Customer Reviews

Asus Eee PC T91MT-PU17-BK 8.9-Inch Intel Atom Netbook Computer (Black)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

(Note - The T91MT is released in Black and White versions, I have the White Version.)

Since I've started using Ipod Touch generation 1 a couple of years back, I decided the future is all about touch screen and I told myself I would only buy mobile devices that would have access to touch screen. So I was looking forward to this netbook, as it was exactly what I've been hoping for in terms of concept and design.

Initially I was disappointed with the touch features due to lack of response, but after over a week I've started to like it. Don't get me wrong, the T91MT uses a resistive screen so it is never as responsive as the IPhone Capacitive screen but once you get used to the amount of pressure you need to apply, the T91MT response pretty well to touch commands. The main culprit of lag and unresponsiveness is the low powered CPU. I've notice while it is tablet mode, the processing power is restricted to only 800mhz. You will only get the full performance of 1.33ghz in netbook mode, this may be purposely implied to lower the system temperature in tablet. The difference in performance is very noticeable while watching online videos.

Multitouch zooming is not highly inaccurate, instead of making small smooth changes; it makes leaps that zoom from 100% to 125% or 100% to 75%, depending on the program. Some program has smooth animation between zoom to give the illusion that the zoom is more fluid. The biggest problem here is still processing power. If you are running zoom while low in processing resources you will likely to make inaccurate zoom, going over the desired zoom level due to lag.

There is a official demo video floating around on YouTube of the T91MT, this is the same video that is installed onto the netbook that shows every time you startup. It can be misleading; the video shows a different version of Touch gate that has a different background graphics. They have show very smooth animation in their software, it is unlikely the real thing will perform this well, due to once again, lack of processing power. The real thing is much choppier.

However on the positive side, the design of the netbook itself is solid and reasonably attractive, one of the big selling factor of this notebook is the small form factor and the tablet option. The netbook is very portable, I find myself getting it out during long queues like I would usually do with my Iphone. It can operate in tablet mode without going back to the keyboard, thanks to the virtual keyboard in windows 7.

The battery life is reasonable to good; it runs down quicker in full performance setting, around 3hrs, which is what I usually have it in due to the lack of processing power. I installed the extra 2GB ram memory right away; it didn't make much of a difference in terms of system performance. In addition, a lot of online videos are unwatchable or choppy. Youtube content cannot be played in HQ and depending on the video some will be choppy even in LQ mode while in tablet mode. Youtube is much more playable in netbook mode. Hulu has the same problems, more severe than Youtube since a alot of their video is in a higher quality format, Hulu is barely playable in netbook mode. Watching video's from hard drive is a different story, they play rather well, they don't suffer like those online videos.

I will also mention Asus's in-house software. The Touch Gate and Eee docking software are rather poor. In the touch gate, the online radio has a trial period and a link to Internet explorer was very unnecessary. Touchgate was designed for the XP to give them some touch screen functionality on that platform which was lacking in touch functions, but in windows 7 they are rather redundant since windows 7 was designed for touch screen. On top of this, the program itself is laggy.

Another problem I ran into is the palm rejection. The palm rejection software "Intelliwriting". It only works with sticky notes and windows journal. But this is not its only problem, this software is inaccurate, causing you to draw with your palm. It also distorts your text, making productive work very frustrating. I've turn this feature off and train myself to write without pressing my palm on the screen by using landscape mode making use of the side of the screen as a form of physical palm rejection. Updated - After a couple of weeks testing the T91MT, I can tell you that palm rejection is a lost cause. It is very difficult to write for longer than a few words on this net book, the palm rejection software distorts so badly that it is not worth turning on. A active digitalizer would've made a world of difference. Writing is only useful for making a couple of annotations.

The netbook has 2 USB ports and 2 SD/SDHC slots if you have the money, you can purchase 2 SDHC cards to increase the disk space by 64gb(2x32gb). This is kind of expensive, but does give you the option to expand without compromising portability.

