Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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200 of 202 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I don't quite know why these are not as popular as Acer Ones, November 24, 2008
[per one of the comments, I needed to add additional information if you choose to change the keys on the keyboard. Go down on the keyboard section - 2/1/09]
[One more addition on how I fixed my keyboard. Go down to the Keyboard section for my addition. - 1/13/09]
[After using it for another month, I am adding to this review - 12/23/08]
I got this netbook last week and am having a great time with it. I have a decent core 2 duo 14" laptop and when I use the two side by side, my new netbook has no problem keeping up with the speed of the other one.
Let me break it down for you here...
1) Why I chose to buy Asus eee pc 904ha - I considered several options, but the reputation of Asus won me over. And then from the various models, I was getting differing opinions concerning celeron vs atom. In the end, I was reading that the speed was comparable but atom used less juice and so produced less heat. And so atom was chosen. Most people complained that the SDD on eee pc was problematic and so I chose the large 160 sata hd. I almost bought 900ha. In fact, I canceled the order right after I bought it. I changed to 904ha because I was reading that the keyboard on the 900 was simply too small. I was reading that people had to get adjusted to it. My fingers are large, and so I didn't want to take a chance on it. In the end, I love the keyboard of the 904ha. I'll talk more about it below.
2) Screen - I love the screen. I was worried that I would regret the small 9", but the screen fills up really nicely. I use the F11 button often to read the internet articles, and I have no trouble reading the fonts. The screens are getting better and better - imho, my new 9" screen shows better color saturation than my 2 yr old 14".
[Using Outlook 2007 on it works nicely, but adding Contact information has been difficult. I can't add address to my new entries because the program was created for a larger screen. Minor issue, I know. - 12/23/08]
3) Keyboard - I am so glad I got the larger 904ha because of the keyboard. I don't know how small the 900 ones would be, but I don't think I would enjoy typing on a smaller keyboard. As it is, the change to the larger keyboard is noticeable. I am making "shift" mistakes with my right hand because I keep on hitting the "page up" button, and I am still not used to it. I type without difficulty, but am always thinking about that right shift button.
[I must say, I am frustrated with the right shift key. I still type fine and with speed, but I am used to using both shift keys, and now, I am having to stop and think whenever I shift because I could never get to that right shift key. I keep on hitting the "page up" button. Grrr. Design flaw that needs to be corrected. I would deduct 1/2 star off of this product because of this. - 12/23/08]
[Ha! It was so easy! I have been frustrated with the right shift key's position. I would be perfect if it was where PgUp key was. After reading some sites, I decided to act upon it and switch the two keys. Here's what I did: I downloaded two free programs -- SharpKeys 2.1.1 & Windows NET framework 3.5 (2.0 could work). I installed NET 3.5 (follow the instruction and restart the computer), and then SharpKeys. In SharpKeys, I switched PgUp with Right Shift button. The program is incredibly simple to use. I closed the program and restarted the computer. Voila! I typed away, pushing PgUp to shift! I could have stopped there, but I wanted to physically change the keys, too. To finish the job, I gently lifted up the corner of the PgUp key and popped it off. And then did the same with the right Shift key (lift the corner and pop it off). And then I switched the two keys so that Shift is where PgUp was and PgUp is where Shift key was. And I simply pushed them both it. There's nothing to this -- like pushing in a pushpin. Listen for a few clicks and make sure they are securely in place. Now I type without hinderance! Yeah! I should post the modified keyboard here. 1/13/09]
[If you want to swap the keys like the photo I've posted, it's rather easy if you pop up from the correct corner. I've found that lifting up the top left corner is easiest. I am left-handed, so that came naturally for me. Sorry for all you right-handed people who tried to pry up from top right corner. I've tried several swaps since, and settled on only changing the shift up and up arrow key. I've returned the bottom arrow and the right arrow since I've posted the photo at top. 2/1/09]
4) Hard Drive Partitioned - the 160gb is divided equally into C: & D:. Some like it that way. I don't. Per others suggestion, I downloaded easeus partition manager 2.1 and used it to get rid of D:. It was incredibly easy. I think you can also adjust the sizes of the partitions using the program.
5) Lack of DVD Drive - Initially, I thought I had to buy an external drive to upload my programs. But after reading some internet posts (God bless the forums!), I networked my two computers (laptop & netbook) using "set up my home or small office network" in My Network Places and then put my dvd drive in "share" mode (right click on the DVD drive and open "sharing and security...". Voila! I was able to use my laptop dvd drive to upload my programs into my 904ha! The limitation of this setup is the speed of the network. I have cable at home, so no problem at all for me.
6) 6 cell battery - I've read a lot of posts about how great these batteries are. Sadly, my battery is defective and won't charge beyond 65%. I called Asus tech and they are sending me a replacement battery. The drawback is that per Asus policy, I have to pay for the shipping cost to return my faulty battery. I was upset by this, but the vendor I bought it from agreed to cover my cost to ship back. I shall have to wait to marvel at the stated "7 hours" of continuous use. I can't wait!
