This model of the ASUS 701SD is solid black. The shell has a matte finish, which I personally prefer to a glossy finish since it hides finger prints and other blemishes better.
Let's take a tour of the 701SD's external features, starting at the top. The top of the lid is devoid of any detail other than an EEE logo.
On the right side of the netbook there are five important features. Near the front of the netbook is a MMC/SDHC card reader, near the middle of the side are two USB 2.0 ports. Close to the back there is a VGA port and a Kensington lock. On the other side of the netbook we find the standard microphone/headphone jacks. In the middle of this side is an exhaust port to help keep the internal components cool. Next is another USB 2.0 port (grand total of 3 USB 2.0 ports), and finally an old telephone modem jack and Ethernet jack.
Flipping the netbook over there isn't much to see. There is one large compartment that contains the 8GB SSD and a single DDR2 slot. The ASUS 701SD comes with 512MB of memory, and you can swap this out for a larger memory chip if needed. The same goes for the solid state storage; while there isn't room to add a second SSD, you can upgrade the capacity with a new drive. I had a 1GB DDR2 SODIMM available, and it worked perfectly in the 701SD. Remember, removing the compartment door will void any warranty you have.