The netbook is functional for reading PDF's and Amazon's Kindle. It is easier to read Amazon kindle, as that is less processing intensive. PDF magazine with lots of graphics can load slowly between pages and zooming can cause lag if you use the tablet mode, due to the reduced clock speed. I've learnt to use the pdf software's internal function to change screen orientation rather than using the netbook's function, that way you will scroll your books from the side like they are naturally. Another interesting fact is the notebook fits very well on the standard book holder at your local gym, so you've the option of working out while reading your pdf books or watching a movie on your netbook.

I've installed Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, ArtRage and Corel Painter 11. Photoshop works surprisingly well despise the low processing powers. Applying filters only took a few seconds. Photoshop demanded much less power than I had imagined it would.

There was initially a problem with the drawing tools on all these programs, they would not perform short strokes and sometimes would not draw at all. After some tweaking with settings, I worked out that this problem was caused by touch gestures sending both commands for drawing and moving the canvas at the same time, which confused the software. To fix this, I disabled "Single Finger Panning" under "Pen and Touch" control panel, this solve much of the drawing problems.

In conclusion, this device is not bad but could've been much better with more power. The touch screen function gets more responsive as you get used to it. The portable format lets the user to work anywhere. It works very well as a portable tablet. However the palm rejection is a lost cause, realistically you cannot do any kind of productive handwriting on this netbook, this netbook desperately needed a active digitalizer. The other main let down of this netbook is the processing power. The overall lag caused by this is discomforting, if Asus had put in a high powered cpu and gfx, this would be a award winning product. Note that your processing power will be lowered in tablet mode(800mhz), you can however work around this by putting your netbook to sleep during netbook/laptop mode then change to tablet mode while it is powered off. Once you repower on you will keep the same clock speed as the laptop mode(1333mhz), but this may cause heating problems.

I was initially very angry with this netbook, as Asus make a deceiving marketing video giving false expectation of the netbook, but as time went on this netbook grew on me. It makes a nice toy for reading and watching movies on the move, it is a cross between a iphone and a netbook. But as a first generation touchscreen netbook, it is not much of a productive tool in it's current form.

1.5 years later.. Apr-08-2011 - A quick and probably one final update..
- Long live the King?
As sweet as the T91MT has been for me, I wish it also came with a GPS & 3G connectivity options. Thankfully, the playing field is changing with the coming Asus 10.1" Transformer, Motorola XOOM w/Android 3.0 OS, or the iPad2 tablets; one of which could become the next stepping stones in my electronic life. The T91MT will NOT collect dust even if I do go for any of the newer tablets because of its versatility, attached keyboard and being a Windows 7 OS.
- Memory upgrade:
Real life usage proves how valuable the upgrade to 2GB is. In many instances the 1GB is fully used, slowing down response time. With 2GB RAM not only is that not an issue, but there is now up to 762Meg dedicated to Video rendering instead of 250Meg with the 1GB. That translates into better video playback when streaming, saving the agony of waiting for the buffer to fill up. Switching from embedded video to full screen is now faster too.
- Performance:
If the additional weight is not an issue for you, go with the more powerful and larger 10" screen in the T101MT. The T91MT is long due for more power for sure.
- Battery life:
With battery lasting 5 hours at most, I ended up getting a second Charger to keep it running all day when I am at the office, saving the need to carry a charger around with me. They only cost 10-15 dollars and are a great investment.

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Updated: May-2010
After using the t91mt daily for 6 months, I still think that this is one of the best electronic products I have ever used. This is an update with some corrections and additions, including notes on Firefox, ready-boost, the iPad vs. t91mt, and using of the t91mt's keyboard/touchpad to control my Home Theater PC.

My personal learning experience with this Tablet was very satisfying . After using it for extended periods of time over the 4-day long Thanksgiving (2009) weekend, and then on my daily commute and at the office for occasional use, it easily fulfilled all of my expectations:

1. Reading any size of PDF files was a breeze. Acrobat 9 runs quickly on the T91MT. You can switch between portrait and landscape modes by a push of a button on the frame, and although it's a nice to have, I found it to be most useful to read just about everything in the default landscape-mode. Want to read Amazon eBooks? - just download the Kindle-for-PC and let the reading begin..

