The Asus 1000 running Linux (like you can tell!)
Ebony Asus 1000 next to white 901 running XP
Now you can see the Linux on the 1000
J&R wants a whopping US$699 for the Asus EeePC 1000 with a 40GB SSD running Linux!
Good luck with that, pal!
This is the fine ebony model. J&R has it only in that color. No version yet running Windows XP.
The lid and palm rests are the same glossy plastic the Lenovo U100 has. Apparently this unit has been out for at least one day as all of the glossy surfaces have a slime on them. Biohazard alert! I think companies should fire the product designers who are convincing them to use that material. It's just unrealistic. Go matte, dammit!
Fit and finish were very good. The unit is bigger than both the 901 (obviously) as well the hp Mini Note. That last comparison surprised me. However, the size is not big in and of itself. I mean, you don't look at it and react with, "OMFGZZZZ!!! That's biiiig!" No. It's still a subnotebook and it looks like one. In fact, it actually looks like the first subnotebook worth buying. It isn't toyish at all, at least not hardware-wise. Suits wouldn't feel generally embarrassed carrying it and in fact it looks pretty classy. In that respect, the price is a huge bargain when compared to past similar offerings from Toshiba, Sony, and others.
I played with all the buttons. I looked at the Linux interface. I typed on it. Thus began the string of disappointments.
The strip of buttons (aside from power) were generally very slow to respond under the Linux interface (by contrast, the strip of buttons on the XPed 901 all responded immediately). At first, I didn't think any of them worked at all, that's how much of a delay I experienced. And let me tell you, I was the one who booted this machine up for its day, so the RAM wasn't clogged with a bunch of stuff already resident! From what I saw, the Screen Off button offers options along the lines of sleep, shut down, and restart. That is, the screen did not go dark, as it did on the 901.
The button to change resolution seemed to offer only two choices, the full resolution of the screen and 800x600(!).
The Linux interface looks awful on this screen. The screen itself looked washed out, but that might be due to the colors of the Linux interface. The icons all seemed to be a weird aspect ratio and seemed ginormous on that larger screen. It lacked the attractiveness of the original 700-series screen.
Now, the keyboard. Guess what: it is a keyboard! A real damned keyboard with spacing between the keys and keytops that actually look like real keys. They work like real keys too. But this is where the Asus disqualified itself from my consideration. Ages ago, I developed an RSI from a laptop I had to do a death march of typing on. That keyboard had hard feedback to it. That is, when the key reached bottom, it hit hard, like slamming into a brick wall. The Asus 1000 keyboard is exactly like that. I was able to type full-speed on it with no problem. Spacing was great and I had zero typos. But after just three sentences at full-speed, I was already experiencing nerve memory flashback to that prior RSI. This keyboard would reawaken that RSI and kill me. (In contrast, Asus offers a US$2,000 11"-screened notebook clad in, I dunno, dinosaur hide. Its keyboard has soft feedback.) This might not be an issue for other people, so the keyboard will probably be a great boon to them. It's a keyboard that full-size adult hands should be able to use without any problems at all.
One other important point about the Asus. J&R displays their demo models plugged into AC and removes the battery packs. I hefted the Asus 1000 and then the hp Mini Note. The hp Mini Note really is a frikkin boat anchor! The Asus felt very light in comparison. Not as light as the 901, but it didn't have a weight that immediately disqualified it on that point, like the hp Mini Note.
As for size, well, yeah, it's bigger than the 901, but to have a real keyboard for real-world typing, I'd accept the extra size. But it's still a subnotebook.
So, the Asus EeePC 1000 is not for me at all. But what this fondle has done is really, really pushed my lust button to fondle an MSI Wind. If that keyboard lacks hard feedback, it would probably be ideal for me (should I give into temptation and not wait for the iPod Air, that is!).
But when will J&R have the MSI Wind in stock? They don't know.
Update: J&R has the MSI Wind (as of the time of the linked post!).
Previously here:
Reference: MSI Wind Vs. Asus 1000H
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