Netbook pioneer Asus provides a solid entry into the category with the Eee PC 1000H, but the keyboard may be a deal breaker.There's a lot to like about the Eee PC line of netbooks from Asus—a netbook pioneer—but I found the keyboard to be a deal breaker.
Asus, part of Taiwan computer giant ASUSTek Computer, is credited with igniting the netbook boom in 2007, following in the footsteps of the Psion and One Laptop Per Child’s XO.
The Asus Eee PC 1000H, the model I tested, is a lot of netbook for the money—about $300. In addition to a 160GB hard disk, the netbook provides three USB ports and a six-cell lithium ion battery that promises 7 hours of life on a single charge in the XP version (6 with Linux). Other netbook batteries in that price range have three and four cells and proportionately less endurance on a single charge.
The Asus system I tested had three display resolutions, with 1,024 by 600 at the top end. As with all of the netbooks I tested, images tend to jump around when the cursor arrow hits the sides of the display.
Speaking of the 10-inch backlit LED display, the Eee PC tilted back so that the system could be opened and laid flat on a table (passing my slouchability test with flying colors). The Lenovo IdeaPad S10, in contrast, tilts about halfway back from the upright position, and the HP Mini tilts only a few degrees.
I also liked the position of the two touch-pad buttons on the Eee PC—horizontally across the bottom, as opposed to vertically up the sides of the touch-pad, as on the HP Mini.
At 3.2 pounds, the Eee PC 1000H is heavier than the skinny HP Mini and, obviously, bulkier. That's not entirely a bad thing because I found the HP Mini and Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbooks so light and svelte that they were hard to balance on my lap or across the top of a crossed leg.
The Eee PC comes with built-in 802.11b, g and n, and performance was good during tests. The Eee PC also features Bluetooth support and includes Microsoft Works, a relatively robust suite of office tools.
John Dodge is a freelance writer and worked for eWEEK for 16 years as editor and news editor. Visit his blog at www.dodgeretort.com or contact him at jdodge349@gmail.com.
| | Reader Comments: There Is a Lot to Like About the Asus Eee PC | | >>> Post your comment now!
| | Netbook opinion evolvesPeformance with netbooks is also an issue.Read all about it at my blog, The Dodge... Posted At: 04-03-09
By: John Dodge | | | | | | review is HE - shift key movedIt seems this is a review of the HE as it has an LED display.
The HE has also moved the arrow key to the other side of the right shift key to fix... Posted At: 03-19-09
By: Ken | | | | | | Nope, you didn't make your pointJohn,
You never said one word about the keyboard beyond it being a "deal breaker" - the word "cramped" didn't appear once in the article. I'm... Posted At: 03-18-09
By: Jeff Shultz | | | | | | A user comment on this articleSince there were no further comments on the keyboard and all other comments were positive I actually assumed that it meant the keyboard was a... Posted At: 03-18-09
By: Anonymous | | | | | | 1000HE>1000HWhy would you test the 1000H when the superior in battery life and keyboard 1000HE just came out? Posted At: 03-18-09
By: Darien | | | | | | Asus keyboardMy point exactly...except I took mine back. Posted At: 03-18-09
By: John Dodge | | | | | | AsusIt was very cramped....keys were close together and small. I think I made that point. At the very least, it did not work for me....someone who types... Posted At: 03-18-09
By: John Dodge | | | | | | >>> Post your comment now! | | | | | |
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