2. Internet use was as fast as on my dependable desktop. Both PCs access the Internet via wi-fi and downloads to the T91MT were even a bit faster than what I get on the desktop. (1MB/sec from fast servers!).

3. Web Browsers and Multi-Touch:
Update: May-2010 - Initially I defaulted to using MS-Explorer for a few of months because Chrome which I liked on a desktop does not support well the multi-touch features, but After trying out the Opera, Chrome, and Mozilla's Firefox, the latest version of Firefox turned out to be superior in any respect to the Windows Explorer browser. Firefox responds to ALL of the precious Multi-touch features, and most importantly, uses less RAM which proved very beneficial for speedy response. I still have 1GB of RAM and the usage of it dropped from a common 90% with the MS-explorer to 65% with the Firefox! Firefox also lets you configure the Browser's look, icons etc. to make the most out of the 8.9" screen.
Its zooming comes at much smaller increments than the huge 25% jumps of the MS Explorer, and that provides for adjustments to the pages.

Touch-ability: The scrolling of pages and zooming are quick - zoom in/out using two fingers sweeping away or toward each other. Right or left flicks with one finger will take you back or forward on the internet pages. You can also enable diagonal flicks (Control Panel --> Pen and Touch) to Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete at a fingers move.

3. Watching videos: An episode of a TV Series which I played with a "VLC player" was jumpy, but once I switched to Windows Media player, the picture was smooth again. Darker scenes are not very detailed/clear on the t91mt however. Streaming video was smooth for the most part. Upgrading RAM to 2GB improved thing dramatically.

4. Power levels: the T91Mt has several power levels. Should the video not run smoothly, or any other action not be fairly fast, it may be an indication that it is in 'power-saver' mode. To bring it back to higher power usage, simply click on the small battery icon on the the toolbar and select 'high power'. (it defaults to the latter when plugged in).

5. Battery: with declared battery life of of 5 hours, I initially carried the charger with me to the office and back, then realized that I can use it as one would use his cell. When needed, it comes out of 'sleep-mode' in only 3 seconds (!), or 'Hibernate-mode' in 20 sec. ready with Internet pages and other forms just as I left them, and goes back to sleep instantly at the slide of a button. After occasional use during a full day of several minutes at a time, there is still 3+ hours of life in the battery to last me the 45 min commute back home. You can improve on battery life by turning off unused bluetooth and other devices, or keep the screen brightness at just the right level or do other tweaks easily with the provided power options. Eventually I ended up buying a second Charge to keep at the office to be able to leave it on all day long.

7. CPU: If you are looking for a powerhouse of a multi-tasking-supporting machine that can play demanding games, then this machine (and most available netbooks probably) are not for you. For daily use of Internet, Music playing, eReading, and other common activities, the t91mt does a great job.

8. Sound/Equalizer: You cannot expect too much from the small standard speakers on the t91mt, so the sound quality is fair. It gets far better with headphones or a good set of PC speakers where the sound card does a great job. Both streaming audio from Pandora and mp3 on the local disk sounded great.

9. Booting / Other Comments: The initial booting+setup took ~15 min and was without any glitches. Just hang with it and reply to the prompts. Setting up the Wifi Connection was very fast. Windows 7 may be Vista based but is a delight to work with. Many functions are intuitive. To me it seems like Windows has really matured. The t91mt has no moving parts (except for maybe a tiny fan on the CPU?). It hardly gets warm, and is totally silent.

10. Update: May-2010
Readyboost - Buying a SD/SDHC fo add memory on its own is fine, but do not buy one for a 'ready boost' option because the internal SSD is already taken as fast enough, which is why the readyboost option is not there for added flash drives.
iPad versus t91mt: Initially I thought the iPad was going to beat the t91mt in every area. The iPad sure is an extremely potent device, but if I had to chose all over again, the t91mt would have still come up on top for me because it is a real computer that can multi-task (the iPad - cannot), can play flash (iPad - no), has a Keyboard/touchpad and can easily connect to a monitor (iPad - needs costly external hardware), has 2 USB connections (iPad - NONE!), is a totally open system - sweet Windows 7 onto which you can easily download anything (iPad - requires conversion + sync from external PC/Mac to be able to watch movies/play music) and the list goes on.
Being a sibling of the iPhone, those who own one will find the iPad a familiar territory of course and may take the iPad as a no-brainer decision. It's all about knowing what you are getting with an iPad, and just as important - what you don't.

