 Arguably the finest 10" netbook with a few caveats |
| Review Date: July 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Welch, San Angelo, TX |
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. |
The King of all Netbooks!!!
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| Review Date: July 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Knowledge Forest, Washington, DC United States |
Before I get into what I think about this device, here's a quick guide for understanding the different flavors of the 1005HA:
1005HA-P (most expensive)
N280 1.66 GHz Processor, 667MHz Front Side Bus, 1.3MP Web Cam, 10.5 Hour Battery, Glossy Display, Bluetooth, Netbook Sleeve
Available Colors: Black, Blue
1005HA-V (mid range price)
N270 1.6 GHz Processor, 533MHz Front Side Bus, 0.3MP Web Cam, 8.5 Hour Battery, Matted Display
Available Colors: Black, Blue, White, Pink
1005HA-B (cheapest one, sold at best buy)
N270 1.6 GHz Processor, 533MHz Front Side Bus, 0.3MP Web Cam, 4.5 Hour Battery, Matted Display
Available Colors: Black, Blue, White, Pink
Which one to get?
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It's hard to recommend the B series offered at best buy if you have to pay sales tax. After you add sales tax, you are then approaching the price of the V series which gets twice the battery life. Battery life is one of the biggest features of a netbook so I wouldn't go cheap and get less battery.
Deciding between the V series and the P series really comes done to how much you care about a slight speed different (if any), a small battery life difference, a better web cam, Bluetooth, and/or the netbook sleeve. To me, the extra ~$[...] for the P series is well worth it. A netbook sleeve alone costs $[...] bucks.
Pros:
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- The 1005HA-P comes with all the features you want in a netbook. Some ppl may prefer a higher resolution screen but I don't think it's required.
- It's thinner than the 1000HE, although it seems to be as heavy.
- I think the new keyboard rivals the great hp mini keyboards. The full size right shift key was enough for me to drop my 1000HE.
- The best thing about this unit is the battery life. Don't hold your breath for getting 10 whole hours though. Expect 7-8 hours with wifi and Bluetooth on in power save mode. I expect to get 6-7 hours in high performance mode.
- Windows 7 works like a charm.
Cons:
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- The long life battery makes this unit heavy. The weight is not a show stopper but it's something to be aware of.
- Some ppl might not like how the touch pad is integrated with the body of the device. The touchpad is bumpy so u can find it in the dark. It took me a day to get use to it.
- The speakers are on the bottom front of the device so when I had it on the bed, the volume was low.
- Upgrading the hard drive requires a lot of work and may void the warranty.
- I don't like the one long rocker button for the touchpad. I prefer 2 separate buttons.
Should you upgrade from the 1000HE to the 1000HA?
Since the battery life difference is minimum, the only reason to upgrade would be to get the better keyboard. To me it's worth it since the right shift key on the 1000HE is annoying. I also prefer the trackpad on the 1005HA but I can understand if it gets mixed reviews.
1005HA vs 1008HA
I like the 1008HA but it's hard for me to recommend it over the 1005HA. For $30-$40 more you get one less usb port, you get covered usb ports which is annoying, and you get less than half the battery life. Yes the 1008HA is slimmer and weighs less. I just can't justify the extra cost of a device that looks good but does less.
Bottom Line:
The 1005HA is really the best netbook currently available. It comes with all the features you need in a netbook. It has the longest battery life of any notebook. The keyboard is now as good as the HP and Samsung netbooks. Unless you are really on a tight budget, or if you need a smaller or less heavy device, there really is no reason to buy another netbook.
Necessary Upgrades:
Make sure you get the correct memory for this device. Don't think about running Windows 7 without 2GB of Ram
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F7QRTG?ie=UTF8&tag=pc-accessories-10-20&creativeASIN=B000F7QRTG
Netbooks do not come with DVD drives so consider get a cheap external one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MLZKAQ?ie=UTF8&tag=pc-accessories-10-20&creativeASIN=B001MLZKAQ
UPDATE:
There seems to be a debate over using the 667MHz memory Amazon recommends versus 800MHz memory the 1005HA ships with. I've read that the 800MHz is beneficial but I also read that the 800MHz runs at 667MHz even if u overclock. There's a heated discussion on the eeeuser form about this. Check it out for yoursef.
UPDATE 2:
While my 1005HA works like a charm, I personally know several folks that have experienced issues with the battery and/or power supply. I see the same reports on the web. I don't know if these issues have been resolved in currently shipping units. If you plan to buy one, test the heck out of it before your 30 day return windows is up! |
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