Value for your money., February 20, 2009
Good Stuff:
- I type thirty or so pages a week between three different computers. The keyboard on this little guy works great for my purposes. I'm 6'3", 280 lb. and yeah, I have big hands. - Minimal bloatware. Took just a couple minutes to remove the stuff I didn't want.
- Attractive and practical design.
- It has a...read full review
Good Stuff:
- I type thirty or so pages a week between three different computers. The keyboard on this little guy works great for my purposes. I'm 6'3", 280 lb. and yeah, I have big hands. - Minimal bloatware. Took just a couple minutes to remove the stuff I didn't want.
- Attractive and practical design.
- It has a good display and decent sound... for a netbook.
[Edit] As far as sound goes, it depends on what you're listening to. My Baroque Classical and Russian Chant sounds great, as does anything spoken word. My Swedish Death Metal (and anything similar) sounds tinny and weak.
- While it was no use to me, it came with some basic office programs already loaded. Just one of many things Asus did to try and make this netbook ready to use straight out of the box.
- At least so far... the battery life is pretty close to what's advertised.
[Edit] I'm able to get just under eight hours of operation out of it, without turning the screen brightness all the way down or wireless/bluetooth options off.
[Edit] Swapping out the 1GB Memory stick for a 2 GB Memory stick was easy.
Bad Stuff:
- It attracts finger prints like bees to flowers. Get skins/decals/stickers for the outside cover if you're really OCD.
- Doesn't make coffee.
- Bulky. The wife has a 1002HA with a 2 cell battery and it is soo slim and strim looking compared to mine. Hers is a half pound lighter too. She still gets 4-5 hours of battery life out of hers even with the smaller battery.
Thoughts:
For the money, it's one of the best netbooks out there. I looked at almost every netbook available and read over 500 reviews before deciding on this one. I bought the 1002HA (brushed aluminized) for my wife because she didn't need the battery life and wanted something more professional looking.
[Edit] I spent the weekend passing it around to people I know and letting them type on it, and everyone (big or small) pretty much agreed that it was an easy keyboard to adjust to and comfortable. My father ordered the Blue 1000HE (from Amazon!) he liked it so much. minimize
Absolutely Perfect., February 26, 2009
I have had the Eee PC 1000HE for about a week now, and it has fulfilled my every expectation. Because I hadn't started up the Eee without installing the 2 GB RAM I'd purchased, this review is relevant to those who plan to upgrade, or have already upgraded the RAM in the unit. For those who don't, I will add that it is extremely easy and...read full review
I have had the Eee PC 1000HE for about a week now, and it has fulfilled my every expectation. Because I hadn't started up the Eee without installing the 2 GB RAM I'd purchased, this review is relevant to those who plan to upgrade, or have already upgraded the RAM in the unit. For those who don't, I will add that it is extremely easy and inexpensive to double the RAM of this netbook. I had never opened a laptop chassis before, and it took all of 5 minutes.
Pros:
*Up front, the package is inexpensive. You definitely get the bang for your buck
*Bright, brilliant screen with an excellent viewing angle.
*Large, more comfortable keyboard; touch typing is incredibly easy to get used to.
*Long battery life; I've had mine unplugged for over seven hours without a recharge.
*Exactly the amount of power and speed that I need from a computer, I'm able to run some of my favorite games (GTA: San Andreas, UT2004, and Neverwinter Nights) without breaking a sweat, edit photos and stream videos through the wireless card.
*The power-saving hotkeys are really useful. Most of the time I don't notice the difference between 'Power-Saving' mode and 'Super Performace' mode, which means for normal usage I'm saving a lot of battery life.
Cons:
*The volume is a bit too low on the speakers, AND when I'm wearing headphones. I've opened up all of the volume adjusters at one point or another, and I can't increase the volume past a certain point. I could imagine this being very irritating on a long bus ride or a plane ride.
*As really helpful the multi-touch pad is (and it truly is helpful), some of the presets are too closely linked to "scroll up and down". For example, I find myself opening a 'magnifying glass' one moment, and 'zooming out' of a webpage the next. I couldn't figure out why all my webpages were tiny. So disabling most of the multi-touch functions is probably a smart idea when you get started.
*This is just a quibble, but the resolution of 1024 x 600 is so specific to a very small number of machines.
