Ever since it introduced the netbook concept two year ago, ASUS has usually been the first manufacturer to experiment with innovative designs. It’s trying so again, this time with the Eee PC T91 convertible netbook ($499), which features a resistive touch screen. A compact design, thanks to the relatively small 8.9-inch display, makes navigating with just a finger or the included stylus an attractive proposition on paper. However, while the touch interface itself is well designed, the 1.33-GHz Intel Atom processor makes the whole experience sluggish. The result is an aggressively priced tablet that involves too much waiting around for things to happen.
Compact Design
The Eee PC T91 returns to ASUS’ netbook roots with its 8.9-inch display and compact build. At 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches, the Eee PC T91 is about the size of a hard cover book, and easily fit into a purse, leaving plenty of space for its AC adapter and wallet. Lighter and slimmer than 10-inch netbooks, it also didn’t weigh down our shoulder; alone, the netbook weighs a mere 2.0 pounds, and with its AC adapter it tips the scales at 2.6 pounds. The design of the Eee PC T91 is basic. Its black glossy chassis is attractive but is a fingerprint magnet.
Ports
Because of its small chassis, the Eee PC T91 has fewer ports than the typical netbook. It comes with two USB ports (rather than the average three), Ethernet, VGA, audio in/out, a 3-in-1 card reader, and a Kensington lock slot.
Cramped Keyboard, Decent Touchpad
Like most 8.9-inch netbooks, sacrifices have to be made, most notably to the size of the keyboard. Like the Eee PC 901, the tiny keys are no bigger than Chiclets, and the cramped layout takes practice to build up a decent typing speed. ASUS’ age-old keyboard slip-up is also present; the right Shift key is awkwardly placed above the right arrow key. However, the left Shift key is closer to full size.
Measuring 2.5 x 1.5 inches, the trackpad on the Eee PC T91 is decently sized. However, like the Eee PC 1005HA, there is a single silver bar that serves as a left and right mouse button. We prefer two dedicated buttons with more tactile response.
Display and Webcam
The T91 features an 8.9-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel resolution display with a glossy finish, which makes using the system outdoors a challenge. However, boosting the brightness to 100 percent helped. In a side-by-side comparison with the CTL 2go Convertible Classmate PC and Gigabyte M912, two similar convertible netbooks with the same size display, the T91 appeared brighter and offered more contrast.
Horizontal viewing angles were decent, though a slight glare appeared when we played with the tablet while sitting by a sunny window and when the screen was tilted back to a 145-degree angle. Vertical viewing angles were solid; even someone seated next to us could easily watch a streaming YouTube video.
The 180-degree hinge that turns the screen into tablet mode felt very sturdy. While the screen didn’t wobble in either the normal laptop mode or in the tablet position, it doesn’t clip down securely to the keyboard.
The 0.3-megapixel webcam produced decent images, but they weren’t as clear as other cams. In a call over Skype, however, our coworker didn’t complain of any grayness or blurriness.
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