Test Netbook from Asus Eee PC 1215N

The ASUS Eee PC 1215N is the latest netbook to offer a 12-inch HD display and a dual-core Intel Atom processor to deliver multimedia entertainment and multitasking productivity for just $500. While this isn't the cheapest netbook on the market, the 1215N promises to be the most powerful. Keep reading to find out more.

Pros:

• Excellent netbook performance
• Webcam privacy cover
• Nice screen

Cons:

• Limited upgradability
• Bouncy keyboard
• Bad touchpad buttons

Conclusion
ASUS has once again shown why the Eee PC line of netbooks remains popular with many consumers. The new Eee PC 1215N offers the best overall performance we've seen from an Atom-based netbook. Battery life isn't as good as the best single-core netbooks, but it is better than the previous 12-inch Eee PC.

In truth, the only things we didn't like about this netbook were all related to design. First, the keyboard was too bouncy and the touchpad buttons are just horrible. We also would have liked to see easier access to the hard drive and wireless cards since many well-informed owners add new hard drives or SSDs to their netbooks.

Still, it's hard to find another 12-inch laptop that offers better performance for just $500 retail price. If you want an ultraportable netbook with a good screen and good performance for less than the price of a CULV-based notebook then the ASUS Eee PC 1215N probably belongs at the top of a very short list.

ASUS Eee PC 1215N Specifications:

• Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit)
• Intel Atom D525 Dual Core Processor 1.8GHz (1MB L2 cache)
• 2GB DDR3 RAM (800MHz)
• 250GB 5400 rpm SATA HDD plus 500GB Online Storage
• 12.1-inch diagonal WXGA (1366x768)
• NVIDIA ION with Optimus
• 0.3 megapixel webcam
• Realtek 802.11 B/G/N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 4-in-1 media card slot
• 11.65 x 8.19 x 1.31
• 3lbs 3.5oz (not including weight of AC adapter)
• 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery (5200mAh, 56Wh)
• One-year standard warranty
• MSRP: $499.99

Build and Design
The ASUS Eee PC 1215N is the latest addition to the "Seashell" line of Eee PC netbooks and features an attractive wedge design with a very thin profile at the front that gradually thickens towards screen hinge. This shape feels nice in your hands and looks even nicer when the computer is resting on a desk. The combination of glossy black plastics and silver metalic finish help accent the various details in the design of this netbook. ASUS was the company that invented the netbook category with it's original Eee PC, and whether you love them or hate them, netbook sales are still strong enough to suggest that this category of budget ultraportable laptops is going to stick around for a while.

Build quality is very good with the 1215N feeling solid and showing almost no signs of flex. The screen stays firmly shut with a good amount of tension from the screen hinges when closed. Protection from the screen cover is very good; as no distortions appeared on the display when we applied pressure to the back of the cover. Opening up the screen you can tell the hinges should hold up for a long time with strong tension that prevents the screen from flopping around once opened. The body of the netbook seems to be well designed with minimal chassis flex and no obvious creaks from the plastics.

As we've seen on other recent ASUS notebooks, the new Eee PC 1215N features a convenient webcam privacy cover that slides into place over the lens of the built-in webcam when you flip the switch between the "on" and "off" positions. Yes, technically proficient users can disable the webcam using the Windows Device Manager, but many average netbook owners appreciate having a simple way to protect their privacy so unscrupulous outsiders don't use their laptop webcams for spying or stalking. Considering how much value a few cents worth of plastic offers, I'm amazed every built-in webcam doesn't have a switch like this.

One area of the design that didn't impress us was the bottom of the netbook. The expansion bay consists of nothing more than the two RAM sockets. The cover panel is held in place by a single screw, which makes it easy to upgrade the RAM, but ASUS engineers don't give you convenient access to the wireless card or the hard drive. Users interested in making upgrades (a common thing for netbook owners) will have to completely disassemble the Eee PC 1215N if they want to do anything other than upgrade the RAM.

