If you haven’t heard the term netbook yet, it’s basically a term for a miniature sized notebook computer. The 
computer giants have all scrambled to catch up with the market that has recently been flooded with innumerable numbers of these netbooks and the sad fact is, they all have pretty much have the same standard specifications. But, out of the mess that is the netbook market emerged a product called the EEE PC manufactured by Asus.
The EEE PC comes in many different models that all sport virtually the same hardware specifications. The only two main differences between the 1000HE, the 900 generation, and even the rest of the line, is that the latter has a 16 gigabyte SSD and the N270 Intel Atom processor compared to the 1000HE’s 160 gigabyte HDD and the N280 Intel Atom Processor that runs slightly faster.
Salient Features – Asus EEE PC 1000HE (Courtesy of laptopmag.com)
CPU: 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N280
Operating System: Windows XP Home
RAM/Expandable to: 1GB/2GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 160GB/5,400 rpm
Optical Drive: None
Display/Resolution: 10 inches (1024 x 600)
The EEE PC 1000HE looks almost identical in form and size to the other EEE PC computers in the lineup but because the 1000HE has those faster specs and is loaded with a full version of Windows XP Home, it has taken the lead as the king of the Asus netbook lineup. The keyboard on the 1000HE has been given a boost in terms of functionality. Before, it was a scramble to cram full size keys onto a board that just wouldn’t house them all. Asus has finally managed to implement chiclet style keys that are very easy to maneuver and type on compared to their competitors’. You will notice that some of the keys have been truncated, like the shift keys, but in time you get used to the smaller version and you won’t be bumping off extra keys anymore.
While the advertised 9.5 hours of battery life is almost impossible, I’ve found that it’s possible to get at least 5 hours of battery time on a single charge doing reasonable things like playing music, writing emails, and browsing the web. And quite honestly, getting at least 5 to 6 hours of battery time out of computer is very impressive. You really can’t complain. The touchpad has a nice feel to it that doesn’t make you struggle to move your finger around like some others do. There are nitpick things that I could point out about the computer like the glossy finish that constantly gets fingerprint smudges all over it, the cheap tinny sounding speakers that aren’t very usable, or even the fact that it doesn’t have a built in CD/DVD drive.
But, for this price and this amount of functionality, why would you complain about the small things? You’ve got a full computer in your hands, or even your pocket, for a few hundred dollars. Like Kevin, an editor over at Notebook Review put it, ” I would say ASUS has an impressive netbook and a very affordable starting price.”