When it comes to mobile computing, my main concern is portability and size does matter. In my book, small is the new big.

I’ve been ‘lugging’ around my 14-inch display Acer notebook for a while but in my mind, I’ve decided to grab myself a mini-notebook or what we now call the netbook.

I was first attracted by the MSI Wind, the Acer Aspire One and the Lenovo S10 because I need a lightweight thingy to write and browse the Internet when I’m on the move. But somehow I held back because of the uncomfortable keyboard and the short battery life.

So I waited and, presto, along came the new Asus Eee PC 1000HE with a 10.2″ wide-screen display offering a 1,024×600 native resolution, an improved flat-topped keyboard, a newer, faster version of Intel’s Atom processor (N280) and the ‘clincher’ that got me to part with my money — 9.5 hours of unplugged battery life!

Okay, Asus puts a sticker on that says “One-Day Computing” and pledges 9.5 hours of battery life. Actually, on a charge, my new white Asus 1000HE managed to last more than 7 hours unplugged. That’s about the time you spent in the office and I have no issue with that.

This little companion weighs in at 3.2lbs which is relatively heftier than many competing netbooks but that’s not a problem when you carry it.

This baby runs on Windows XP with a 160GB hard drive and 1GB of Ram which I upgraded to 2GB. Some other netbooks are not that upgrade-friendly.

I picked the white colour because I noticed the black model easily catches fingerprints on its glossy finish. But that shouldn’t put you off if you’re not that fussy because this little machine represents Asus’ best ever efforts to evolve the Eee PC line of netbooks with enough tweaks to attract the attention of netbook buffs.

There’s also 10GB of Web storage via its Eee Storage which allows you to share videos, photos and other stuff on the World Wide Web. Cool!

On the right side, the 1000HE houses a 4-in-1 memory card reader, two USB ports and a VGA port for connecting it to an external display. On the left side, there’s a third USB port, a headphone and mic jack, an Ethernet port and a Kensington lock slot.

The Asus Eee PC 1000HE looks more streamlined and gone is the bulge on the bottom of the system in the previous model with the six-cell battery fitting in nicely at the back. Obviously, the 1000HE is an extended version of the earlier 1000H but the refinements make it an attractive buy.

The Specs:

* Intel Atom N280 Processor @ 1.66GHz, 512KB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB

* 1GB of DDR2 Memory

* 10.2 inch LED-backlit LCD (1024 x 600 resolution)

* Intel Mobile 945GSE Chipset

* 160GB Seagate Momentus 5400.5 Hard Drive

* 10GB Online Eee Storage (free for 18 months)

* 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi

* Bluetooth 2.0

* 1.3 megapixel webcam with Digital Array Microphone

* 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, SDHC, Memory Stick and MS-PRO)

* VGA Output

* USB 2.0 x 3

* RJ-45 (Ethernet 10/100)

* Headphone / Mic Input Jacks

* 3.2 Pounds (with Battery Installed)

* 6 Cell Li-ion High Density 8700mAh Battery (Up To 9.5 Hours of        Computing)

* Windows XP Home Edition

* Color Options: Pearl White, Black, Blue, Golden

Review by Ed Fry

Sony is yet to grace the market with a VAIO mini laptop, in fact Sony has been openly reluctant to produce and sell a netbook. Sony executives have said that the cheap notebook concept doesn’t align with Sony’s “premium” corporate image. That said, I’ve seen Sony make some pretty rubbish electrics before, my TV for example, so this could be taken two ways: snobbery or a joke.

But in recent years, Sony have come out with some very genuine very up-market products that support this claim. Sony’s Bravia TV range is a market leader, they’ve continued the ‘Walkman‘ legacy against the might of the Apple iPod and iTunes and in gaming, it’s extended its PlayStation brand, replacing the best-seller PS2 with the PS3 with a staggering £425 RRP against Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii. It’s VAIO laptop line is also very good.

But have they left the netbook market altogether? Technically, yes. 

Try searching “netbook” on Sony’s VAIO mini-site – no results. Sony doesn’t and isn’t going to be associated with the cheap and cheerful image presented by Asus when it brought out the Eee PC. But they do have a VAIO laptop that is small, light and portable: the VAIO TT.

The TT is an impressive product, offering an 11.1 inch screen, up to 9 hours battery life and weighing a petite 1.3kg putting it on par with the 8.9 inch HP 2133 mini-note and lighter versions of the Asus Eee PC 1000. All of the TT models feature a strong carbon fibre chassis in a choice of two colours, ‘intense noir’ and ‘gold fever’.

