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Betty boop eee pc rrr. ASUS EEE PC? personal digital assistant. Ports and communications

Review ASUS Eee PC 1025 netbook

The year 2012 has already ended, and the final victory of tablet computers over netbooks, as predicted by most experts, has not yet happened. Of course, tablet devices have pushed the competitors, but there is no talk of a complete displacement from the market. It is more convenient to surf the Internet, watch videos and photos on tablets, but when it comes to use for work purposes, netbooks have a constructive advantage - the keyboard. Writing articles, drawing up reports and graphs, in general, one way or another working with text on any netbook is more convenient, even considering the fact that modern tablets have options for external keyboards. Why invent something when there is a ready-made working solution, which is also cheaper?

It is not surprising that the major market players continue to produce "workhorse" netbooks, devoid of external gloss and glamor, crazy graphics, but very convenient for long business trips and trips due to their low weight, relatively compact dimensions and power, which is enough for office applications. ...

In this post, we look at the 1015, a device from 2012 that kicked off a new series and gave the company a chance to lead the compact netbook segment. The model is produced in two versions - with letters C and CE. The second one is a little more advanced and expensive. We got acquainted with the simple version, but there are not many differences between them. This allows us to talk about two models at once in one article.

Specifications

ASUS Eee PC 1025

CPU Intel Atom N2600 or N2800 (1.6 or 1.8 GHz), 2 cores.

Display 10.1 inches, 1024x600 pixels, matte.

RAM 1 GB or 2 GB, DDR3-1333.

Storage device 320 GB or 500 GB.

Video adapter Intel GMA 3600 (integrated graphics).

Communications Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n.

Battery 6 cells, 5200 mAh, or 3 cells, 2600 mAh.

Ports and connectors 3xUSB 2.0 (there are options with 1xUSB 3.0), combined jack for microphone and headphones, network port, HDMI, VGA, card reader.

Webcam 0.3 megapixels

operating system Windows 7 Starter.

Dimensions 262x178x21 ~ 34 mm.

The weight 1.08 kg.

Case, appearance

Design for a modern netbook is almost the most important thing. In conditions when the hero of the review and his competitors from and have identical power characteristics, buyers have to make a choice according to other criteria. And appearance is the most important of them. ASUS has its own style, and almost all of the company's computers look like twin brothers. Knowledgeable people define the brand even without a nameplate on the cover.

But it was with the 1015 that ASUS launched the new Flare series, which finally received a slightly redesigned design. The body of the netbook has become flatter (although the side in which the battery is located is still wider), the corners are not rounded, but rather cropped. The sidewalls are chrome-plated and more elaborate. The general style is businesslike and laconic, which, given the purpose of the netbook, plus: not to go to the club, but to work with it.

However, there are color options. If the model with the letter C is produced in soothing colors (black, white, gray, red, brown and blue), then CE has more “playful” shades (pink, lilac and aqua). Plus, in this modification, in some color options, the battery is painted silver. True, it is not clear why.

The dimensions of the ASUS 1015 are rather modest. For clarity, we photographed the netbook next to an ordinary book. It turned out to be a little larger and thicker (especially in its wide part), but it will still easily fit in a woman's bag, not to mention hiking suitcases. The weight - a little over a kilogram - is also pleasing: such a computer can be carried with you all day without any problems.

The build quality is traditionally high for ASUS. The gaps between the panels do not play, and the lid opening mechanism inspires confidence. The only pity is that the lid itself does not fold back 180 degrees: the maximum opening angle is 130 degrees. Considering the characteristics of the display, this may not be enough for working on the lap.

The most pleasant thing about the netbook's appearance is the finishing materials. Finally, a matte finish has arrived for a bright and eerily impractical gloss. It does not shine so much in the light, but it is convenient in everyday life. The most important advantage is resistance to pollution. You can get dirty, of course, any thing, but to work with this netbook, you don't need to wash your hands with soap and water, so as not to leave prints on the case. For the most part, this concerns the top cover, but the plastic of the inner finish does not differ in soiling. The top cover, in addition to being relatively clean, boasts good tactile sensations. The netbook is pleasant to hold in your hands, which is good anyway.

The back plastic is rougher and more grooved. In appearance, it should resist well not only dirt, but also scratches. We did not check the latter on a test copy.

Continuing the design theme, let's say a little about the charger. It turned out to be very modest in size and harmonious in appearance. From a distance, it can be confused with charging from a mobile phone. It is very convenient to take such an adapter with you on a trip.

