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129 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Netbook, March 25, 2010
Ordered this netbook because I was looking for an n450 powered device akin to the 1005 line.
Well let me say that I'm glad I didn't spend the extra 60 bucks. This computer has everything the 1005 line has minus bluetooth (honestly, I don't think I've ever met a person who uses bluetooth) battery life (11 vs 14 hours, real world 8 vs 11 hours), harddrive space (160GB versus 250GB which is a negligible difference), display (matte screen vs glossy screen equal resolution), wireless (g vs n) and finish (matte vs glossy).
Now, that seems like a lot of differences, but all of them, save battery life, are pointless bells and whistles that do nothing to affect the performance of the computer (akin to putting a moon roof and a spoiler on a car and jacking the price up).
Battery life is the only worthwhile difference between the two models (maybe worth 60-80 bucks depending on what your plans are). It would have been nice to have wireless n, but most users probably won't notice a difference.
As far as the screen and finish go, I think matte is actually an advantage. A glossy screen is exhausting to read on in bright light. I'll never understand what the recent obsession with glossy screens is; they are murderous to the eyes. As for a glossy finish, your netbook will look like a piece of well worn packing tape after 15 minutes (big greasy fingerprints everywhere!).
I've heard a lot of people complain that the keyboard of this model feels spongy, but I think they must be typing with mallets, because the 1001p keyboard feels like every other laptop I've ever used. It does not depress in the corners or anywhere for that matter and I'm a fairly hard typist.
The first thing I did when I got this computer was clean install windows 7 ultimate and office 2003 (office 2007 being an unholy abomination; a grievous injustice perpetrated upon all of mankind). So far the netbook has been breezing through applications on 1GB ram with nary a stutter. I would highly recommend upgrading from the absolute garbage windows 7 starter, it doesn't even let you change the wallpaper and is solely intended to annoy you. Furthermore, you might as well get rid of all the asus software (it periodically generates pop-up ads asking if you want to pay for something) and just install the drivers for lan and wireless, you really don't need the others.
In conclusion (ah, high school english where would I be without you) The 1001P is a solid, surprisingly powerful little netbook with excellent design. It is more than adequate for most computing tasks short of video editing. And for 280$? Are you kidding me? How can you complain?
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60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Would Definitely Recommend This Netbook ...., April 25, 2010
It seemed like I had been reading reviews on this netbook for weeks. Here on Amazon and elsewhere. I more than did my homework on this one. I even went to Best Buy a few weeks ago and did some typing on the Asus netbook they had for sale there. I wanted to get a sense for how an Asus netbook would work for me in the real world. 2 Fridays nights ago I decided to go with it and I placed my order with Amazon. Following is my thorough review on this product.
First Impressions:
- This is a theme you'll see played out over and over in various reviews on this netbook. Amazon ships fast. I ordered on a Friday night after hours (picked free shipping because I wasn't in a hurry to get it) and by Monday it shipped. I had it in my hands by Wednesday morning before 10 AM. That is what I call exceptional service and it far exceeded my expectations.
- Upon receiving the netbook and opening up everything I was really pleased with the fit and finish of the netbook. I have to say that the checkered pattern is great. Definitely it will mask fingerprints and scratches a whole lot better than its glossy counterpart. It looks classy and works well in the real world.
- There was one fly in the ointment. When I turned on the netbook for the first time Windows would not boot up. I wasn't extremely happy about that. But that all got worked out over the phone with Asus technical support in about 15 minutes. It would appear that the person who did the Windows installation didn't complete it. Anyway, using the Restore function things were able to be reset and it was a minor problem soon forgotten. For lack of a better illustration, I feel that it was like buying a pair of brand new shoes and noticing they had a scuff on them. However, the shoes came with a scuff remover tool and so the scuff was easily removed. The point is, although it was nice to see the tool worked you'd just hope you wouldn't have to use it on the first day! Anyway, anybody who considers this a deal-breaker as far as buying an Asus netbook is crazy. This was the only minor irritant for me personally and I will go on to elaborate now on the many things I love about this netbook!
