Asus Eee PC 1001P: Our Favorite Netbook
by Vivek Gowri on March 16, 2010 11:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Asus Eee PC 1001P: Battery Life
In our earlier tests of the Pine Trail-based 1005PE, we noted that the real victory of the new Atom processors was in the significantly reduced power consumption of the entire platform. This makes itself very noticeable in real world usage, with most 6-cell Pine Trail netbooks rated for anywhere between an impressive 8 hours to an absolutely astonishing 14 hours in the case of the 1005PE. The 1001P is rated at 11 hours of battery life—right in the middle.
While none of the devices actually reach their battery life targets in the real world (an idle battery life test isn't at all representative of typical use), having that much capacity on hand makes the new line of netbooks even more portable than the last. With 10 hours of battery runtime in the tank, the amount of mobility you're afforded is pretty refreshing. No more worrying about power cords, wall outlets, or the dreaded "will I have enough battery left after class to write this paper?" questions. Let me put it this way—the 1001P has better battery life than my first two iPods. Yeah.
Based on the test results, we can see that the 1001P has lower battery life than the 1005PE, and similar runtimes as the 1005HA. This is as expected, because of the 48Wh battery; the top end 1005 models tested both had larger capacity 63Wh batteries. So, the generational gap essentially means that you can achieve the same battery life results from a smaller and lighter battery. And that's why netbooks still remain relevant—double digit battery life on a $300, sub-3 pound machine that still runs Windows is a pretty awesome concept, languid performance notwithstanding.
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hotbunz - Friday, March 26, 2010 - link
This looks really nice. Hope I win, could use this for school!afkrotch - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - link
My netbook is mostly just a PMP. I'm just watching my tv on it.EddyKilowatt - Thursday, March 18, 2010 - link
Thanks for the review, appreciate your comments about the superiority of the matte screen.Now, could I get you to also direct some journalistic ire toward another fashion-driven faux pas: those filled-out flush-fitting keys on the keyboard! Completely unnecessary, and twice as difficult to keep your fingers aligned by touch, as a practical keyboard with a decent 5mm gap between the key crowns.
My HP2140 is plagued with a similar keyboard design and I can't see any reason for it. It saddens me to see decades of progress (in functional keyboard design) thrown out, apparently for nothing more than a stylish look. Let's keep the style on the outside of the computer, and the functionality on the inside!
AnnonymousCoward - Friday, March 19, 2010 - link
That's a great point, and one I haven't thought of before.Stokestack - Thursday, March 18, 2010 - link
Come on. It's time to put VGA to rest.The0ne - Thursday, March 18, 2010 - link
So by saying favorite you like the netbook right? I was under the impression, and Anand confirmed this in his ipad review, that no one like any netbook and tablet PCs.Maybe semantics is different by whom is using it?
ric3r - Thursday, March 18, 2010 - link
It means that it's the best netbook on the market. Netbooks are netbooks, they're not a particularly enjoyable class of devices to work with, but if you were looking to get one, this is our favorite of the lot and thus we recommend it.I'm pretty sure you can find people out there who like netbooks and tablets. While I'm not the hugest fan of netbooks, they definitely have their place in the market. I do genuinely enjoy tablet PCs though, so I hope I can do some tablet reviews in the future :)
MamiyaOtaru - Thursday, March 18, 2010 - link
the first eee I would consider buying since the 900 (though I do miss the dearly departed 9" form factor). Thanks Asus for offering at least one option with matte case as well as the even more important matte screen.I'd get this and slap Easy Mode for XP on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyMn92mQSns">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyMn92mQSns
Jellodyne - Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - link
HDMI is certainly capable of sending a high def signal, but it's also just as capable of pushing 480p to a TV set. So it's not like an HDMI would be a pointless port.SSquirrel - Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - link
I'd be curious to see what kind of numbers the 1005PE and 1001P produce if you replace Windows 7 Starter with Home Premium. People have reported that the extra accelerations in Aero have actually extended their battery life. Drop some of the excess crap from Aero but let the accelerations function.