Don’t get me wrong, I still do like it – in fact, I am writing this on OpenOffice.org Writer on the Eee PC whilst sipping today’s caffeine fix at Starbucks here in Trinoma. Unfortunately, the wifi hotspot is Globequest (read: expensive) so I opted not to connect.

As I have written last week, the keyboard is small but tolerable. It just needs a few days of typing to get a hang of it, I guess. Heck, compared to the iPhone, the Eee PC does not require you to learn how the keyboard behaves. :) BTW, I get 40-43 words per minute on my iPhone so it is not at all that bad.

Anyway, right now, the keyboard seems to be ok. I can touch-type without any problem and I guess that those with slim fingers can easily get comfortable using it. If your fingers are fat and big, then I recommend that you get a USB keyboard (tried it and it worked -- not that I have big and fat fingers!).

The trackpad comes with only one button compared with the other PC portables that come with two. I guess Asus took this hint from the Apple portables (yeah, they do make some of Apple’s portable models, right?). The button is stiff but the trackpad is very sensitive (you really need to adjust the sensitivity). I like the way it included a vertical scroll area but I do miss the two-finger navigation of my Macbook Pro.

The screen is very nice, bright but as expected, a bit small. I wish that this screen behaves like my iPhone, i.e., pinch-driven zoom controls. :D It is a good thing that the VGA-out port works really well, whether you connect it to an external monitor or to a projector. However, those who need large screen real estate can wait for the 10" version but it will obviously be heavier and more expensive.

Given the price, the most limiting factor is the storage. The 4GB one gives you an effective 1.3GB of free space. You can add an SD card and/ or a USB external hard drive. You can also free up space by removing some of the pre-installed application or installing a more optimized Linux OS such as PuppyLinux.

As for the software, I have yet to upgrade Skype to take advantage of the built-in webcam. Unfortunately, the Skype version bundled does not yet support it. I also found some issues with how the battery reports the remaining power. I experienced a glitch that reported a 30% battery capacity but the unit has just been fully charged. Minor but may cause some people to panic.

Other than these little quirks, I still find it a solid ultra- portable. Compared to the UMPCs that cost an arm and a leg or the 25K "branded" (from I do not know where) portable computers that have mechanical HDDs, bigger screen and more powerful processors, I’d take this in an instant (perhaps because I already have a Macbook Pro). Its main advantage is its size, price and features.

Compared to my daily companion device, the iPhone, the iPhone wins in size, of course. Keyboard input may be easier on the Eee PC but I find it an insignificant advantage since the iPhone’s keyboard is really great. The iPhone browser is far better at handling sites considering its screen size and I do think that Asus could learn a thing or two from this. The storage is bigger on the iPhone but the Eee PC storage is more flexible, of course (you can store whatever file type you can think of). To me, this is a perfect companion to my iPhone.

I showed the Eee PC to my colleagues in UP and they all were amazed by this little device. They are now waiting for the official resellers to get in touch with our procurement officers. :) Frankly, this is perfect for those who travel just to give a presentation or two in a conference or a meeting.

Overall, the Eee PC is an impressive piece of device. I am impressed and so were my colleagues in UP Diliman. This is a perfect device for students, regardless of level. Now, if only it can include a SIM card for 3G data access, then it’d be a perfect device.