Overall, the Eee PC 1000HE is something I will be using consistently. It is exactly what I need. minimize
Exactly what I needed -- Light, Quick, and Very Cute, February 26, 2009
I've had my 1000HE for a week now. I bought it with the 2gb of ram and installed the new ram in under 10 minutes, having never done such a thing in my life before. With the new ram, my 1000HE ran both Windows XP and then the Windows 7 beta with ease. I can run iTunes version 8 and Firefox and Microsoft Word at the same time without any problems....read full review
I've had my 1000HE for a week now. I bought it with the 2gb of ram and installed the new ram in under 10 minutes, having never done such a thing in my life before. With the new ram, my 1000HE ran both Windows XP and then the Windows 7 beta with ease. I can run iTunes version 8 and Firefox and Microsoft Word at the same time without any problems.
The blue surface does attract fingerprints, but it's not so noticeable that it bothers me, and I've been consistent (so far) about wiping it clean after every other use.
The webcam works very well, even for a cheap laptop, and I was able to take reasonably defined pics with it.
The battery life with my "normal usage" runs about 8 hours, though I haven't put it on power-saving mode to see if that's much longer.
I use this netbook on the train and haven't had trouble with the volume control in my headphones.
The trackpad buttons are a tad stiff at first, but mine have loosened just in the past week and are now very comfortable to use.
I've found that the 1000HE picks up my home's network very easily and the internet speeds transfer very well.
As for the keyboard, I'm a "proper typist" and was used to the 92 percent size within the first day. The chiclit style is much better, in my opinion, than the old 1000H model or the Acer keyboard.
I transfer all of my programs and games and movies with a usb flash-drive, so I haven't had any need for an external dvd drive
All in all a great investment at under 400 dollars, and I'm a college student who scrimps and saves her every penny. minimize
Impressions and Memory Installation and 2 week update, March 4, 2009
See 3/17 update for memory installation instructions and further impressions....
My Asus blue 1000HE arrived today,a day early. I have never owned a laptop so this is a new experience although I have owned and built computers since the days of the TI 99.
I bought this as a travelling companion instead of an I-Touch. I...read full review
See 3/17 update for memory installation instructions and further impressions....
My Asus blue 1000HE arrived today,a day early. I have never owned a laptop so this is a new experience although I have owned and built computers since the days of the TI 99.
I bought this as a travelling companion instead of an I-Touch. I thought the cost to value ratio worked out pretty well. I took a trip to Turkey last summer and wanted to write on the fly so I figured that this would work out.
This is the first attempt at typing on this keyboard. As I looked at the other netbooks out there I found that the deal breaker was usually the action on the keyboard. No sense in buying something to write on if you can't write on it. My first impression is that this keyboard is a big improvement on the seamlless flat chicklet-style boards on earlier Asus models. The spacing between the keys works but I think that having a concave key would have been an improvement. The HP keyboard felt a little more conmfortable but, again this is a first impresson. This is at least the second best netbook keyoboard I've used. I have big hands but I am findiing that even as I type this, I seem to be getting more accurate fairly quickly.
Set-up for the 1000HE was incredibly easy. Had windows configured and my wireless network recognized in no-time. I have not added the 2 Gig memory stick as I wanted to see what difference this actually made.
I was surprised att the color of this blue book when it came out of the box. The actual color is closer to a metalic navy rather than the bright lighter blue shown in the pictures.
I did the research and got my hands on most of the well-regarded netbooks before making this purchase. Without repeating what others have said and what can be read in the specs, my first impression is that this computer will fill the bill as traveling companion. It won't play Crysis but it will keep me connected, play my music, and keep me from looking for computers that I can use on the road. The 1000HE seems to be suitably quick at getting on-line content and keeping up with what I''ve wanted to do so far. The display is bright and clean.
Long story short, I am, out of the box, pleased and think that dollar for dollar, today, it would be hard to find a better fit in a netbook. There are a nummber of small feautres that add to the value of this unit, not the least of which is the easily upgradeable memory and the Bluetooth built-in.
The 10 inch screen makes the 1000HE a bit larger/heavier that the 8.9 inch netbooks but of course what you get is a better view and the larger keyboard. For me, a good trade but maybe not for you....
