ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook - 10.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

UPDATE…IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS READING ALL THESE REVIEWS: This ASUS model has only been out since the end of October. Many negative reviews of this product mention owning it for much longer and so must not be about this exact machine.

Relevant context for this review: This is my first netbook and I have been a strong Mac OS convert for the past 2 and 1/2 years. I swore I would never purchase anything with a Windows OS again, but bought this because the price, size, and battery life were what I needed. I have the Blue one.

BOTTOM LINE: I have been playing with my netbook for three weeks (as of this Nov 23rd update to this review) and can say that it is everything I expected.

POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS:

- Battery life is incredible and recharges in an hour (max): I did some light web-surfing for a couple hours one night and had 82% of battery left when I was done. UPDATE: I watched a 45 min. episode of Mad Men that I downloaded and it only used up about 10% of the battery. Pretty awesome.

- Size is great: about the size of a hardcover novel.

- Weight is much better: half the weight of my MacBook Pro, the same weight as my girlfriend’s MacBook Air.

- Price point is right: I got mine for $387 and feel like anything $400 or less is a fair price for what you get.

- Screen is small, crisp, and clear: Larger would be easier to see, but small is the point of a netbook, right?

- Windows 7 Starter is adequate: Not sluggish, even with 4 windows open at a time. I’m still getting re-familiarized with the Windows 7 file structure and how you install applications, etc, but that’s not a fault of Windows 7. There is a wallpaper application on the Asus website that allows you to make any photo your wallpaper (look under “Downloads” for Windows 7…I think it’s first on the list).

- Asus tech support was helpful and efficient: Yes, I had to call when I was initializing Windows 7 because I got an endless “Initializing icon” during set-up. They said something must not have installed right on set-up.

- Keyboard is smaller but acceptably easy to use: Again, small is the point, so you have to expect some difference. I have to look when I type or I make mistakes (normally, I type by touch). I hit “z” instead of “shift” if I don’t look.

NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONS:

- Asus almost hides their phone # for customer support on the website and the book that comes with the netbook just lists the website. Not helpful if you don’t have other access to web when having trouble.

- I had to call Asus support during set-up. Yes, it was resolved quickly, but this is the kind of thing you don’t have to do with Mac OS and why I get frustrated with Windows.

- Have to protect from viruses again: Netbook comes with free, 61-day protection, but I hate having to pay and update protection all the time. UPDATE: See first comment below for a tip about free virus protection.

- Not a great “lap top” computer. It’s very small size, makes it hard to use on your lap. Much easier to use sitting at a table.

- Pretty hokey, kid-like Eee PC toolbar seems like more of a link to stuff you can purchase (games, etc.) than a heavy-duty “tool” that is provided to make Eee PC experience Eeesier. UPDATE: I figured out how to get rid of this under settings, so this is a non-issue now.

Okay, that’s my impression so far. Will update if it changes. I think I’m going to keep it and take it on an 18 hour flight and two week trip to South Africa next week. Hoping to be able to use it to play (on plane), skype, and research travel/touring info while away.

************ Nov 2nd Update ****************

I’m liking the machine more every day. I have now put itunes and doubletwist on my machine so that I can sync my Palm Pre (phone) and access all of my itunes music and other media purchased through itunes. Both are working great. I have also installed a bunch of things I need to patch the WebOS code on my Palm Pre and that is working like a dream. Lastly, I downloaded open office (free open-source word processing, spreadsheet, and slide show and more) and plan to use that instead of paying for MS Office.

************ Nov 23 Update *****************

I just returned from a two week trip to South Africa–the main reason I purchased this netbook when I did–and the netbook performed very well. I skyped, connected to many different wireless networks all over SA, transferred hundreds of photos from memory card each day, created a slideshow to share with family on my way back, watched downloaded TV shows on plane, read email, searched weather and surf reports, and only had to recharge the machine three times over the duration of the trip. Pretty awesome!

I have now owned this machine since about a week after release (a total of 3 weeks now) and it continues to meet my expectations and more. Windows 7 runs well for me (which is a relief after some bad experiences with earlier Windows platforms), the battery life is excellent (as advertised), and the machine charges quickly.

I have still not experienced any of the power issues a few other reviewers note and think it is definitely worth noting some of those reviewers say they have had the machine longer than it has been out (and so perhaps they are reviewing a different model??).

For more information on this product visit Amazon.com

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook - 10.5 Hour Battery Life

I honestly don’t know where to start with this review of the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BU netbook that I bought. I have read all 152 previous reviews on Amazon.com and a whole bunch of others that I found on computer oriented Internet sites. The four and five star ratings far outnumbered the negative ones, but it was the couple of dozen unenthusiastic reviews that scared the heck out of me. I delayed ordering the computer because of the horror stories of bad batteries, faulty chargers and blue screen crashes.

