Asus Eee PC 1000HA New and First Impressions

wmrawls · 03-04-2009, 04:26 PM

Thought I would share this because I am steadily downsizing in the PC direction but asking for more on the Sony Reader side....hmmm wonder what that says about me?
.................................................. ..

As a long time owner of Dell Axims I have been very happy with them but have found that my X51V no longer fit the bill for me when I travel. My basic laptop for Travel, work supplied, has been an IBM R52 and as my travels have increased over the last year I have grown tired of hauling it around, underfoot on airplanes, short battery life and just in general a pain in the fanny.

As I have searched for a suitable replacement or substitute I have talked to a great many people and researched the Internet trying to find the perfect balance between comfort, portability and functionality.

The ASUS 1000HA has answered the call and answered it well. Its light weight, has a long battery life and with a 160 GB hard drive certainly capable of large amounts of data storage.

Initial set up was incredibly easy. Mine came equipped with XP home and I am content with that as an OS, 1 gig of RAM has preformed adequately and with a built in SD card reader, 3 USB ports and a standard network connection as well as wireless its ready to preform in a multitude of environments. Also equipped with a Mic and earphone connectors, Oh its also equipped with an external connector for video output or external monitor.

A built in Webcam is very sharp for those who desire video conferencing. Bear in mind this device does not come with a DVD / CD player reader so you have to have an external source for data transfer but come on the group on this site will have no trouble figuring out the many ways of transferring data to and from the device. I have an external DVD/CD drive that is USB connected and its a snap to set up and do its thing.
I also have several thumb drives and again they pop in and your off to the races on data transfer.

Keyboard is approximately 92% the size of a normal keyboard and has a standard layout so its pretty easy to navigate. The touch pad is fairly easy to adjust to and I will probably pick up a small wireless mouse but since most of the time it will be used while on my lap its a low priority.

A friend that has a slightly older model has purchased a long life battery for about $80 and he likes it because it has a bulky rear and elevates the rear of the laptop and makes the keyboard a little more comfortable for him....myself, well I will wait a while and see if I need the extra battery.

So far I have found nothing that I did not expect.....well one thing. It comes in a Glossy Black and A Glossy WHITE....the black does smudge a lot. So if your picky about that you might want to go with the white.

And by the way I picked this beauty up at Tiger Direct for a delivered price of $336USD....well within my budget. So far so good.

nrapallo · 03-04-2009, 05:39 PM

I have one of the eariler 80GB models (in finger-print loving black

) and adore this netbook! Didn't like the 1024x600 resolution, though, so quickly installed the hack to stretch it to 1024x768 even though you loose some scan lines in the process.

I had originally run Ubuntu 8.04 off a 8GB SDHC card, but found the performance hit too much to bear, so I repartitioned the HD to reduce the WinXP Home partition and from it added a Linux partition plus swap partition. I left the recovery partition and could not create any more since I had reached the max. number (four) of main partitions.

I think it's quite "peppy" while surfing the internet and working on files with application programs. I don't need it to do CPU-intensive tasks, so I find it suits my needs quite well.

I had never been a fan of laptops, but this netbook won me over: 10" screen, almost full-size keyboard, nice touchpad and buttons, enough ports, etc... (I think of it as an extremely large PDA

)

Only thing that would have made it better would have been a touchscreen, ala tablet. There's a hack to do this, but I'm not that disappointed that this feature was "left-out" to try it.

I can't/won't use it as a ebook reader though!

cyan · 03-05-2009, 11:56 AM

The 1000he is also available. It's about $40 more and has 9.5 hours of battery life.

DaleDe · 03-09-2009, 06:28 PM

I also have an 1000HA. I particular like the ability to rotate the page to read a book. There is some information on doing this in our wiki.

Dale

kguthrie · 03-14-2009, 08:37 PM

I am looking to upgrade my EEpc so thanks for this.

RickyMaveety · 03-14-2009, 08:45 PM

I received my Asus Eee PC 1000HE yesterday, and so far I love it. I had it with me on the SXSW Tradeshow floor today, and it came in no end of handy.

Especially when all of the laptops at a particular vendor were occupied, and I wanted to find out some additional online information about the company.

It's a great little machine. 160GB HD, and I bought another gig of RAM to put in it. Peppy is indeed a great descriptive.

nrapallo · 03-14-2009, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

I received my Asus Eee PC 1000HE yesterday, and so far I love it. I had it with me on the SXSW Tradeshow floor today, and it came in no end of handy.

