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I must admit that up until a few months ago, I credited netbooks with being nothing more than candy bar clutches for the young and trendy. In fact, I did not think that they had the computing prowess to do any more than run Facebook and family holiday slideshows. I was wrong.

Netbooks seem to have arrived at the right time. We live in a world where many businesses are harping on low-cost computing solutions, while others are considering work-from-home or larger mobile workforces. For such needs, sub-25k laptops that handle most of an employee’s daily computing needs—while not breaking his back—make a lot of sense.

I recently got my hands on the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, the latest netbook from Asus’ vast Eee PC range that has begun the tilt toward netbooks. Keen to pit it against my regular laptop, I decided to make it my primary PC for a month.
First, the specs. The 1000HE runs on a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, has a 10-inch LED backlit WSVGA screen, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard disk, a 802.11 b/g/n wireless network, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, Dolby speakers and Windows XP.

It also houses a 4-in-1 memory card reader, three USB ports, a VGA port for connecting an external display, a headphone and microphone jack, an Ethernet port and a Kensington lock slot. Of course, like other netbooks, it does not have a CD or DVD drive. The kicker spec with this netbook, though, is its mind-boggling 9.5 hours of battery life.

Now, I work on the move almost everyday. So the 1000HE was a boon, though it isn’t the lightest of netbooks. Glossy looking, strong, durable plastic is used throughout the body.

While the keyboard is well spaced out and easy to use, the touch pad—though of a decent size—was not as responsive as I would have liked it to be.

Performance wise, this baby met all my needs. Browsing the web, working with MS Office and running light applications was a breeze for the Atom processor. I even managed to run a photo editor without much of a flutter. Watching movies (just this one time, boss!) and TV episodes was no bother, either, though the speakers were not exactly sufficient. Running more intensive applications like Adobe CS3 threw up some issues. If you are someone who uses such software, it might be better to wait for the next generation of netbooks. Gamers and graphic designers, take note.

Crucially, heat buildup and noise was minimal during battery-powered use; it was a bit more of plugged power. Best of all, on a full recharge, the 1000HE’s six cell battery lasted an incredible 7 hours and 40 minutes.

Working with the 1000HE led me to an interesting issue that’s being talked about in the world of computing: these netbooks just may have ended the performance wars. For the last five years, Intel and AMD have been going gaga trying to outdo each other by making the fastest processors. But they overlook the fact that the average consumer rarely does more than the most common tasks (e-mail, surfing, watching streamed videos), which require very little processing power. Consumers’ biggest computing pains are external problems, like a slow network or a heavy website. Although brutal to PC makers, netbooks are proving to be true ‘Personal Computers’.

Cloud Computing has already found its groove with companies all over, and now you can now expect more netbooks—and less of their bulky cousins—in corporate setups, too.  The future looks interesting

SPECIFICATIONS:
Screen 10-inch, LED backlight, WSVGA
PROCESSOR Intel Atom N280 1.6GHz
Memory 1GB RAM
Storage 160GB
Operating System Windows XP Home
Connectivity USB (x3), VGA, Ethernet port, Kensington lock slot, memory card reader
Battery Life 9.5 hours
Size/Weight 266×191x28.5mm/1.4kg

©Entrepreneur September 2009

Tags:
Asus, Eee PC, laptop, netbook