I owned an ASUS Eee PC 1005HA for almost three years and absolutely loved it. By the end it was running really slow with some mechanical problems, but I used it constantly and for everything, and I was never particularly gentle with it. 2+ years of constant use of an awesome computer for $300-400 is unparalleled.
Recently I got the 1015PX as a replacement, and it's still great, but ASUS made some functional choices on it that I think were kind of silly. No option for a side scroll bar area on the key pad, no light indicator for CapsLock, only one jack for audio in/out (not a big deal to me, but it does mean no option for microphone and headphones at the same time, like during Skype or a videogame), the webcam was downgraded from 1.3mpx to .3 (gah!), the power cord is less user-friendly because it can't be detached in half (which allowed you to leave the plug part plugged in, say, behind your desk, and only plug in the actual converter part when in use so it wasn't wasting energy all the time)...
These are all things that my earlier model didn't suffer from. It's too bad, because most of them are very simple fixes. BUT, I can't help but compare it to my old Eee, so I must remember to say...
EEE PC's ARE AWESOME. Lightweight, compact, massive battery life (I'm running this one for ~8 hours of heavy use right now, plus only putting it to sleep when not in use), and stocked with all of the new essentials like USB 2.0 ports, dual core processor, 2 gigs of RAM, a hefty 320gb HD... I dare you to try finding a traditional laptop with all of those features for ~$400. Even if you have to replace it after 2 years or so, you can buy three of them before you get to the starting price of the most basic of MacBooks.
Also, there's some talk of this kind of item being replaced by the tablet, but for those (like I) who really want a real laptop, you can't beat this. For years I've been doing all of my schoolwork, watching movies, listening to music, web browsing, downloading, etc etc on Eee PC's. They're powerful enough to so anything you want, especially with the dual core.
BOTTOM LINE:
Despite any grudges I may hold over ASUS's changes from previous models, this is still a great netbook. I hope they re-fix those little usability issues, but as long as they don't get any worse it's definitely worth it. If mine was to magically disappear or something, I'd probably buy another one instantly, because I've been so happy with them. (Note: that is not an invitation to steal my laptop. Please do not steal my laptop.)
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