Eee PC 1000 review

Eee PC 1000 Review

Reviewed by: Rory Reid

Reviewed on: 10 July 2008

The wireless capabilities of both versions of the Eee PC 1000 are identical. They include 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi, so you can connect to just about every type of popular Wi-Fi network, including high-speed 300Mbps networks. There's also Bluetooth, which isn't quite so handy, but we're more disappointed at the absence of integrated 3G for true go-anywhere Internet access.

It's worth noting that the Eee PC 1000's screen is of a good standard. Its vertical viewing angle is pretty limited, as is the case with all these devices. The 1,024x600-pixel resolution is, again, par for the netbook course, but it's still a pleasure to use. It doesn't use a glossy finish, all icons and text are large and readable and there's simply not as much need to squint or bow your head closer to the device to see what's going on.

Performance
There's very little difference between the Eee PC 1000 and the rest of its Atom-equipped rivals in terms of performance. The 1000 clocked up 1,512 in PCMark 2005, which is a very respectable score for a machine of this type. During our time with it, it felt very responsive and never gave us the impression it wasn't up for a particular task.

3D gaming isn't the 1000's forte. It only hit 602 in 3DMark 2006, which is pretty pathetic. Remember, the machine clearly isn't designed to move polygons around, so if you stick to things like browsing the Web, showing presentations, playing movies -- high definition included -- you won't be disappointed.

Battery life was pretty impressive in the Eee PC 1000. We weren't expecting it to be as long as the Eee PC 901's, due to its larger screen, but it fared surprisingly well. It lasted 3 hours 56 minutes while watching a DivX movie, which is good compared to the 901's 4.5 hours.

Conclusion
The Eee PC 1000 is a fabulous machine. It precariously straddles the line between mini laptop and ultraportable, but it's well equipped, well designed and great for those who need a usable laptop on the move. It's more expensive than the similarly-equipped MSI Wind, but it does have its advantages like the multi-touch mouse trackpad and a choice of specification. As a result, we recommend it highly.

Edited by Shannon Doubleday