Ergonomics and interfaces

If the design of ASUS 1015 has changed slightly compared to its predecessors, then the keyboard remains exactly the same as we saw, say, at. The ASUS keyboard is pretty specific. It is very good in terms of the location and purpose of the keys. Is that the right Shift is slightly smaller than usual, but there are full-fledged arrows, for which a separate respect. The keys themselves are not small and do not require much getting used to. It is only needed for their mechanism of work. Some people like a small stroke and specific sensations from pressing, but some don't. These features persist from model to model, so if you have come across ASUS keyboards at least once, then you have formed an opinion about them. There is no point in conveying impressions in words - it is better to try once.

The touchpad is also made in the traditional style for the company - the material does not differ from the rest of the panel. The touchpad borders are marked only by two sides, but this does not cause any problems. There are no complaints about the buttons. True, some users complained that the touchpad is too small, they say, you have to very accurately "aim". The author of this material did not feel any problems.

There are practically no keys above the keyboard itself. Only in the upper right corner is the power button. During the operation of the netbook, it is highlighted in blue, and it does not depend on the color of the case.

The interfaces on the sides are quite traditional. On the left side are HDMI, one of three USB, D-sub, a charger socket and a radiator for the cooling system. The right side panel contains an SD card reader, a combined audio jack, two USB ports, a Kensington lock and a network RJ45. There are modifications in which one of the USB pair supports the 3.0 data transfer standard. Neither version has a disk drive.

Components

Like all of its main competitors, ASUS 1015 is built on the Intel Atom platform, codenamed Cedar Trail. Intel produces two third-generation Atom processors, the N2600 and the N2800, and both of them can be installed in the ASUS 1015. The difference between them is like between two engines of a car of the same model: the N2800 is slightly more powerful, a little more power hungry and a little more expensive. The last "slightly" just makes it more interesting compared to the N2600. The model we tested had the N2800, and I didn’t want to replace it with the younger brother, even though it could potentially work on battery power a little longer.

The amount of RAM on board can also vary. There is an option with 1 GB, and there is a variant with 2 GB. We dismiss the first: one gigabyte of "RAM" for a modern computer is not enough even for normal work on the Internet and office applications. 2 GB is enough. Another thing is that there is a certain bias in the resources in this version. The author of this article worked on a netbook with an N2800 processor and 2 GB of "RAM" and monitored resource usage. In most tasks, the processor's power "ran out" before the "RAM" was fully occupied. This is also confirmed by the Windows Performance Index. The processor is almost the bottleneck (after graphics), but the RAM is in the lead. But this is hardly a serious minus. "Operative" is such a thing that it is better to have it in excess than lack.

In general, the performance of the version that we tested is not bad: the system handles not only all basic operations, such as web browsing, video and office tasks, but also allows, for example, to edit images in Photoshop.

The subjective feelings of the author of the material coincided with the assessment of Windows: the video card is the weakest link here. It is integrated - Intel GMA HD 3600. Its capabilities are enough for working with video and playing HD format, but Full HD is already slowing down (on the other hand, why play Full HD on this netbook with its screen resolution?). Also, forget about resource-intensive games. It is clear that the price of ASUS 1015 requires savings even in comparison with the class of expensive netbooks, and it is logical that the video card fell under this economy. The dear is not needed for work.

Another rather weak point of the ASUS 1015 is the display. The ten-inch screen produces a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. For this size, this is kind of the norm, but it is little consolation. If you don't have a lot of experience with monitors of this resolution, then the need to use the scrollbar often will be annoying. Even in Word, you have to change the usual scale so that the A4 page fits completely in width.

This, however, is nonsense. The real problem is the viewing angles. Everything is really bad here. What can I say, even if it is already uncomfortable to watch photos and videos together. You need to look only at a right angle and nothing else. Plus, the screen has only one - it is matte, so there is less glare than competitors. However, we tested the C version of the netbook. The CE modification, according to reviews, has a slightly better screen.

The model comes with two hard drives: 320 and 500 GB. They differ only in price.

The netbook uses a six-cell lithium-ion battery. It has a capacity of 5200 mAh. The manufacturer claims that such a volume will be enough for the owners for twelve hours of work, but this, of course, is a very optimistic forecast: if you really work, then even in the economy mode you will get ten hours, which, however, is still a very decent result. By the way, there is a package with a smaller three-section battery. It is lighter, but we did not see much sense in it.

Above the display is a 0.3 megapixel webcam. The camera is the same in various modifications, only CE has a mechanical shutter for closing, while C does not. Have you saved something? CE is also distinguished by the presence of Bluetooth.

