Customer Reviews

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-MU27-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook with Kindle for PC (Black)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I just purchased this netbook after my previous Asus (the dependable S101) died b/c the screen was damaged by my own carelessness. So with that in mind, here's my quick take on the 1005PE MU27 model, which I received yesterday.

Pros:
- Nice feel of the keyboard. Firm and the spacing between the keys did not affect my typing in any way.
- Attractive cover (I bought the blue colored unit) and look to the machine.
- Fairly painless installation. The first boot took about 10 min or so, and updating the latest files for Windows 7 starter took about 30 min, not too bad.
- Based on the 1GB ram usage, surfing the web was a breeze. Watching videos on youtube or playing flash-based games all was fine. But at times I did notice some hiccups when many programs were running so I opted to upgrade to 2GB (see below edit for info).
- Battery life was very very decent. On a full charge on the high performance mode I managed about 7-8 hours.
- Quick charge time for battery.
- Very nice touchpad. Very responsive.
- Great price point for people looking to do very basic stuff on the computer.

Mehs:
- Screen resolution was ok. Not really up to part with the higher end counterparts.
- Camera is standard 0.3Mb quality
- Unit is not as 'sleek' compared to my old S-101, which was definitely lighter, more slender, and didn't feel as 'bulky' of sorts vs the 1005PE
- Click button below touch pad a bit clunky.

Cons:
- Windows 7 starter blows. It's fine if you're just going to use this netbook to do basic stuff like surf the web, send emails, or play games on facebook. But not recommended if you're looking to do more extensive things with the netbook.
- Did I tell you Windows 7 blows? Serious lack of customization. It's lame that you can't even change your desktop wallpaper without downloading some other app to circumvent the problem. Dumb you can't personalize fonts etc.
- Does not include even a basic cloth cover for the netbook. Even in my previous S101 unit they included at least a cheap little cover for the netbook.
- Finger print magnet. Better have clean hands when holding this laptop!
- Feels kind of heavy. It looks small, but weighs more than you think. Definitely outweighs my old S101 by a fair margin. (And boots a bit slower than my old S101, though my old OS was XP, which I still think was great to use).

Summary
- Great computer for price conscious folks
- Great computer for people not looking to do much more than just surf the web, send emails, do basic stuff like type papers etc.
- Is just fine if you can live with the (many) bare-bones limitations of Windows 7 starter.
- Won't blow you away, but is a decent all around machine at a reasonable price point

**EDIT 6/25/10**

I would also like to point out that I decided to upgrade the RAM on this netbook. It was partially because I wasn't too thrilled with the performance of Windows 7 (I still ABSOLUTELY HATE the lack of customization options on the starter OS. COME ON MICROSOFT!!!). But also I noticed sometimes things got a bit sluggish when I ran multiple programs.

Anyway I just want to point out I bought the 2GB RAM from Kingston = Kingston ValueRAM 2 GB 800MHz PC2-6400 DDR2 CL5 SODIMM Notebook Memory (KVR800D2S5/2G) (Link Below):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00102A066/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

I would strongly recommend anybody who wants a bit more out of this netbook to consider upgrading the memory. I noticed a nice difference in performance after my upgrade. VERY VERY HAPPY that I did so.

For those of you who aren't aware - the Asus memory comes with 1GB RAM that's upgradable to 2GB. There's only 1 memory slot so you will have to take out the old chip.

To do so - (REMEMBER UNPLUG COMPUTER AND REMOVE BATTERY BEFORE STARTING THIS PROCESS)
1. Remove the single screw from the memory casing on the bottom of th netbook.
2. Remove the old chip (carefully since it comes out at an angle)
3. Insert new chip carefully (again at an angle somewhat) and make sure it snaps into place.
4. Put battery back on, turn on computer, press F2 upon powering up to get into bios and make sure computer recognizes memory.
5. All done.

- Note the kingston memory chip had none of the issues that other users previously noted with other brands. At least I didn't experience any hiccups. 2GB does make a difference.

I purchased this netbook about a week ago and am loving it. I must say that in reading this review you should keep in mind this is my first netbook. Although I have always been a computer person, I have never used a netbook before so I cannot review it as it compares to like items.

This was purchased to do the "light" daily stuff like web surfing and simple word processing in place of a 14" HP laptop. The size and weight difference is great. I can hold my sleeping newborn in one hand and carry this thing around in the other with ease.

The 92% keyboard is easier to adjust to than I anticipated. The touchpad (my first experience with an Asus) is very responsive. Wish it had a scroll bar like my HP but the Asus method of swiping 2 fingers to scroll gets the job done well enough. On the same note the way Asus allows you to zoom in and out on web pages and pdfs by using the touchpad (iphone-style) is handy.

To date I have not had any real performance issues with 1GB of ram but I plan on updating to 2GB just to help free up some memory that is sucked up by background apps like AVG etc.

Battery life is tremendous.

Built-in webcam and mic works fine with Skype.

There is no active cooling (no fan) which keeps it quiet.

Windows 7 Starter is a little bleh. Though you can change the wallpaper with a free download from Asus, the customization options with Starter are limited.

