There is however one lightweight software program that can make a huge difference. The software eeectl allows a user to control and overclock Asus Eee PCs. One of the control settings can be used to adjust the brightness of the netbook’s monitor to increase it to acceptable levels. The portable software program can be executed without installation and provides access to its features and settings in the Windows system tray.

The Backlight setting can alter the brightness of the Eee PC. Options range from lowest to ultra bright and it is usually a good idea to play around with the settings to find an ideal one. The ultra bright mode can for example nearly double the cd/m2 value of the netbook. The trade-off is a reduced battery life and changes in the display of black values due to the increased brightness.

Asus Eee PC users who think that their netbook’s computer monitor brightness is to low should give eeectl a try to find out if it can change the brightness to a more appropriate level.

They were able to compare the Asus Eee PC models 701 and 900 in white and the 701 in black. Both white models are using the same keyboard while the black keyboard looks and feels different and the assumption can be made that the black 900 model will have the same keyboard as the black 701 model.

The first obvious difference becomes obvious when you place the black and white keyboards next to each other. The black keys seem to be a bit smaller and use a wider spacing than the white ones. They also go deeper which means that the user will receive more feedback from the keyboard in comparison to the white keyboard.

The texture of the black keyboard uses rougher plastic which makes it easier to grip. I have not tested it myself but it looks like the difference between a notebook keyboard and a usual desktop pc keyboard at first glance. Maybe the difference are not that big but the comparison seems valid.

It’s still strange that Asus would create different keyboards for different colored models and the reviewer at Laptop Mag came to the conclusion that this may be caused by the manufacturing process and not by design itself.