The functionality of both modifications of the netbook is reduced in the audio aspect: they have lost the second speaker, although all competitors have exactly two “speakers”. This affects the sound quality, but not the volume: ASUS 1015 has one speaker, but loud.

As a feature of the netbook, we note the minimum noise level. The company's engineers managed to find a compromise between the temperature and the volume of the coolers. You can hear them only in complete silence.

conclusions

ASUS 1015 is a worthy representative of the class of compact netbooks, sharpened for work in conditions of separation from the main computer. Considering its class and price (about 10 thousand rubles), both performance and build quality can be considered quite good. Separate pluses are the design and matte finish of the case and screen, which does not get very dirty and glare. The main disadvantage of this netbook is the screen. In any case, in the C modification that we tested. Whether this is a serious drawback and whether he is able to force to abandon the model is up to the buyer.

I remember that morning of 2009 well. I was 14 years old and once again slept through school - thanks to FIFA 2009 on PSP, which I was playing all night. It became clear: either I will score on the games and restore the regime, or I will simply go stupid and undermine my health.

Then I made a strong-willed decision and put up a prefix for sale, which was not even a year old. It came with one disc, an expensive memory card (by the way, I bought it with the first money I earned), a plastic case, a charger and a box - it’s not surprising that the buyer was found on the same day.

I didn't have to bargain - after a quick check, I was handed six thousand, and the PSP, along with the "fifa", flew away to some guy. At first I was going to just put money in a piggy bank, but in the end I realized that I needed to buy another, more useful gadget.

Decent phones for six thousand did not exist then (now too few). I already had a player. Cameras were never exciting. It was useful to look at laptops - by, all from 15 thousand. And then I saw the "netbooks" column on the Market.

I poked it purely for the sake of curiosity, but ended up in the world of hellishly cheap devices. For 10-12 thousand you could already get a good computer - with Windows, a 10-inch screen and 3-4 hours of battery life. But I had only six thousand, that is, half of the required amount.

My parents refused to help - they were not satisfied with my monstrous grades. I had to pick out the most budgetary option - it was found in some kind of left-handed online store.

It was the Asus Eee PC 701, and in the most flawed modification. 2 GB of internal memory (a nightmare), a slightly shameful blue case, a 7-inch screen, but most importantly - unfamiliar Linux instead of Windows.

But the netbook cost 6700 rubles... Somehow he begged for seven hundred square meters from dad, ordered delivery, sat down on the sofa to wait. A courier arrived and smelled like a company of soldiers - it seemed that the dude did not even know about the existence of deodorant. I didn't want to check the gadget in such conditions, so I put in the bills as soon as possible and said goodbye.

In a small box was a tiny laptop. Before that, I had never seen him live, so in the first second I thought that they had planted a toy on me, and now I will not prove anything. But no - after I inserted the battery, the device obediently turned on.

The keyboard buttons and touchpad were designed for either gnomes or hobbits. The screen is for patient people: because of the non-standard resolution, the sites were displayed in such a way that they had to scroll not only vertically, but also horizontally.

At the same time, there was practically no negativity - I was wildly happy that I had my first own computer.

That's what excited the most:

1. The set was given a cover. Nice and soft daddy, in which the laptop fit just perfectly. It seemed that even if you drop a netbook packed in a case, nothing tragic will happen to the gadget.

2. Linux has been incredibly optimized. Built-in applications (Skype, ICQ, Mozilla browser, Open Office, video player) did not slow down or freeze. For all the time I rebooted my EeePC 2-3 times. Warm greetings to lagging Windows laptops with an Intel Atom processor.

3. Netbook fantastically cheerfully pulled social networks: VK vidos (varying degrees of frankness), applications in the same social network. I almost never played Happy Farmer, but I came up with a cheating tactic in network darts: I drew two dots on the screen, pointed the cursor there and knocked out 180 points 10 times out of 10. Two weeks of this kind of gaming took me to the first line in the ranking of several thousand man. Then I calmed down with the games, remembering the fate of the PSP.

4. The computer was charged in 2 hours and kept the charge strictly for 2 hours at any load. Surfing, movies, text, normal standing on the table - it doesn't matter, it still lasted 120 minutes.

On that netbook, I constantly did three things: chatting (either in ICQ or VK), watching movies (just packs) and enjoying pirated football broadcasts.

Even the great match Liverpool - Arsenal (4: 4, Arshavin's poker) I watched with the help of a small 7-inch screen.

