The Asus Eee PC 1000H – Best Value for Money
If you’re new to the scene of “nettops”, otherwise known as “AFFORDABLE PORTABLE LAPTOPS FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT GET A VAIO”, then you probably will be overwhelmed by the flood of available choices in the market. I will spare you the agony of venturing into unknown territory, get the ASUS Eee PC 1000H @ $888. Here’s why……
SIZE MATTERS
The first decision you will face is whether to go for a 8.9 inch or 10.2 inch screen size. For 8.9 inch, your choice lies in the Asus Eee PC 901 ($798), Acer Aspire One ($699), and HP Mini-Note ($999). For 10.2 inch, you have the Eee PC 1000 series and MSI Wind ($859). Both screen boast 1024 x 600 resolution, but I strongly feel that in order for you to be functional, the 10.2 inch is the clear choice. Everything will be more legible, and you don’t have to stick your neck out to get a “clearer” view. And if you’re even considering “sharing” the screen with a colleague or client, the bigger screen real estate will come in very handy. So the Asus Eee 1000H meets the criteria.
Next is the size of the keyboard. No one planning to get any serious job done will accept a shrunk keyboard. Basically all models in the market have close to full size keyboard, except the Eee 700 series and 900 series. Avoid these at all cost. Again the the Asus Eee 1000H meets the mark.
Finally, there’s no optical drive on all nettops. So if you’re planning to watch movies or listen to songs, it will all have be to stored in the unit itself. So when it comes to storage space, the bigger the better, and the Asus Eee 1000H comes with 80GB of storage space.
PORTABILITY IS NOTING IF THERE’S NO POWER
Most of the nettops in the market are utilizing Intel’s Atom processor, with the exception of the HP Mini-Note, Eee 700 series and Eee PC 900. So in terms of raw processing power, there’s no distinctive winner.
When it comes to battery power to last the distance, the Asus Eee comes shipped with a 6 cell battery, promising to give up to 8 hours of usage under optimized condition. The other 10.2 inch, MSI Wind is currently facing an inventory crunch, and their first batch of Wind was sold with a 3 cell battery, with a 6 cell version coming soon in Aug / Sep at a price premium. At this point in time, the Asus Eee 1000H has no competition in sight for 10.2 incher when it comes to battery life.
BETTER SUPPORT
Have you heard of or used Linux before? If the answer is no, buying a netbook with Linux installed is akin to buying a manual transmission car when you only have an auto transmission licence. Simply put, Linux is not ready for the masses. Don’t buy it for the “cute” interface, because when you try to connect your printer or any other 3rd party peripherals, drivers issue will pop up and there’s not much help on hand. Windows XP is the way to go, and the Asus Eee PC 1000H comes pre-installed with it.
Another form of support is vendor related. Asus has a well established presence in Singapore, so warranty should not be an issue. Perhaps even more important is the huge base of “web support” in the form of numerous forums and sites dedicated to the Eee PC. If you have got any software or hardware issue, google it and most likely the solution had been discussed or bugs identified, saving you a trip down to the service centre. Asus Eee PC series has a clear advantage.
CONCLUSION
Before I conclude, do acknowledge that the size and weight tradeoff between a 8.9 inch and 10.2 inch nettop is negligible in my personal opinion.
So why will you want to get anything else other than the Asus Eee PC 1000H? Here’s a few possible reason:
- SSD for better performance and data reliability – I say wait for SSD prices to go down, and you can replace your 80HDD for a SSD drive at a much better $ / GB ratio
- LED backlit screen – I say what’s wrong with LCD? Its a marketing gimmick, don’t get caught up with it. Power savings is negligible.
- The smaller the lighter the better – I say go ahead and get the Acer Aspire One.
- The Eee is ugly – I say you’re right. Get one that is aesthetically pleasing to your eyes, otherwise you will have to live with it.
Previously, I recommended the HP Mini-Note as the nettop for the masses, but with the introduction of the Asus Eee 1000H, that no longer holds true. With a cheaper price, ($888 vs $999), bigger screen, better trackpad, and not to mention support for next generation wireless network in the form of 802.11n, the choice is clear.
On a final note, the Acer Aspire One is currently retailing at a special price of $599 till 17th Aug 08. So if you’re planning to get a 8.9 incher, the Acer Aspire One is “THE ONE”.
Note: All prices quoted are in SGD dollars.
Reviews of the Asus Eee 1000H
Mulitouch and runs Vista
Neowster is short for Noel's & Esther's Own World. This is a personal hobbyist site, maintained mainly for the purpose of honing my knowledge in WordPress, and sharing useful information or knowledge to make someone's life easier. To a smaller extend, I hope to propagate the ideology of Crowdsourcing, as I see it as the best mechanism in regulating our unregulated capitalistic world, overcoming humanity's trait of greed, self interest, and fear, in arriving at the best decision. 
