NbC: Asus Eee PC 1000HE Review
April 28, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Build & Design
The ASUS Eee PC 1000HE keeps the same exterior looks of the 1000H, with no noticeable difference until you open up the display. Inside the new chiclet keyboard blends in with the rest of the glossy body, with the same gloss finish used between all of the keys. The overall build quality of the Eee PC 1000HE is very good. The unit feels very solid in the hand and I noticed no creaks when closing the netbook or applying pressure on the chassis.
Given the size of the 6-cell battery, there is a slight tilt when the unit is placed on a flat surface. It is hardly noticeable and in no way undermines the typing experience.
The lid has a glossy finish which gives it a classy finish, although this does mean that it is prone to fingerprints. One observation I have made is that fingerprints seem to show up less on the white 1000HE compared to the black version. Whilst the black may look sexier in all of the press pictures, finger marks are definitely more apparent.
The display does not fit flush with the case as seen in some netbooks. There is also a noticeable bezel around the screen which makes me wonder whether Asus could have fitted in a slightly bigger screen.
The signature “Eee” on the lid provides no hints as to the model enclosed within, and the overall size and weight remain identical to the 1000H’s.
The 1000HE is not the slimmest of netbooks and the impact of the obtrusive hinge has been lessened through some well placed chrome touches.
I had no problems using the unit either on a lap or table for long periods of time. The screen actually folds back quite far giving you maximum flexibility.
Apart from the hinge, Asus also have used a chrome effect on a thin strip just above the keyboard. This strip holds four buttons to the left and the power button on the right. The touchpad also has a silver effect surrounding it which blends into the mouse buttons, both placed directly underneath the touchpad.
Asus has placed four ‘Instant Keys’ just above the keyboard. The first key with a cross symbol, is the backlight key which turns off the LCD backlight. The second key allows you to reputedly switch between different screen resolutions. The third and fourth are user defined and allow you to tag your own commands to these two keys.
The power button, to the right of the chrome strip, illuminates a cool blue colour when on. The key itself is a bit rigid and often I required several attempts just to make sure it was on.
The 1000HE has several indicators on the front towards the right of the touchpad. The first indicates when the 1000HE is on or off. The next one is the battery indicator which is orange in AC mode and green when running in battery mode. The third icon along is the hard drive indicator, which blinks when data is writing or reading to the drive. The last one is the Wireless/Bluetooth indicator.
Bottom of unit
Turning the 1000HE upside down, you can see the access panel in the middle of the unit which houses the hard drive. Above that, the casing protrudes out to accommodate the bulk of the 6-cell battery and ensures that the back sits flush with each other.
Asus provides easy access to the RAM and hard drive. Just remove the two screws at the top and the panel is easily removed.
Rubber feet ensure that the 1000HE remains sturdy on most surfaces. It seems to be glued on and I wonder how they would stand the test of time.
The battery lock mechanism is simple to understand. The battery slides out quite easily, although with the wonderful battery life, I’m not too sure whether many people will need to remove the battery.
Asus has placed a tiny reset button to the right of the hard drive compartment if problems are encountered,
Dimensions
The 1000HE varies in thickness. At the back where the battery sits, the netbook is at its thickest point at 38mm (1.5-inches). When looking at these pictures, it is worth noting that the ruler does not start from zero. There is a small gap before the gradations start.
This comes down to 28.5mm (1.1-inches) towards the front.
The 1000HE is 26.6cm (10.5-inches) in width. This is consistent along the body of the netbook.
The netbook has a depth of 19.1cm (7.5-inches). As with the width, this is consistent along the body.
Weight
The official weight of the Eee PC 1000HE is 1.45kg (3.2lbs). Testing it on our scales came in at 1.5kg (3.3lbs) exactly. This makes it one of the heavier netbooks around and much of that bulk can be attributed to the 6-cell battery.
The 6-cell (8700mAh) battery alone weighed close to 400g.
