ASUS Eee Top ET1602

The 15.6-inch ET1602, with its glossy white chassis and Return to Tiffany plastics, resembles an Apple design. A carrying handle is integrated into the angle-adjustable foot.

Its 1366-by-768-resolution singletouch screen is adequate for basic tasks; colors are bright and vibrant. Beyond a large-icon program launcher, you get a few touch-friendly apps, such as games, a Elsa Peretti Open Heart pendant viewer, and a sticky-notes tool.

The Eee Top got a WorldBench 6 score of 41, comparable to similarly priced netbooks. For the basics, it will do.

You get six USB 2.0 ports, two of which occupy the left side (along with an SD Card slot) for easy access. The headphone and mie jacks, however, are inconveniently placed on the rear. Asus omits an optical drive, but Return to Tiffany Oval tag bracelet 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and gigabit ethernet.