Introduction
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Eee PC from ASUS is a series of small laptops (called “netbooks” by the manufacturer) coming with an unbeatable price tag, being perfect for users that want an inexpensive, small and light laptop for carrying around and don’t mind having a smaller 10” screen. Today we are going to take an in-depth look at the latest model from this series, called 1002HA, which is based on Intel Atom N270 CPU (1.6 GHz) paired with Intel 945GSE chipset, with 1 GB DDR2 memory, 160 GB SATA HDD, 1.3-megapixel webcam, 802.11b/g/n wireless networking, bluetooth and several other features, coming with Windows XP SP3 pre-installed.
The product comes on an unusual box, as you can see in Figure 1. Laptops usually come inside a plain brown cardboard box (usually with a handle), so we were surprised that ASUS decided to sell this product inside a better-looking box.
Figure 1: Eee PC 1002HA box.
In Figure 2 you can what comes inside the box: the computer (inside a very good, beautiful and convenient bag), the very small power supply, manuals and a DVD containing drivers for Windows XP. It is important to note that 1002HA does not have an optical drive, so you will need to copy the drivers from the DVD to a flash drive using another computer. Even though the computer comes already with Windows XP and all drivers correctly installed (plus some other good programs, as we will talk more about later), we think it would be far more practical if the computer came with a pen drive with the drivers inside instead of a DVD-ROM, so you could access the drivers directly from your Eee PC whenever you decide to reinstall the operating system.
Figure 2: What comes inside the box.
As mentioned Eee PC comes inside a very practical bag, so you won’t need to buy a bag to carry it around.
Figure 3: Eee PC 1002HA comes with a nice pouch.
We were really impressed by Eee PC 1002HA reduced size. It measures only 10 25/64” x 7 1/8” (26.4 cm x 18.1 cm) and weights only 2.65 lbs (1.2 Kg). Just to put things into perspective, we have a Sony Vaio VGN-N325E, which is one of the simplest models from Sony (Pentium Dual Core). It measures 14 13/32” x 10 ½” (36.5 cm x 26.6 cm) and weights 6.5 lbs (3 Kg). It is so small and light that if you are a woman you can put the computer inside your purse – depending on the size of your purse, of course. In Figure 4 we compare the size of Eee PC 1002HA with the size of Sony Vaio VGN-N325E, which has the standard size used by mainstream laptops.
Figure 4: Eee PC 1002HA size compared to a Sony Vaio VGN-N325E.
We also liked the looks of Eee PC 1002HA. Its top cover is made of aluminum, which gives a very professional and stylish looks to the product.
Figure 5: Eee PC 1002HA.
Now let’s take an overall look outside Eee PC 1002HA and talk about its main features.