Great time to be in market for mini-notebook PC

The mini-notebook PC market niche has finally come to life.  First, there was the very successful introduction of the Asus Eee 4G selling for $399 with Xandros Linux as its OS.  I have one and find it to be an excellent traveling companion able to do everything I need while on the road.  The standard Xandros (Linux) OS (in Advanced Desktop mode) is very intuitive for anyone familiar with Windows. It is only in the more advanced functions such as installing software that this Linux distro requires in-depth knowledge.  But if your need is web browsing, email, document creation and editing, remote access, VoIP calls via Skype, and other basic (and not so basic functions), the Xandros-based Eee is a near-perfect mobile tool.  My favorite application has to be the Skype VoIP software and service on the Eee.  Call quality is great even with weak Wi-Fi signals.  And I signed up for a Skype Pro account, which means I can dial any standard telephone in the U.S. and Canada for a flat $3 per month for unlimited calling. 

For those unsure about Linux, Best Buy will soon begin selling (available on line now, but not yet in most stores) a Windows XP-based Eee for the same $399 retail price as the Xandros-based model.  What a deal!  But with the greater RAM demands of XP, you will want to replace the 512 MB RAM module with a 1 GB module for better performance.  That should set you back only $25 to $30 if you shop wisely.  The RAM upgrade is easy.  The RAM module compartment on the bottom of the Eee opens with the removal of two screws.  The old module pops out and the new one pops in.  Simple. 

And now HP has joined the fray with its even more capable (but slightly larger, heavier, and more expensive) 2133 Mini-Note PC.  A review in PC Magazine finds much to like about this new HP offering, which is available with Linux, XP, or two versions of Vista, priced accordingly from about $500 to $750.