The Ultraportable Wars Part 2: The Shoot-Out!

Ultraportables are sexy, attractive, and sleek. Seems to me that everyone, from consumers to tech companies, are rushing to the ultraportable niche because more and more people are becoming mobile and would require a lighter machine.

I have the same reasons for wanting my own ultraportable PC. But among all the reasons I have, I want one badly because it’s a healthier alternative to lugging 5.2 lbs of a tech monstrosity darling just to make sure that I would have something “productive” to do while I’m out of the house.

In my old articles, I think I’ve put in one article about eeePC too many. But today, I just wanted to do a “shoot-out” of sorts for three computers I’ve been eyeing.

As far as I’ve tried the three ultraportable laptops mentioned here, I give the crown to the Macbook Air, hands down. It’s not just because I’m a Mac lover, but the engineering is just unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The next best thing to the Macbook Air, for me, would be the eeePC 900. Though I was able to try only the eeePC 701 just yet, I know that the eeePC 900 would be a worthy alternative to the Macbook. Keep reading to know why. :p

Because the features of either computer are rather complementary, the tie goes to Intel Classmate PC and the eeePC 701.

The reason why I deem the Macbook Air as the ultimate ultraportable lies in the fact that I hadn’t seen anything with a chassis as apparently durable as what it’s made of. The Macbook Air’s chassis is made entirely out of aluminum. This is what makes the Macbook Air a very lightweight machine. This, and the fact that the Macbook Air’s LCD is made free of mercury and arsenic, add to that the fact that its internal cables are PVC-free and the a majority of its circuit boards are devoid of brominated flame retardants seemed to have appeased, well, Greepeace.

But it’s not the “green factor” that made the Macbook Air attractive to me. I liked the Macbook Air the moment I saw it because of its:

• Sleek design
• Amazing lightness
• The fact that it carries OS X.

On the other hand, the eeePC 900 is another laptop that I would so want to have. An upgrade from the 701, I would like this better, because the screen is a little bit bigger, plus it also has a bigger hard drive space (14GB if used with Windows, 20GB if used with Xandros Linux) over the 701. Since the price is less than a third of the Macbook Air ($549 vs. the Macbook Air’s $1799), I think this is a worthy alternative to the MBA*, don’t you agree?

I filed the eeePC 701 and Intel Classmate PC under one single category in my brain because they are not complete in and of themselves. The eeePC 701 may be small, lightweight, and affordable, but the screen is just too small. The hard drive size? Worse. Even on Linux, I think most users would find 4GB inadequate. Grossly inadequate. On the other hand, if you get an 8GB model, at $513.95 at its lowest popular price, why don’t you just get an eeePC 900 instead, right? Aside from the larger hard drive, the eeePC 900 has a better webcam, at 1.3 MP. Add to that the fact that eeePC 900 has the “FingerGlide Technology,” which mimics the Macbook Air’s Multi-Touch trackpad gestures, I think that the eeePC 900 just made its predecessor, the eee701, obsolete.

Lastly, the Intel Classmate PC. Rebranded as the NEO Explore in my country, I liked this, not because it looks like a glorified plaything, but because of its excellent keyboard. Unlike the eeePC 701 that I had tried, I found that the Intel Classmate PC had a more stable keyboard, is spill-proof by design and according to the salesmen I’ve talked with (they’ve spilled coffee on their demo unit, heheh). The Intel Classmate PC is also the type which you can toss, drop, and be brutal with, but it will still hold its ground. This is due to the fact that it was originally manufactured for charity purposes, when the One Laptop Per Child mania broke out. It was engineered for rough use by children, thus its rugged construction.

Before the eeePC 900 came out, the Intel Classmate PC put up a worthy fight to the eeePC 701, in my opinion. If it boiled down to the keyboard, I would choose the Intel Classmate PC anyday. Not only that, the 30GB hard drive on the Intel Classmate PC, kicked the eeePC 701’s butt.

But it don’t have no webcam. :(

So when I finally heard of the eeePC 900... I knew that I had to have that, along with the Macbook Air. Why? I just wanna play with them gadgets. Heheh. :) Aside from my true, serious reason for wanting an ultraportable, that is. :)

The reason why I’m in the market for an ultraportable to pray for is that I would like to be able to just slip my computer into my bag, then go off to where I’m supposed to be headed. You can’t do that with a 5.2-lb Macbook. It’s sheer shoulder and spine murder.

So if you happened to be on the look out for a good ultraportable, hope this ramble helped you!





Check out the video below for an update on the Intel Classmate PC. :)