Anti-virus: I use the free and excellent 'Microsoft Security Essentials' which gets the protection job done better than any other A-V I have used so far: It takes very little resources from the machine, never slowed Internet access and is continuously updated with new virus info. - Highly recommended for any PC you have.

Using t91MT as a remote control: Having the t91mt 100% of the time with me, meant I have it right there when sitting in front of the TV as well.
It played perfectly into also using its Keyboard/touchpad to control the HTPC. Just download this small free installation to your t91mt and to your HTPC and 10 min of configuration later, you don't need any dedicated wireless keyboard/mouse. Google for "synergy2 sourceforge" to find that download.

Final thoughts:
I was aware of this tablet coming out already in Jan-2009, and the wait was well worth it when I finally bought it in Nov-2009. Asus has created a well rounded and refined product with attention to detail, from a well laid out keyboard to a nice suite of software. I did not find any need for the Asus Gate utility and uninstalled it altogether. I mostly use the virtual keyboard, and although initially liked the stylus, I did not find it useful.

If you had in mind to buy any extras for the T91MT, an upgrade to 2GB RAM is highly recommended, you may also chose to go for an additional Memory because the T91MT may come with a 32GB SSD but about 12GB are taken by the system + programs software.

As with any sophisticated device, it may take a little getting used to. Normally the T91MT runs fast and the display is responsive, bright and sharp.

Initially I though I would wait for the 10" T101 by Asus, but the 9" is light & more compact and was a good choice to take anywhere especially when my daily commute requires the use of public transportation. It also comes with the great Windows 7 Home Premium, enabling multi-touch, which is not available with the Windows 7 Starter.

Day to day use also shows me that this machine is much more practical than a 'flat screen only' iPad-like Tablets (which do not have a real keyboard), because you can position the screen at ANY angle you want on your lap or on a desk. The hinge is VERY Solid & stays in place exactly the where you want it.

The t91mt pretty much put my desktop 'out of work'. I only use it rarely now. The t91mt is now also functioning as my 'remote' to control the wonderful Acer AR3610 that I use for my HTPC.
The welcome arrival of the T91MT was indeed a game changer in more than one way for me.

First, let me get this out of the way: I bought the T91MT because I didn't want an iPad.

In addition to the T91MT, I own an iPhone and a HP TouchSmart TX2. I am sold on touch computing, and find the Tablet concept fabulous and essential. I teach, and I use the TX2 and a projector as a substitute for a smartboard, so I knew that the tablet is for me. Unfortunately, the TX2 weighs in at around 5 pounds which lead me to looking for a smaller tablet. I wanted something lightweight, portable, and handy for movies and such on the run.

I waited until the iPad specifics came out, and I was intrigued but sorely disappointed. What disappointed me was the idea of a large iPod touch or iPhone. Don't get me wrong, the iPhone is a great phone, but it is a lousy tablet. I cannot check ebooks out from the library, I can't access my Zune Marketplace, and I can't tweak or customize it at all. At times, it feels like I am "borrowing" my iPhone from Apple because I can't customize it. That is why the T91MT and full-blown Windows 7 was so intriguing. The Asus Netbook has been surprisingly nice.

The Good:
It is small, light, and very comfortable.
I can check out EPub Library Books, stream Netflix, and listen to Zune.
I can ink in Evernote and keep all my notes together on all of my machines.
I can tweak, customize, and install anything I want.
The Screen size is perfect.
By disabling non-essential services, Aero effect, using 16-bit color, and disabling bluetooth I get nearly 6.25 hours of battery.
Kindle App works great (would love to see inking).
Two USB ports and SD card slots are a major plus.

