(Nov. 4, 2008) — Originally created as part of a project to bring technology to third world countries, the EEEPC (Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play) has become a major competitor in cheap, small, efficient laptops. Their cheapest model is the Asus EEEPC 701, which sells for $260. It runs off a 4GB solid-state hard drive (the same kind of memory in a flash drive; no spinning disk, no shock damage!) and operates off Linux (which means that unless you install Windows on it, it won’t run Microsoft Word or any other Microsoft-based program). The Intel CPU runs at 900MHz and the PC contains 512MB RAM. With only a 7” screen, weighing in at 4lbs and holding up to seven hours of battery life, it is an extremely portable computer. What does all this mean to you? This computer will hold your word documents, run a web browser (we recommend Firefox), and little else, but will do it very cheaply, all day, with about as much weight added to your backpack as a small textbook, with room to spare for all those pesky real textbooks. A slightly more expensive model, the EEEPC 900HA will for $350 give you a Windows XP operating] system running at 1.6GHz, a 160GB HDD (not solid state, therefore more vulnerable to breaking), and 1GB RAM. The 900HA also has a slightly larger screen, 8.9” with a good resolution 1024×600 display, and a five hour battery life. For those without any real reference, this computer can run World of Warcraft (including the recent WLK expansion and patch) and other games with comparable system requirements. The smaller keyboard (about 92% of standard size) may cause some frustration for Sasquatches, but other than that, this is a good computer for the price and versatility. It should be noted that these computers’ hardware can be pretty easily upgraded (please do not try to do it yourself) with greater RAM and HD space, which could just as easily be accomplished with a flash drive. So if the market crash has hit your family hard but you still have a laptop-shaped whole in your soul needing to be filled, consider putting this on your Christmas wish list.