[11/26 Here's an update on the battery. I got a replacement and fully charged it before use. From 100%, I had my screen at max brightness and used the internet to watch online videos. I wanted to see the battery life at max use. Before it turned off at 0%, it lasted a little over 4 hrs 30 min. I can see that with brightness turned down and less online use, I could get more hours on this. I am a happy camper.]
7) Protective bag - This is probably my only disappointment. I wished they would have provided a form fitting bag, rather than the pouch that has room to spare. I can put my netbook and my a/c cords in them and still have room. I am in a lookout for a nice sturdy netbook bag that I can carry along with my other stuff.
[I don't mind the size of the protective bag now that I've used it for a month. Rather than complaining about the large size, I am using it to carry my power cord and my flat Kensington mouse in it without problem. I was looking for another bag, but I don't need it anymore. - 12/23/08]
8) Black reflective top - Much has been made in the reviews about the reflective top that attracts fingerprints and such. I don't know, I don't have any problems with this. I love the black color because it's rather unassuming. I don't need to show off my netbook.
9) Memory upgrade from 1gb to 2gb - I realized that not all memory will work on the upgrade. I tried the OCZ's PC2 6400 2gb, but it wouldn't upgrade. And so I put in OCZ's PC2 5400 2gb and that worked well. Also, in the Owner's Manual, it says to turn off the "boot booster" before you upgrade. I think it is best to follow that instruction before any upgrading.
That's it. I hope this helps.
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60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Little Laptop, October 26, 2008
I already have an HP Multimedia laptop with a 15" screen which I love but it is to weighty to keep on my lap at night when I surf the web. It is difficult to move around on your lap when you share your chair with a dog. I wanted something lighter but I also wanted a keyboard I could touch type on, Windows XP, and enough HD, Ram and processor speed to run and store multimedia.
After looking at the various netbooks, I settled on the ASUS because I liked the design and the fact that it could be easily upgraded. I wanted the smallest screen that I could comfortably use to surf the web. I settled on 8.9", but I also wanted a netbook size that would fit comfortably on my lap and enable me to touch type easily. I know the 904 models have a larger bezel around the screen and to me that is an advantage because I often pull the laptop around on my lap by the sides of the screen.
After ordering this laptop I thought I might be disappointed by the 8.9" screen and that I should have gone with the 10.2", but after getting this laptop I found I prefer the smaller size because I can view more information at a glance.
This netbook is a great performer and starts quickly. You can learn more about the many features on the reviews for the 1000HA. It comes with a great case to protect it and the battery life is very good. I only tried using it for 6 hours on battery and it was still going strong.
I have the black version and think it is beautiful, but the white version with the black and white contrast looks very sharp. I like having a small full featured laptop that I can carry around with me. I use my cell phone as my UMPC to read email and look up information on the web when I am on the go. But, it is much easier to use a laptop when I want to email someone on surf the web in depth. I would not use this netbook to do photo editing or other detailed work without a monitor. But I have used it to watch TV.
I bought a AverTV Volar HD USB receiver after reading that someone else used one on their netbook. The picture is fantastic and I can actually see the HD quality. I have enough HD space on this netbook to record broadcasts or portions of broadcasts and watch them later. I also bought a VGA to TV converter to enable me to display web shows on the TV.
You will fall in love with this netbook. If you want a larger screen just buy the 1000HA. The only negative I see in this netbook is that you will not want to put it down.
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48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent and MORE than I could have ever expected, November 15, 2008
I recently purchased the Asus Eee Pc 904ha and I couldn't be any more happy with the performance thus far. The Atom processor seems to work wonders with keeping the Netbook at great working condition. I have yet to be annoyed by the laptop over-heating. So far so good. The 1 gig of ram that is standard in the system makes this device run smoothly and allows for you to run many programs at a time with no trouble at all.
Alongside the 1 gig of ram, you get a 160 gig hard drive which is split up into your C and D drive. There is so much space to store whatever you need over the course of use with your netbook and still...if you wish to purchase a USB drive you can because this device comes with three USB 2.0 connection ports.
Transferring images from a camera is easy especially since you can insert a media card into the card slot located on the side of the Netbook.
One con about the netbook is that it lacks a CD drive. Although this takes away from watching DVD's and installing programs via cd-rom, you can still enjoy the use of this device to a great degree.
The keyboard is amazing. I find that the keyboard is spacious and good enough to write properly and as fast as I used to on a standard laptop keyboard.
One of the programs I added on was Microsoft Office Pro XP. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and all the other programs work extremely smooth on the Netbook. So yes, you can install the programs and expect them to run very well
I needed to purchase a laptop fast since my old one died and I need something to carry with me in case I have to write a report or write up computer programs and I found this one and it caught my eye immediately. The price alone is something that is to be acknowledged. It is easily one of the cheaper netbooks on the market and comes with considerably more than others on the market.
The Web cam works well with skype and other web cam enabled programs. I find it very useful and I intend to make even more use of it in the near future.
Overall this product is a perfect buy! I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great device for a cheap price. Again...it is way more than I had expected it to be.
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