For a while now, I have been looking at netbooks. I have been thinking about how handy one might be for just surfing the net, checking email, and just light work and play.  Gateway has an LT series that caught my eye. I fell in love with the brushed aluminum case, 2.2 pounds of lightness, and not a bad price at $325.  The 8.9 inch screen was maybe just a tad too small for my tastes. If you have looked at netbooks, you pretty much know what to expect when you look at the spec sheet. 160 gig hard drive, 1 gig of ram, Windows XP, and 8.9 to 10" screens are very common. Gain almost instant boot times with flash based hard drives.  The problem here is cost.  40 gigs of Transistor drive is quite a bit more than the larger mechanical ones that are the more common.  So after months of searching something caught my eye in the Asus Eee PC 1000 HE.  Battery life!  And I am talking real battery life! An advertised 9 and 1/2 hours worth! This looked like a whole lot of netbook for less than $400. So off to Amazon I went!  Before I break down my opinions, let me save you a little reading in case you don't want to know the particulars: This is one incredible machine for it's intention. It is heavier than your typical netbook because of the battery. It isn't the smallest, lightest, fastest, or the thinnest. It is however, very portable, and more importantly, big enough to type on, and see web pages on. Netbooks with 7 and 8 inch screens..... Well, if you have the hands of a 6 year old, maybe you can type on them; I can't!  But that only solves the typing.  Seeing what you need on those tiny screens will still be a problem. I would recommend that you only consider netbooks with 10" or larger screens, regardless of brand. Click on the Read link below to get all the particulars.

 Build and Design

If you are familiar with the Eee 901 or the Eee 1000 HA, you know what this one looks like.  about the largest difference, is that this one seems to keep the glossy look and uses much more black than previous Eee PC's.  This little netbook is very classy looking! Until you touch it! This is a gripe I have with several laptop manufacturers. This glossy plastic has a tendency to fingerprint in the most severe way! Asus is certainly aware of this fact, because included is a wiping cloth that I admit does a great job of making quick work of those prints.  What would be even better is a finish that didn't show everywhere it had been handled.  If this sort of thing doesn't bother you, then this is no big deal.  If things like this do, prepare to feel frustration.  My plan to solve this problem will be to add design decals to cover the more print prone areas. The top and the area left and right of the track pad. On the plus side this plastic seems to be very durable and strong.  It should hold up well over time.  Expect typical Asus quality. Fit and finish is excellent in this netbook! As is the display! Colors are bright and vibrant. And unlike many laptops, this one can be viewed at an angles! About the only downside to the display is a problem found in almost all netbooks.... 1024 X 600 resolution.  This is probably going to mean scrolling or scaling to view many pages and programs. 

Keyboard and Touchpad

This very well could be the best keyboard of any netbook out there! The right shift key is a little smaller than most are going to like, but after a couple of days I was finding it just fine. Also, there is a function key that when held down while pressing other keys give you control over functions such as Speaker, WiFi and Bluetooth. The keys are slightly concaved and after a few days I am almost as comfortable typing on this Eee as I am any full sized keyboard.  By the way, this one is 92% the size of a standard keyboard. If you have hands like Shaq, your more than likely to feel cramped, but otherwise I think you will be pleasantly surprised after just a few hours of typing. 

As good as the keyboard is, I can't say the same about the trackpad. The left and right buttons seem to be extremely stiff!  I mean it takes effort to click something! I am hoping this softens some as time goes on (or my fingers get stronger from the workout) but so far, I am just a little frustrated with the keypad. I can add a mouse and will consider this possibility but for the moment I am hoping that either those buttons or my hands will adjust.  Another problem I am having is with the multi-touch keypad. About the only thing I can do with consistantly is "click" by tapping twice. I have read all that I can do in the included manual (Two finger zooming, two finger scrolling) but so far, I am finding these functions a little awkward. Maybe as time goes on, I will become more adapted to the touchpad, but for now, I have found it to not be as natural as touchpads I have used on my Toshiba Notebooks. 

