Review: 1005HA-PU17-BK ASUS Eee, Great Computer

Overall Rating55555

Great Computer

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October 28 (updated below)
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I received the ASUS EEE PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook two days ago. My initial impression is that this is a great computer. Below are more specific comments.

1) OS: Windows Starter
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Runs really well without any problems. I think another 1GB of RAM would make it faster, but I can easily live without it for my main purpose of taking research notes, writing papers, and using the Internet.

I have not had a chance to try out all of my software yet, but Windows Office 2007, bLADE Wiki, Chrome, and other programs I frequently use work just fine. Windows 7 Starter does run more than three applications. I have four open now.

Thankfully, I had no difficulty enabling language support (IME) for Japanese and Chinese. In general, I have also found some things a little more intuitive than XP or Vista. At this point, I see absolutely no reason to buy an upgrade.

The inability to change your desktop image is a mean-spirited marketing decision that I hope Microsoft will reconsider. Not only that, but the wallpaper makes it look like you have a crack or dust on your screen. You can get around this and speed up your computer a little bit in the process. In your start menu right-click on computer, select properties, advanced system settings, performance, and “Adjust for best performance.” Your background will be solid blue.

2) Screen
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Surprisingly crisp and clear. Yes, it is small, but so is the computer :)
3) Keyboard
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I have no trouble at all typing on it. Some owners of past Asus models have complained about a warped space bar. Indeed, the space bar is slightly elevated on the left side. However, I believe this was intentional. When you press the function key with the blue “running man” mark on the left it switches power settings (see comments below for an update on the keyboard).

4) Battery
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I am not sure yet how to get the advertised 10.5, but I am easily getting 9+ hours out of it on the power saver mode. It is incredible. The power adapter is quite small and seems to charge it up very quickly.

5) Sturdiness / Quality
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The computer feels surprisingly solid and less flimsy than more expensive computers I have bought in the past. It is not the most elegant computer out there, but it seems well-built. It has a wonderful lack of annoying lights. The only one remaining is the power light in the upper right. The blue LED is annoying (as it is on most computers made nowadays), but much less of a problem than others out there. If computer manufacturers would put the power light back on the bottom right under my hand with the rest of the lights I would be grateful.

6) Partitions
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My memory was partitioned into a C and D drive. There are good reasons to have a partition, but personally I prefer none. It is relatively easy to change the partition.

7) Bloatware
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One or two programs (as far as I can tell) that I was able to quickly remove. Nothing at all like my last computer that had over a dozen.

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November 5 (update)
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It is a fabulous computer and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again if I had the chance. At this size (10.1 inch) and with these specs (battery life, memory, etc.) it seems to be the best computer on the market. I still give it 5 stars.

However, I have had concerns with the keyboard. Be sure to inspect it thoroughly when it arrives. I ordered the same model for someone else and it arrived with what looked like melted keys next to the spacebar. We sent it back to Amazon for a replacement and the new one that arrived is just fine.

My “w” key was sticking the other day. I sprayed some compressed air under it and it started working again. I never eat or drink near the computer, so I cannot imagine what it was. That is the first time I have had something like that happen on any computer. It has been about a week since that happened and has been working fine.

After looking at last year’s models in the store, I can see that my “warped” space key was probably not intentional. It doesn’t hit the screen and is barely noticeable, so I have not shipped it back for a replacement. I remain pleased with the product overall, but I think they really need to work on quality control for their keyboards.

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November 17 (update)
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I remain extremely pleased with the product. I just wanted to write another update here to encourage potential buyers to make sure that the reviews on Amazon for this product are written by people who have actually purchased and/or used THIS product. Those who owned the previous model have had power supply, battery, and keyboard issues. I encourage you to read reviews of earlier models to learn more (I did before making this purchase), and I appreciate that people are willing to share their experiences, but it seems unfair to the company and misleading to consumers when reviews are posted here for another product (no matter what the apparent similarities are).

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December 12 (update)
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I’ve had the computer for about two months now and I would still give it five stars. The battery indicator tells me I have 10 to 11 hours after a full charge, but I have never had that many hours of straight use to actually test it. All I can say for sure is that I am very happy with the battery life.

Windows 7 Starter is great. It hasn’t crashed once since I purchased the computer. I always liked XP (disliked 98 and Vista), but given time I might end up liking this OS even more. It seems pretty snappy, even with just 1GB RAM.

