By ditching the long-in-the-tooth Intel Atom processor for the AMD E-350 Fusion platform, Asus graduates this 12.1-inch Eee PC from the flailing Netbook category to the more comfortable ultraportable one. At $449, which includes a USB 3.0 port, the Eee PC 1215B compared favorably with the 11.6-inch HP Pavilion dm1z, which looks nicer and has a faster hard drive, but lacks USB 3.0.
7.5
Asus Eee PC 1215B
The Good
The <b>Asus Eee PC 1215B</b> gets a CPU upgrade, as well as excellent battery life and USB 3.0.
The Bad
The long-standing Eee PC design is starting to look more than a little dated, and comparable systems offer bigger or faster hard drives.
The Bottom Line
Asus updates the Eee PC line with AMD's excellent ultraportable CPU, making for a powerful, portable package, but the field is getting crowded in this category.
Related links
• HP Pavilion dm1z
• Lenovo ThinkPad X120e
• Samsung Series 9
If you're not looking to spend $1,000 or more on an 11.6-inch MacBook Air or Samsung Series 9, one of these sub-$500 AMD ultraportables is the way to go. The basic Eee PC look and feel is dated, and definitely ready for an upgrade, but for only a little more than last year's step-up Netbooks, you'll get performance that's much less of a compromise.