Screen and Speakers
The 12.1" screen on the Eee PC 1215N appears to be the same model used in the older 1201N and is great for browsing the web, editing photos, or even watching HD movies. Color and contrast are excellent thanks to the glossy surface and LED-backlighting. Color saturation is better than average although only in a narrow viewing range. Once you start to tilt the screen forward or back the colors start to look dim or very washed out. Horizontal viewing angles were better; staying visible until roughly 60 degrees where the reflections on the screen start to overpower what is being displayed. Peak backlight brightness was fine for viewing in bright office conditions, but only when the brightness was set to 100 percent. Outdoor viewing was close to impossible unless you were in some serious shade from a tree or other structure.

The onboard speakers were lap-firing and sounded very tinny. The speakers had no low frequency response and just a small hint of midrange. This is fine for listening to streaming music or watching a YouTube clip, but not for sharing a movie in a small room. The speaker orientation causes problems if you have the laptop laying on a bed or pressed against thick clothing on your lap. I was able to easily obstruct the speakers with my legs; making them sound muffled. In short, audiophiles would be better off using a nice pair of headphones or connecting the Eee PC to a stereo through its HDMI-out port.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The nearly full-size keyboard on the 1215N is very comfortable to type although it still has a learning curve compared to regular sized notebooks. Most condensed Chiclet-style (also called island-style) keyboards provide enough space between each key to prevent excessive typos. The keyboard looks quite nice but the keyboard on our review sample suffered from a great deal of flex or "bounce" under heavy typing pressure. Not only does this make typing feel mushy but it can lead to typos when the keys "bounce" under your fingertips. The keys are designed with a rough matte finish on top which helps increase fingertip traction. Individual key action was smooth, giving off a quiet high-pitched click when pressed.

The touchpad on the 1215N is a Synaptics model with great sensitivity and speed. We didn't notice any problems with the touchpad calibration straight out of the box and the lightly textured surface provides just the right amount of traction for cursor movement. The flush touchpad surface is separated from the palmrests by a pair of polished metal strips but I often found my finger moving outside the touchpad area when using the touchpad. Once again, ASUS engineers decided to use a single touchpad button bar rather than two separate buttons. This makes it easy to accidentally hit the wrong mouse button since there is just one button and no dividing line between the two sides. Hopefully one of these days someone at ASUS will read these reviews and stop using touchpad buttons like these.

Ports and Features
Port selection on the Eee PC 1215N is fairly standard for a modern netbook. ASUS gives you three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI-out, VGA, LAN, and audio jacks. It also features a SDHC-card slot for expanding internal storage or just loading images off your camera while traveling. We won't complain about the port selection, but since we're starting to see USB 3.0 on more consumer notebooks we hope it will start showing up on netbooks soon. The only negative aspect of the connections on this Eee PC is the super-tiny AC adapter plug. Compared to any other notebook or netbook (and even some cellphones) it is smaller and potentially weaker. We can't accurately speculate on long term reliability, but we don't imagine this power jack could hold up as well as more robust connectors.

Front View: Activity lights

Rear View: Battery and screen hinges

Left Side View: AC-power, VGA out, HDMI-out, one USB 2.0 port, and media card reader

Right Side View: Audio jacks, two USB 2.0 ports, LAN, and Kensington Lock slot

Performance and Benchmarks
Like the older Eee PC 1201N, the dual-core Atom processor paired with NVIDIA's ION puts the ASUS Eee PC 1215N somewhere in-between the performance level of a single-core netbook and a CULV notebook. General system performance is only slightly more impressive than single-core Atom netbooks, as the 1215N is less "laggy" in a Windows environment but still isn't as responsive as the latest Core i5 and Core i7 CULV processors.

The latest version of Nvidia ION inside the Eee PC 1215N offers several new features not seen in previous ION-based netbooks. First, since the latest Intel Atom processors integrate the memory controller, display controller and integrated graphics processor (IGP) onto the same die as the processor itself, ION is able to use Optimus technology to pair the discrete/dedicated GPU with the CPU and IGP to offer better performance when wanted and better battery life when needed. Thanks to Nvidia ION with Optimus, the ASUS Eee PC 1215N is basically smart enough to know when it needs to use the dedicated graphics for high performance (video and gaming) and it can switch to the low-power integrated graphics when you need to have as much battery life as possible.

