Asus EEE PC 1000HE Review

Asus, the father of netbooks, is back with its new launch – the Asus EEE PC 1000HE. The 1000HE is almost the same as the older 1000H but comes with a better, more powerful processor, an improved keyboard and a refreshed design. Other than that, it doesn’t offer anything new, but it does make a good buy as it is priced quite low at just around $400. In this review, we check out the Asus EEE PC 1000HE and see if it can live up to the name of its predecessors.

Asus EEE PC 1000HE Specs:

• Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Processor: Intel Atom N280 at 1.66 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB DDR 2 RAM
• Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA HDD, 5400 RPM
• Display: 10 inch WSVGA Display, LED Backlit, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Graphics: Intel GMA 950 with 64 MB VRAM
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
• Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
• Battery: 7.2v 8700mAh 6-cell 63Wh battery
• Ports: 3 USB v2.0 ports, Ethernet, Headphone, Kensington Lock,
• Microphone, VGA out, 4 in 1 card reader
• Price: $399

Design and Build Quality:

The Asus EEE PC 1000HE sports a very stylish design, very similar to the EEE PC 1000HA. The glossy body and the sleek black exteriors remind you of the older EEE PC models. It is a tried and tested design which has clicked quite well with the users. The EEE PC 1000HE looks very royal with a glossy black / blue body and silver hinges at the back. It is a fingerprint magnet though, as is common with all glossy surfaces.

It has superb build quality, among the best in the budget range. It has dimensions of 10.3 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches, which is quite compact and portable. It is a bit heavier than other netbooks – at about 3.2 pounds, but the superb build quality should be more than enough compensation for it. It has a wide range of ports – 3 USB v2.0 ports, Ethernet, Headphone, Kensington Lock, Microphone, VGA out and a 4 in 1 card reader.

Display and Speakers:

The Asus EEE PC 1000HE sports a superb 10 inch display with a native resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. It bucks the trend of going for 1000 x 576 pixel displays which I believe is a good thing. The display is LED backlit which improves the display quality and also improves the battery life. The display has nice brightness and contrast. The display is a matte display which improves the display even under direct light. It is not as attractive as glossy displays though. The viewing angles are wide, both horizontal and vertical. The display is great for watching movies and videos. It can easily double up as a portable multimedia notebook. You can switch resolutions at the click of a button.

The speakers on the EEE PC 1000HE are decently powerful, they have good volume levels. The sound quality is also pretty decent, it can easily manage casual music. If you are a music addict, you will have to invest in a good pair of headphones. Over all, the display and speakers offer good quality.

Keyboard and Touchpad:

When the Asus 1000H was released, the only qualms with it were the presence of a non standard keyboard which was slightly cramped and the key layout slightly changed to make it a bit unusable. It also had a bit of flex and the keys didn’t offer proper feedback which made life tough for touch typists. With the EEE PC 1000HE, Asus has managed to correct almost all of the EEE PC 1000′s flaws. The Asus EEE PC 1000HE’s keyboard is 92% the size of a full size keyboard. The keyboard layout is almost standard with pro[per key spacing and travel. The keys have a nice feel and offer nice feedback. The keyboard is almost as good as the HP Mini 1000.

The Asus EEE PC 1000HE comes with a nice touchpad just below the keyboard. It has nice sensitivity and responsiveness. The touchpad buttons are located below the touchpad and have a nice feel and distinct click. The touchpad is spacious and can cover the whole display area at the default resolution in one swipe. It also has some basic form of multitouch allowing you to rotate and zoom into images etc.

Performance:

The Asus EEE PC 1000HE sports almost the same configuration that almost all the current netbooks do. However it comes with a minor correction – it is powered by a 1.66 Ghz Intel Atom N280 processor instead of the Intel Atom N270. The performance increase is marginal, but it still does count. The Intel Atom N280 has a clock speed of 1.66 Ghz and a FSB of 667 MHz. The EEE PC 1000HE also has 1 GB DDR 2 RAM, the graphics is handled by Intel GMA 950 with 64 MB VRAM, and the storage by a 160 GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD etc. It offers nice performance and can run the bundled Windows XP Home easily and also multitask a few dozen apps with no hiccups. Surprisingly Asus didn’t use the new Intel GN0 chipset with the EEE PC 1000HE and chose to go with the older 945 chipset. The built in graphics are capable of some light gaming but are a strict no-no if you are looking to run newer high end games even at medium settings. The 160 GB SATA HDD at 5400 RPM has nice data transfer speeds. You can use the Asus Super Hybrid engine to switch between power profiles and choose between power and battery life. You also have a shortcut to switch power profiles above the keyboard. The Wi-Fi speeds are decent.

Battery Life and Other Stuff:

Battery life is one of the most important aspects of netbooks, Samsung NC10 first raised the bar when it demonstrated battery life of more than 6 hours. The Asus EEE PC 1000HE completely blows up all the competition and offers about 7 hrs and 30 mins of battery life with its 7.2v 8700 mAh 6-cell 63Wh battery with moderate usage. This is much more than any other netbook. With controlled usage and by following some basic power saving tips, you can also increase the battery life to about 8 hrs.

Pros:

• Mind Blowing Battery Life
• Intel Atom N280
• Nice Keyboard, Display

Cons:

• A bit heavy

Final Words:

The Asus EEE PC 1000HE is one of the best netbooks in this range, it offers solid performance, great battery life and superb build quality. Most of all, it is priced very appropriately. The Asus EEE PC 1000HE should win the battle for Asus in this budget range.

Our Rating: 4 / 5.