Eventually, I noticed that most of these critical reviews referred to the battery or to the charging brick and most of those were describing what could have easily been mistakes made by the owners of the machine. They didn’t attach the power cord properly or the charging time was too short and some didn’t seem to understand how to determine when the battery was fully charged. Some complainers faulted the battery life, but didn’t take into account what was running or turned on when using the computer. The battery is drained more quickly when the computer is operating with all rockets running. In other words, when I subtracted the operator associated problems or misconceptions from the difficulty with the Asus hardware there were only a few legitimate complaints about the machine. In reading reviews of other machines it was obvious that they had their share of detractors too. One gripe I can verify is how the Asus Eee PC lid is a fingerprint magnet. It really is.

I researched about all of the netbooks on the market today (Acer, HP, Toshiba, Dell, Samsung and of course the Asus Eee PC line. Having purchased one of the first Eee mini-laptops (the 7 inch 701 with a Linux operating system) when they first came out I have been impressed with the quality and dependability of the Asus product. I suppose that is one reason why I kept gravitating to the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BU as I explored the reviews for other brands–in spite of the warnings about unworkable battery chargers and inoperative batteries I bought the Asus Eee PC.

Frankly after exploring the field, I concluded that most of the netbooks for sale today are not all that much different in features, price or even quality. They all have built-in cameras, 10.1 inch screens, Windows XP operating systems, a plethora of USB ports, a card reader, WiFi and most have a few color choices. The main difference is probably the ten hour battery that is unique and ships with the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BU. All of the other netbooks had three or six hour batteries on board. I wanted the netbook to use on long airplane flights so the long life battery was a real plus for me. I also liked the idea of being able to restore the computer with an fn-key instead of relying on a CD to come out of hiding in case of big trouble. The Asus Eee PC is sleek and that big battery doesn’t stick out on the back edge like the other netbook high capacity batteries do. The `P’ model of the Asus Eee PC has Bluetooth built in and a nice cushy zippered sleeve to protect it while traveling.

I have been using my Asus Eee PC 1005HA just as it came out of the box–no memory upgrade, no Windows 7 and no additional software. I find it just about perfect the way it is. You should understand that this is not a full featured laptop squeezed into a smaller and manageable size. The keyboards are 92% the size of those found on a standard computer and the machines run a little hot. Those 10.1 inch screens are a bit cramped if several toolbars have been turned on. The main thing you might miss on the netbooks is a CD/DVD drive. There ain’t one. However, an external CD/DVD drive can be purchased for about $65. Anyhow, a netbook is meant to be a small back to basics mini-computer for word processing, e-mail, Web surfing and other fundamental computing, but don’t expect to play a lot of high end games or edit photographs on it. Once you see a netbook in your future, the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BU is worth a look.

OK, here is my feeling about the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BU after two weeks of use: I like it a lot; the battery and charger problems I feared so much have not materialized. I am satisfied with my choice and recommend the machine over all of the others I researched. If something really bad happens to my new Asus Eee PC as I use it longer, I will edit this review and let you know about it. I am still a little worried about that battery thing.

P.S. I used a thin coating of guitar polish/wax buffed onto the lid and the finger print problem was diminished considerably.

FOLLOW-UP:

I thought it is about time to update my earlier review of the Asus Eee PC 1005HA netbook. I may have left you with some question about the battery and charging system–I am sorry about that. I no longer have any qualms about batteries or chargers. After almost two months of using my new Eee PC 1005HA I can report no problem with the battery, bringing the battery to a full charge (realistically about 9 ½ hours) or the charging brick itself. Flawless is a word that comes to mind.

While I am at it, I might as well report complete satisfaction with the Eee PC 1005HA build. It is a well made netbook and everything fits and works. It is sleek and solid. It is a little bit on the heavy side, but I don’t have a problem with that. The keyboard is large enough to accommodate touch typing with ease. The machine boots up quickly. It has plenty of memory (1 GB) on board for how I use it–e-mail, web surfing and word processing with the Microsoft WORKS program which is included.

The Windows XP operating system has functioned perfectly. I set up my home network WiFi connection with the netbook easily, quickly and effectively. The Bluetooth feature worked very well too. Some of the Asus special on screen controls, update and expand features built into the machine have not been all that useful and some border on being advertisements for buying Asus stuff. Those things are not obtrusive and can be easily ignored.