In terms of real world gaming this means you can play World of Warcraft on low detail settings at 1366x768 resolution and gameplay has an average framerate of about 45 frames per second. Similarly, you can play Left 4 Dead on low settings at 1366x768 and get average framerates in the low 20s. The bottom line is the latest version of Nvidia Ion works fine for games with low requirements (World of Warcraft,Portal, or Sims 3) but really starts to slow down with slightly more taxing first person shooters like Left 4 Dead or Resident Evil 5. Although this level of performance isn't as jaw dropping as a portable gaming system like the Alienware M11x, the Eee PC 1215N certainly is the most impressive standard netbook we've reviewed to date.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures gaming performance (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
Under stress the dual core Intel Atom D525 and Nvidia ION graphics raised the outside case temperature of the 1215N into the "warm but still comfortable" category. After 30 minutes with both the CPU and GPU stressed, some parts of the reached temperatures as high as 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Under normal conditions at or near idle the same spots were about 5 degrees cooler. The system fan worked harder in this netbook compared to models we have tested without the NVIDIA ION or dual-core Atom, but it still stayed below audible levels in a typical office environment. While at or close to idle the fan noise would be comparable to a virtually silent whisper or heavy breath and under load would be a quiet whisper.

Battery Life
The ASUS Eee PC 1215N has a dual-core Intel Atom processor and NVIDIA ION graphics both working against it when it comes to battery life. Despite this, ASUS claims that this netbook can deliver up to 7 hours of battery life depending on the settings and use. In our tests with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 set to the Balanced profile, the ASUS 1215N stayed on for 5 hours and 34 minutes. This is roughly an hour more than the older Eee PC 1201N which used a battery with higher capacity cells. Granted, this isn't as good as some of the older ASUS netbooks that delivered more than 10 hours of battery life, but this is the most powerful Eee PC we've seen so far.

From : http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5832&review=asus+eee+pc+1215n

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Review netbook MSI Wind U160

The Wind U160 is the latest Intel Pine Trail based-netbook from MSI boasting an impressive 15 hours of battery life. Like its sibling, the U135, which we reviewed in February, the U160 is equipped with the Intel Atom N450 and Intel GMA 3150. With a slightly larger battery and nearly identical parts configuration, can this new model beat the U135's battery life of six hours and 30 minutes? Read our full review to find out.

MSI Wind U160 Specifications:

• Windows 7 Starter Edition (32-bit)
• 10.1-inch diagonal WSVGA (1024 x 600)
• Intel Atom N450 Processor 1.66GHz (667MHz FSB, 512KB Cache)
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM onboard (1 slot available)
• Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics
• 250GB Seagate 5400.6 hard drive
• 802.11BGN Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• 4-in-1 media card slot
• Dimensions: 10.24 x 7.09 x 0.74 inches
• Weight: 2.4 pounds (not including weight of AC adapter)
• 6-cell Lithium-ion battery (65Wh)
• Retail price: $429

Build and Design
The MSI Wind U160 has a very good looking appearance with a glossy piano black finish inside and out. Compared to the U135, MSI went with a cylindrical hinge design on the U160, which allows the extended battery to blend with the shape of the back of the netbook. Gateway and Sony have also used a similar design on some of their notebooks. The common trend with these configurations is including the power button at the end of the hinge, which MSI also does.

The battery design on the U160 elevates the rear of the notebook with the rear half of the battery pack sticking out under the computer. ASUS uses a similar scheme but works the wedge shape into the design making the lift less noticeable.

Build quality is very good with strong hinges, rigid body panels, and a nearly flex-proof frame. While the screen cover seems to resist flexing under strong finger pressure, the small bit of flex is transmitted into the LCD causing some mild distortion. Besides the screen cover, the rest of the system was very well-constructed. Paint quality was above average and resisted most mild scratches from day-to-day use.

Users looking to upgrade the Wind U160 will find easy access to the system memory, which is a common on most netbooks that only include 1GB of RAM-with an access cover on the back side. The hard drive and wireless card require the entire back panel to be removed to access them. Going that extra step isn't terribly difficult, but it may be overwhelming for someone who hasn't previously dismantled a computer.

Screen and Speakers
The Wind U160 offers a 10-inch glossy LED-backlit display that rates below average compared to other similarly sized netbooks. On our review model, we noticed significant backlight bleed around the edges when the brightness is near the top of the scale. During the boot sequence, this is especially visible when the backgrounds are black.

