Asus Eee PC: Essential Accessories for your Eee PC

So you've unboxed your new Eee PC, turned it on, got it working to your liking and wowed your friends and family. What next?

Now you need to accessorize! There are so many extras which you can buy to make your Eee PC even more wonderful than it already is.

For me, a spare battery is one of the most useful accessories to get. For car travelers, a car power supply is a must, so you can charge your Eee PC on the go. A sturdy case can also help to protect your precious Eee PC from bumps, knocks and scratches.

As the Eee PC's battery life is somewhat limited (around 2.5 hours, depending on how much you're trying to do), one of the most useful additions you can buy is a spare battery.

On eBay now you can get batteries which are much more powerful than the one supplied with the Eee PC. They're easy to snap in and out of place, so you can carry a spare on longer outings.

One point to bear in mind is that if you buy a more powerful replacement battery than the standard one (and why wouldn't you?), they are slightly larger. The battery will fit into the slot OK, but will stick out at the bottom a little more than the original. In fact this can be quite helpful as it tips the keyboard so that it slopes towards you and makes for a more comfortable typing position (in my opinion).

If you do quite a bit of traveling by car, getting a car charger will help you to get the most out of your Eee PC.

Car chargers are great value for money. As well as letting you charge the Eee PC's battery while you're on the road, you can also run your Eee PC directly from the car charger, preserving your battery for when you're away from the car or other source of power.

Many Eee PC models come with a slip case included, but not al of them. If yours is lacking a case, then a basic slip case provides very useful protection. It's so easy to pop your Eee PC into a bag with your other belongings, and you don't want it to get scratched or scuffed.

Whether you have slip case or not, you may want a sturdier case, such as a leather type, which will give even better protection for your Eee PC from bumps and scratches. Most of these cases are designed to enable you to use your Eee PC without removing it from the case. If so, check that you will be able to easily access any USB ports or memory card slots that you need.

If you can't get used to the touchpad, or just prefer to use a mouse, you will find there are plenty to choose from.

Any USB mouse should work fine with an Eee PC, but if you want true portability, you can get a mini mouse made for noteboooks. The best have a retractable cable, which makes for a neat and tidy package to carry alongside your Eee PC.

I find my mini mouse easy and comfortable to use, in fact I prefer it to a regular sized Mouse. However if you have big hands you might want to try one out before you buy. Mind you, they're so cheap you could get one anyway and give it to the kids if you don't like it!

A good-sized USB memory stick will be useful for transferring files from your desktop or work PC.

As the Eee PC has three USB ports, you will still be able to access your memory stick even if you are using a USB mouse and have an external drive hooked up.

As built-in memory on Eee PCs ranges from 2GB on the 2G Surf up to 20GB on the Eee PC 900, you will probably find an SDHC flash memory card to be a useful addition.

It may be worth waiting until you are beginning to run low on storage space before you invest in a card, as prices tend to get lower over time.