JaypeeOnline

Got an Asus Eee PC (netbook) from BestBuy two weeks ago. No, this is not mine but rather my wife’s new “toy”. Previously, she was using my old laptop – the Compaq Presario C714NR but decided to give it to her sister who needed it. The Toshiba Satellite A305-S6872 is my work machine and sharing it would be difficult so we decided to get my wife a new machine. Since she only needs a computer for checking her email, checking her Facebook account, surfing the web and watching YouTube videos, a netbook would be enough. Found one online on BestBuy, an Asus Eee PC 1005HAB on sale for $329. Paid for expedited shipping and got it within 3 days.

Basic Specifications:

• Intel® Atom™ processor N270 (533MHz system bus, 512KB L2 cache and 1.6GHz).
• 1GB DDR2 memory (expandable to 2GB).
• 10.1″ WXGA LED-backlit widescreen display (1024×600 resolution).
• 160GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Windows XP SP3 Home Edition
• Built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam
• 3-in-1 digital media reader
• 3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
• Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
• Built-in 10/100 Mbps fast Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector
• 2.4 lbs. and 1.4″

Additional Photos:

As the in-house desktop support, I had the privilege of playing with it first. The Asus Eee 1005HAB didn’t have much bloatware installed so it took me only a few minutes to install the necessary programs like antivirus, web browser, media player, etc., update Windows and configure other settings. I also replaced the default blue Windows color scheme/theme to a black theme which looks much better and makes the desktop look nicer. Finding and connecting to my WiFi network was a breeze with the Asus Eee 1005HAB.

The Asus Eee 1005HAB comes with 1GB of RAM installed and is enough to run Windows XP but I do plan to upgrade it to 2GB as soon as I order some from Newegg. The WXGA LED-backlight widescreen display is clear and crisp and displayed DVD-quality videos very well. Other features I love on the Asus Eee 1005HAB are the 3 USB ports (love that it has 3 USB ports and love the location of the ports), the 3-in-1 media card reader and the 6-cell lithium-ion battery that can last up to 8 hours.

There were several models that had a bigger hard drive space (250 GB) but had Windows 7 Starter Edition installed so I opted for the one with Windows XP. For those who aren’t familiar, the Windows 7 Starter Edition is very limited – only allows 3 applications running at the same time and you can’t even replace the wallpaper. I regret not getting the $30 WIndows 7 Home Edition upgrade last month.

The only cons with the Asus Eee 1005HAB? The glossy finish around the display/keyboard and the hand rest area are fingerprint magnets and takes extra effort to remove. The other one is that the keyboards are a bit loose and feel kinda cheap. However, these are very minor flaws. Overall, I’m really impressed and I don’t regret purchasing the Asus Eee 1005HAB.