Battery Life:
- This is an issue that there seems to be a great debate on around here in various reviews. There are people saying that they're getting 11 hours right on Asus specifications but on the other hand there are people really upset with the battery life because they're only getting 5 hours on a charge. This is my opinion after getting my own netbook. You MUST deep charge the battery for the first time for at least 11-12 hours. If you're using the netbook during that time than charge it even longer. Remember, while you're using the netbook the battery won't charge as fast. This concept isn't something I made up. Look it up for yourself. The Asus manual says charge it at least 8 hours for the first time - I decided to charge longer than that. Not only that, you MUST do a full charge and discharge a few times before the battery reaches its maximum potential. Again, it's in the manual. After the first charge I used the netbook over 3 days for several hours of usage. It definitely seemed capable of getting 11 hours out of it if the Super Hybrid Engine setting was permanently set to Power Saver and the screen brightness was toned down (the screen is capable of being way too bright anyway!) and one wasn't watching YouTube videos continuously for the whole time. I just got done charging it for the second time today (again charged it for 9+ hours) and it says it has 13 hours left.
- I want to talk about the Super Hybrid Engine function in a second. First, to recap, if you're only getting 5 hours out of a charge than it would be my suggestion you consider these 3 things:
a) Did you deep charge it 8-12 hours the first time (without using it for that time) and a few times for the following charges?
b) Do you have 4-5 programs open and are you trying to watch YouTube videos for hours on end?
c) BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, is your Super Hybrid Engine set to Power Saver? You can toggle through several power efficiency settings and Power Saver is one of them. If not, there is no way you will get 11 hours out of the battery. Now, for just surfing the Internet I didn't notice any difference in speed using Power Saver. Even playing a YouTube video it was okay. In fact, I think I'll keep it on Power Saver permanently. But, the battery definitely notices a difference when the Super Hybrid Engine is in this mode. It can extend the battery's life between 35-50% on a charge. That's HUGE. You won't get that in Super Performance mode!
Operating System:
- People on here are in some cases ragging on the operating system (Windows 7) that comes with this netbook. Folks, as I have already commented on some of your reviews before making this purchase, Windows 7 is coming out on most netbooks these days. It's reality. XP is old and dated and quickly coming to the end of its life. If you only want your netbook for a year and you're set on XP than save a few bucks and go with XP. For the rest of you, learn to deal with Windows 7 as it is the future, for the next few years anyway. I don't find the Starter version to be that much different than anything else. Sure, I don't have a few options that I'd have with Windows 7 Premium but big deal. This is a secondary computer to me. I already have 3 others in the house. The operating systems on my computers range from XP to Vista to Windows 7. This operating system isn't that big of a deal to me. Windows is Windows.
Speed and Functionality:
- This netbook is more than fast enough for me. However, I'm just using it as a portable Internet surfing machine. I don't plan to put Photoshop on it. I don't plan to put iTunes on it. I put Open Office on it and that's all I'll need. This netbook runs just as fast for me as any other computer I have around here. If you plan to use it as I do than 1 GB RAM will be fine. If you plan to do heavy duty stuff with it than upgrade to 2 GB RAM. Keep in mind though that at the end of the day it is still and will always be just a netbook. If your expectations are out of whack and you're expecting this netbook to be some amazing powerhouse that can do everything for you except wash your dishes you will likely be disappointed. Do your homework. Assess your requirements and needs. Maybe you'll find that you should be getting a regular laptop instead. This is something you will need to work out with yourself. If/how you work it out will determine how happy you will be with this product.
- The keyboard is great. It is 92-93% of a regular-sized keyboard and my fingers can fly on it. Still getting used to having the Delete and Backspace keys in a slightly different place but I will adjust. People talked about it being spongy? I don't understand that. It seems solid to me.
- Before I forget, and as others have always stated, the bloatware that comes with this netbook is minimal. I only had to remove a couple of programs that were getting in the way. That's a positive.
- I like the smooth touchpad. The Asus I tried out at Best Buy had a dotted touchpad. It wouldn't have been the end of the world to get that but I much prefer the smooth touchpad. It's very responsive and I have no problems with it. I do have a wireless mouse for one of my other laptops but I don't plan to use a wireless mouse with this netbook. Not necessary.
- People have complained about the WiFi range being bad on this netbook. I don't have a problem with that. I have a G wireless router and this netbook has a G network card in it. I can easily use my netbook anywhere in the house and on the property. In fact, I took it across the street to my neighbor's house the other day and I still had 1-2 bars on WiFi over there.
Power Adapter:
- People have said the light on the power adapter block is too bright. That makes me laugh. Folks, if that light is the worst irritant of your day you have it made!
- Speaking of the power adapter, it does make me nervous that the pin that you insert into the netbook is so tiny. I did worry for a small amount of time about that breaking and perhaps I'll buy a back-up power adapter just to be prepared. Ultimately, I think if you're careful with it than it likely won't be a problem. Keep in mind, with this netbook's long battery life most of the time that power adapter is going to be sitting at home collecting dust.