The So-So:
The machine must be upgraded to 2GB of RAM (I have done that).
The SSD drive needs substantial tweaking to ensure performance.
The Windows Install needs to be slimmed down a whole bunch before it fully usable.
90% of the included software is not needed/actually makes the experience worse (by fully customizing the machine, it can nearly keep up with my TX2).
The T101MT is coming soon, and it is bigger but faster - personal difference.
Bluetooth is available (I just don't use it)

The Bad:
Palm rejection is non-existent (especially after uninstalling bloat) in OneNote and Evernote.
Upgrading the hard drive is possible but very scary
32GB SSD is small, must have 1 or 2 FAST SD cards for IE and Firefox Cache, downloads, media storage, and Skype Portable.
I am afraid of keyboard build - it seems flimsy.
Processor is underclocked, and it undervolts automatically when in tablet mode (there is a trick to get around this though).
Fingerprints

This machine is not an iPad and that is a good thing. For the comparable iPad, you will spend much more and get much less, and you will have no customization ability. My T91MT is running as fast as my iPhone can, and I have the same (and more) software installed on both. Yes, it is a half pound heavier and the battery will last 2.5 hours less, but I am more than happy with my choice.

Pros: sturdy, nice tablet mode, fast sleep and hibernate
Cons: non-removable battery, small keyboard

I bought this machine as an experiment, to see if I could avoid lugging my laptop around for day trips, meetings, and even around the house, for email, web-surfing, and document editing. I'm pretty pleased with it. I use gmail and a document-sharing website, so most of my environment is always available, and I can move other files with an SD card (the Asus supports two!)

Obviously, any netbook could also do the job for me, but they do not provide the T91's "tablet mode" which I find handy. I'm still experimenting with it, but a tablet seems less obtrusive being used in a meeting, more convenient when walking around or standing, and in other cases.

I bought the T91MT model, even though the multi-touch seemed of limited value to me, because I wanted the MT model's 32GB solid state disk. After 2 weeks I'm still not using the multi-touch much, and I don't even find the 32GB necessary if I uninstall software that I don't need, but I'm sure I'll expand to use the space over time. 32GB might seem really small to you, but remember, that was a reasonable hard disk size not that long ago, and the SSD is faster. If you are using more than a few gigabytes for your documents and email, you might take a look at whether you can really need all of that... of course, if you have special uses like video that's another story. Asus also provides 500GB of web space with this machine, I haven't tried using that yet.

On battery power, when the machine is in "stamina" versus "speed" mode, I do notice that the machine is sluggish, but it runs fine for simple text editing and simple web sites, and you can click on the battery icon to change to higher speed if you need it for videos, etc. File copy seems to be fast, perhaps because of the SSD. The wifi seems fast. The Asus takes about 4 seconds to load a really large MS Word file (while running IE and PDF reader), and about 25 seconds to restart from hibernate. I later upgraded to 2GB of memory; the Word startup was slightly faster, and hibernate restart was the same (surprisingly, since it has to reload more memory now).

I have never run down the battery. I plug the Asus in at night, and it makes it through several hours of work during the day, no problem. By default, it sleeps when you flip the power switch, but I've changed that to hibernate to save power (maybe that wasn't necessary).

The keyboard is acceptable, but I'm definitely typing slower than on my regular laptop. I sense it would be much better if the keyboard (and Asus) were just 1 cm wider. The space bar was a problem for me, it's just a bit too short... I accidentally hit the right-side ALT key with my thumb instead. I used AutoHotKey to reprogram that key to be a space bar. That worked. I disabled the touchpad "click" to avoid accidentally selecting things, I use the two-sided button under the touchpad to click, and I often use my finger on the screen for selection, scrolling, etc.

The biggest negative to me, if you accept the necessary compromises in keyboard and screen size, is that the battery is not user-replaceable. If you search on the web you will see that the battery can be replaced by removing some screws, but that voids the warranty. I confess I almost never replaced the battery on my laptop (only as a spare on a long plane flight). However, it will be a pain in a year when the Asus T91 battery needs to be replaced.

By the way, if you do need to carry the A/C power supply, it's really small, but the A/C cord is more bulky than the box itself. If you replace that cord with the following 1-foot cord, the whole thing is smaller, and you still have about 4' of the (much thinner) low-voltage cord on the box:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BSLS0W/ref=oss_T15_product

I really enjoy the T91MT. I got mine in white a few days ago, now they offer it in black. The screen is very receptive to touch by both fingers and the stylus. I largely use the stylus as I find that it is more accurate and I can do things faster. Windows 7 works well and the ASUS software isn't too bad. I haven't found a way to change the icons that display on the touchgate screen, but I hope there is a way. The blue tooth functions very well. Also, the netbook seems to be of sturdy build and the screen swivel is pretty sturdy as well.

