Budget ultraportable buyers guide

Choosing which low cost ultraportable to buy is difficult. There are simply so many options in the market. I do have some favorites:


Php15,990 - Asus Eee PC X101CH with Windows 7 Starter

Pros - It is a thin 0.86 inches and a light 2.2 pounds.

Cons - It is really a netbook with a 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 resolution display and cramped keyboard. The Atom N2600 processor really is not faster than the dual core netbooks you have been using the past two years, but it can now play HD video. RAM limited to 1 GB.

More details on the Asus Eee PC X101CH at this link.

Php18,900 - Samsung NP305U1A with Windows 7 Home Basic

Pros - AMD Fusion E-450 accelerated processing unit gives true ULV like power and the 11.6-inch display has the industry standard 1366 x 768 resolution. Lightest of the AMD Fusion E-450 laptops at 2.7 pounds, with a slim bezel around the display giving it the size more like a 10-inch laptop. Decent 4000 mAh battery.

Cons - Smaller form factor means smaller keys, and I just cannot get to liking the keyboard on this unit. AMD Radeon 6310 graphics instead of the 6320 graphics usually paired with E-450's.

More details about the Samsung NP305U1A at this link.

Php21,500 - HP Pavilion DM1-4000AU with Windows 7 Home Basic

Pros - The right price. No compromise 11.6-inch AMD Fusion E-450 laptop packing with the expected AMD Radeon 6320 graphics with Beats Audio as a bonus. Decent 4400 mAh battery.

Cons -  A bit heavy at 3.4 pounds. Now comes with Windows 7 Starter. The E-450 version of the Asus Eee PC 1215B could actually be better, but that laptop comes in so many configurations both C-60 and E-450 version, and with either Radeon 6250, 6310 and 6320 graphics, and with or without USB 3.0 so it becomes hard to recommend since the buyer may buy the wrong set-up. If you are diligent about checking every component, check it out.

More details about the HP DM1-4000AU at this link.

Php19,500 - Lenovo ThinkPad EDGE e125 with DOS (so about Php24,250 with Windows 7 Home Basic 64-bit)

Pros - Like the HP DM1 but lighter (3.1 pounds) and thinner (0.93-inches) with a better keyboard. If you plan to run Linux, it comes without an operating system so it become a great deal.

Cons - If you plan to install Windows, it gets kind of expensive compared to the HP DM1. 

More details about the Lenovo ThinkPad EDGE e125.

I type a lot and don't mind using Linux so....

With give the edge to the Lenovo ThinkPad

 

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Asus Eee PC X101CH - Finally, a Cedar Trail netbook worth buying

The main benefit of the new Cedar Trail Atoms is not power. Sure they can play HD video, but they are a lot slower than their AMD Fusion E-450 and C-60 counterparts in terms of video performance. The Atom N2800 processor runs almost as fast as that of an AMD Fusion E-450, but lags far behind in graphics power. Similarly, the Atom N2600 runs about as fast as an AMD Fusion C-60 in terms of pure processing, but lags far behind in the graphics department.

The main advantage of the Cedar Trail as against the AMD Fusion is they run cooler and hence can be placed in devices with smaller form factors:

• AMD Fusion E-450 - 18 W Thermal design point
• AMD Fusion C-60 - 9 W TDP
• Intel Atom N2800 - 6.5 W TDP
• Intel Atom N2600 - 3.5 W TDP

When the new Atom netbooks came out, they came in the same old netbook chassis capable of running the hotter old dual core Atom Pineview processors. Well, Asus has changed this with the new Asus Eee PC X101CH.

The Asus Eee PC X101 is not new. It was offered last year running single core Atoms. Thanks to the Cedar Trail, it now has dual core power. 

Quick Specs:

Display: 10.1-inch (1024 x 600 pixel resolution)

Processor: Intel Atom N2600 (dual core 1.6 GHz)

RAM: 1 GB (not upgradeable)

Storage: 320GB hard drive

Wireless: WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0

Notable Ports: USB 2.0 and HDMI out

Card Reader: Yes

Webcam: Yes

Battery: 3-cell rated at 5 hours (3-4 hours real world use).

Price:

With Windows 7 Starter - Php15,990

With DOS - Php13,990

Why buy this device? Portability. This device is a small 10.3″ x 7.1″ x 0.86″ and weighs in at just 2.2 pounds.

Personally, on the small low cost laptops, I have taken a preference to the Lenovo ThinkPad EDGE e125. Best keyboard in the 11.6-inch world. But the ThinkPad EDGE e125 costs 6K more and weighs all of 0.9 pounds more. 

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Acer Aspire AOD270-268 N2600 netbook

Acer has released a lower cost version of it AOD270 netbook powered by the new Cedar Trail Atom processor. The Acer Aspire Aspire AOD270-268 retails for Php15,900, cheaper than the Php18,900 retail price of the Acer Aspire Aspire AOD270-281.

Cost were cut by using an Intel Atom Dual Core processor N2600 (1.66 GHz) instead of the N2800 on the higher priced Acer Aspire AOD270-281. The installed operating system on the Acer Aspire Aspire AOD270-268 is Windows 7 Starter, instead of Windows 7 Home Basic which is installed in the Acer Aspire AOD270-281.

The other specifications of the two are identical with a 10.1" SD 1024 x 600 (WSVGA) resolution display, with 2GB of RAM, 320 GB of storage, a card reader, a six cell battery, WiFi, Bluetooth and HDMI out.

While I am not too keen on the new Intel Atom powered netbooks, this one is not a bad deal. If you are spending more, an AMD Fusion C-60 or E-450 unit with their larger high resolution screens makes more sense.

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Lenovo IdeaPad S110 N2800

Lenovo has updated its IdeaPad S100 netbook, by outfitting it with the new Intel Cedar trail processor into the new S110. Like the other manufacturers, Lenovo has chosen to just slot the new cooler running Atom in the same netbook cases they were using last year. It would have been great if a new slimmer cases were used.

In fairness, the S100/S110 case is a thin 0.75-inches and weighs in at a reasonable 2.6 pounds. The Lenovo keyboard is also the best in class. So despite our disappointment with the first generation Cheddar Trail netbooks, this is probably the best in the bunch.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S110 comes with the most powerful of the current Cheddar Trails, the N2800. With the new Intel GMA 3650 graphics, this system should be able to play 720p content and 1080p content stored on the hard drive. Intel graphics drivers are still being optimized, so your mileage may vary. 

Unfortunately, the screen is a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display. So despite the new vaunted HD capability, you won't even be able play 720p HD content at its native resolution.

What makes this Cedar Trail netbook acceptable is the price. It sells at a reasonable Php14,495 with 2 GB of RAM, a 320 GB hard drive WiFi and Bluethooh. It does not come with an operating system, and getting it with Windows 7 Starter will bring up the price to just under 16.5K, which is 1.5K less than its competition. 

The more expensive Cedar Trail notebooks are priced at the same level as AMD Fusion C-60 versions which comes with larger and sharper 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 displays.  

So, while I am not too excited about the new Cedar Trail netbooks, if you really want one, this is the one I would recommend.

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