Review by NotebookNotes.com

The blue edition of the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is the successor of the Asus Eee PC 1000HA netbook with the faster N280 Intel Atom processor, a redesigned keyboard and a better battery. All new features were tested in this review and we can say upfront, the 1000HE is a great netbook.

Design

Designed in a plastic case, the Eee PC 1000HE looks just like its predecessor. It is made of solid, blue plastic with an excellent build quality for its price class. The netbook provides a glossy painted surfaces and smoother edges. Unfortunately, the glossy finish might show minor scratches and fingerprints over time. However, the case feels stable and is solid enough to survive everyday usage without a problem. Although the 1000HE only measures 10.47 x 7.53 x 1.12 inches and weights around 3.2 pounds, it feels a little bit chunky because of the 6-cell battery. But considering the price it’s absolutely acceptable.

Display

The Eee PC 1000HE features a bright, brilliant 10-inch LED backlit widescreen display with an excellent viewing angle. The brightness can be adjusted easily and the screen can be viewed from different angles without inverting colors. While reviewing the netbook in a dark room, I even had to keep the brightness down because the LED display is really very bright. The only limitation is the 1024×600 resolution which forces the user to scroll a lot.

Keyboard & touchpad

As for the keyboard, the Eee PC 1000HE got a redesigned 92% keyboard. After typing for some minutes there are no problems getting used to it. Even people with larger hands asked to do some tipping for the review, confirmed it’s tipping quality. In the reviewers opinion, it’s a more comfortable keyboard than the old 1000H model or the Acer Aspire One keyboard. Also, the right Shift key is bigger and finally on the right place now.

As it comes to the touchpad, the 1000HE also features the multi-touchpad common in the newer Eee PCs. The touchpad is very usable due to its Mac-like multi-touch features like scrolling by moving two fingers in your web browser. You can navigate via the touchpad for hours, so the netbook can be easily used without a external mouse.

Performance

Asus’ netbook is powered by the latest Intel Atom N280 processor providing a little more performance power than the usual N270 netbooks. It also helps saving power and you can adjust how much performance you want by Asus’ Super Hybrid Engine software. After all, the 1000HE is clearly more than just a fun device to browse the internet. Running the usual programs like Microsoft Office or iTunes while browsing with Firefox works without a problem. It’s even possible to play some old games without high graphic requirements on the Eee PC, like GTA San Andreas, for example. Boot and shutdown times are also very fast.

Battery life

Contrary to the Eee PC 1000HA model, the 1000HE comes with a 6-cell high capacity battery. In several tests, the netbook runs from 6 to 9 hours without recharging. The power-saving hotkeys are really useful to change between “Power-Saving Mode” and “Super Performance Mode”. Most of the time you will not notice the difference. In the end, it really depends on the tasks you do with the netbook and the performance mode, but the battery life is pretty close to what’s advertised.

Conclusion

All in all, the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is one of the best netbooks out there at the moment. The little computer combines excellent netbook performance and long battery life, making it ideal for mobile users. Build with the latest technology available, it’s a joy to use it and you can be sure to get asked a lot of questions from interested people. On top of that, it’s affordable and easily upgradeable to 2 GB memory. A clear recommendation from NotebookNotes.com!

Pro & Con

Pro	Con
Excellent battery life of 7.5 hours under normal usage Very bright 10-inch LED display with very good viewing angle Very good redesigned keyboard	Touchpad buttons a little stiff to press Attracts finger prints on the back of the blue case

Rating

Editor rating
User rating	n/a

Buy online

Buy for $499.00