Right out of the box, this little netbook did everything I asked of it, including streaming the everyday video you're bound to encounter checking mail and websites (my biggest complaint previously). It even has a great webcam, and Skype works very well. The fact that you can spend over $100 on just a webcam underscores the value of this machine. The Windows 7 Starter is, in my opinion, a great way to think about using your netbook: basics, basics, basics. I wiped nearly everything off of it, installed OpenOffice and Firefox, and I am operating an incredibly efficient and useful machine for a great price. This netbook is a perfect supplementary computer to another laptop or desktop (my wife and I have another laptop), or if you are a user who uses the computer for simple tasks. I use this for my tutoring business, and since I'm always bouncing from student to student, it is ideal for portability and battery life (yes, it gets the 8 hours as advertised!). Finally, I should note that I took the 2GB RAM stick from my old EeePC and installed it before I even powered on for the first time. ASUS has done an outstanding job of evolving their netbooks, and I would recommend this to anyone who both understands their needs and how netbooks can fit them.
LAPTOP#GENERAL_positive LAPTOP#MISCELLANEOUS_positive LAPTOP#DESIGN_FEATURES_positive MULTIMEDIA_DEVICES#GENERAL_positive SOFTWARE#OPERATION_PERFORMANCE_positive OS#GENERAL_negative LAPTOP#PRICE_positive LAPTOP#OPERATION_PERFORMANCE_positive LAPTOP#PORTABILITY_positive BATTERY#OPERATION_PERFORMANCE_positive COMPANY#GENERAL_positive