Netbooks are defined by size, price and portability and all three of these criteria have to be small. However, incorporating a touchscreen into one and then adding on a price tag of around £425 may seem like a slightly bizarre idea. However, Asus have done that very thing with their Asus Eee PC T101MT.
The Asus Eee Pc T101MT is of the twist-and-flip variety giving you the options to use this laptop as a normal laptop and make use of its keyboard or imitate an iPad and use the screen. Unlike some twist-and-flip laptop the hinge on the screen feels strong and sturdy and holds the screen well.
In addition, the Asus Eee PC T101MT comes with three USB ports, a VGA-out port, and a multi-format card reader. However, like most netbooks it does not come with an optical drive.
Nonetheless, internally it features an Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz processor probably the most common in the latest netbooks and comes with 2GB RAM which is double that of most netbooks as well as using Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. This all helps to run multiple applications smoothly and without a problem. However, the Intel GMA 3150 will buckle under the pressure of anything that is slightly more intensive or graphics heavy such as 3D gaming.
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The touchscreen is the resistive type meaning that under the pressure of your touch several layers collide to register your touch. However, such a strong way of registering your touch causes the display to take on a rather weathered look which can be instantly noticed when placed alongside another netbook. However, the Asus Eee PC T101MT comes with a stylus which is well-weighted but small and allows you to write on the screen. Nonetheless, the small screen size limits your writing and in all honesty it doesn’t feel completely comfortable when jotting down a few notes.
Besides the touchscreen capability the keyboard is rather responsive with decent spacing between each key and the trackpad has a good and noticeable texture that makes using it rather comfortable and easy.
Considering netbooks are defined by their battery life the Asus Eee PC T101MT manages around four hours which is just above the average of a desktop replacement laptop. This may not be necessarily the poorest battery life on the market but if you’re buying a netbook that is rather pricey you would hope for something just a little bit better.
Overall, this netbook is an average netbook with a touchscreen. If that’s what you’re after then this may very well end up on your shortlist but look further before you buy simply due to the Asus Eee PC T101MT’s relatively small battery life and rather restricted touchscreen capabilities due to the 10.1inch screen.