Okay, I'm obviously a huge fan of Apple's computer designs and their Mac OS X. Of course, I'm eminently practical, so I understand that paying huge sums of money to do certain things doesn't always make sense. So, in that vein, I will introduce you to something that won't cost a lot of money and is still fairly elegant in design.
AsusTek (or Asus) has introduced the Asus Eee 701. For $199 starting you get a full-functioning ultra-portable computer. It includes a 7" screen, wireless internet, and 4gigs of solid-state storage. From my understanding (which is limited due to the device not being available yet for purchase) is that it boots up a version of GNU/Linux in around 15 seconds. For an extra $100 you can double the amount of storage to 8 gigs. Obviously, that doesn't sound like a lot of memory, but it is more than enough for the average user to store the OS and any necessary programs. Couple the computer with a 2 gig USB thumbdrive and you are out, maybe, $240. The only real issue for most people will be the lack of DVD/CDROM drive. You can get a reasonably priced external USB hard drive or SuperMulti-DVD drive to add to your kit (though they are still rather heavy compared to the two pound device you would be hooking it to).
There also appears to be a 10" model in the works as well, known as the Asus Eee 1001. Not certain what the price will be, so stay tuned.
To say the least, if you can install your own preferred version of Linux on this machine (via external cd/dvd drive) I would be very interested in buying it. Especially since it isn't much larger than a standard 7 or 10" portable DVD player. That is sweet, indeed.
Cheers
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