1kg, it boasts a relatively large (nearly disqualifying it from our list) 10-inch and a keyboard that’s 80% of a full sized keyboard. Battery life is in the upper end of four hours on normal usage. Three USB ports as well (shame, MacBook Air!), as well as the option to boost the processor up to 1.9 GHz when plugged into mains power! Plus it runs Windows XP (it’s fast!) and priced extremely attractively at $499! Could anything go wrong?

That’s usually the cue for things to go wrong, but with the Wind, they don’t. It offers a complete package, and my only wish would be a higher resolution screen. If I had to pick one mini-note over all others, this would be it.

Upcoming models

With Intel recently announcing the availability of its low-power chip, appropriately named the Atom, the signs are clear that the age of the cheap mini-notebook is here and now. Intel and HP aren't the only biggies with their fingers in this pie, with laptop major Acer announcing its Atom-powered 900-gram Aspire One with a generous 8.9-inches of screen estate at a shade under $400. Even Dell’s CEO Michael Dell, who’s held off from dipping his feet in these waters, was recently spotted at a conference with the cherry red number you see above. Dell’s positioning this as the perfect device for the next billion Internet users. Apple’s likely to introduce a mini as well, although I can’t really see them price one so low, to be honest.

ix courtesy: http://yourblog.direct2dell.com/2008/05/28/something-from-dell-at-d6/