I have added the ASUS USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive to my little machine, but have not really used it very much. I got it just in case I wanted to add some software to my netbook or perhaps store some data on disks. Frankly, making that rather spendy purchase for “just in case” reasons is probably rather silly, but I did it anyhow.

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA remains a fingerprint magnet in spite of my occasional clean up with guitar polish. I guess having to live with some smudges on the shiny lid is not a big deal.

I still recommend the Asus Eee PC 1005HA after using it for awhile. I am convinced that this netbook is the best one on the market today.

For more information on this product visit Amazon.com

Acer AOD250-1197 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook - Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

The Acer Aspire D250 is a great netbook PC, and the 1197 flavor contains four differentiators:
(1) Windows 7 Starter OS
(2) 250GB hard disk drive
(3) 6 cell battery (~8 hours’ lifespan)
(4) the standard English keyboard layout

..and it comes in blue

Having visited 8 different retail stores and having tried/returned two Asus 1005HA’s, I spent a considerable amount of time comparing / contrasting models.

In comparing the Acer Aspire One D250 to the bestselling Asus 1005HA-PU17 and other netbooks:
(1) The D250 is lighter, even with the 6 cell battery. If one were to buy the 3 cell battery (~2 hour life) to save even more weight, it would be in the featherweight category. The Asus 1005HA’s battery is so bulky and unbalanced it almost makes the netbook want to teeter-totter around its back legs.

(2) The D250 is quieter. Unlike the 1005HA, the fan does not turn on when browsing the web, running virus scans, etc.

(3) The D250’s keyboard is 89% the size of a regular keyboard, and it is smaller than Dell, HP, and Asus 10″ netbook keyboards. However, I was able to type my usual 70WPM without issue.

(4) The D250 has _NO_ hard disk vibrations. The Asus 1005HA had hard drive vibrations that were not only noticeable, they ran straight into my wrists and were irritating. Many other 10″ netbooks have this problem too. This issue becomes very noticeable when you spend 15 minutes drafting a document or writing an e-mail.

(5) The 1005HA has a slightly bigger touchpad.

Canadian users would be wise to order the 1197 version of the D250 as the U.S. keyboard is much easier to use than the multilingual French/English keyboard. The Shift keys are wide, and the Enter key can be reached easily. Such is not the case with the multilingual keyboard.

My only complaint is that I prefer a matte screen to the glossy screen. It is vulnerable to reflections and glare.

***Notes on Windows 7***
Windows 7 Starter is very comparable to Windows XP. The main feature disabled on Win7 Starter edition is the “Aero” feature, which is standard on Win7 Home Edition or Premium versions. However, the Intel Atom/N270 and Intel 950 GMA chipset lacks the graphics horsepower to run “Aero,” even if one were to upgrade Win7 editions. This hindrance applies to any netbook with the N270/950 chipset (Asus, HP 110, Dell Mini), not just the Acer D250. At the time this review was written, upgrading from Starter to Home Premium had a steep price tag — in the $75 – $80 range. And the “Aero” feature would have to be disabled anyway…

Nevertheless, the Acer D250 is among the best built, the quietest, and lightest of the 10″ Intel Atom based netbooks available today. Highly recommended.

For more information on this product visit Amazon.com

Acer AOD250-1694 10.1-Inch White Netbook - Up to 8 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

I recently purchased the Acer Aspire One netbook from Amazon after alot of heavy research. I know computers fairly well, but I’ve never owned a netbook, nor have I ever really messed with one, so needless to say, I didn’t really know what to expect. When I received it, I wasted no time in setting it up. I must also mention that this is my first experience with Windows 7. The set-up was a breeze and the computer started up pretty quick. The first thing that surprised me was that this netbook wasn’t really loaded with that much junk, so cleaning it off was quick. Both WiFi and Ethernet set up were quick and easy. The netbook had no problems with installing anything. I put Rhapsody on it as soon as I got it and it runs smooth, which surprised me because Rhapsody sometimes makes my desktop HP slow up quite frequently. I might add, for those who don’t know already, get rid of Internet Explorer. Its FAR too slow to do anything. Instead, download Google Chrome or Firefox. I’m currently using Google Chrome and I love it.

As I sat with it longer, I only found one thing that I really didn’t like, but was easily fixed. The problem? Windows 7 Starter Edition. I’m not joining the hate crowd on this one, since I think its fine for the most part. Starter has pretty much everything I need, except the ability to change the wallpaper.

Microsoft not giving the option to change the wallpaper seems like a cheap way to get people to upgrade IMO, but I fixed this by downloading a free program that lets you change it anyway, so my problem there was fixed. I also noticed that alot of the information about the starter edition is wrong on alot of websites, such as the starter edition not having windows media player, which to my surprise, it did.

