We haven't seen mucy of BenQ in our lab of late, but clearly that needs to change if this Joybook is any indication. The BenQ U101 is an attractive addition to the netbook family and our first impressions are positive out of the box.
Our test model came in ocean blue and although there's a slightly unusual keyboard motif printed across the glossy exterior, it's not too disconcerting.
One of the first drawbacks of the U101 we noticed was its weight. The standard weight (without battery) is 1.3kg - which is fine if you don't need a batttery. However, we should stress that when you add the 6-cell battery (which protrudes from the side of the unit), it adds to the weight considerably.
The 6-cell battery came standard on our unit and it's a very nice battery indeed - rated to 4800 mAH or 8hrs according to BenQ's own claims. We're taking that number with a grian of salt, but like most other 6-cell netbooks we hope it will hit the 6 hour mark.
The keyboard isn't quite a joy. We would have preferred a chicklet style keyboard - where the keys are evenly spaced apart for better typing and access.
While we'll keep you posted when we do a full review and run benchmarks, but for now, the combination of a 16:9 LED screen (a little too glossy we think), 160GB HDD and 6 cell battery for less than $600 is extremely competitive and well worth your consideration.
Check out our photo gallery for more pics of the BenQ Joybook lite U101.