I do have to agree with some people that the processor is a bit less powerful than I would of liked. It doesnt multitask too well, but after all it is a tablet netbook not a desktop pc or laptop. With that being said, after loading netflix and youtube videos for a little bit, they usually play fine with nothing else running. I have even watched netflix in full screen many times with no problems.

I really dont use the multitouch that much and could do without it. A lot of programs don't even support the multitouch. I still need to work on using OneNote better, but as of now I cant write with my palm resting on the screen.

Overall, I recommend this computer for use as a great tablet/netbook.

Length:: 5:17 Mins

This is what I was looking for in a tablet PC. Very light, small and completely silent. The processor is slow but its enough for web browsing, eBooks and DVD quality video. There occasionally was lag, but only enough to be a minor annoyance. The build is solid - I don't worry about the hinge between the screen and the rest of the computer breaking off. It lived up to its advertising for the most part, so I've given it five stars.

I included a short hands on video so you can get an idea about its performance.

I am a Kindle user and bought my ASUS M91MT (white - which is not listed now) to read Kindle books using Amazon's free reader software: The price is about the same as the Kindle DX, the LCD screen is *protected* when packed, I get WiFi and full color displays as well as the Kindle books.

I like the password protection.

The solid state hard drive is small at 32 GB but I like its ruggedness a lot. Battery life is not great but I have an external battery for any serious long term use away from power. (This works with my notebook too so it saves the a lot of money spent on a specific PC-dedicated battery.)

The multi-touch screen part is persnickety IMO. Other reviewers have complained about the problem with the screen reading palms - I join in that note. And I wish I could manipulate the touch part for the Kindle reader: I like to touch the left side of the screen to page forward.

A nice touch is the padded carrying sleeve.

I am tempted to give this little feller a five-star rating except for the touch screen. Perhaps part of my touch screen difficulties are due to my lack of experience. I will find out.

I have owned my T91mt for 2 weeks now and it is my favorite computer ever. As mentioned in several other reviews - it is not a powerhouse. But for the price to have a Tablet PC - it is incredible.

It does everything I need and more. I did purchase the memory upgrade - be sure you turn the boot booster off before installing (directions in the owners manual) and I bought 32GB of extra storage space. But with that it holds everything that my old powerhouse laptop held.

The only thing I am disappointed in is how the Windows 7 handwriting input works. I had owned a hand held PC in the past and was looking forward to have the "transcriber" type of input on this computer - you don't - it is a bit awkward. Then my husband introduced me to "OneNote" it made everything better. :) I will have to write a review for Windows separately (it is still a fabulous version of Windows - I would just like a different handwriting method). BUT the computer itself is FABULOUS.