 Performance

For average use which includes browsing the web, email, typing a document, chatting in IM apps, system performance is awesome! This unit boots XP FASTER than any computer I have ever owned booted XP! It might be worth noting that this is a newer intel N280 Atom processor  that utilizes a 677 MHZ bus, vs most netbooks with an Atom N270  with 500 MHZ bus. I was able to go to myNetflix account, and stream a movie without hick-ups to my Eee PC!  Now, I am sure that HD is going to push some serious limits and I doubt that there is enough horsepower to handle such video.  With that said, YouTube and a good wireless connection should bring hours of wasting your life away watching others wasting their lives away. Heat build up has been minimal.  The bottom gets a little warm in my lap, but certainly not hot! I have yet to hear a fan run.  It's quiet!  Below are the stats from Asus.

• 
  
• Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz processor
• 160GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive (Seagate 5400.5)
• 1GB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
• Windows XP Home Operating System with SP3
• 10” WSVGA LED-Backlit 1024 x 600 LCD
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
• Webcam (1.3 MP)
• Battery: 7.2v 8700mAh 6-cell 63Wh battery
• Wireless: 802.11b/g/n  and Bluetooth 2.0
• One-year warranty
• Size: 10.47” x 7.3” x 1.12-1.50”
• Weight: 3lbs 2.4oz

Connections, Ports and Features

First, lets cover what is missing: No ExpressCard slot! So if you had plans of using your Cellular Companies dataplan, it isn't happening with this netbook. You might want to check out the Lenovo S10, or HP's Mini 2140. What the 1000HE does have is 3 USB ports, LAN Connection, Headphone/Mic jacks, a Kinsington lock slot, An SDHC 4 in 1 card reader and a few LED's to tell you if you have power, how much battery life you have, and if your connected to WiFi or not.

Now, let me preface what I am about to say by stating I am an old Rock and Roller who has listened to music at decibel levels way beyond what many consider safe. My hearing is not what it used to be. And the Eee Speakers are just not loud enough to suit me. If you are serious about your music and movies, you might consider headphones as a necessity, and not an option with this netbook. These things are just too small to produce bass and mid-range, and there is not enough power to push sound beyond a few feet past the netbook.

Although more common now in netbooks, lets not overlook the fact that this one has bluetooth available. So there is an array of options from mice, phones, and other devices to allow you to pair and use with this netbook. 

Conclusion

This netbook rocks if you are looking for a netbook! If you are looking for portable netsurfing, email, lightweight to carry, won't take up much space in a bag or case, has a true all day battery life, and won't cause you to foreclose on your home,  this one is the ticket! It is XP solid with excellent WiFi, plenty of hard drive for those apps you can't live without, has one of the best keyboards of any Netbook out there and a very easy on the eyes display. If black doesn't do it for you, there is a very attractive blue available.

I have paired my HTC Fuze with this device to utilize the Fuzes dataplan on those times when no WiFi is available. It is really nice to know that I can always be connected should I choose. I also added a 2 gig stick of RAM for $23.00. I did use the Netbook about 3 days before doing so.  Also, I shared the DVD drive on my desktop, to install Anti-virus software on the Eee. Works just like it should have. It is an easy workaround, but it is still a workaround.  If you need optical drives, there is not a netbook made for you! And the truth is, I have almost slept with this machine since it's arrival at my doorstep! It has gone everywhere with me and it is just too easy. And as many places as it's been, the power supply has yet to leave the house.  I can't say that about my current Toshiba Notebook.

As far as accessories, I will look to purchase both decals to cover all those smudgy areas and this leather wraparound case. There is a possibility I might add a mouse down the road if I can't adust to the touchpad. 

When I am building a web site, editing graphics, etc I am going to want to use my Toshiba laptop or my Sony desktop. But if I just want to surf the web while on the go, the Eee 1000HE is my lady of choice!  I really am pleased with this machine!

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.

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