The eagerly awaited Asus Eee PC 900 had become popular even before it came out. Thanks to the good track record of its predecessor the Asus Eee PC 701, many computer enthusiasts waited for the release of the latest addition to the “Easy to Learn, Easy to Work, Easy to Play” line of ultra mobile personal computers (UMPCs). But what gives it the edge over the other UMPCs out in the market?

Functional and Easy to Use

The Asus Eee PC 900 comes preinstalled with Linux Xandros, which presents you with a tabbed desktop. True to its slogan, the desktop tabs are labeled Learn, Work and Play, aside from Internet, Settings and Favorites.

The Internet tab gives you access to the preinstalled Mozilla Firefox for web browsing, Pidgin for instant messaging, and a Webmail button to access your webmail such as Gmail or Hotmail.

The Learn tab offers you educational programs to improve your vocabulary, spelling and arithmetic. There's also a periodic table and planetarium if you're science minded. The artist in you won't be disappointed either, since you'll have Paint to dabble with.

The Work tab makes OpenOffice accessible for all your word processing, spreadsheet and presentation needs.

The Play tab hosts the applications to help you unwind after a long day's work. The Asus Eee PC 900 comes with a media player, a music manager, a sound recorder and a number of games. Yes, you can play Solitaire to your solitary heart's delight!

The Settings tab houses the system utilities and configuration applications. Here's where you can change your computer's date and time, initiate virus scans and configure your touchpad settings.

Lastly, the Favorites tab is where you can save all your favorite links and shortcuts for easy access.

Portability is the Name of the UMPC Game

All these functions would just be dead weight if you had to lug around a supposed UMPC that weighs a ton. Thankfully, even with all these wondrous functions, the Asus Eee PC 900 weighs in at 990 grams. What's amazing is that you get 3 USB ports, a 1.3 Megapixel webcam, an SDHC card reader, an Ethernet port, and Wireless LAN connectivity in a laptop that weighs less than a kilogram.

The only connection it doesn't have is Bluetooth. But you can't win them all. Perhaps a later addition to the Eee family will provide it.

The Price is Just Right

If you're still not convinced that the Asus Eee PC 900 with its functions and portability is enough for you, then the price just may win you over. Cnet Asia hailed its predecessor PC 701 as “possibly the cheapest laptop available to consumers”.

Admittedly the Asus Eee PC 900 has a more expensive price tag, but with a bigger screen (8.9” display), a bigger memory (1024 MB), and a bigger storage capacity (12 GB), Cnet Asia conceded that the Asus Eee PC 900 offers the best value in its class.

With the Asus Eee PC 900 being functional, easy to use and priced just right, it is hardly a surprise that it has become so popular?