We also weighed the whole package, to give you an idea how much you need to allow if taking the 1000HE on the road. Including the power supply, the whole package weighed 1.75kg (3.9lbs). Certainly not light, but I imagine many would be happy to trade off the extra weight given the superior battery life.
April 28th, 2009 4:07 PM
Asus eee pc 1000HE vs Samsung N110/N120 batterytest would be intresting. Also Windows XP vs Ubuntu 9.04 batterytest would be intresting. Is battery time lot worse if you install Ubuntu to these machines and whats difference of startup time..
April 28th, 2009 4:28 PM
A very well thought out and thorough review. Definitely one of the best ones I’ve seen, even compared to well known sites. Nice job NbC!
April 29th, 2009 2:38 PM
Mika – We’ll be looking forward to seeing how the 1000HE against Samsung’s new netbooks soon enough.
Regarding the Ubuntu tests, it could be quite interesting to see if there is a difference. Hopefully, we’ll have the time to try that next time.
Igor – Thanks for the compliment. Hope you’re enjoying your 1000HE as much as we did. It’s a shame we had to give ours back…
April 29th, 2009 7:51 PM
I suppose operating time with Windows XP is better, but how big difference is with XP and Ubuntu would be nice to know. I suppose that Samsung and other companys support Windows at their battery save mode, if there is not Linux support time difference can be quite big. I just would like to install Ubuntu to Netbook, course then maybe wouldnt need virus software that takes CPU and it again uses more battery.
May 1st, 2009 5:18 PM
Pros:
1. Battery Life – It really is that good. I can get a real world value of 7.5 to 8 hours with the WLAN on under the power saving mode. I can’t even see a difference with the performance when in this mode.
2. LED-lit screen – I was expecting a basic screen that didn’t look particularly great. I was surprised with the look of it, even at the low, netbook standard resolution.
3. Keyboard – The so-called chiclet keys are very comfortable, and the placement of the shift key in the correct spot really separates this model from the rest.
Cons:
1. Windows XP – Yeah, I know. Most would say this is a pro. However, I passed the XP life-cycle on desktops and I’m now having to learn the intricacies of this OS. I wish I could have have them put the Windows 7 beta on it before shipping because I did not get it in time to download, but I digress.
2. Performance – Not technically a con, but I expected a little more of a boost from the bus increase to 667 Mhz. Still, it serves its purposes as a netbook, and the upcoming performance boost in Intel’s chipset will probably decrease battery life by 2-3 hours.
May 4th, 2009 2:16 AM
Well they may have placed that right shift key in the correct place, but making it so small was a bad move. True touch typist will find they have to really pay attention to insure they don’t hit one of the other keys.
While I give Kudo’s to ASUS for moving the shift key, I have to say them making it so small still took this one out of the running and it is the reason I own a Samsung N120 instead.
The sad thing is that the boost from the so called new chipset and increase 667 FSB are totally unremarkable and according to most reviews unnoticeable when comparing to netbooks with the older chipset with a 533 FST
The other thing that I feel most don’t consider is support after the sell and ASUS has about the worse support out there today. I’d be real concerned about that issue more than anything else.
May 14th, 2009 8:38 PM
this the site which I found the battery&power supply weight !
June 8th, 2009 2:08 PM
An excellent review. Well done Jet. I think your way of testing the battery is really great. It gives us a clearer view.
June 8th, 2009 3:39 PM
Thanks Mark. As always, if you think there are ways we can improve our reviews please drop us a line! 🙂
June 15th, 2009 8:15 PM
Get Asus said:
“I wish I could have have them put the Windows 7 beta on it”
y the h3ll would u want win 7 for? If u got it on a netbook it would come w/ win 7 starter and with that OS u can only run 3 programs at once and u can’t change the wallpaper… That really sux. Microsoft is slapping there Luser in the face with this crap. Just uses Linux, its a h3ll of a lot better.
July 30th, 2009 4:12 PM
It’s a very well thought out and thorough review specs.