The only thing I am not crazy about is the display--it is not bad, just not great. The picture is not particularly vivid. I know some higher-end netbooks are offering better resolutions now, but I don't think it warrants the extra cost.

Oh, and like all computers these days the time it took to uninstall all the garbage that comes preloaded is ridiculous. Par for the course I guess.

All in all I am pleased with this purchase. The price seems reasonable and, frankly, my wife is happy so I am too. I would just keep in mind that you are purchasing a netbook, not a laptop, so don't be surprised by the performance limitations.

UPDATE:
Installed a 2gb stick of ram from Crucial last night with no problems. Per someone else's post, I disabled BootBooster in the Bios, started the OS, powered off, installed the RAM, started the OS, restarted and turned BootBoost back on, and started the OS. No problems.

I bought this about four weeks ago and also had the previous ASUS model for two years prior. I travel for business a lot and find this computer to be the best one I have ever used for my primarily business purposes. I even tried a HP netbook and an Acer, but this one is a much better all around value. I have had fill size lap tops but this is so much easier to haul around and easily does email, Word, and spread sheets and Internet use is excellent with built in Wi-Fi too. The speakers are much better now and I frequently use Skype without using my head set because of the better speakers. I have no idea how this would be for gaming or music sound quality, because I don't use it for that. I get about 6 hours of battery life with my normal use and that is good enough for me but not quite the 11 hours that I had hoped for. It came with 1 GB of memory but I found that too slow for perfect Skype calls so I immediately spent about $40.00 more for a memory upgrade which I installed easily and now it is perfect for me!

Highly satisfied for my usage!

I purchased the ASUS 1005PE-MU27-WT because I needed something for personal use and to show pictures. It has filled the position very nicely. It is not as convenient as the iPad but it can be used with USB accessories and run common programs as well as connect to a WiFi. It is not as fast as a desk top but it is very portable and the smaller screen is very workable. Like any portable style, an external keyboard is recommended though its keyboard also is very useable. For the commercial state of the art (Apple vs Microsoft vs Adobe) it was a very good compromise with all of the technical features though somewhat slow on processing speed but good on power consumption. The battery time may have been salesman specified rather than technically specified but I can get pretty close to a whole days worth of work on a single charge. I have never run out of battery between charges but have come close at about 6 to 8 hours. I can not think of anything I would add to it practically. It has been a good value for me and the Windows 7 Starter worked just fine for the things I wanted to do. The only bad draw back is the Windows 7 Starter and the marketing of the Windows 7 Home Premium. I thought long and hard before upgrading and almost did not. I am still unsure of what I gained. It is not an attractive marketing ploy. It would be great if it came loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium at an appropriately increased price. (Though no cost increase would be OK too.)

This netbook is awesome, I bought this about a month ago. I use it mostly for homework assignments and internet use. I installed the 2gb memory, no problems doing it and it also works fine with or without it (1gb or 2gb). Makes no noises which is awesome and doesn't get hot.

This is GREAT for browsing the wed, listening to music, annd writing documents. It was a good price, arived quickly and was exactly what I wanted. The Netbook is a little slow, but that Is what a netbook is, a little slow. However, I was dissapointed that video playing on this netbook is bad and choppy. I do not like that. If you are looking for something fast, stick with a lapotp. But this is a good, portable, and robust netbook that works really good.

I bought one of the ASUS netbooks for my wife for Christmas last year (nearly 12 months ago). We were so happy with that machine we bought one for our 17 year old son for his birthday nearly 6 months ago. Both machines have functioned flawlessy. The charger works well, and you can't beat the battery life!! We use them for surfing the internet, doing homework assignments, viewing pictures, and pretty much everything we used to use the desktop for. The desktop is now somewhat obsolete in our house as we use the ASUS netbooks. As a matter of fact our daughter is leaving for College in two months, we are buying a third ASUS netbook for her for Chrsitmas so she can use it while at college.

This is a great little computer, very lightweight and lots of capability for the money. While the battery life is pretty good, at 8-9 hours per charge even on power saving mode and 40% screen brightness, it doesn't come close to the advertised 11 hours.

Also, there's a flaw in the OS so the advertised boot booster doesn't work. Bootup time is about 1 minute, so not too bad. I actually found that it seems to work better when Boot Booster is disabled anyway.

The service department was so bad it was almost as if they had never used a computer before. They had no idea about fixing boot booster, and said they'd never heard of that problem even though other people are writing about it on the web. Also, they had no idea if you can use an SD card to boost memory in Windows 7 (you can, it's called ReadyBoost).

This netbook is absolutely amazing. For now, I'm using it without the additional memory card, but I plan on getting one later. So far I've had no major problems with the netbook. It's light; it has long battery life (as advertised) and it works fast enough. My one and only complaint is about Windows 7 Starter Edition. I knew that I wouldn't be able to personalize anything (change the wallpaper etc)...So I guess I just miss those features more than I thought I would.

I bought this netbook for personal use when on the road for business. I primarily use it for check email, skype, surf the internet and watch movie files. It works great for all. Very pleased with its performance. I haven't upgraded the RAM to 2 gb like some have and I don't think I will since it sees limited use.