Asus Netbook 1000HE EeePC Review

The Asus Netbooks are some of the cream of the crop. They are highly regarded and innovative in their design and features. The Asus Netbook 1000HE model is part of Asus Computer's “Eee” line. This can be taken to mean either Easy, Excellent, Exciting; or Easy to Play, Easy to Learn, Easy to Carry. It is true on all counts, and the design is sleek and appealing for a netbook PC.

With this model you get a number of features and enhancements and there are things unique to ASUS which you do not get with any other netbook. One of these exclusive features is Eee Storage. This allows you an additional 10 gigabytes of online storage space accessible from anywhere via the internet. This is great for backing up important files safely or to share documents and media with family and friends.

The Asus netbooks use what they call their Super Hybrid Engine. This feature, which is available with a “instant key” on the keyboard allows you to change the performance and power features on the fly for improved battery life. And speaking of battery life, this 1000HE netbook has plenty of battery life. I have been on my netbook for more than 8 hours with absolutely no problem. This was while surfing the internet, listening to music, and writing articles using Open Office, all without a hiccup, and with power left to spare. This little netbook is actually rated for 9.5 hours of continuous life, and I am positive that it would not have any problem getting there, I've just not been on it continuously that long. This means you can just grab and go, and use it throughout your day, taking notes in class, working on your essays and reports, downloading music at the coffee shop, or doing research in the library – all without having to worry about being near an outlet. It is not extra heavy or bulky either. The 6-cell battery fits into the netbook without any protrusion or interruption of the smooth lines and nothing to snag in a backpack or tote.

The ASUS 1000HE should have no problem connecting to various wireless networks and comes with up to “N” connection speeds, which is the fastest available. It also has Bluetooth for connecting to some wireless printers and even cellular phones and devices to transfer files wirelessly. Of course, you can use a bluetooth mouse or keyboard as well.

The keyboard is actually very usable for a small PC like this netbook. It is 92% of full size, so you aren't giving up much. My only complaint at all for this whole review is the shift keys are a little smaller, so I sometimes have trouble finding them after being used to my desktop keyboard. I adjust quickly, though, and it's a small compromise for such excellent portability.

The ASUS 1000HE has a touchpad with two buttons as would be expected, but also features a Multi-touch, touchpad. This allows two finger operation which is great for zooming in or out while using word processing or graphics applications.

The processor is the Intel Atom N280 which runs at 1.66 gigahertz, and is adequate for most tasks involving word processing, internet surfing and email as well as videos and pictures. There is a 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB of memory, and a 10.1” screen with 1024x600 resolution which is just ideal for internet pages without having to side scroll.

There is included a 1.3M pixel camera which takes stills or full-motion for web conferencing as well as an Array Microphone which results in better sound without echo, so the videos you make will be much more will be much more watchable.

There is a VGA port for adding an external monitor or projector for presentations. It has 3 USB ports, 1 RJ-45 jack for wired networking, 2 audio jacks for headphones and additional microphone, and a built-in card reader capable of accepting the MMC/SD formats.

After using this netbook for about three months pretty frequently, I can readily recommend it to you. I have tried out other netbooks from HP and Dell, and I believe the ASUS to be a much better product.