Wind vs. Aspire One vs. Eee PC 901, 701

Alrighty, we got to play around with all four, plus a few Kohjinshas, in the store today. Since this is Japan, everything is XP, no Linux. (The more expensive Kohjinshas run Vista).

The A1 is the 120GB HDD version, so it has "the bulge" on the bottom. It doesn't actually make it any taller, but it does look like an obvious retrofit to my eye. I find it a little annoying.

The Wind is the most attractice looking shape, very slim, though its moving towards a more traditional notebook in size. Three strikes against it: The Fn key is on the outside, the case overall is very plain, and the hinges feel like they are going to rip out of the case at any moment. When you open the screen and let go, the screen wobbles back and forth alarmingly. MSI, please, spend an extra $5 and give the thing a decent case.

I have a special place in my heart for the 701. If only the screen was 1024 pixels. Its small enough and petite enough that it resembles an electronic dictionary rather than a laptop, and as such I can forgive things like the tiny keyboard and limited battery life.

Not so the 901. That keyboard would have me tearing my hair out in frustration in no time flat. Despite all the extra features, the keyboard just ends it then and there for me. That and the dumpy case are the only things I have against it, its otherwise feature packed and priced within $20 of the Acer.

Under XP/HDD the Aspire One was pretty snappy, though curiously the Wind pushed up the browser window noticeably quicker, the 901 a little slower. The construction and feel is just about perfect.