Turning the backlight down to 50-70% reduced bleed, but it was still slightly visible if you were in a dark room watching a movie. Color and contrast are comparable to other competing netbooks thanks to the glossy screen surface. If there was less backlight bleed, it would be a great machine to watch movies on while traveling.

At peak brightness, the screen is easy to read in bright office conditions and outdoors if you are in an area that the sun wasn't reflecting off the screen. Viewing angles are average with the vertical viewing range spanning 15-20 degrees forward or back before colors started to invert. Horizontal viewing angles are better, keeping colors looking true even at steep angles.

The speakers on the U160 are lap-firing, meaning that if you have the netbook on your lap, the speakers sound muffled since they can be easily blocked by your clothing. When sitting on a flat desk surface, the speakers sound very crisp with clean high notes and some midrange. Low-frequency response is nonexistent, but expected for almost all smaller netbooks and notebooks.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The MSI Wind U160's keyboard is a nearly identical to the keyboard on the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE. They are Chiclet-style keyboards and share the same layout, key size and key shape. The only visible differences are the printed labels that appear bolded on the MSI version. Comparing both models side-by-side and the U160 feels more solid and attached to the frame, whereas the 1005PE's keyboard bounces slightly. Tactile feedback is nearly alike, with the same key strength and noise when fully pressed.

The touchpad on the MSI Wind U160 seems rudimentary compared to most other notebooks and netbooks. Compared to the U135, MSI took a step in the right direction by including driver support. Webpage scrolling is limited to only touchpoints. I had to go into the menu to realize that you don't scroll with a finger swiping action; instead you hold your finger in one of the finger-sensing zones to scroll. While it's better than before, it still feels like a huge step back when compared to the latest multitouch touchpads on most notebooks and netbooks.

Ports and Features
Port selection on the MSI Wind U160 follows the industry average with three USB 2.0 ports, VGA-out, a SDHC-card reader, audio jacks, LAN and a Kensington Lock slot. The Wind also features a dedicated wireless on/off switch to quickly disable the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth card without fumbling with keys or software settings.

Performance and Benchmarks
System performance of the Wind U160 with the Intel Pine Trail N450 processor and newer GMA 3150 integrated graphics is better than previous generation netbooks, but still leaves a bit to be desired after seeing CULV-based notebooks we reviewed recently. The system can handle low-stress activities without problems; including listening to music, watching SD and HD movies, browsing the Web, and using office productivity applications. HD video decoding was limited to 720P files as 1080P movies would start falling behind in sync. HD flash was unplayable even with the newer Adobe Flash 10.1 plug-in.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
Thermal performance of the MSI Wind U160 was slightly below average when under load. The system fan, while active under many situations, seemed to flow less air than needed to keep the netbook cool under heavy demands. We found a few hot spots near the processor and wireless card reaching upward of 100 degrees Fahrenheit while stressing the system. Under a light load, temperatures remained reasonable. Fan noise was noted throughout our review, with the fan staying on at idle load as well as full load. The noise, while minimal, could still be heard in a very quiet room.

Battery Life
MSI claims the Wind U160 can reach up to 15 hours of battery life, but in our mild-duty battery test it was only able to get a fraction of that. With the screen brightness set to 70%, Windows 7 on the Balanced profile, and wireless active the U160 stayed on the 8 hours and 21 minutes. This is an improvement from the 6 hours and 30 minutes we saw on the U135, but still well under the 12 hours on the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE. With all these netbooks having nearly the same hardware configuration our only guess is the level of power tweaking on the MSI Wind U160 is not as great as the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE

Conclusion
The MSI Wind U160 is essentially a redesigned U135 with a slightly larger battery. System components are nearly identical between the two models, with the U160 having a 7Wh larger battery. While MSI advertises an impressive 15 hours of battery life, in our tests we only managed to see 8 hours and 21 minutes with very light activity. MSI prices the U160 $100 above the U135 with the only changes being the design and an increase of about two hours of battery life. Consumers interested in picking up a Wind netbook should probably pocket that extra $100 and get the U135, or look at the Asus Eee PC 1005PE, which costs only $379.99.