Sony proclaims carbon fibre is “used in racing car or aircraft manufacturing that’s 200% stronger and 30% lighter than conventional materials used in computer chassis design. A bi-product of the larger screen is a larger keyboard which is very nearly (but not quite) comparable to that of a full size notebook. 

The keys are large and separated slightly, with the centre of each key indented marginally for better accuracy. With Sony’s TV background, the 11.1 screen comes with a lot of expertise. Viewing on its widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and 1366×768 resolution, is delightful. Also, the ability to read blu-ray discs (or any disc) gives far more flexibility. You don’t have to faff around burning DVD’s or downloading films online – and the quality is such that the viewing quality isn’t compromised either.

The huge battery life – up to 9 hours – lends itself to use whilst away on business, more than enough for a full working day. Sony has incorporated a variety of power-saving and efficiency features, such as the battery care function which prevents wear and tear on the batteries, automatic adjustment of LCD brightness according to the environment you’re working in and the use ultra-efficient Intel Centrino 2 technology.

Connectivity is certainly at the heart of the TT, with embedded 3G ’Everywair’ on several models with speeds as high as 7.2mbps. A T-Mobile sim card is incorporated on a free trial. Luckily, you can remove it and use your own sim card so you’re not bound to a new contract.

Perhaps then, Sony has very definitely entered the mini laptop market, but specifically marketing it as if they haven’t. Oh yes, the website bangs on “slim and sophisticated design” and how portable it is, but Sony is very reluctant to use the ‘n’ word. Perhaps it needs to be said for them, perhaps not.

The difference between the VAIO TT and a typical netbook like the Asus Eee PC or the Acer Aspire One is so profound. Are they in the same league? Price wise, certainly not; the VAIO TT is expected to retail at around £1,200 for entry level models, compared with a more modest £200-300 for your everyday mini laptop. It’s certainly just as portable and useable; however, it is clear Sony’s taken a different approach to portability.

Asus pioneered the netbook by starting afresh, building a small computer that could handle simple tasks processing, quick internet and making it affordable. Sony’s answer was to reduce the size and weight to make it ultraportable whilst maintaining excellent performance. The result is a very high performance laptop, that has the size and weight properties of a netbook – it is, if you like, the sophisticated mini laptop.

Homepage at http://www.mini-laptops-and-notebooks.com/index.html | The dedicated website to mini laptops and notebooks | Copyright Ed Fry 2008. All Rights Reserved

For under $1000, the thin-and-light 14-inch widescreen Fujitsu LifeBook S7211 is one real sweet deal of a notebook that you would love to get your hands on. In the notebook/laptop field, Japanese computer maker Fujitsu has been coming out with some nifty products that exude quality, and the beautiful LifeBook S7211 is no exception.

For a product with some great features, the price is reasonable. If you have a close eye on budget, the LifeBook S7211 offers cost-conscious small and medium size businesses an easy way to stay on budget without compromising on performance or reliability.

Pricing starts at $899 and ranges up to around $1100 depending on options, according to Fujitsu.

There’s a 120GB hard drive, support for up to 4 GB of RAM (base configs have 1 GB), combo drives or dual-layer DVD writers, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, gigabit Ethernet, a 1.3 megapixel Webcam, three USB 2,.0 ports, an ExpressCard slot, and a media card slot.

What’s more, the dual-layer burner sits in a modular expansion bay, which allows it to be removed and replaced with either an additional battery or an empty shell to reduce weight.

An integrated webcam centered above the display and stereo microphones provide quality videoconferencing for distance learning or training. Connectivity is superior with the Atheros Super AG(R) 802.11a/b/g WLAN offering up to 108 Mbps transfer rate when connected with Super AG-routers or gateways.

The notebook’s 14-inch display offers a 1,280 by 800 -pixel resolution, and the system supports simultaneous display on an external monitor at resolutions up to 1,600 by 1,200 pixels.

The LifeBook S7211 notebook can be configured with either a 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2330 or a 1.5 GHz Intel Core 2 T5250 processors, and offers Intel’s GMA X3100 graphics.

(Special note: If you’re residing in Malaysia, the LifeBook S7211 has a version that comes with the cheaper Intel Pentium dual-core processor T2330. It costs RM2,999 but is now on special offer at RM2,599. The upper end version which costs RM3,499 is now selling for RM3,199).

The systems are available with either Windows Vista Business or XP Professional.

Fujitsu has established itself as the clear Wintel laptop leader for reliability and customer satisfaction, according to PC Magazine’s 20th annual Reader Satisfaction Survey.