All-day Performer

Don’t buy it for sexy looks, it doesn’t have any. Buy it for a close-to-10-hour battery backup.

Running the latest Intel Pine Trail N450 Atom Processor, which runs at 1.66 GHz with 512 MB cache, Asus’ new netbook PC1005P not only promises but delivers very good battery backup. The company rates it at 11 hours and I got more than 9 hours easily.

Pine Trails run longer and stay cooler than the older Atoms, even if their computing power is not much better. With a built-in graphic engine, however, their video performance is definitely better. This Asus comes pre-loaded with Linux-based Express Gate software that can boot the PC in a usable Linux shell. It lets you use a browser, Skype, chat, online gaming and photo browser utilities and takes less than 9 seconds to boot up—only 2 seconds to shut down. The other great feature is that you can switch off its LCD screen. People who leave their machines online overnight, to download stuff, will love this feature.

Contributing to its price is the Windows 7 Starter Edition, for which you have to pay even if you want to use this netbook with Eeebuntu or Jolicloud. The machine ships with a 250 GB hard disc, 3 USB ports, a VGA external port, 1.3 megapixel webcam and stereo microphone. Its 1 GB DDR2 RAM is on a single DIMM; therefore to upgrade, you will have to replace it with a 2 GB memory stick.

Asus PC1005PAtom processornetbookPine Trail