Netbooks at Its Finest: A Review of the ASUS Eee PC T91 Laptop

The Asus Eee PC 701 was a pioneer in the world of netbooks when it was released by the company a couple of years back. Following in its footsteps is Asus’ latest touch screen netbook which is the Eee PC T91. With such an esteemed name to live up to, this latest addition to the highly successful Eee line will have some big shoes to fill. Here’s how it measures up.

Screening Process

One of the best features of the Eee PC T91 is its 8.9-inch resistive touch screen interface. This means that even though it does come with a stylus with it, users can still use their fingers to navigate through the netbook with excellent responsiveness. And although some might argue that accuracy is somewhat sacrificed (as compared to the capacitive screen variety), the resistive technology on the PC T91 is what makes the device more economical and ideal for the mid-range market.  

An excellent function of the screen is that it can also work as a standard tablet once users rotate it and flip it around in order to cover the PC T91’s keyboard. It can also double as an upright-standing A-frame which is perfect for watching videos during a long haul flight.

A Netbook Through and Through

Although the PC T91 does seem like a flashy new machine, the truth is that it still remains true to its netbook image. Testament to this fact is its low-powered Intel Atom Z520 processor which has a lower thermal design power as compared to the standard N270 processor which is found in most Intel-powered laptops. At a clock speed of 1.33 GHz it’s also a bit slower than most, but the US15W chipset is able to makeup for whatever shortcomings. Because of the accelerated video decoding on this particular chipset, the PC T91 is quite comfortable in running 720p HD videos – a feat that can only be performed by an elite few in this particular category.   

Also on board are other features that are also up to par with the Eee line’s high standards such as the 1GB built-in RAM (DDR2) and a 32-Gigabyte SSD which gives it an excellent balance of practicality and functionality.  

Other Notable Features

Considering that the PC T91 is still marketed as a functional netbook, one could say that it is definitely faster and more powerful than expected. Aside from the accolades mentioned previously, this device also has a very responsive keyboard that is both easy and comfortable to use. However, those who would prefer the touchpad shouldn’t encounter any major problems as well.

Asus has been known for producing laptops that possess exceptional battery life. Although the PC T91 isn’t exactly in the same league as some of its predecessors (i.e. the 12-cell battery of the 901), its battery is still able to hold its own. It manages to make an impact with its 3 hours and 20 minutes of battery life. One criticism though is that unlike other Asus models, the PC T91’s battery is not removable which means that users won’t be able to keep a spare battery pack for backup.