I bought this as a portable tool for research purposes, making notes in libraries, etc. so what I needed was a wordprocessor which could also link easily to the internet. It comes with WordPad installed and this is what I use. The wireless connection works well.
I have not activated the Office 2010 starter package because I suspect it only works online. I could find no explicit advice anywhere whether offline working is possible. But Wordpad is OK for my needs and its files are readable by Word on other computers.
The key board feels good and is quiet. I had to change the touchpad settings (easy to do) to prevent inadvertent jumping of the cursor while typing. The touchpad buttons (left and right) make a noticeable clicking sound which is slightly irritating (in quiet libraries) but I've got used to it.
When I first used it I installed Norton Internet Security in place of the installed software (which I uninstalled). I was amazed to find that Windows Update needed to install 50 updates, which I allowed to occur in one session. Having installed the updates the computer seemed to go into a spin for 90 mins, displaying the message 'Please wait while Windows configures. Do not switch off computer'. I allowed it to get on with it and it eventually reverted to normal operation.
The other thing I like about this netbook is the battery capacity: I easily get more than 11 hours of use between charges. It is also very light and packs into a rucksack inside pocket or small briefcase very easily.
I have not used any of the other many applications installed on the netbook (ASUS and Windows) and probably never will because my purposes are limited. For this reason I will not be expanding the memory. I'm glad I bought the machine.
