The need of consumers to stay connected with their friends, family and work is contributing to the rapid growth in demand for computing and communication devices, such as tablets, laptops and netbooks. Fully aware of this market reality is the $10-billion, Taiwan-based ASUS Technology?the world?s top three consumer notebook vendor and the maker of the world?s best-selling motherboards? which has devised a simple yet straight forward strategy to penetrate the fast-growing Indian market: roll out devices with technology and innovation at the forefront. From the build to the performance, it has focused on overall basis, so as to enable users have a superior computing experience.

ASUS recently introduced its Eee PC 1215B PC in India and was kind enough to send across a unit for a product review. My first reaction upon seeing the product: lightweight and compact with good ergonomics, it is really a small big portable computer with elegant looks, great touchpad and fully multi-touch with a spacious keyboard. ASUS has added an extra vertical row on the keyboard?s right to accommodate Page Up, Page Down, and other navigational buttons.

ASUS has indeed come up with a very successful design and I feel that it is one of the best laptops available in the market. Available in an elegant seashell design, the Eee PC 1215B comes in marble silver and elegant texture. Put simply, choose one that suits your style. At R19,499, the price is amiable too.

At a personal level, I have seen a lot of variations on the Eee PC design over the years, but with the Eee PC 1215B you?ll get performance that?s much less of a compromise. The laptop delivers unprecedented performance for excellent multimedia enjoyment. This is because ASUS has updated the Eee PC line with AMD?s excellent ultra-portable CPU, making for a powerful, portable package. Thin and light AMD Brazos platform with Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) combines high performance with low power consumption. For users, this means that they can enjoy full high definition 1080p on a HDTV or big display via a HDMI connection.

The display has the familiar 1,366 x 768 pixel native resolution found on nearly every laptop screen from 11 to 15 inches. On a 12-inch laptop, that gives you plenty of space for documents and Web pages, and it?s also good for 720p HD video. The latest AMD Brazos E350 dual core processor provides users an unprecedented experience of the all new APU; the APU combines a high performance CPU and discrete GPU giving users the best in multimedia enjoyment. With the super low power consumption that the Eee PC 1215B draws, you can have fun anytime, anywhere.

With Brazos? low-power consumption, the Eee PC 1215B can provide up to eight hours of battery life. Users can enjoy all day computing without worrying about the need to recharge in a few hours. They can also stay connected in a variety of ways. With built in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0, staying online while on the go has never been easier. Transfer your photos and more 10 times faster than USB 2.0 with the latest USB 3.0 ports built-in to the Eee PC 1215B.

My verdict: the ASUS EeePC 1215B is a competent laptop with some high-end features, like USB 3.0, HDMI with 1080p output, and AMD?s excellent ultraportable CPU, making for a powerful device. This powerhouse, ultra-portable is ideal for mobile professionals and executives.

Specs

Dimensions: 296 x 203 x 38 mm (W x D x H)

Display: 12.1-inch LED Backlight WXGA (1366 x 768)

Screen type: Colour-shine (Glare-type) screen

CPU: AMD Brazos C50 Dual Core (1.0G, 1M)

Operating system: DOS

Graphic: AMD Radeon HD 6250

Memory: DDR3, 2 x SO-DIMM, 2GB

Storage: 320 GB 5400rpm HDD

Battery: 8 hours, 6-cell 56Wh Li-ion battery