R

emember that famous line "You can get it in any color you want, as long as it is black"? That's right. Henry Ford said it when he was offering his Model-T.

Today, when selling computers, that approach will not work. Today, consumers want choice. Even the casing of the desktop PC must be made to look different to attract the attention of potential buyers. It's funny, because after a while you don't even look at the CPU box anymore. You simply place it on the floor and completely forget about it, because what you care about is what on your screen.

And, as the portable computer market is flooded with affordable and eye-pinching netbooks, the look factor has become a selling point.

What else could we expect? All the netbooks come with an Intel Atom N270 processor, a hard disk or a solid state disk (SSD), usually 1GB of RAM, a Webcam, two or three USB ports, a VGA-out port, Wi-Fi, sometimes a memory card reader and Bluetooth. As affordability is the main goal, it is not surprising that these netbooks also have a budget look.

So, what have the netbook makers done to differentiate their products? Some of them, with the female group of users in mind, add feminine touches to the casing.

Hewlett-Packard, for example, worked with fashion designer Vivienne Tam on a special edition of the HP Mini 1000 netbook. Doesn't this remind you of LG Prada and Samsung Giorgio Armani cellphones, or Acer Ferrari and ASUS Lamborghini notebooks?

Fashion netbooks carry a hefty price, too. Understandably, of course, as style costs money to create. The next funny thing is that a stylish netbook may cost more than a low-end but full-featured notebook with the far more powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a larger screen and a lot of other bells and whistles. Some friends have asked me, why buy a stylish netbook if a full-fledged notebook may cost less?

One of the answers is, of course, portability. A netbook must be lightweight to meet the need of those who have to hop from one place to another while continuing to work. Similarly, it has to be small enough to fit into a handbag.

And, as it has turned out, there is a huge group of people who think they need a second or even a third computer. These are the needs that no low-cost notebooks can fill.

And these are the segments that ASUS has been targeting - and making a fortune from. Worldwide, the sales of netbooks account for more than 20 percent of all notebook sales, and we have not reached the peak yet.

Aware that there are so many look-alike netbooks out there - some are made by the same company but are labeled with different brands, ASUS has joined the gang of manufacturers that make netbooks with style.

Not so long ago, it introduced its 1 kg Eee PC S101 netbook. Interestingly, no famous design house contributed to the development of this product.

Two versions of the Eee PC S101 are available in Indonesia. If you see an "H" after the model number, it is the version that comes with a 160 GB hard disk. Without the "H", it has a 16 GB SSD. Do you think that it is too small for your video and music files? You can store up to 30 GB of data online.

Under the hood, it is the same as any other netbook. Outside, ASUS has done a great job to make this netbook into something that pleases the eyes. The tapered edges make this netbook look even skinnier than it actually is. Still, ASUS touts it as a magazine-thin netbook.

To add some bling-bling to the exterior, ASUS has stuck crystal tips at each end of the hinges. The battery is not at the back like most other netbooks, which makes it possible for the designer to put the VGA-Out port, the RJ-45 port, the power adapter plug and the Kensington lock slot into the back. This is my favorite design approach.

The generous use of chrome-like plastic lists has its downside, though. We have to make it a new habit to wipe them - including the two touchpad buttons - to keep them shiny. The glossy top cover is very beautifully colored, but it is also rather smudge-friendly.

To emphasize the style dimension of this netbook, ASUS supplies a specially designed pouch. Everything even comes in a special box and a black paper bag.

What do I like about it? The battery lasts a long time, even when pitted against another netbook with an SSD. The use of the SSD also makes the system a little bit snappier than a hard disk-based netbook. The keyboard is OK, as long as you do not have long nails.

What is on my wish list? I wish it had white marking on the keycaps that stood out more, so that we can still work in a dimly lighted room. Or, better still, ASUS could adopt HP's use of coating to keep the keycaps clean and long lasting.