Asus Eee PC 1000 notebook Can Eee still deliver?

Reviewer: Stephen Patrick
Review Date: 23 July 2008
Manufacturer: Asus
Price as reviewed: £369
Latest price: compare

Our score

9/10

See more with this score

Reader score

?/10

Rate this product

Full review

23 July 2008 - It’s seems that every time a company announces a rival to Asus’s Eee PC crown, the Taiwanese company sees this as a direct challenge and announces another model in the Eee PC range.

So, hot on the heels of the 901 comes the 1000. It takes the same styling as the 8.9-inch model, so packs in a six-cell battery and the same design styling around the screen and hinge and even uses the same high-gloss plastic.

The main difference is the use of a 10-inch screen, which supports the standard 1024 x 600-pixel resolution we've come to expect from netbooks. The quality of the screen is sharp and if you just want to use it for surfing the Internet or answering email, it’s more than enough.

Microsoft recently stated that it would only offer Windows XP to those machines that came with a screen no larger than 10 inches, so this will be the largest Eee PC we're likely to see in the range.

This larger screen does mean the overall design is bigger and heavier. Sure, 1.5kg is still ultraportable but when you think back to the 701 and its sub-1kg size it is easy to see that the idea of true portability is slipping away.

That said, this machine really delivers in terms of battery life. We’ve been using it for a week or so and found the battery easily delivers 5 hours at any one time, making it a great machine to use out and about every day.

The screen may be great but what it means is that Asus has finally released a machine that offers a near-full sized keyboard. The company claims the keys are 95% full-size but you’d never notice, as the keyboard is a sheer pleasure to use.

As with previous models, you can choose between Windows XP or Linux formats. While earlier releases had the same price point, this time around we’re starting to see slight changes appear. Our Linux-based test unit is the high-end model and comes with a 40GB SSD, while the slightly cheaper Windows XP (£349) has a standard 2.5-inch notebook hard drive, similar to the MSI Wind or Advent 4211. Just like those models, it packs 80GB of storage onboard.

When it comes to performance, it has the now familiar Intel Atom N270, which runs at 1.6GHz, in place. It's supported by 1024MB of memory and as with other netbooks it’s more than usable for basic tasks.

When it comes to usability, this is a great machine as the extra space makes it far more comfortable to use. There are three USB ports, VGA-out adapter and SD card slot that still supports high-capacity cards.

The only problem with have with the Eee PC 1000 is the size of it. The bigger chassis may be comfortable to type on and use but it lacks the all-round portability of the smaller 901.

Verdict

The largest Eee PC to-date, the 1000 may be suffering from size creep but it’s still a fantastic machine to use. The battery life is impressive and the build quality is still as high as ever. The only problem is, you need ask yourself, at this price, would you be better off opting for a standard notebook? We have a feeling the answer will be no.

Comments

Not sure about the technical appraisal but the grammar in this article is appalling. Example:

"The only problem you need ask yourself is, at this price, would you be better off opting for a standard notebook?"

Do you "ask yourself a problem"? I think not.

Please employ someone older than eight to write for you. Posted by Hazlitt, UK
I need to ask myself whether I really want Hazlitt, UK to lick the sweat off my balls for being the worlds biggest pedant? Posted by Pezza, uk
i would have to agree, Hazlitt you cab gargle my ball sack too you stuck up twit.

Now back to the point of the article, im interested in these notebooks but i have yet been convinced, apart from surfing what else is it good for? playing movies? downloading? running programs? Posted by monkey, uk
At £300+, I would go for a real laptop for full their capacity. Posted by Alex, UK
Considering the plethora of websites which post reviews or offer opinions on just about everything, it is no surprise that some, including this one, are guilty of poor grammar and uninspiring writing.

Good writing keeps users on the site and encourages return visits. Grammar is only a small part of good writing but is important nonetheless. Therefore Hazlitt is right, "The only problem you need ask yourself..." is part of the modern (American) vernacular but it is still a lazy cliche.

"Gargle my ball sack" on the other hand is original and effective, monkey writes rather well although he has trouble with punctuation and capitalisation and so would still drive away potential readers who find such things important. Posted by Luke, UK
Let it go, I don't care if its well written I need to understand from current eee1000 users if they are having a good experience.

Would it be wiser to go for the 900, cheaper and lighter?

Would it be the case of buying a normal £ 400 laptop, because that's roughly where you get with the eee1000?

I would be inclined to think that a high spec in a sub range would be better than a low spec laptop?

Any non grammar related thoughts?

Posted by iounot, UK
ooOOOooo here come the care-bear police, get a real job hazlitt Posted by dno, england
Brits are dumb Posted by nonya, us
Dumb?...maybe, but in the main manage to avoid misplaced and ill informed generalisations...

I own a Eee1000...spent quite some time and effort looking at the then current crop of netbooks. Broadly all offering the same 'solution' for me, which was good portability (physical size and weight), decent performance (battery life, processor and familiar software)...the main selling features that finaly drew a decision out of me was the larger screen/keyboard combo, 80GB memory, XP software and Atom processor performance.

I am pleased with the decision, it offers a well manufactured, portable and suprisingly functional lappy....still find the keyboard a tad small and the screen res takes time to adapt but overall gets a thumbs up from me.

My advise.....only buy one if you can accept and ignore the rate at which machines are hitting the market in this new hot-bed sector! Posted by Frosty, Hong Kong

Compare prices

ASUS EEE PC 1000H (90OA0HB61311431K124Q) PC Notebook
(MPN: 90OA0HB61311431K124Q, Atom 1.6 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard drive, 10 in. WSVGA TFT Active Matrix, Linux, 3.2 lb., 1 x SD Card S...)