Especially when all of the laptops at a particular vendor were occupied, and I wanted to find out some additional online information about the company.

It's a great little machine. 160GB HD, and I bought another gig of RAM to put in it. Peppy is indeed a great descriptive.

I also had installed another GIG of RAM making it 2 GIGs when I noted it was "peppy"!

Not too sure if the default 1 GIG RAM would have felt that same (I knew I wanted to upgrade the RAM when I bought it and did it soon afterwards).

RickyMaveety · 03-14-2009, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrapallo

I also had installed another GIG of RAM making it 2 GIGs when I noted it was "peppy"!

Not too sure if the default 1 GIG RAM would have felt that same (I knew I wanted to upgrade the RAM when I bought it and did it soon afterwards).

Well, the extra RAM hasn't been installed yet. It's still sitting next to the bathroom sink where I dumped it with some personal items when I walked in the door the other day. It arrived before the computer.

So, even without the extra RAM installed, it's not half bad. Although, I haven't tried running a lot of programs all at once yet either. In fact, I haven't had time to install much of anything on it yet.

Installed Firefox, trashed IE 7 ... went to install ObjectDock, and then got an error message saying it needed to have IE 7 installed in order to run ... went WTF?? OK, I'm tired, took my meds and went to bed.

wmrawls · 03-14-2009, 09:49 PM

I'm still running with the 1 Gig of RAM and have to tell you that this thing is as peppy as I need. RAM is so cheap now that at some point I may pick up another Gig but so far I really see no need to do the upgrade. Battery life is proving to be every bit as good as advertised. I have had it long enough now to get a good feel for the "whole" package and I really have not identified any short comings based on my pre purchase expectations. Bottom line I am a walking advertisement for the Eee series. It really has changed the way I view my on line environment and find myself taking it with me everywhere since WIFI spots are poping up everywhere. My Dell axim has been regulated to a few games I still play on it.

DaleDe · 03-15-2009, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrapallo

I also had installed another GIG of RAM making it 2 GIGs when I noted it was "peppy"!

Not too sure if the default 1 GIG RAM would have felt that same (I knew I wanted to upgrade the RAM when I bought it and did it soon afterwards).

I haven't bothered yet but replacing the 1 Gig with a 2 Gig is not particularly expensive (that is what you have to do on my HA). If you bring up the task manager and note the amount of memory you are using you can see if you need it. It you aren't using all 1 Gig you won't even notice any difference if you add a second Gig.

Dale

Elsi · 03-15-2009, 07:48 PM

I'm debating between the ASUS EEE PC and an ACER. A friend bought his-and-her ACER netbooks a month ago and brought them to a conference we attended two weeks ago. Nifty little things and only a small bit larger than my Kindle!

AnemicOak · 03-15-2009, 07:51 PM

I'm looking at the Asus 1000HE. Are there others from other brands anyone knows of that I should be looking at that are similar? MSI, Dell???

jgray · 03-15-2009, 09:48 PM

I received my 1000HE about a week ago. I held off on a netbook because of screen size, keyboard and battery life. IMO, of the current crop of netbooks, I think the Asus 1000HE is the best deal. It has the same 10 inch screen that they all do, but has the best battery life.

I considered the Acer netbook which costs about the same, but the extended battery on the Acer sticks out like a growth on the bottom rear. The Asus is more streamlined. A minor point, but I think the streamlined form factor makes for better handling.

I wouldn't buy the earlier Asus models because of the bad keyboard layout. Thankfully, that has been corrected on the 1000HE. I am used to the sculpted keys of a conventional keyboard, but I find that the flat, "chicklet" keys on the 1000HE are quite easy to type on. The reason Asus didn't use sculpted keys is so you would have more surface area to type on, while lessening that crowded feel. I've been a touch typist since high school (a long time ago), so I am very picky about keyboards. The 1000HE keyboard is a very good compromise for a netbook.

I have recently traded my beloved Nokia N800, so the 1000HE is now my primary ebook reader. Using FBReader and a somewhat larger font, it makes an excellent reader. The LED backlit screen is evenly lit and very easy to read. I find it easier on the eyes than my 21 inch Samsung LCD, which has a CCFL backlight. I dim the screen to about 25-30% on the 1000HE, as with full brightness you almost need sunglasses

I went for a netbook instead of a dedicated reader because I wanted multifunctionality and could only afford one device. It is not as small or lightweight as a dedicated reader, but it is small and light enough to carry around, compared to a laptop. With the extended battery life, it beats any laptop I have every seen.