Pros:

• Good looks
• Solid build
• Comfortable keyboard

Cons:

• Falls short of 15 hour battery claim
• Minimalistic touchpad drivers

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support
Upgrade Capabilities
Usability
Performance
Features
Price/Value Rating

From : http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5627&review=msi+wind+u160

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Review ASUS Eee PC 1001P SeaShell

The Eee PC 1001P SeaShell is ASUS's new entry-level netbook offering the Intel Atom N450 processor and Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics. Designed closely after its higher-class brother, the 1005PE, the 1001P offers many of the same features, minus the Chiclet-style keyboard, larger battery, and larger hard drive. In this review, we see how the 1001P stacks up against other netbooks and if it holds a candle to the more expensive 1005PE.

ASUS Eee PC 1001P SeaShell Specifications:

• Windows 7 Starter Edition (32-bit)
• 10.1-inch diagonal WSVGA (1024 x 600, matte finish)
• Intel Atom N450 Processor 1.66GHz (667MHz FSB, 512KB Cache)
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM (800MHz)
• Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics
• 160GB Seagate 5400.6 SATA HD
• Atheros AR2427 BGN Wi-Fi, Atheros AR8132 10/100 LAN
• 4-in-1 media card slot
• Dimensions: (H x W x D): 0.89-1.40 x 10.2 x 6.9 inches
• 2.81 pounds (not including weight of AC adapter)
• 6-cell lithium-ion battery (4400mAh, 48Wh)
• One-year standard warranty
• MSRP: $299.99

Observant readers might notice that this review is similar to the Eee PC 1005PE's review. This is because the 1001P shares many of the same components with its predecessor.

Build and Design
The Eee PC 1001P is a lower-cost version of the 1005PE Seashell and features a similar clamshell chassis but offers different lid designs. Our 1001P model comes with a textured weave pattern imprinted on the screen cover. The 1001P lacks some of the 1005PE's glossy flair, and its stylish island keyboard, but overall still retains a simple yet modern look.

At the top of the 1001P, it's easy to see the "SeaShell" heritage, and thankfully it manages to retain some solid build quality for a budget netbook. The matte black plastic isn't prone to flex and the keyboard is very firm, two things you usually don't see on budget notebooks. The various parts of the chassis come together with tight build tolerance, like a higher-priced laptop. This isn't the most rugged netbook we've ever seen, but ASUS gave the 1001P a pretty solid build for $299.

A nice improvement on the netbook compared to the last Seashell is the return of an easy-access RAM cover. If you want to upgrade the RAM in your 1001P, just remove one screw on the access panel on the bottom of the netbook. I would have also liked to see an easy-access panel for the hard drive, but most netbook buyers aren't going to mess with the hard drive.

Screen and Speakers
The Eee PC 1001P uses a fairly standard LED-backlit display panel with a 1024 x 600 native resolution. Unlike the 1005PE, the 1001P offers a matte-finish display which isn't prone to glare or added reflections from brightly lit rooms. Even with its matte finish, the display offers excellent color saturation and contrast. The screen resolution is small at 1024 x 600, though I prefer a resolution of 1366 x 768. Obviously this might not be cost effective on a netbook priced under $300 but I can dream, right? Vertical viewing angles are average, with minimal color distortion when viewing from below and some overexposed colors when viewed from above. Horizontal viewing angles are better with colors staying accurate at extremely wide viewing angles with a little color wash out.

A slightly annoying feature we noticed on the 1001P is related to the low-end Starter edition of Windows 7. Microsoft locks the desktop background to a specific OEM image and prevents the user from changing it through the control panel. ASUS circumvents the problem with a utility in its docking bar that lets you change the background to another selected image.

The Eee PC 1001P's built-in speaker performance is pretty good for a 10-inch netbook. I'm not a fan of speakers' location on the bottom front edge of the 1001P, but the audio quality is better than what we typically hear from netbook speakers. The speakers produce good volume (enough to fill a small room) and there is minimal distortion even at higher volume levels. The speakers lack much bass, but the range of highs and midtones are fine. Still, the audio output from the headphone jack is free of obvious distortion and is better when paired with earphones or a good set of external speakers.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The 1001P has a comfortable keyboard and is easy to type on. ASUS returned to a standard keyboard design like the 1005HA's, instead of a Chiclet-style keyboard on the 1005PE. The keys are slightly smaller than what you find on a full-size notebook, but once you adjust your typing strokes, it isn't much of a problem. I am not sure I would recommend using the keyboard on a daily basis as your primary input method, but for traveling or completing work in the classroom, it's just fine.