Unfortunately, there were some things that annoyed the netbook. I didn't like that applications should be installed through some kind of repositories - on Windows it was easier with this. I was also angry that I could not play on Asus in FIFA - sometimes I still wanted to kick a virtual ball.

It is logical that after a year of use, I matured to install Windows. I did everything according to the instructions from some fan site, but the "Windows" started and froze. I decided that I had to reboot and the netbook would come to life. I pulled out the battery, put it back in - emptiness. Only a black screen and a burning light bulb.

The patient was not helped by any procedures - even in two repairs after diagnosis, they admitted that they did not understand what the problem was. There is only one scenario left - to put the netbook in the ads. My little friend left for 2000 rubles - for spare parts. For another 700 rubles, I sold the most pleasant cover.

It turned out that a year with the EeePC cost me 4000 rubles. Did the gadget work out this money?

Definitely. 100% .

I still sometimes remember that computer and think how great it would be if something similar was released now - ultra-affordable, but compact, fast and reliable.

There is, but it costs $ 400 and is still far from our market.

It turns out that all the hope is for Chromebooks, but they are also in no rush to Russian shelves.

In general, the EeePC 701 legendary and unique - it is a pity that this line of Asus has been closed for 4 years already.

Rate it.

In this article we take a look at the ASUS 1015, a device from 2012 that opened a new series and gave the company a chance to lead the compact netbook segment. The model is produced in two versions - with letters C and CE. The second one is a little more advanced and expensive. We got acquainted with the simple version, but there are not many differences between them. This allows us to talk about two models at once in one article.

Specifications

CPU: Intel Atom N2600 or N2800 (1.6 or 1.8 GHz), 2 cores.
Display: 10.1 inches, 1024x600 pixels, matte.
RAM: 1 GB or 2 GB, DDR3-1333.
Storage device: 320 GB or 500 GB.
Video adapter: Intel GMA 3600 (integrated graphics).
Communications: Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n.
Battery: 6 cells, 5200 mAh, or 3 cells, 2600 mAh.
Ports and Connectors: 3xUSB 2.0 (there are options with 1xUSB 3.0), combined jack for microphone and headphones, network port, HDMI, VGA, card reader.
Webcam: 0.3 megapixels
Operating system: Windows 7 Starter.
Dimensions: 262x178x21 ~ 34 mm.
The weight: 1.08 kg.

Case, appearance

Design for a modern netbook is almost the most important thing. In conditions when the hero of the review and his competitors from Acer and HP have identical power characteristics, buyers have to make a choice according to other criteria. And appearance is the most important of them. ASUS has its own style, and almost all of the company's computers look like twin brothers. Knowledgeable people define the brand even without a nameplate on the cover.

The back plastic is rougher and more grooved. In appearance, it should resist well not only dirt, but also scratches. We did not check the latter on a test copy.

Ergonomics and interfaces

While the design of the ASUS 1015 has slightly changed compared to its predecessors, the keyboard remains exactly the same as we saw, say, in the 1215 model. The ASUS keyboard is quite specific. It is very good in terms of the location and purpose of the keys. Is that the right Shift is slightly smaller than usual, but there are full-fledged arrows, for which a separate respect. The keys themselves are not small and do not require much getting used to. It is only needed for their mechanism of work. Some people like a small stroke and specific sensations from pressing, but some don't. These features persist from model to model, so if you have come across ASUS keyboards at least once, then you have formed an opinion about them. There is no point in conveying impressions in words - it is better to try once.

Components

The model comes with two hard drives: 320 and 500 GB. They differ only in price.

conclusions

http: //site/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_0799.jpg 559 1024 Alexander Nechaev http: //site/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/logo_AN-1.pngAlexander Nechaev2013-05-07 09:00:30 2016-05-24 20:06:40 Review ASUS Eee PC 1025 netbook

The Eee PC is such a small laptop for a customer, such a big product for a company *. And if some still doubt whether Neil Armstrong was on the moon, then there is no longer any doubt about the success of the Eee PC. The popularity of these notebooks has surpassed the most daring forecasts. It is expected (data citing company officials) that revenues from Eee PC devices in 2009 will account for up to 40% of all ASUS revenues. And most of it - up to 30% - will fall on ultra-compact budget notebooks produced under this brand. (* Originally - the phrase "Such a small step for a man, such a big leap for humanity" by Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut who landed on the moon.)

