Medion's Akoya E1210, on sale exclusively through Aldi stores from today, might look familiar to those who've been following the mini-notebook 'scene' since Asus's Eee PCs arrived at the end of last year.

That's because it's substantially the same computer as the MSI Wind and the Advent 4211 – it shares the case, components and characteristics of the previous two computers.

What that means for the user is that performance is pretty much the same as it was in its two predecessors, which is to say it's fine for office work and internet use, but will struggle with doing more than a couple of things at once.

It uses the Intel Atom processor, which is designed for this kind of computer and as such has very low energy requirements. That in turn means it produces little heat, making the E1210 very quiet in use. The lack of cooling, as well as the small size, means it's also very light.

The computer comes in a nice silver-grey case which we prefer to the Wind's bright white and the Advent's black. The screen is very good, sharp and clear, although if you're used to a normal-sized notebook you'll find it small at first. The keyboard is likewise a little on the small side, which takes some getting used to, as does the single mouse button (click the left side for a left-click and the right side for a right-click) – the trackpad itself is fine, though.

Battery life, as with the MSI and Advent models, was around two and a half hours with the brightness turned down and the wireless networking switched off. That's below par compared with the leader in that respect, the Asus EEE 901. Th e company will be selling a larger-capacity battery, though, which will be a necessary upgrade for anyone who really wants to take this computer out on the road.

Its price is lower than the MSI Wind, and the same as the Advent 4211. You do get access to Medion's technical support with the E1210, though. The Medion Akoya E1210 is a more pleasant computer to use than the Asus equivalents, no doubt, so it's easy to recommend on that score, but whether you go for this or the Advent is going to be down to personal preference.

Vista compatible: No