Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 18 July 2008 08:41
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
If you've been waiting for an Asus Eee PC with a larger screen, larger
storage and larger keyboard, the Eee PC 1000H could well be the model
you've been waiting for. How much will it cost, and what are the specs?
Finally... the Asus Eee PC 1000H is here, and it’s arguably the computer the Eee PC should have been in the first place.
That said, the original Eee PC 701 set a standard for small sized notebooks and small pricing while still delivering more than enough grunt to get all your everyday email, web surfing, wordprocessing and other basic tasks done, and coming with Linux and Windows flavours, to boot! (pardon the pun).
But for some users, the original 7-inch screen was just a tad too small, and for others, the “compact” keyboard on offer, while usable and something you certainly could get used to, was just a bit too small.
After all, the original Eee PC was designed for children in an education setting, so there were reasons why the 701 came configured as it did.
But as the Eee PC caught the imagination of the public, normally used to subnotebook computers costing thousands of dollars, consumers wondered just when it would be that Asus would design and release slightly bigger and better models that had larger screens and more usable keyboards.
The Eee PC 1000H fulfils that desire, but even before the 1000H landed in Austalia, Asus announced overseas the 904 series, a computer in the same chassis and keyboard as the 1000H, but with an 8.9-inch screen, at a slightly cheaper price, which will also appeal to some users.
Yes, we’ve written various Asus
Eee PC models being released in the UK and elsewhere, including the 1000H and 904 series, but unless you were prepared to buy the 1000H flagship model overseas and ship it here, we simple had to wait for a local release date. That day has finally arrived in Australia.
So, what are the specs?
Well, let’s start with the keyboard. Instead of being the “compact” keyboard of the 701 series, with keys even smaller than the 85% sized keys of the Acer Aspire One, the 1000H’s keys have been described as being “comfortable” at 92% the size of regular keys.
This is the same percentage rating that the HP 2133 MiniNote gives to its keys, and while it’s not a percentage size that Asus has spoken about in its press release, it’s one I’ve discovered in the past on overseas articles on the device. Either way, the keys are much larger than the 701 keys and are reportedly much, much nicer to type on.
So, one very important issue, at least for some, has been solved. What else is packed within? Please read on to page 2.
