For Scale
Picture for scale is just stuff that i had around that i liked. There are enough other comparisons available, didn't feel like i really needed to do it again. Just wanted to talk about it. Thanks, Shanny!
Size/Weight: Really, small. About the size of most common hardcover books, a little heavier than most. Extremely portable, and considerably different than a typical notebook. A little heavy if you care much other stuff, but on its own it is really comfortable.
Heat: Warms up a little after extended use, but compared to just about any noteboook i've ever worked with (a fair number as an IT tech) it's really comfortable. Warms to about room temperature, both top and bottom. It gets a little warmer where the hard drive is, but no discomfort whatsoever. I am impressed.
Noise: Near silent. With the hard drive, that's the only noise i can really pick out. Considerably quieter than a typical notebook. Drive generates minimal noise.
Performance: The Atom is not tremendous, it won't do much for any serious gamers. FreeCiv works, Neverwinter Nights needs a minor reduction from maxed out, you could run a lot of good games, but not many modern hits. I was pretty surprised at how responsive this system really is. Netflix runs smoothly, though not at the highest quality. Hulu is smooth though not at HD. Chrome runs like a champ with around 8 tabs open, while running gTalk, and a couple other minor utilities.
Keyboard: This is an often discussed facet of these systems. On this model, the EEE 1000HA, the right shift key is awkwardly placed and tiny. This is disruptive to normal typing if you are reliant on that key. I am. I have been learning to use the left shift after mixed results remapping with SharpKeys. I put more stock in this problem reading reviews than i do now as i'm using it (wrote this!) and i'm just learning to get used to it. Touch typing is really pretty much the same as most laptop keyboards but a little more cramped. Not bad, nowhere near a dealbreaker.
Miscellaneous: Construction is sturdy, plastic wouldn't be my first choice but this does seem like a pretty solid chassis. Sound is pretty good for a system of this size and quality. Access panel is good for RAM, HDD, and WLAN all with two screws. SATA HDD means that as SSD comes down, that's an easy change to make. Multi-touch trackpad is nice, pretty configurable. As i memorize the functions i'll be happy to have this ability. Seagate HDD! Nice!
Shortcomings: Included neoprene sleeve is a nice gesture, but doesn't fit well. Too big for just the system, not big enough to include accessories or charger cable. OS product key wiped off all info except actual key after about a week of use. Webcam is unimpressive, no software that manipulates camera settings is installed. 160Gb HDD comes formatted for 70Gb with XP, remainder unformatted, actually... probably only a shortcoming for non-techies.
I got eeebuntu installed on the unpartitioned space, and that pretty much just works. I'll be testing, but i like to play with the freeware available to an MS OS, so i'll keep that.
Chrome works nicely, handles resources well, very good with screen size management on a small screen.
Virtual CD drive, great for handling .iso files quickly. SlySoft's Virtual Clone Drive is free and lightweight.
DarkRoom is a slick little notepad interface that gives a relatively distraction-less writing interface.
Summary: After considering competitors like the MSI Wind, hemming and hawing, i'm extremely happy with this system. The few minor shortcomings are nowhere near all the work that has gone into refining this system. Would have loved an SSD version, though i opted for the faster HDD because i know i'll monkey with the software a lot and can upgrade when faster SSD comes down in price.
For Scale
Picture for scale is just stuff that i had around that i liked. There are enough other comparisons available, didn't feel like i really needed to do it again. Just wanted to talk about it. Thanks, Shanny!
Size/Weight: Really, small. About the size of most common hardcover books, a little heavier than most. Extremely portable, and considerably different than a typical notebook. A little heavy if you care much other stuff, but on its own it is really comfortable.
Heat: Warms up a little after extended use, but compared to just about any noteboook i've ever worked with (a fair number as an IT tech) it's really comfortable. Warms to about room temperature, both top and bottom. It gets a little warmer where the hard drive is, but no discomfort whatsoever. I am impressed.
Noise: Near silent. With the hard drive, that's the only noise i can really pick out. Considerably quieter than a typical notebook. Drive generates minimal noise.
Performance: The Atom is not tremendous, it won't do much for any serious gamers. FreeCiv works, Neverwinter Nights needs a minor reduction from maxed out, you could run a lot of good games, but not many modern hits. I was pretty surprised at how responsive this system really is. Netflix runs smoothly, though not at the highest quality. Hulu is smooth though not at HD. Chrome runs like a champ with around 8 tabs open, while running gTalk, and a couple other minor utilities.
Keyboard: This is an often discussed facet of these systems. On this model, the EEE 1000HA, the right shift key is awkwardly placed and tiny. This is disruptive to normal typing if you are reliant on that key. I am. I have been learning to use the left shift after mixed results remapping with SharpKeys. I put more stock in this problem reading reviews than i do now as i'm using it (wrote this!) and i'm just learning to get used to it. Touch typing is really pretty much the same as most laptop keyboards but a little more cramped. Not bad, nowhere near a dealbreaker.
Miscellaneous: Construction is sturdy, plastic wouldn't be my first choice but this does seem like a pretty solid chassis. Sound is pretty good for a system of this size and quality. Access panel is good for RAM, HDD, and WLAN all with two screws. SATA HDD means that as SSD comes down, that's an easy change to make. Multi-touch trackpad is nice, pretty configurable. As i memorize the functions i'll be happy to have this ability. Seagate HDD! Nice!
Shortcomings: Included neoprene sleeve is a nice gesture, but doesn't fit well. Too big for just the system, not big enough to include accessories or charger cable. OS product key wiped off all info except actual key after about a week of use. Webcam is unimpressive, no software that manipulates camera settings is installed. 160Gb HDD comes formatted for 70Gb with XP, remainder unformatted, actually... probably only a shortcoming for non-techies.
I got eeebuntu installed on the unpartitioned space, and that pretty much just works. I'll be testing, but i like to play with the freeware available to an MS OS, so i'll keep that.
Chrome works nicely, handles resources well, very good with screen size management on a small screen.
Virtual CD drive, great for handling .iso files quickly. SlySoft's Virtual Clone Drive is free and lightweight.
DarkRoom is a slick little notepad interface that gives a relatively distraction-less writing interface.
Summary: After considering competitors like the MSI Wind, hemming and hawing, i'm extremely happy with this system. The few minor shortcomings are nowhere near all the work that has gone into refining this system. Would have loved an SSD version, though i opted for the faster HDD because i know i'll monkey with the software a lot and can upgrade when faster SSD comes down in price.