The trackpad has raised bumps and seems to work best with a delicate touch. It’s OK, but personally I prefer smooth surfaces. If any ASUS engineers are reading this, I recommend a trackpad like the one on the Panasonic Lets Note R8 CF-R8WWLAJP.

Update (9/5/2010): This item is currently on sale here for the lowest price I’ve seen. I also found some auctions for this item here.

The featured review for this product, ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hours of Battery Life Windows 7 Starter Personal Computers, was written by Christopher Mayo.

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Reviews (3)

L. Eldred

December 23rd, 2009 at 11:12 pm    


Overall Rating55555

First impressions: So far so good.
************ Jan 3,2010 Update *************

I’ve had the machine for 10 weeks now after ordering it on release day (Oct 22) with 1-day shipping. I’ve taken it on several long trips and have been taking it with me daily to work. My battery life is great, approaching the rated 10.5 hour time under medium load. The battery also does a great job of holding a charge when the machine is not powered up from snooze mode for a week.

I recently got a bluetooth mouse for Christmas (Logitech V470 Bluetooth Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks (Blue)) in a matching blue to the netbook. I don’t use it for short projects, but it works great when I do sit down for a longer work project. Right now, I’m sitting on my sofa with the mouse on the armrest and everything is great.

I also just upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium using one of three licenses from a family upgrade pack (no longer in print). I had found workarounds for the starter edition limitations that annoyed me and put up with most of the other limitations. Asus released a utility to allow the changing of the desktop wallpaper (an annoyance I mentioned in my original review below.) The lack of some of the fancy transparent Aero effects didn’t really bother me. Another limitation is not really a limitation: you cannot create a Win7 homegroup with the starter edition. Since this is a new feature of Win7, you need to have another Win7 machine on your LAN to get any use of a homegroup. That other machine can create the group and your starter edition machine can then join it. It’s only a real issue if you have multiple starter edition machines and nothing at a higher level.

But, the final straw that made me upgrade was the limitation of not being able to switch users without logging off. I wanted my wife to be able to pick up the machine and use it even if I had left it logged into my account (and locked due to being put to sleep). The machine is having no problems with the fancier Aero effects, but I don’t feel they’re exciting enough to recommend an upgrade solely for them. Still, they’re pretty.

************ Nov 20 Update ****************

While it’s worth reading the reviews of the XP predecessor model to this machine (ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook - 10.5 Hour Battery Life), this is not the same machine. In addition to running Windows 7 it has a different hard drive, different webcam, and yes, a different power adapter.

Keep in mind while reading the other reviews that this machine was released on Oct 22, 2009 - the day that Windows 7 came out. If the reviewer says they bought their machine before that date, then they’re not reviewing this machine! They’re reviewing the XP model. The comments may still be useful, but remember that they’ve already chosen to mislead you by claiming to be reviewing this model - which they do not own. As of this writing, only one of the five “1-star” reviews are actually reviewing this model. (Jan 3,2010: Now 3 out of 15 one-star reviews actually discuss problems with the machine.)

************ Oct 28 Update ****************

Read the comments on this review for my initial battery impressions as well as some good comments from other folks.

************ Original Oct 24 Post ****************

It’s been 2 days since the release of Windows 7 and this netbook. With one-day shipping, I’ve been playing with the machine for about 6 hours. So, I have some initial thoughts, but no great insights into battery life or use while traveling (I’ll try to update after my business trip next week).

My overall impression is very positive. It’s small and easy to use. The keyboard and trackpad work as well as my full sized laptop. I’ve installed a bunch of basic programs like Firefox and have had no problems. The only minor frustration I have is one of the silly limitations of Windows 7 Starter Edition: you can’t change the desktop’s wallpaper. It’s a silly limitation, but not worth paying to upgrade to Home Premium to overcome.

Along with the netbook, I purchased a 2 gig upgrade: Crucial Technology CT25664AC800 2GB 200-pin SODIMM DDR2 PC2-6400 Memory Module and an external DVD burner: ASUS USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive SDRW-08D1S-U (Black). If you look at the pictures above you can see just how easy it is to install the memory. It did take a little more force than I liked to remove the memory cover after unscrewing the one screw, but everything else went smoothly.


Reader

January 10th, 2010 at 12:40 pm    


Overall Rating55555

I Got What I Expected from a Top-Rated Netbook
UPDATE…IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS READING ALL THESE REVIEWS: This ASUS model has only been out since the end of October. Many negative reviews of this product mention owning it for much longer and so must not be about this exact machine.