At some point in the future, I will probably buy a dedicated reader. But for my current needs and available funds, this netbook suits me just fine.

RickyMaveety · 03-16-2009, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I'm looking at the Asus 1000HE. Are there others from other brands anyone knows of that I should be looking at that are similar? MSI, Dell???

I was originally going to get an MSI Wind, but then I looked into battery life and the dimensions with and without battery installed, and the ASUS came out on top.

I bought the 2G RAM module for maybe $30 and installed it today. It is extremely easy to install the additional RAM, and it is my understanding that, while the MSI and ACER netbooks will take an additional gig of RAM, you actually void your warranty if you open the unit to install it.

I've run into warranty provisions before like that (most notably from Sony), and I think they are just plain nuts.

As far as I could tell, that does not appear to be the case with ASUS, and the additional RAM is blindingly easy to install. It took me less than 30 seconds.

AnemicOak · 03-16-2009, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

...it is my understanding that, while the MSI and ACER netbooks will take an additional gig of RAM, you actually void your warranty if you open the unit to install it.

That's crazy. My six year old nephew could install RAM in one of these things.

03-04-2009, 04:26 PM	#1
wmrawls Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 20 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Rock Hill,SC Device: Sony PRS 505, Dell Axim X50V	Asus Eee PC 1000HA New and First Impressions Thought I would share this because I am steadily downsizing in the PC direction but asking for more on the Sony Reader side....hmmm wonder what that says about me? .................................................. .. As a long time owner of Dell Axims I have been very happy with them but have found that my X51V no longer fit the bill for me when I travel. My basic laptop for Travel, work supplied, has been an IBM R52 and as my travels have increased over the last year I have grown tired of hauling it around, underfoot on airplanes, short battery life and just in general a pain in the fanny. As I have searched for a suitable replacement or substitute I have talked to a great many people and researched the Internet trying to find the perfect balance between comfort, portability and functionality. The ASUS 1000HA has answered the call and answered it well. Its light weight, has a long battery life and with a 160 GB hard drive certainly capable of large amounts of data storage. Initial set up was incredibly easy. Mine came equipped with XP home and I am content with that as an OS, 1 gig of RAM has preformed adequately and with a built in SD card reader, 3 USB ports and a standard network connection as well as wireless its ready to preform in a multitude of environments. Also equipped with a Mic and earphone connectors, Oh its also equipped with an external connector for video output or external monitor. A built in Webcam is very sharp for those who desire video conferencing. Bear in mind this device does not come with a DVD / CD player reader so you have to have an external source for data transfer but come on the group on this site will have no trouble figuring out the many ways of transferring data to and from the device. I have an external DVD/CD drive that is USB connected and its a snap to set up and do its thing. I also have several thumb drives and again they pop in and your off to the races on data transfer. Keyboard is approximately 92% the size of a normal keyboard and has a standard layout so its pretty easy to navigate. The touch pad is fairly easy to adjust to and I will probably pick up a small wireless mouse but since most of the time it will be used while on my lap its a low priority. A friend that has a slightly older model has purchased a long life battery for about $80 and he likes it because it has a bulky rear and elevates the rear of the laptop and makes the keyboard a little more comfortable for him....myself, well I will wait a while and see if I need the extra battery. So far I have found nothing that I did not expect.....well one thing. It comes in a Glossy Black and A Glossy WHITE....the black does smudge a lot. So if your picky about that you might want to go with the white. And by the way I picked this beauty up at Tiger Direct for a delivered price of $336USD....well within my budget. So far so good. Last edited by wmrawls; 03-04-2009 at 04:28 PM.

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03-04-2009, 05:39 PM	#2
nrapallo GuteBook/Mobi2IMP Creator Posts: 2,958 Karma: 2530691 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: REB1200 EBW1150 Device: T1 NSTG iLiad_v2 NC Device: Asus_TF Next1 WPDN	I have one of the eariler 80GB models (in finger-print loving black ) and adore this netbook! Didn't like the 1024x600 resolution, though, so quickly installed the hack to stretch it to 1024x768 even though you loose some scan lines in the process. I had originally run Ubuntu 8.04 off a 8GB SDHC card, but found the performance hit too much to bear, so I repartitioned the HD to reduce the WinXP Home partition and from it added a Linux partition plus swap partition. I left the recovery partition and could not create any more since I had reached the max. number (four) of main partitions. I think it's quite "peppy" while surfing the internet and working on files with application programs. I don't need it to do CPU-intensive tasks, so I find it suits my needs quite well. I had never been a fan of laptops, but this netbook won me over: 10" screen, almost full-size keyboard, nice touchpad and buttons, enough ports, etc... (I think of it as an extremely large PDA ) Only thing that would have made it better would have been a touchscreen, ala tablet. There's a hack to do this, but I'm not that disappointed that this feature was "left-out" to try it. I can't/won't use it as a ebook reader though!