**5/16 Update**
Well, I finally gave up and returned it. In theory this is a good idea but the execution is just off. I forced myself to accept the screen quality but the performance was the eventual deal breaker. I didn't buy this to be a laptop replacement, but I don't even enjoy using it for the light tasks that I did buy it for. Web browsing is a headache. It is so frustrating to only have about 1/4 of all attempted Flash video run, and run barely passable at that. As for HD Flash video, forget it. Despite additional RAM, installing Flash 10.1, and the reassurance of several online videos showing this thing running 720p You Tube trailers, mine just choked anytime I attempted to play any HD Flash content. Sound and video sync was off and the video would just stall. I thought I could at least use this for Hulu and other television show sites but they just don't render anywhere near acceptable for me. Same for Flash games. They too lag to the point of unbearable distraction. I've used older PC's with even less impressive specs than the T91 and even they play Flash web games just fine. Any Flash content (other than ads and banners) spikes the CPU to nearly 100%. So, with Flash out, I figured I'd maybe use the T91 on the go with my digital camera. Well, that too proved futile. When managing pictures, photos sometimes take up to five seconds to load (at reduced resolution). When I tried to review several photos from my camera's SD card, it took so long for each photo to load, I finally gave up and used the camera's LCD instead. Microsoft includes a nice photo app in their touch package but even that ran slow and was more frustrating than fun to use. Performance on battery was all but useless unless I set it to super performance mode. This has obvious consequences on battery life and I found myself getting 2-3 hrs battery life at the most. If I allow it to manage performance and set itself to battery or auto mode, performance turns terrible. So I have a 9-inch tiny netbook that gets worse battery life than the average full-sized notebook with standard battery and performs pretty weak, even in super mode. I finally looked at it this morning and came to the realization that I have no use for it because I can't really do the things I want to do. I can't watch my television shows online, can't watch news footage, can't play games online (Bejeweled 2 was so choppy, it seemed like stop motion), can't manage my photos on the go instead of relying on my camera's LCD or lugging around a full-size laptop. The only thing I can really do is light web browsing. Well, I can use my Droid as a quickie web substitute, so that left no real use for the T91. My expectations are not unreasonable. It's not like I installed Mass Effect 2 and tried to run it with all settings at max. A netbook should play You Tube at least as well as my smart phone and definitely not worse. I'll probably buy the 1201N as a replacement. I still need a netbook with bluetooth. I'm optimistic that the ION based 1201N will give me much better results with the things I want to do. I really want a touch screen and a SSD, but until they can create a convertible with better performance, I'll simply settle for usability. I briefly looked at the Lenovo S10-3T but I'm avoiding it because I don't even want to remotely risk going through this again. I'll stick with the 1201N.



**Original Review**
I bought the T91MT because I wanted a small and simple touch screen device to use for light browsing and email while on the go. I preferred a touch screen for times when I want true portability without the need for a desk or mouse. Due to the many missing features (no printing, no Flash support, no USB support, etc) an iPad was out of the question. After thoroughly researching the alternatives, I decided on the T91MT.

First, the pros: The T91MT is extremely attractive and compact. It has a smaller screen than most netbooks, but that adds to the portability. Despite the tiny screen, I don't find myself side-scrolling as much as I anticipated. The keys, despite their tiny size, are fine for me with typing. Granted, it's more hunt and peck than traditional typing, but it still beats screen-only typing. The mouse pad is sufficiently responsive but I don't like the single mouse button. I actually scooped up a bluetooth mouse for my T91. It only has two USB ports and I'm not about to sacrifice one for a wireless mouse, nano or otherwise. I have no problems when switching or alternating between touchscreen and mouse(pad). The SSD drive is totally silent. In fact, the netbook is so quiet, I suffered from phantom noise syndrome. I'm so conditioned to hearing some type of noise from a computer that I started imagining hearing hard drive clicking sounds. Needless to say, it was just that, my imagination. This is the perfect netbook for students or anyone who doesn't want disruptive sounds during use. The netbook is fairly easy to navigate and controls are easy to find. The swivel screen feels sturdy and inspires confidence that it will be durable enough to withstand a few years of steady use. Asus doesn't disappoint in the extras department either. I was tempted to purchase a case at the same time I bought the T91. I searched for one but had a hard time finding one specifically for the T91, preferably made by Asus. Well, I'm glad I didn't find one because Asus already provides one with the T91, and a pretty nice one at that. In fact, it's even better quality than the Lenovo made netbook pouch that I bought for my daughter's Lenovo netbook. A DVD containing Windows 7 Home Premium and all pre-installed software and drivers is also included. The T91 comes with a 1GB RAM module installed in the bottom compartment. RAM can be upgraded to a maximum of 2GB via a single chip in the same compartment. I would have preferred extra DIMM slots so the RAM could be upgraded by adding an additional 1GB DIMM instead of simply tossing a perfectly good 1GB stick aside in favor of a 2GB single stick. I knew this was my only option before I purchased the T91, so I this is not so much a complaint as maybe a little hint if any Asus reps read this feedback.