Up to 30% of the revenue of one of the largest Taiwanese manufacturers - the result is impressive. But more than real, because ASUS has not just released a new product, but has formed a new niche in the market. And a niche that is growing extremely fast (see "Computex 2008 - A Brief Overview of Subnotebooks From Acer, ASUS, Gigabyte, ECS and GeCube"). This is all the more surprising since the Eee PC cannot be called a radically new product. Attempts to create a "$ 100 laptop" (and later - a "$ 200 laptop", "$ 300", etc.) have been made before. Companies of all sizes reported on the supply of ultra-budget laptops to third world countries and large educational institutions, but no one dared to enter the free market. ASUSTeK took a chance - and hit the jackpot: the main competitors were in the role of catch-up. The first pancake did not come out lumpy. "Such a small laptop for a client" is really very compact - easily fits into a medium-sized handbag and weighs less than a kilogram. Thanks to its quite successful design, unexpectedly high workmanship and low cost, ASUS Eee PC is perceived as a cute toy, and it is often bought even by those who already have one laptop. Why hide - the author himself fell in love with the ASUS eee PC even while testing the very first pre-production modification and bought for his wife a machine from the first imported official batch. Moreover, some of his acquaintances who saw that test specimen did the same. However, the first modification of the Eee PC is really more of a toy, because it is quite difficult to work seriously on a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 800x480. The screen turns out to be too small not only for office tasks, but even for browsing the web, because most modern sites are laid out for at least 1024 pixels horizontally. Some "craftsmen" adapted standard drivers for Windows XP in such a way that an image with a resolution of 1024x768 was scaled to the Eee PC's screen, but in general, there was no point in such revision - horizontal scrolling disappeared, but distorted fonts became unreadable. There is only one explanation for such a serious ergonomic mistake in a technically flawless (well, almost flawless) model. ASUS was not sure about the success of the prepared product, and therefore relied on the low cost, achieved, among other things, due to the screen size. The announced cost of the model was $ 200 - indeed, it is at this price that educational institutions and other large customers can purchase the Eee PC. On the free market, the cost of the junior modification with a 7-inch screen was $ 300. And on the Russian market, the cheapest Eee PC costs more than $ 400 (about 10,000 rubles), but it sells well at this price. However, as mentioned above, competitors are stepping on their heels, which means that the flaw that could be forgiven for the very first, unique model will become too noticeable in the competition. That is why ASUSTeK did not delay with "correcting mistakes" - a new model with an increased screen size is already available in retail. Another indication that ASUS initially had little confidence in the success of the Eee PC is the lack of a well-thought-out model naming system. The first generation of the Eee PC consisted of four modifications, the names of which reflect (rather confusingly) the volume of the built-in solid-state drive, as well as the presence or absence of a webcam (models with the word Surf in the name of the camera are not equipped with a camera). And, most importantly, the designation system used for the first generation leaves no margin for the following models! That is why, along with the official marketing designations of the first generation modifications, users, sellers and journalists often used an internal designation - the 700 index, which reflects the screen size (7 inches). It was especially useful at the time of the announcement of promising models - here ASUS itself has moved away from the previously adopted designations, using an index reflecting the screen size. Apparently, it will be used by the company in the future - also a rather controversial decision that can confuse users when radically new models with the same screen sizes appear. But, apparently, ASUSTeK will solve these problems as it becomes available, but for now the main task is not to create harmonious notation systems, but to ensure continuous supply of an ultra-popular product. And the task of keeping this popularity at the same level is entrusted to the new model we tested - ASUS Eee PC 900. "Plus 200" in the model index means an increase in the screen diagonal by 2 inches, up to 9 (or more precisely, up to 8.9) inches - this is the main thing , although not the only difference between the new model.

Contents of delivery

If you bought the Eee PC as a gift to someone, it is still very easy to hide the box with the device until the holiday - after all, unlike other laptops, the packaging of the Eee PC is unusually compact.

In principle, the box could have been made even smaller, because the delivery set is rather meager.

In addition to the laptop itself, it includes a cloth case, a user manual, a pair of software disks (drivers and operating system) and a power adapter. The latter, by the way, has changed slightly compared to the 700th model. If the Eee PC of the first generation had a power adapter made as a single unit, now it consists of two parts - an adapter with a proprietary connector and a standard electrical cord with a flat two-pin connection. But the adapter (by the way, like the power cord, the copy we tested was made of white plastic, in the style of the laptop itself - it should be assumed that the black model will also be black) acquired a bright blue LED indicating whether the adapter is connected to networks. No additional accessories are provided, however, this is quite expected for such a budget model.