Moving on, the netbook itself is VERY quiet, hardly any noise coming from it. Its pretty nice looking, and looks well made as far as I can tell. The keyboard took some getting used to, along with the weirdly placed backspace key. But other than that, its a very nicely built netbook. I would easily recommend this to anyone looking for a great netbook for a reasonable price.

For more information on this product visit Amazon.com

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hour Battery Life

There are three US versions of the Asus 1005HA:

- Best Buy offers the 1005HA-B for $299 (plus tax). It features the N270 (1.6GHz 533FSB) cpu, glossy display, 3-Cell 23Wh Li-ion Battery (4 hrs), and a 1.3MP webcam. Excluded are the Bluetooth module, 10GB online Eee storage, and netbook sleeve. This is obviously the “Basic” model. I was able to demo this unit at Best Buy on June 27th, and IMO you are giving up quite a bit for the ~$60 savings over the ‘P’ model. Not to mention that as of now Asus will not sell you a spare 3 or 6-cell Li-Ion battery.

- The 1005HA-V is in the middle of the bunch and the only one with a matte display. Those that frequently work outdoors or despise reflections will appreciate the matted display. It also features a N270 cpu, 6-cell 48Wh Li-ion Battery (8.5 hrs), 0.3MP webcam (according to Amazon specs, but it may in fact be 1.3MP), no Bluetooth, and absent again is the netbook sleeve.

- So in a nutshell (or would that be seashell?) the 1005HA-P offers the faster N280 cpu, glossy display, 1.3MP webcam, 6-Cell 63Wh Li-ion Battery with a whopping 10.5 hrs run time, Bluetooth v2.1, and a black netbook sleeve. Realistic battery numbers are between 8.5-9hrs. of battery life if you’re using wifi & doing email/word processing/YouTube/web surfing.

The glossy LED display offers excellent color and contrast when used indoors. I was also pleasantly surprised with the excellent horizontal viewing angles. Keep in mind that once you get in a room full of light or step outdoors screen reflections could become annoying. I’ve used mine outside on a sunny day, and the screen is still very much legible. In fact it was much more detailed than the matte screen on my Dell D600.

All three units come with the Digital Array Mic which consists of two powerful microphones. Ambient background noises are eliminated, as well as reduced echoes for clearer voice recording. What’s more, with only direct sound (within 60°) recorded, you’ll obtain better voice capture. I’ve tested the mic with Skype, and it’s loud and clear once you fine tune using the Realtek HD Audio manager. All models also include a WiFi 802.11 b/g/n adapter and 160GB 5400RPM hard drive. My 1005HA-P contains a Hitachi HTS543216L9SA00 hard drive and Atheros AR9285 wifi card. Atheros chipsets are known for excellent range and are typically less prone to connection drops. I’d like to point out that the AR9285 is only capable of 150Mbps.

All three variations of the 1005HA ship with 1GB DDR2 800MHz memory. The good news is that you can remove the memory door on the bottom of the chassis and swap it out for a 2GB DDR2 200-pin SODIMM in under 2 minutes. Anytime you install new memory I’d recommend running a Prime95 “Blend” torture test for 12-24 hrs to make sure your system is stable. The Eee Super Hybrid Engine utility lets users overclock or underclock their Eee PC’s to boost performance or provide better battery life depending on their immediate requirements. In Super Performance mode CPU-Z shows the bus speed to increase up to 169.9MHz which translates into roughly 1.7GHz. One way to quickly change modes is to press Fn + spacebar.

One word of advice is to be really careful about which anti-malware software you install since it will degrade performance both on and off the internet on these netbooks. Whatever you elect to install I would highly recommend you benchmark the performance both before and after. In regards to free anti-viruses that run light I would tip my hat to Antivir (nag screen can be disabled by searching Google) and Panda Cloud. For pay versions Norton 2010 & NOD32 should be considered.

One minor annoyance is that the display will not tilt back as far as some people may like. The glossy chassis is also a fingerprint magnet. A few other things I’d like to point out is that you must push the micro-sized right angle end of the ac adapter until it snaps in place or the battery may not charge. In addition the ac adapter does get quite hot while it is actively charging the battery, which Asus clearly mentions in the user manual, so one should not be alarmed over the heat output. The final quirk is that the hard drive is split into two 80GB (before formatting) partitions. Fortunately this can be resolved by using Easeus Partition Master Home which is a free utility.

Overall I am extremely satisfied with the 1005HA-P, and it is arguably the finest 10″ netbook on the market. Keep in mind that if you want a White or Pink shell you’ll be limited to the ‘B’ or ‘V’ models. Asus has already released the two aforementioned colors in Europe & Asia, so hopefully by the end of 2009 we’ll get them as an option on the ‘P’ model. Be sure to check out the Amazon community forum for this product located towards the bottom of this page if you require additional enlightenment. You’ll find a lot of tips, tricks, and general FAQ’s.