03-05-2009, 11:56 AM	#3
cyan Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 479297 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: SF Bay Area Device: PRS-505, kindle, android	The 1000he is also available. It's about $40 more and has 9.5 hours of battery life.

03-09-2009, 06:28 PM	#4
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	I also have an 1000HA. I particular like the ability to rotate the page to read a book. There is some information on doing this in our wiki. Dale

03-14-2009, 08:37 PM	#5
kguthrie Member Posts: 13 Karma: 20 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none	I am looking to upgrade my EEpc so thanks for this.

03-14-2009, 08:45 PM	#6
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	I received my Asus Eee PC 1000HE yesterday, and so far I love it. I had it with me on the SXSW Tradeshow floor today, and it came in no end of handy. Especially when all of the laptops at a particular vendor were occupied, and I wanted to find out some additional online information about the company. It's a great little machine. 160GB HD, and I bought another gig of RAM to put in it. Peppy is indeed a great descriptive.

03-14-2009, 09:49 PM	#9
wmrawls Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 20 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Rock Hill,SC Device: Sony PRS 505, Dell Axim X50V	I'm still running with the 1 Gig of RAM and have to tell you that this thing is as peppy as I need. RAM is so cheap now that at some point I may pick up another Gig but so far I really see no need to do the upgrade. Battery life is proving to be every bit as good as advertised. I have had it long enough now to get a good feel for the "whole" package and I really have not identified any short comings based on my pre purchase expectations. Bottom line I am a walking advertisement for the Eee series. It really has changed the way I view my on line environment and find myself taking it with me everywhere since WIFI spots are poping up everywhere. My Dell axim has been regulated to a few games I still play on it.

03-15-2009, 07:48 PM	#11
Elsi Wizard Posts: 2,366 Karma: 12000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas, USA Device: Kindle; Sony PRS 505; Blackberry 8700C	I'm debating between the ASUS EEE PC and an ACER. A friend bought his-and-her ACER netbooks a month ago and brought them to a conference we attended two weeks ago. Nifty little things and only a small bit larger than my Kindle!

03-15-2009, 07:51 PM	#12
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	I'm looking at the Asus 1000HE. Are there others from other brands anyone knows of that I should be looking at that are similar? MSI, Dell???

03-15-2009, 09:48 PM	#13
jgray Fanatic Posts: 548 Karma: 2928497 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Clara 2E & Sage	I received my 1000HE about a week ago. I held off on a netbook because of screen size, keyboard and battery life. IMO, of the current crop of netbooks, I think the Asus 1000HE is the best deal. It has the same 10 inch screen that they all do, but has the best battery life. I considered the Acer netbook which costs about the same, but the extended battery on the Acer sticks out like a growth on the bottom rear. The Asus is more streamlined. A minor point, but I think the streamlined form factor makes for better handling. I wouldn't buy the earlier Asus models because of the bad keyboard layout. Thankfully, that has been corrected on the 1000HE. I am used to the sculpted keys of a conventional keyboard, but I find that the flat, "chicklet" keys on the 1000HE are quite easy to type on. The reason Asus didn't use sculpted keys is so you would have more surface area to type on, while lessening that crowded feel. I've been a touch typist since high school (a long time ago), so I am very picky about keyboards. The 1000HE keyboard is a very good compromise for a netbook. I have recently traded my beloved Nokia N800, so the 1000HE is now my primary ebook reader. Using FBReader and a somewhat larger font, it makes an excellent reader. The LED backlit screen is evenly lit and very easy to read. I find it easier on the eyes than my 21 inch Samsung LCD, which has a CCFL backlight. I dim the screen to about 25-30% on the 1000HE, as with full brightness you almost need sunglasses I went for a netbook instead of a dedicated reader because I wanted multifunctionality and could only afford one device. It is not as small or lightweight as a dedicated reader, but it is small and light enough to carry around, compared to a laptop. With the extended battery life, it beats any laptop I have every seen. At some point in the future, I will probably buy a dedicated reader. But for my current needs and available funds, this netbook suits me just fine.