When I fired up the T91, my first complaint didn't take long to form. The thing was S-L-O-W, even by netbook standards. I realize the first boot is painfully long, but even afterward, just plodding through routine tasks was sluggish. My first pangs of buyer's remorse after using this for a little while were regrets that I didn't choose the peppier Asus 1201N instead. I realize the T91 is not intended to be a mobile workstation or gamer laptop like an Alienware or XPS, but it was even visibly slower when compared side-by-side to my daughter's 18-month-old Lenovo S10. The bottleneck was partly due to some of the usual causes; a ton of pre-installed bloatware and Windows 7 was running with all the eye candy enabled by default. After uninstalling several unwanted applications and lowering the visuals to basic, i gained a slight increase in performance. I don't need the aero glass effects on my netbook if it's going to slow my system to a crawl. Another factor in the slowness is the pokey SSD. Although Windows rated it at 5.9 (which is actually pretty good), I've seen some slow write performance. Particularly, when downloading software, I noticed it usually takes longer to write the cached downloaded files to disk than to actually download the files. The SSD was part of my preference, which, along with the touch screen and smaller size, were the reasons why I opted for the T91MT over the 1201N. Performance can get downright frustrating at times, particularly with Flash heavy websites. The touch screen on the T91 is very dim (even at highest brightness) and grainy. I researched beforehand and realized it was a resistive touch screen and I was fine with that. I've used similar touch screens in the past on HP and Motion tablets, so I'm familiar with their look and feel. The T91's screen is much dimmer than I expected. Combined with poor contrast, this makes text difficult to read at times. The touchscreen material further gives the screen a certain graininess. I realize the T91 screen is small and all, but come on, my Droid is even smaller and the Droid screen is much brighter. If you're looking for something to rival an iPad screen or similar capacitive touchscreen, this is definitely not your cup of tea. You will be hugely disappointed. The screen supports multi-touch and gestures (the touchpad supports gestures as well). You can write on-screen with the included stylus. This is one of the benefits of having a resistive screen, particularly for professionals and students. Screen responsiveness is okay but it gets a little dodgy around the edges at times. The stylus also requires a little force to prevent missed strokes. Sound on thwe T91 is ho-hum, but I have not yet found a netbook that has good speakers. They all sound like transistor radios to me and this is no different. Battery life is okay. I get a few days of mixed light and moderate usage from a single charge. I use it for an hour or less at a time, so I have not tried an all day test yet. The one thing I did not know prior to purchase is that the battery is sealed in the unit and is not user replaceable. I really wish I knew this before purchasing. That would have been a deal breaker for me. Being as though it is highly unusual for a netbook/notebook to have a sealed non-removable battery and none of the reviews/product info that I read mentioned this, I was VERY surprised to discover this upon receipt. I subsequently went back and read every Amazon review and noticed one or two Amazon reviewers did mention it, but they weren't in the group of reviews I originally read. So, I have no one to blame but myself for not reading the reviews thoroughly enough. As far as tablet use, the T91 never feels awkward nor becomes noticeably warm during use.

I really want (and trying hard) to like my T91. But I must honestly say, I'm only toughing it out because of the restocking fee. Otherwise, I likely would have returned it already (and still might). It's sometimes difficult to read text on-screen, performance is lacking at times, touchscreen is so-so, and my concerns about the embedded battery persist. I realize netbooks aren't perfect and shouldn't be expected to perform as well as laptops. However, for nearly $500 (which is pretty much regular laptop money) I expected at least a little more value for my dollar than a dim unattractive screen and sub-par performance. I'll likely keep it and I plan to perform a fresh reinstall of WIn 7 minus the bloatware. I also plan to max out the RAM and insert a 16 or 32 MB SDHC card. If these last ditch attempts work, I'll gladly update the review and rating. As it stands now, I can barely offer three stars (I dropped as low as two but that's a bit harsh. I realized it's not quite that bad).

I wanted something more than an ebook reader but would function like an ebook reader. This is great for enjoying ebooks and also lets me use my email program and others. It is sturdy, compact and light. I enjoy travel and this makes a great companion. There is lots more I can learn about how to use it's many features, but I don't have to do that to enjoy it. Lovely sound from the speakers and a really nice clear crisp display screen. Windows 7 is much friendlier than Vista, which I have on my other computer.