Specifications

	Eee PC 4G Surf	Eee PC 8G	Eee PC 900
CPU	Intel Celeron M 353, 630 MHz	Intel Celeron M 353, 630 MHz	Intel Celeron M 353, 900 MHz
Chipset	Intel 910GML	Intel 910GML	Intel 910GML
Video	Intel GMA 900	Intel GMA 900	Intel GMA 900
Matrix type	7 inches, 800x480 pixels	7 inches, 800x480 pixels	8.9 inches, 1024x600 pixels
RAM	512 MB; DDR2-280	1024 MB; DDR2-280	1024 MB; DDR2-400
HDD	SSD, 4 GB	SSD, 8 GB	SSD, 4 GB + 16 GB (or + 8 GB)
Flash card slot	SD / SDHC / MMC	SD / SDHC / MMC	SD / SDHC / MMC
Interfaces		3x USB 2.0, 1x RJ45, 1x VGA (D-Sub)	3x USB 2.0, 1x RJ45, 1x VGA (D-Sub)
Wi-Fi	Atheros 802.11b / g	Atheros 802.11b / g	Atheros 802.11b / g
Network adapter	Atheros 10/100 Mbps	Atheros 10/100 Mbps	Atheros 10/100 Mbps
Additionally	No	0.3 MP webcam	1.3 MP webcam
Sound		Realtek High Definition Audio	Realtek High Definition Audio
Battery	LiIon, 4400 mAh	LiIon, 5200 mAh	LiIon, 4400 mAh *
Size, mm	225x164x35	225x164x35	225x170x34
Weight, kg	0,92	0,92	0,99
Price, $ **	400	550***	590
operating system		Linux (Xandros) or Windows XP	Linux (Xandros) or Windows XP
Official manufacturer's warranty	12 months	12 months	12 months

* optional: 5800mAh
** expected price at the time of the start of official sales in Russia
*** currently not officially supplied to Russia Differences in the technical characteristics of ASUS Eee PC 900 from previous models (for comparison, we have given in the table the technical parameters of two modifications of the first generation - the most common 4G Surf and the most powerful 8G) can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Nevertheless, from a user point of view, the new model differs noticeably, because ASUS engineers changed exactly those parameters that required improvement. In fact, the Eee PC 900 is a bug-fixing, perfecting the 700 model. First of all, the LCD display with a diagonal increased by two inches now has a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. Although vertically it almost falls short of the usual SVGA, it is enough that the horizontal resolution is increased - when browsing websites, the annoying horizontal scroller (scroll bar) no longer appears. The usable screen area has increased by 1.6 times, which also noticeably affects the usability. It has a positive effect, of course - all standard elements of the Windows XP interface now fit on the screen, while on the first generation models this sometimes had problems. However, the oversized screen did not leave room on the laptop lid for the sound speakers, which were placed on the sides of the screen in the first generation models. In ASUS Eee PC 900, they are moved to the bottom of the case. By the way, changing the LCD settings and moving the speakers to the bottom of the case did not affect one fun feature of the Eee PC in any way. The lid of this laptop is still quite heavy in relation to the weight of the chassis, and if folded back a wide angle, it outweighs and the laptop topples over. This effect appears especially often when the laptop is on the lap, even if the lid is not folded back to the maximum angle. The laptop is powered by the Intel Celeron M 353 processor based on the Dothan architecture, a single-core CPU built to a 90nm design standard with 512KB L2 cache. The first generation Eee PCs were equipped with the exact same processor, but its frequency was reduced from the standard 900 MHz to 630 MHz. Since Celeron processors do not allow multiplier control, the only way to lower the clock speed is to lower the system bus frequency. Therefore, in the first generation Eee PC, the FSB frequency was lowered from 100 to 70 MHz, and accordingly the memory frequency was reduced from the declared 400 to 280 MHz. In laptops of the 900 series, the processor runs at the nominal frequency of 900 MHz, and the memory at 400 MHz. The sample we tested had one 1GB DDR2-400 module installed, so the user can increase the amount of RAM by installing a second module in an empty SO-DIMM slot. Another weak point of the first generation Eee PC was the small size of the solid state drive. Even 8 GB (and only the most expensive and rarely used modification in Russia could boast of such a volume) is not enough by modern standards, especially when using Windows XP, the application programs for which differ in comparison with software for Linux in a special appetite for disk space. The ASUS Eee PC 900 has a standard 4GB solid-state drive added with one more. Its size depends on the type of operating system installed on the laptop: modifications with Linux are equipped with a 16 GB additional drive, and with Windows XP - an 8 GB version. The total capacity, respectively, is 20 GB for the Linux version and 12 GB for notebooks equipped with Windows XP. The reason for using a smaller drive with Windows XP is, in general, obvious - it should offset the cost of an operating system license. However, as a result, the situation is absurd - a more demanding OS in terms of the available storage volume comes with a smaller drive. We recommend purchasing a modification with Linux - the operating system can always be reinstalled (of course, using only a licensed distribution kit), but the volume of the built-in storage cannot be increased.

