DISQUS

Is the keyboard any larger than the original One? from the pictures it looks like they may have just used the old keyboard in a slightly larger case. I have been using One with XP everyday since August with no problems. It worked right out of the box so I would expect the 10 incher to be just as good.

Excellent job Brad. You and your compatriots provide honest and evenhanded reporting in a field that is often overshadowed by partisan preferences or influenced by advertising revenue. Keep up the good work.

I have had my Acer Aspire One (XP version) for a month and a half now and I am very happy with it. It is a solid machine and goes to work with me every day. Since I make that commute on foot, its low weight is most appreciated. For my purposes it is a perfect blend of size, weight, features, price, etc. and I am able to keep up with e-mail, conduct research and write reports on with little if any difficulty. I have even gotten used to the track pad. Your site together with reports form your friends like JKKMobile helped me leep up in this rapidly expanding collection of products. When others see me using my Acer and ask about it, I refer them to Liliputing.com for more information. What would be nice would be if more of these machines were at least on display in the brick and mortar stores, i.e., Best Buy, Circuit City, Microcenter, etc., for hands-on testing since one of the things that sold me on the Acer was the feel of the keyboard.

I am sure that this field will continue to develop and at the same pace for some time. After all, it is only one year since the first little EEE became available. Also, as Arsene Lupin notes, the netbook revolution has fueled development and expansion of the Linux operating system and, although I use Windows XP, it will certainly be interesting to see what the score is (Windows v Apple v Linux) when all of the numbers are in, not just the UK. Perhaps someone with the right contacts could survey the different netbook companies to get a census of how many Linux and how many Windows versions they have sold. Competition is what keeps companies on their toes and Microsoft definitely needs more competition.

Again, many thanks and keep up the good work

No thank you Dell. I'll stick with my Acer Aspire One. at 2 pounds with a 1.6 Ghz processor, 1 gig of ram and a 120 gig hard drive, it is more machine than my old 10 pound Compaq and a heck of a lot lighter and does everything I need. Although longer battery life would be nice, the cord and brick combination of the Acer do not add much in terms of weight or bulk so I carry them with me.

I have been using the Acer for about a month now and I am pleased to report that the machine is solid, performs very well for me doing mostly web browsing, checking and sending e-mail and some short report writing. Even the track pad was not that difficult to get used to so I don't have to carry a mouse.

I gave up waiting for the MSI Wind to show up and I am glad I did not wait for the Dell Mini 9. Dell as definitely missed the boat on this one.

Coming late into the "netbook" market, I think Dell will be relying on its reputation and the price point they put on their product.

On the trademark question, letters can indeed be registered as trademarks, look at IBM. In fact Asus has applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office to register the mark "EEE PC" in the stylized form they use and have been opposed by Gateway who argues a likelihood of confusion based on their long prior use and registration of a family of "E" marks for computers and related goods. One would expect Dell to be aware of such procedings and to monitor them before spending time and money on "Dell E". If they don't, then they may see Gateway come after them.

Looking forward to your real world reports Brad. Journalist reviews, i.e. Laptop Mag, are useful and have been quite thorough, but real world reports on actual use under nromal conditions are better at helping us ordinary types decide which machine suits our needs. I for one am leaning heavily toward the Wind with XP over the HP if only because of the ridiculous system HP/Microsoft have to get XP on the unit. The longer battery life and cooler running reported for the Wind are also pluses over HP. In addition, hopefully MSI includes a recovery disk, just in case. Any word on what brick and mortar stores will likely have the Wind as it would be nice to be able to play on it first to really be sure it is comfortable.

Based on the Laptop Mag review this one looks like a winner. For the extra ram, 6 cell battery and reasonably assured compatibility I would go for the XP version at that price. Can always put Linux on it later if needed. In any event, this should run at least as well as my 6 year old Compaq Presario 900 tank which is putting a dent in my shoulder. Now, where can I get one when its released on the 16th?

Hmm. Open source hardware design and open source operating system. Sounds like a good idea. Microsoft may wind up losing the ULPC market to Linux, especially if they insist on making people buy an unwanted OS, Vista, in order to "downgrade" to XP. Although it appears that the Wind may be coming with XP preinstalled. See the report at Msiwind.net for a recent review and benchmarks from someone who got a Singapore model.

So would I. Making people get Vista on a machine that is not designed for it makes no sense. These ULPC's are tailor made for XP and it should hum along happily on them. Maintaining an onerous policy such as that on the Mini's will not help Microsoft. If anything, I would think it only benefits the Linux community which now has an excellent opportunity to get that OS more into the mainstream. I use both MS Office 2003 and Open Office and have no difficulty switching between the two. It would not be difficult to switch completely to a Linux platform. I learned DOS and Windows, I should be able to learn Linux.

Anyway, keep up the good work.

By the way, it looks like the Mini and the Wind are about the same size, so your wife's case may work for both.

Brad, Maybe you could simply post the pattern and sewing instructions so that those who sew or have a spouse who sews could make one.

By the way, many thanks for all your work in keeping us up to date with what's happening in the ULPC field. I especially like the even reporting without taking sides in Eee vs. everyone else battles. Myself, I am waiting for actual use reports on the Wind before making a decision. Given HP's miserable support for the Mini and the ridiculous "downgrade" policy to get XP, if Wind comes loaded with XP and a recovery disk, I think it could put a serious crimp in HP's shorts.

Interesting that they show the Wind as running Vista when the report from MSI is that it will not have that OS. I am hoping that it will come with XP installed, not as a downgrade from Vista like on the Mini Note. If MSI can maintain their reported pricing with XP installed and if the Atom is at least as good as the Celeron in operation with the low power improving the battery life, then the Wind may be just the machine to but a crimp in HP's shorts. Like you I am waiting for some real world use reports.

Any word, hints, rumors on which Linux version they will use?

There is a very extensive report on the 900 at eeeuser.com from someone in the UK. It has the 4400 battery. Interesting is that it appears that the wireless is not as good at picking up a signal in the 900 as in the 701.

Just saw the interview with Kyle Thornton in Laptop Mag and he said mid may. Also, appears that HP has not yet decided whether to go with Intel or ViA low power chip. Guess we will have to wait and see. Again, thanks for all your work.

Brad,

First, many many thanks to you and the other experts out there keeping the rest of us informed on the developments and various work arounds with these machines. I am still trying to decide which one will be best for me, but it is beginning to look like an ideal machine would be the 1.2Ghz Mini Note with the 120GB drive with a dual boot XP/Ubuntu load. Any idea on when HP is likely to make XP available without having to go the route of getting Vista with their downgrade option? Also, any hints on which of the new low power chips HP is likely to adopt (and when)? Hopefully you have the contacts to guide us further and do not have to resort to a crystal ball on this one. Keep up the good work.