For more information on this product visit Amazon.com

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Starter)

UPDATE…IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS READING ALL THESE REVIEWS: This ASUS model has only been out since the end of October. Many negative reviews of this product mention owning it for much longer and so must not be about this exact machine.

Relevant context for this review: This is my first netbook and I have been a strong Mac OS convert for the past 2 and 1/2 years. I swore I would never purchase anything with a Windows OS again, but bought this because the price, size, and battery life were what I needed. I have the Blue one.

BOTTOM LINE: I have been playing with my netbook for three weeks (as of this Nov 23rd update to this review) and can say that it is everything I expected.

POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS:

- Battery life is incredible and recharges in an hour (max): I did some light web-surfing for a couple hours one night and had 82% of battery left when I was done. UPDATE: I watched a 45 min. episode of Mad Men that I downloaded and it only used up about 10% of the battery. Pretty awesome.

- Size is great: about the size of a hardcover novel.

- Weight is much better: half the weight of my MacBook Pro, the same weight as my girlfriend’s MacBook Air.

- Price point is right: I got mine for $387 and feel like anything $400 or less is a fair price for what you get.

- Screen is small, crisp, and clear: Larger would be easier to see, but small is the point of a netbook, right?

- Windows 7 Starter is adequate: Not sluggish, even with 4 windows open at a time. I’m still getting re-familiarized with the Windows 7 file structure and how you install applications, etc, but that’s not a fault of Windows 7. There is a wallpaper application on the Asus website that allows you to make any photo your wallpaper (look under “Downloads” for Windows 7…I think it’s first on the list).

- Asus tech support was helpful and efficient: Yes, I had to call when I was initializing Windows 7 because I got an endless “Initializing icon” during set-up. They said something must not have installed right on set-up.

- Keyboard is smaller but acceptably easy to use: Again, small is the point, so you have to expect some difference. I have to look when I type or I make mistakes (normally, I type by touch). I hit “z” instead of “shift” if I don’t look.

NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONS:

- Asus almost hides their phone # for customer support on the website and the book that comes with the netbook just lists the website. Not helpful if you don’t have other access to web when having trouble.

- I had to call Asus support during set-up. Yes, it was resolved quickly, but this is the kind of thing you don’t have to do with Mac OS and why I get frustrated with Windows.

- Have to protect from viruses again: Netbook comes with free, 61-day protection, but I hate having to pay and update protection all the time. UPDATE: See first comment below for a tip about free virus protection.

- Not a great “lap top” computer. It’s very small size, makes it hard to use on your lap. Much easier to use sitting at a table.

- Pretty hokey, kid-like Eee PC toolbar seems like more of a link to stuff you can purchase (games, etc.) than a heavy-duty “tool” that is provided to make Eee PC experience Eeesier. UPDATE: I figured out how to get rid of this under settings, so this is a non-issue now.

Okay, that’s my impression so far. Will update if it changes. I think I’m going to keep it and take it on an 18 hour flight and two week trip to South Africa next week. Hoping to be able to use it to play (on plane), skype, and research travel/touring info while away.

************ Nov 2nd Update ****************

I’m liking the machine more every day. I have now put itunes and doubletwist on my machine so that I can sync my Palm Pre (phone) and access all of my itunes music and other media purchased through itunes. Both are working great. I have also installed a bunch of things I need to patch the WebOS code on my Palm Pre and that is working like a dream. Lastly, I downloaded open office (free open-source word processing, spreadsheet, and slide show and more) and plan to use that instead of paying for MS Office.

************ Nov 23 Update *****************

I just returned from a two week trip to South Africa–the main reason I purchased this netbook when I did–and the netbook performed very well. I skyped, connected to many different wireless networks all over SA, transferred hundreds of photos from memory card each day, created a slideshow to share with family on my way back, watched downloaded TV shows on plane, read email, searched weather and surf reports, and only had to recharge the machine three times over the duration of the trip. Pretty awesome!

I have now owned this machine since about a week after release (a total of 3 weeks now) and it continues to meet my expectations and more. Windows 7 runs well for me (which is a relief after some bad experiences with earlier Windows platforms), the battery life is excellent (as advertised), and the machine charges quickly.

I have still not experienced any of the power issues a few other reviewers note and think it is definitely worth noting some of those reviewers say they have had the machine longer than it has been out (and so perhaps they are reviewing a different model??).

For more information on this product visit Amazon.com