A Matter of Inches

What really got me into blogging was when I got the original Asus Eee PC 701. It was just the right size and weight for me to bring it anywhere. Without a fragile hard drive, I did not have to think twice about literally tossing it into my bag or the front seat of my car. And with free wifi in a lot of places, I could do my blogging on the go.

Since then newer models, most with hard drives, have been introduced. And just before Christmas, prices were dramatically slashed. I got my sis an Astone UMPC for her birthday/Christmas present. It is almost the same size as the Asus Eee PC, has a similar 7" touchscreen display but has 1GB RAM and a 60 hard drive (compared to 512MB and 4GB SSD on the Asus). But at P9,995, it is nearly half the price of the Asus when I first got it. Actually the Asus now sells for P9,995, too. And so does the Blue H1 - a similar sized unit.

But I am beginning to feel the 7" screen is too small for me. Especially whenever I switch from my 17" desktop screen. So I am considering getting a bigger unit. But I find the 10" screen units too big - although the screen size is just perfect for me. I have yet to play around with an 8.9" unit. My hesitation is that the lowest price I have seen for a 10" unit is about P16,000 while the cheapest 8.9" is about P14,000. The small difference in price makes me want to go with a 10" unit. But its size seems a bit too big for me to bring it anywhere like I do with my Asus Eee PC. Also, there are some 8.9" models that are just as large as the 10" - like the MSI Wind U90 which shares it chassis with the 10" MSI Wind U100.

So, I am having a difficult time deciding. I wonder if any of you out there has the same dilemma as I do.