Relevant context for this review: This is my first netbook and I have been a strong Mac OS convert for the past 2 and 1/2 years. I swore I would never purchase anything with a Windows OS again, but bought this because the price, size, and battery life were what I needed. I have the Blue one.

BOTTOM LINE: I have been playing with my netbook for three weeks (as of this Nov 23rd update to this review) and can say that it is everything I expected.

POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS:

- Battery life is incredible and recharges in an hour (max): I did some light web-surfing for a couple hours one night and had 82% of battery left when I was done. UPDATE: I watched a 45 min. episode of Mad Men that I downloaded and it only used up about 10% of the battery. Pretty awesome.

- Size is great: about the size of a hardcover novel.

- Weight is much better: half the weight of my MacBook Pro, the same weight as my girlfriend’s MacBook Air.

- Price point is right: I got mine for $387 and feel like anything $400 or less is a fair price for what you get.

- Screen is small, crisp, and clear: Larger would be easier to see, but small is the point of a netbook, right?

- Windows 7 Starter is adequate: Not sluggish, even with 4 windows open at a time. I’m still getting re-familiarized with the Windows 7 file structure and how you install applications, etc, but that’s not a fault of Windows 7. There is a wallpaper application on the Asus website that allows you to make any photo your wallpaper (look under “Downloads” for Windows 7…I think it’s first on the list).

- Asus tech support was helpful and efficient: Yes, I had to call when I was initializing Windows 7 because I got an endless “Initializing icon” during set-up. They said something must not have installed right on set-up.

- Keyboard is smaller but acceptably easy to use: Again, small is the point, so you have to expect some difference. I have to look when I type or I make mistakes (normally, I type by touch). I hit “z” instead of “shift” if I don’t look.

NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONS:

- Asus almost hides their phone # for customer support on the website and the book that comes with the netbook just lists the website. Not helpful if you don’t have other access to web when having trouble.

- I had to call Asus support during set-up. Yes, it was resolved quickly, but this is the kind of thing you don’t have to do with Mac OS and why I get frustrated with Windows.

- Have to protect from viruses again: Netbook comes with free, 61-day protection, but I hate having to pay and update protection all the time. UPDATE: See first comment below for a tip about free virus protection.

- Not a great “lap top” computer. It’s very small size, makes it hard to use on your lap. Much easier to use sitting at a table.

- Pretty hokey, kid-like Eee PC toolbar seems like more of a link to stuff you can purchase (games, etc.) than a heavy-duty “tool” that is provided to make Eee PC experience Eeesier. UPDATE: I figured out how to get rid of this under settings, so this is a non-issue now.

Okay, that’s my impression so far. Will update if it changes. I think I’m going to keep it and take it on an 18 hour flight and two week trip to South Africa next week. Hoping to be able to use it to play (on plane), skype, and research travel/touring info while away.

************ Nov 2nd Update ****************

I’m liking the machine more every day. I have now put itunes and doubletwist on my machine so that I can sync my Palm Pre (phone) and access all of my itunes music and other media purchased through itunes. Both are working great. I have also installed a bunch of things I need to patch the WebOS code on my Palm Pre and that is working like a dream. Lastly, I downloaded open office (free open-source word processing, spreadsheet, and slide show and more) and plan to use that instead of paying for MS Office.

************ Nov 23 Update *****************

I just returned from a two week trip to South Africa–the main reason I purchased this netbook when I did–and the netbook performed very well. I skyped, connected to many different wireless networks all over SA, transferred hundreds of photos from memory card each day, created a slideshow to share with family on my way back, watched downloaded TV shows on plane, read email, searched weather and surf reports, and only had to recharge the machine three times over the duration of the trip. Pretty awesome!

I have now owned this machine since about a week after release (a total of 3 weeks now) and it continues to meet my expectations and more. Windows 7 runs well for me (which is a relief after some bad experiences with earlier Windows platforms), the battery life is excellent (as advertised), and the machine charges quickly.

I have still not experienced any of the power issues a few other reviewers note and think it is definitely worth noting some of those reviewers say they have had the machine longer than it has been out (and so perhaps they are reviewing a different model??).


Christopher Mayo

January 15th, 2010 at 10:24 am    


Overall Rating55555

Great Computer
Rated 5 stars.


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