- I know there was an issue with some Asus power adapter blocks getting too hot. I think that was specifically related to the 1005 series. I can certainly verify that after 11-1/2 hours of charging the first time and 9+ hours of charging the second time the adapter block was very COOL to the touch. So, Asus either fixed that problem or it never was an issue for the 1001 series and it was just an issue for the 1005 series.
Special Features:
- The Super Hybrid Engine feature is great. It seems to me that is exclusive to Asus. It's a feature in and of itself that makes the Asus netbook one to consider.
- The Express Gate feature is pretty slick too. It really does boot up the netbook into a different area and get you on the Internet a whole lot faster. When you want to get out of that, it's easy to segue into the main Windows area where you have full access to all of your programs again. Too bad that Internet Explorer is the only browser of choice in Express Gate. I'm a Chrome die-hard because I know just how fast I can browse the Internet with Google Chrome. Oh well, it's not that big of a deal.
Conclusion:
- If you're a traveler or student on the go definitely you want to consider this machine. It's light as a feather, pretty durable and is a pleasure to use. I look forward to taking this to Canada with me when I go on a road trip in a few weeks...
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59 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Initial reactions, February 3, 2010
I'm very pleased with this netbook! I'll break my review into different aspects of the device, to try to keep things relatively organized.
AMAZON PACKAGING
No issues here, perfect. I ordered mine overnight, so it came via FedEx. The box was easy to open, and there was sufficient packing material inside.
APPEARANCE
Very attractive case on this. The faux carbon fiber (it's not REAL carbon fiber, wish it were) pattern is very slick looking. I will say that I've only had this one day, and there are a couple of scratches on the surface--nothing serious, and they're only visible at certain angles, but it sort of sucks, and I'd recommend getting a case for this thing, such as the Case Logic PLS-9 Ultraportable Netbook Sleeve for 7-Inch to 10-Inch Netbooks (Black). Again, too bad it's not real carbon fiber casing. :) Otherwise it would be virtually indestructible! The display is a matte backlit LED, with a native resolution of 1024x600. It's crisp and bright, and mine had no dead pixels or any other issues. Very nice screen!
ERGONOMICS
As expected, this thing is small! Not overly small like the older 8" netbooks, but small enough to stash away into a briefcase or attaché case for sure. It also doesn't weigh much, which makes it highly portable. The keyboard is a 92% full size keyboard, and I'd say it's perfect. I can type at nearly full speed without feeling cramped at all. The keyboard "gives" a bit under typing pressure (mostly in the upper left portion), which makes it feel a little cheap, but it's nothing to be concerned about. All the keys themselves are pretty solid. The one thing I DO not like about this netbook is opening it. It's very awkward to open the lid, because there's just a very small lip to put your finger under and lift it up. There are no other decent spots to get a good grip to open the lid, unfortunately, and that's one of the main reasons I only give this netbook four stars. The other thing that's mildly annoying is it's very back-heavy, due to the 6-cell battery, so the laptop tends to tilt backwards. Minor, but again, something that makes this a 4-star product rather than a perfect 5-star.
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
This comes with Windows 7 Starter installed. Ignore any comments or product details that state it comes with WinXP - it doesn't. Win7 Starter runs pretty well, just what you'd expect with a netbook: not super fast, but it's not like you're tapping your foot waiting for things to load, either. To be honest, I didn't spend a lot of time in Windows before I reformatted and installed Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10. More on that below. The battery life in Win7 claims 9-11 hours, which is quite impressive. The wi-fi card works without a hitch, and all power-saving capabilities work quite well.
Now, onto some Ubuntu stuff...
This device isn't quite Ubuntu-ready. Or maybe I should say, Ubuntu isn't compliant with 1001P hardware just yet. With a fresh install of Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10, several things do not work: wi-fi, multi-touch, built-in microphone, and brightness controls. The brightness controls do work, but they are unpredictable. With some searching around, though, you can find helpful resources to guide you in the right direction to getting these things working. If anyone has specific questions on Ubuntu, post a comment and I'll do my best to reply.
One important note: if you decide to format this and put some other operating system on it, do NOT wipe out the 10GB and 17MB partitions! The 10GB partition contains the Windows 7 clone source which you can boot on and use to revert the netbook back to using Windows 7 as its operating system. So no matter how bad things get, you can always boot up that partition and reinstall Windows. If you've installed Ubuntu, there might be some extra leg-work to get that recovery partition to properly do its job (you may have to re-create those two extra partitions and make them FAT32 or something). I'm still fuzzy on going back to Windows after having Ubuntu installed.
I may give an update later after using it more. Feel free to post comments on this review.
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