Netbook showdown: The top 10 mini laptops rated

By Rory Reid on 23 April 2009, 5:54pm

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Eee PC 1000HE £330

The third iteration of the Eee PC 1000 series is the largest Eee to date. Ease of use normally associated with full-sized laptops, high-speed wireless capabilities and an all-day battery life mean it takes the gold medal in our netbook countdown.

Design and usability

The Eee PC 1000HE is one of the larger netbooks on the markets, so it's hardly surprising it's also one of the heaviest. 1.4kg is hardly back-breaking though, and the upside is that it has a 10-inch display that's easy to see and a 1,024x600-pixel resolution that's high enough to accommodate the majority of Web pages without the need for horizontal scrolling. Like most other 10-inch laptops, it also benefits from a keyboard 92 per cent the size of a standard laptop keyboard. Each key is also isolated, so the gap between each one is reminiscent of the spacing on a standard desktop keyboard.

Connectivity

802.11b/g Wi-Fi comes as standard, as you'd expect, but the 1000HE also possesses 802.11n high-speed wireless. This operates at a maximum theoretical throughput of 108Mbps, as opposed to the 52Mbps you get with 802.11g, and has a wireless range of up to 300m -- 200m more than 801.11g. 3G is not available on the 1000HE, but you do get three USB ports, one of which can house a USB 3G modem.

Performance and battery life

This is where the 1000HE truly excels. Asus claims the device can last for 9 hours on battery power alone, but in our tests we managed to eke out a an astonishing 10 hours 32 minutes of use. Admittedly, the 10 hours was achieved while running trivial applications, but even with the CPU working consistently at full throttle, the 1000HE lasted 5 hours 48 minutes -- more than most netbooks do when they're idling, the slackers.

Should I buy it?

The third iteration of the 1000-series Eee is easily the best. Its detractors will say it's not as pretty as the Samsung NC10, or as lightweight and compact as the Dell Mini 9, but they're missing the point. Its keyboard is fabulously easy to get along with, its multi-touch mouse means navigating the Web is simple, and best of all, it has a battery life rivalled only by the sun. You'd be an idiot not to buy one.

Read our full Eee PC 1000HE review