That's it, a very early impression that I will add to if there is more to say. Four Stars because I haven't used the 10000HElong enough to make such praise responsible.
The box contains: the 1000he, Battery, Powere cable, A soft sleeve for the computer, 2 manuals and a recoverry disk.
3/17 update
I have used the 100he for a couple of weeks and remain very pleased.The 1000HE easily picks up wireless. The Star Office (open office) seems intuitive and does create office-compatible files. Far better option than Works which will just cause headaches when you want to view files in Office. Skype virtually set itself up. Really, this netbook does not leave you with a lot to puzzle over. It pretty much just works out of the box. The keyboard felt familiar in no time and I can touch-type on it. For a hundred dollars more, you can get into a full-sized laptop which might be worth considering if you are using the machine as your main computer. For me, the mix of portability and function were ideal. I see using this as a traveling companion, an internet and e-mail platform that can also hold some music.
Do get a wireless mouse. It eliminates the need to use the trackpad. I find it to be a much better interface. Definitely worth $30.
I would HIGHLY recommend the 2 GB memory upgrade. There is no better way to improve performance and for $25 you would be crazy not to upgrade.
Installing the memory is easy-takes 5 minutes. As always, work in an area that does not generate a lot of static electricity. Don't touch the gold pins on the memory stick and don't strip the screws on the case. Work gently.
Remove the battery from the base of the 1000HE. Using a jeweler's Phillips screwdriver, gently unscrew the 2 screws that hold the access panel in place. Slide off the panel. Touch something metal to ground out any static electricity that you might be carrying. Gently remove the existing memory stick from its slot by sliding it back. Replace the stick with the 2 GB stick-make sure that the gold pins at the base of the memory are firmly seated in the slot. Replace the panel and screws-DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN the screws-Close up the case. That's it!
Check that the computer is seeing the new memory: Settings>Control Panel>
System>General Information-the memory should should show as 2 GB or slightly less.
JK
minimize
Epic Battery Life and Unbeatable Price!!!, March 2, 2009
Things I like
- The epic battery life is real. When I change the preset performance settings from high performance to battery saving mode, I get over 8 hours with wifi and bluetooth on!!! In high performance more I get 5 hours.
- Youtube, HuLu, NBA broadband all work with no glitches
- Norton Internet Security 2009 works...read full review
Things I like
- The epic battery life is real. When I change the preset performance settings from high performance to battery saving mode, I get over 8 hours with wifi and bluetooth on!!! In high performance more I get 5 hours.
- Youtube, HuLu, NBA broadband all work with no glitches
- Norton Internet Security 2009 works without a glitch or slow down
- The keyboard is nice, although I would have preferred a full size right shift key
- I love the fact that it has Bluetooth and N networking.
Things I don't like.
- This netbook is a little husky. I almost want to call it a sub notebook instead of a netbook.
- The touch pad is glitchy. Sometimes when you mean to just move the mouse. It registers a click. I downloaded the driver beta and still have the same issue.
- The HE contains a bunch of software you will end up deleting.
- It's a finger print magnet.
- Volume seems low. I haven't searched for a fix yet.
ASUS Eee PC 1000HE vs HP Mini 1000
My wife has the HP Mini 1000:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J6N9IY?ie=UTF8&tag=pc-accessories-10-20
The HP has the advantage of having a better keyboard, including a full size right shift key. It is also much smaller and lighter. On the down side, the mini gets really expensive once you start adding features the 1000HE comes with. Also, the min get's 3 hours at best with the included battery. HP has yet to release a 6 cell battery for the 1000 as of 2/27/09.
Bottom Line
The ASUS Eee PC 1000HE comes with everything you want in a netbook in a relatively small form factor. The best features are the epic battery life and it's relatively low price. You simply can't get a more equipped notebook at this price. Don't get the smaller, cheap, less equipped units. You will kick yourself for it.
Obvious upgrades.
OCZ 2 GB PC2-5400 667 MHz DDR2 Value SODIMM Laptop Memory
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RZ8WHG?ie=UTF8&tag=pc-accessories-10-20
Laptop skin to guard against scratches and finger prints
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LB8OXM?ie=UTF8&tag=pc-accessories-10-20
Netbook Case:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KEPZP0?ie=UTF8&tag=pc-accessories-10-20 minimize
