Packard Bell EasyNote XS

Of all the gadgets unveiled at last June's Computex trade show in Taiwan, few attracted as much attention as a pair of new ultra-portables PCs. Both the ASUS Eee PC and VIA NanoBook were billed as low-cost, relatively low-specification portables aimed at anyone who didn't want to lug a larger laptop around or pay a fortune for a more traditional ultra-portable and in that respect, they made a great deal of sense.

The Eee PC, of course, has been on sale since the beginning of November and we liked it a lot. The original intended price of $199 crept up to £220 by the time it launched but even so, it's still a cracking little laptop for anyone who doesn't have much to spend. The VIA NanoBook was reckoned to cost around $600, but it was just a reference design for other manufacturers to pick up. So far, Packard Bell has been the only one to show some interest (update: Everex will be launching a version as the Cloudbook in the US in early 2008) and its version, in the form of the EasyNote XS, is now on sale.

Superficially, the EasyNote XS is very similar to the Eee PC. They have near-identical dimensions, weigh much the same and both have 7in, 800 x 480 screens. There's little difference in build quality too, and the EasyNote feels just as solid as the Eee PC. Its matt black finish does look rather cheap compared to the classy pearlescent white case of the Eee PC, but it also makes it look more like a serious business tool than a child's educational toy.

It may be a similar size and shape, but the EasyNote XS does have a somewhat different design to the Eee PC. The keyboard sits far forward in the base and there's no wrist rest to speak of. There's also no room for a trackpad in the usual space and so it's been moved to sit at the top right of the keyboard. Unfortunately, it's also been shrunk and at a mere 21 x 14mm, it's barely bigger than the fingertip needed to use it.

The buttons are on the opposite side and presumably, the idea is that you use both hands to control the mouse pointer. have to lift both hands of the keys to click something is bad enough, but for right-handers, using your left hand to click the buttons takes some getting used to. Worse still, the small size of the trackpad also means that it needs to be hyper-sensitive and it's very awkward to use.

Fortunately, the keyboard is much better, though not as good as the same size one on the Eee PC. The keys have plenty of travel and a positive feel, but the whole keyboard flexes in a disconcerting way that makes typing more of a chore than it should be.

Although it's the same size and resolution as that on the Eee PC, the EasyNote's screen is rather less grainy. The design of the lid also helps distract you from the fact that it's only 7in from corner to corner too, although Packard Bell hasn't opted to use the dockable modules that slotted into the right of the screen on VIA's reference design. Instead, the space is occupied by a webcam, though its position results in the most unflattering, off-centre image imaginable.

While it can run Windows, simple, customised version of Linux supplied with the Eee PC makes far better use of its 4Gb SSD drive. The EasyNote, however, has a traditional hard disk and Windows XP is supplied as standard. The good news is that with 30Gb to play with, you can install such familiar favourites as Microsoft Office without having to worry about running out of space.

The bad news is that Windows really isn't suited to a device this size. For a start, the 1.2GHz VIA C7M processor isn't particularly powerful and the EasyNote doesn't feel anywhere near as snappy as the Eee PC. Worse still, the Eee PC takes a mere 40 seconds to boot from cold and around 30 to shut down - the EasyNote takes about a minute and 90 seconds, respectively.

The biggest problem, however, is that Windows isn't designed to run on an 800 x 480 screen - the bottom of just about every dialog box disappears off the bottom of the display, leaving no way to click OK or Cancel buttons. The screen can be pushed up to 1024 x 768 with a couple of clicks on the display driver utility in the System Tray, but the interpolated image looks terrible and having to do this every time you want to interact with a dialog box is deeply tedious.

Battery life is on a par with the Eee PC, at just under four hours in our light use test with Wi-Fi disabled. The 90 minute recharge time is handy, but we're less keen on the traditional two-cable mains adapter - the Eee PC comes with a small plug adapter with a very long cable.

The EasyNote does have a couple of things that the Eee PC lacks, though. One is Bluetooth and this is a very welcome addition, since it means you can get online with a suitable 3G mobile phone when Wi-Fi isn't available. The other, unfortunately, is a ridiculous price tag.

Windows XP obviously adds to the cost and yes, it has a slightly better specification, but at £500, the EasyNote costs over twice as much as the Eee PC. At £249, the EasyNote XS would find a ready market but as it stands, Packard Bell is just taking the mickey.