Another improvement in the laptop configuration is the new 1.3 megapixel webcam. Compared to the 0.3MP camera found on the 700 series notebooks, it delivers much sharper images. In addition, the high-definition camera does not have "raised" the contrast, so the image is much more natural. Looking ahead, we note that the performance of the ASUS Eee PC 900 is quite sufficient for video conferencing. Otherwise, the configuration of the ASUS Eee PC 900 is practically no different from the previous generation of these ultra-budget notebooks. The machine is based on a motherboard with an Intel 910GML chipset - this series of chipsets appeared back in 2004 and has corresponding characteristics. A dual-channel 400-MHz DDR2 memory controller is integrated into the "north bridge" of the chipset, so users can slightly increase system performance by activating dual-channel mode by installing a second memory module. However, it should be borne in mind that the 910GML chipset allows working in dual-channel mode only if memory modules with the same characteristics are used. The maximum processor bus frequency is 100 MHz (recall that four bits per clock are transmitted over the proprietary Intel Quad Bus, which makes it possible to speak of an effective frequency of 400 MHz), so these parameters of a laptop can no longer be improved without overclocking nominal. The Intel GMA 900 graphics core is built into the "north bridge" of the chipset - from the point of view of gamers, its performance was very weak four years ago, but now it is absolutely not suitable for games. But this graphics core confidently copes with video decoding and allows you to display images not only on an LCD screen, but also on an external display with a resolution of up to 1600x1200 - via an analog VGA connector. The communication subsystem is represented by a 10/100-Mbit / s Ethernet adapter and a wireless 802.11b / g module. It is noteworthy that in both cases, chips from Atheros (models L2 and AR5BXB63, respectively) were used, and not Intel or, for example, Realtek. Apparently, ASUS developers were forced to use only the most inexpensive components. However, one Realtek chip is still installed in the ASUS Eee PC 900 - this is an HDA audio codec. It provides relatively good sound when headphones or external speakers are connected - ASUS Eee PC 900 is equipped only with a stereo jack, multichannel speakers cannot be connected to it. The built-in speakers are neither powerful nor high-quality sound. However, given the size and cost of this laptop, it is impossible to ask for more.

The set of I / O ports is not very large, but it is sufficient - even if you cannot use a port replicator. The laptop is equipped with three USB 2.0 ports, a 15-pin VGA connector and an RJ-45 connector for LAN connection. It should be noted that while the modem connector of the first generation ASUS Eee PC was covered with a cap, the Eee PC 900 does not provide an RJ-11 connector at all. Perhaps this is a subjective opinion, but the rejection of a modem for dial-up lines can only be welcomed - it is difficult to imagine in the 21st century a user connecting a laptop to a regular telephone line. Moreover, given the level of development of wireless networks and the conceptual ultramobility of this model, in our opinion, it would be possible to abandon the Ethetnet adapter. But the developers of any laptop manufacturer are not yet ready for such a radical step.

The only thing left unmentioned is the adapter for memory cards - the non-volatile memory of the ASUS Eee PC 900 can be expanded with SD, SDHC or MMC memory cards.

For three years of existence of netbooks we got used to the fact that they are mostly small and "weak". In the sense of special performance, they do not differ. However, this does not prevent them from staying at the forefront of progress. Of course, not in all respects, but still. Yes, they only migrated to DDR3 memory this year, but they don't really need it. But the latest generation Intel Atom processors (those that were presented at the beginning of 2010) are the only x86 chips with a "truly" integrated graphics core - it is a monolithic die with the CPU, and not enclosed with a processor in one package.

The USB 3.0 bus is used today mainly by motherboard manufacturers, and the corresponding controller is installed on models of medium and high cost. In laptops, this is found in single copies. But ASUS does not hesitate to equip its netbooks with such. More than one model has already been released, and among them there are those whose cost belongs to the category below average.

We believe you have already guessed that today we will talk about one of the new ASUS products, namely the Eee PC 1015PD. It features support for another new standard that has recently reached version 3.0 - Bluetooth. So in terms of functionality, this netbook is one of the most progressive on the market. Apparently, ASUS wants to regain its leadership in this segment - it's still a shame not to be the first when it became the founder of the whole direction.

