Eee PC

B

Bob W

Joined
Dec 31, 2000
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Small computers are becoming very popular in various forms, mini-laptops, 'netbooks', and tablets, for examples. I was 'given' one recently at work, an Asus EeePC model 1000HE. Thought I'd share a quick review in case anyone here is considering purchasing one, or something similar.

Photo from Asus website:

http://eeepc.asus.com/global/index.html

1000he-2.jpg


My initial impression was less-than-favorable. A downsized keyboard, no mouse, no number pad, miniature screen, and keys with no 'clickiness' (more scientifically referred to as "tactile feedback"). Additionally I had a negative prejudice based on early model reviews - unresponsive operating systems, insufficient storage size, and built-in software glitches.

But...

After using this thing for a couple of weeks on-and-off, I'm really impressed. It includes a full version of Microsoft Windows XP, which runs very smooth with good response time. The wireless internet receiver works flawlessly. There's a 160GB hard drive that is divided into two partitions. Although the screen is small, it's very bright and clear. The keyboard, although of substandard size, isn't as spongy as originally thought - it's nowhere near a 'real' keyboard, but the tactile feedback is actually better than on many laptops.

I uninstalled a few unwanted apps and Windows features, and installed Startup Control Panel to prevent programs from running unnecessarily in the background. I also installed my preferred basic software selection - Office 2000, AVG AntiVirus, Zone Alarm, Firefox, and Thunderbird. It still runs great and each of these programs runs just as it would on a 'real' computer.

I expect this computer has the capability of running any older freeware, especially anything originally released in the time of Windows 98 or early XP - games, CAD, office, GPS/GIS, photo editing, utilities, etc.

One catch when installing software, the EeePC does NOT include a CD drive or DVD drive of any sort. I was able to install Office 2000 by copying the installation files from the original CD to a USB flash drive. That may not work with newer software that is better copy-protected.

The price of these things is amazingly low. Although this one was 'free', the same model is available for $350 at Amazon or TigerDirect. That's less than my old Dell Axim PDA cost years ago, and with 100X more functionality.

The EeePC also comes with three USB ports for adding a real keyboard, number pad, mouse, printer/scanner, whatever. Only three ports though, so you can't plug in all of your accessories at once without a splitter.

There's also a network jack, SD card reader, video output plug, and jacks for speakers/headphones and microphone.

There's a built in camera that I haven't used yet...

Pre-installed on the EeePC is "Skype", a for-fee program for making telephone calls over the internet or calling other Skype users' computers for free. I signed up for the fee service, tested it, and it's great. I ~should~ be able to make telephone calls from anywhere in the world where internet service is available, and for a fraction the price of international cell phone or calling card calls.

Battery is advertised as lasting 9.5 hours. Haven't tested that duration yet. But I charged the battery completely two weeks ago, have been using the computer on-and-off during that time, and have not needed to recharge it yet. I expect the 9.5 claim is completely reasonable.

-----------------------

In short, yes it's a toy computer. If you expect it to perform like a 'real' computer or buy it for the purpose of using as a primary home computer, you'll be sadly disappointed. But if you think of it as a fancy PDA, it's freakin' sweet!
 
Thanks Bob. That's good info.
 
Nice review. I was thinking about one of these netbooks a while back for on the go Internet access. I ended up going with an iPod touch instead but the small laptops still interest me. Not too long ago woot had a model similar to the one you have but without a hard drive I believe it had 8 gigs of flash memory for $169. There's some pretty great deals out there on these things.
 
Not too long ago woot had a model similar to the one you have but without a hard drive I believe it had 8 gigs of flash memory for $169.
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Some of the earliest models also came with Linux instead of Windows. Windows Vista couldn't be trimmed down enough to run on these mini-machines and a full Windows license jacked up the price too high. Also, as you mentioned, the earliest models had very small amounts of storage - of 8 GB, a Windows installation took half.

I've read that Microsoft is now selling XP OEMs licenses for very cheap to be competitive with the Linux models. And the Windows models, on some brands' mini-computers, have higher specs. And you can always install Linux yourself. Maybe why the computer came with two partitions?
 
shunsui said:
Nice review. Apparently you can upgrade the ram stick from 1Gig to 2Gig. It will also drive an external LCD screen at decent resolutions.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220504
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Considering the nature of the applications that will run on the EeePC, I would think that 1 GB would be enough for almost everyone. You aren't going to play any high-end 3D games on it anyway; you'll hit a wall with the processor and graphic acceleration before running out of memory.

Yep, there's a standard graphic port on the back. If someone wanted to use the EeePC as their primary home computer, it'd be possible with the addition of a monitor and full-size keyboard.
 
My old box is running with 1 Gig, but if you're using on board graphics, the system memory is shared with the video hardware and slowing things down. Extra memory is never a bad thing.
 
One of the big pluses of the eeePC is easy access to the memory. I bought a 2 GB card for mine for about $25 and swapped it out in five minutes. The same bay also contains the hard drive, so you can easily swap that out for a larger one as well.

Another big plus is the inclusion of a DVD containing not only a disk image, but also the hardware-specific drivers and applications. I reformatted the HD on mine and installed XP Pro from a bootable thumb drive (because I needed domain access), and I had all the drivers I needed.

I have the 900HA model, which has a smaller screen and keyboard than BobW's, and also a smaller footprint. I already have a full size Thinkpad, so I was looking for portability. The keyboard is definitely the big shortcoming on these computers, but I don't do a huge amount of typing on it. The touchpad is only ok. It has some interesting features, such as two-finger scrolling, but I have a little wireless Logitech mouse that I like better.

Overall, this little computer provides about 85% of the functionality of my Thinkpad, at one sixth the price. I think they're the best deal going, right now.
 
Thanks for the review Bob W. I've been considering one of these netbooks for a while and will likely make the jump and get one some time.
 
I've got two, the first is the eeepc surf 2g, which has a 2 gig hard drive (flash memory) and the other is a eeepc 4g.
Both use linux I use them for the internet and when traveling as they are really easy to carry.
I am using the 4g right now I get about 2 1/2 hours per battery the open office allows some office compatability. Not great for computing but fun for the internet
 
Keep an eye on Dell's outlet if you want a netbook. You can pretty easily pick one up for under $300, and I have bought several at under $200.
 
Thanks for the review. I've had a few notebooks in my day (not minis though). Although they ran well (for the most part), I don't like the keyboards. I'm used to an ergonomic keyboard and find typing on a laptop like trying to text on a phone. Annoying. I also prefer a reg mouse vs those little touch screens.
 
I started with an EEE 701 (7" screen, 4GB flash drive). This is too small for my use. The 30 second boot time is great for quickly looking things up on the internet.

My new one is an EEE 1002HA (10" screen 160 GB hard drive). These use normal hard drives, not flash, so slower boot up. It is 1/2" thinner than the EEE 1000 series. It is one of the few netbooks with the fast 802.11n WiFi and lighter lithium polymer battery. This is a nice size computer.

If you have a USB CD drive you can install Windows 7 Beta (free, good until mid-2010).
 
I have the eee 701 for 1+year now and use if for when I travel - works fine for the basics - surf the net, simple word processing and spread sheet.
I'm waiting for Windows 7 to come out on the Lenovo s10.
 
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