The Synaptics touchpad used on the 1001P is likewise identical to the gesture-enabled model on the 1005PE. It allows you to use multi-figure gestures such as "pinching" your fingers together or "pulling" your fingers apart to zoom in or out. You can also use a "three-finger tap" as an alternative to a right click on a mouse. The Synaptics control panel in Windows also allows you to customize the gestures. The touchpad surface is covered in dots that provide a clear indication of the edges of the touchpad, but it also makes the touchpad surface too rough for quick finger movement. The left and right touchpad buttons are located beneath a single rocker-style button, but there's no separation between the left and right side, so it's easy to accidentally press the middle of the touchpad button. The touchpad buttons have extremely shallow feedback, so it's sometimes hard to feel whether or not you're pressing a button.

The 1001P lacks a dedicated wireless on/off switch, but ASUS did include FN keyboard shortcuts for wireless, screen brightness, video output, volume, and Windows task manager.

Input and Output Ports
The 1001P offers the same port selection as the 1005PE. Namely, you get three USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 media card reader, headphone and microphone jacks, Ethernet port, and the return of a standard VGA out port. Here is a quick tour around the Eee PC 1001P:

Front view: No ports, just clean lines and indicator lights.

Rear view: No ports either, just the hinges and battery.

Left side view: Power jack, VGA out, USB 2.0 port, security lock slot, and heat vent.

Right side view: 4-in-1 card reader, headphone jack, microphone jack, two USB 2.0 ports, and Ethernet.

Performance and Benchmarks
The 1001P is equipped with the 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 and Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics. For normal daily activities, like browsing the Web, typing documents, and listening to music, the system didn't show any lag. In our HD video tests, we played the 720P trailer for "Up!," and the system successfully kept up with the video decoding. But when we tried the 1080P version, the system sputtered. With the Adobe Flash 10.1 beta installed, the system had trouble playing 720P HD flash; enough that the system became unusable until the video stopped playing. Given that the netbook doesn't even offer a screen with a resolution capable of displaying HD video, its inability to play the trailer is not weighted heavily.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 comparison results against netbooks @ 1024 x 768 resolution (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark hard drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
Thermal performance of the Eee PC 1001P is excellent with very low power consumption. Even under continuous stress, we still couldn't get the 1001P to form any significant warm spots. For heat-sensitive users, the netbook would be an excellent choice. Fan noise is minimal at worst, needing your ear right next to the exhaust vent to hear it during normal conditions. With the system stressed, the fan speed increased, but it was still difficult to hear over room noise.

Battery
Compared to older Intel Atom processors like the N270 and N280, the 1001P's biggest strength is the newer chipset paired with the N450, which is much more efficient. According to ASUS, the netbook should get an estimated 11 hours of runtime while operating from the battery, whereas the 1005PE, with a slightly larger battery, was estimated at 14 hours. In our battery test with the screen brightness reduced to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 on the balanced profile, the system stayed on for eight hours and one minute. This is 4 hours below the time the 1005PE managed on battery although it did use a higher capacity battery.

Conclusion
The ASUS Eee PC 1001P SeaShell at its heart is a low-cost version of the 1005PE. Priced $80 less, the 1001P loses the island keyboard, higher capacity battery, 250GB hard drive, N-wireless, and Bluetooth. The 1001P reached an impressive eight hours of battery life, but let's remember that is four hours less than the 1005PE. With the 1005PE selling for as little as $365 through some online retailers, increasing your budget would result in a more capable road-warrior netbook. Overall, the 1001P still provides a great value with eight hours of battery life for $300 retail, but if you can spend slightly more, you gain 50% more battery life.

Pros:

• Eight hours of battery life
• Durable chassis
• Matte-finish display

Cons:

• Four hours less battery than 1005PE

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support
Upgrade Capabilities
Usability
Design
Performance
Features
Price/Value Rating
* Ratings averaged to produce final score

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http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5590&review=asus+eee+pc+1001p

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