Design

The very first ASUS netbook (also the very first netbook in the world), the Eee PC 701, looks like a very small laptop with an unassuming appearance. In addition, the impression was spoiled by large "ears" on the sides of the very small 7 "screen. The next generation model, Eee PC 900, was made in almost the same case, but since the screen became 9", it looked much better, although no special design delights were not there either.

Only when ASUS began to lose leadership in the market created by itself did the Seashell series (translated as "seashell") appear. From the name it is not difficult to guess that the body of such netbooks is curved in a special way to resemble a shell. Modifications in a white case look very impressive, especially if you look at them a little from below and from behind - the resemblance to a shell is very large.

ASUS Eee PC 1015PD is a classic Seashell. It's just a pity that we got a model in black. But even so it looks great. The body tapers smoothly towards the front, while the rear is additionally thickened by the battery. The reverse side of the screen lid also has a corresponding shape - in its back it is curved more smoothly, and the bend itself is not so deep. In general, all the glorious traditions of ASUS shells have been observed.

I am very glad that the designers of the Eee PC 1015PD did not limit themselves to the shape of the case with "marine motives" The netbook is further emphasized by the case cover. No, they didn’t make it glossy, as it is now fashionable and, to tell the truth, it’s already tired of it - it doesn’t look original, but the worn case is far from ideal in terms of aesthetics. The entire surface of the computer is embossed with small lines drawn along the back of the screen lid in the form of arcs cut from an ellipse, which also somewhat resembles the texture of a shell.

Moreover, a similar texture, only from even smaller sections, is drawn in the form of horizontal stripes along the inner part of the case, where the wrists are placed, along the touchpad and even along the bottom. Only the battery and the gaps between the keys remained "untainted".

As a result, the appearance of the laptop turned out to be very original. Usually, black hides body curves and small details (which is why white Seashells look better), but the embossed texture partially corrected this deficiency. Moreover, it attracts more attention than the unusual shape of the case. The netbook is not glossy at all, but the unusual coating is clearly visible.

However, some problems with aesthetics remained. It seems that the body for the most part is not glossy, but fingerprints remain on it and they are noticeable better than on glossy ones, since they are visible from almost any angle. You can see how it looks in the bottom shots below. The prints can be easily erased with a soft cloth, but don't you rub the computer after each touch?

The keyboard of the Eee PC 1015PD is island-style, so the gaps between the keys are covered with a case, which has a glossy finish. It extends to the very edges on the sides and top. The same goes for the screen bezel. Of course, all the disadvantages of such a surface are relevant for this netbook as well.

By the way, the case in front of the keyboard is slightly recessed relative to the touch panel - it smoothly descends down a few millimeters. Also a pretty interesting design solution.

In general, ASUS Eee PC 1015PD looks stylish and original - it is immediately noticeable that this is an outstanding model. It remains to mention the high build quality here. Taking the computer in hand, you immediately feel that the plastic is strong and reliable - there is no backlash or creak, the gaps are very small.

Equipment

The package bundle of the netbook did not stand out in any way. It comes in a small brown box with a handle, inside of which, besides the laptop itself, there was a power supply, a set of documentation and a CD with drivers and firmware. In general, the minimum required to get started.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the biggest pain point in netbooks. Of course, if we compare them with laptops, they “tear a heating pad like Tuzik” any smartphone. Nevertheless, for the sake of user convenience, the release of models with a screen diagonal of less than 10 "has long been discontinued, but even such display sizes do not allow installing a keyboard without flaws. Our ASUS Eee PC 1015PD is no exception.

However, the layout of the netbook is pretty good. As we already wrote, it is of the island type, which protects it well from pollution. At the same time, the keys turned out to be rather large - no sharp discomfort after a normal keyboard. Separately, we can note the long left, and. Almost all character keys are of normal size, only [/] (or [.] In the Russian layout) has a slightly smaller width. So typing is a bit unusual (and even then at first), but in general it is very convenient.

However, there are a couple of drawbacks. First of all, this is the short right one. In principle, its short length is not yet a disaster, but everything is aggravated by the fact that to the right of it is the [Up arrow] key from the arrow block. When typing quickly out of habit, the finger periodically presses this "neighbor". The arrow block itself cannot be called convenient - its keys are narrow and "squeezed" into the main layout without any delimitation. As a result, working with him blindly, every now and then the fingers press the adjacent keys. I am glad that this is most often found, or, which rarely lead to the launch of one or another operation outside of the combination with another key.

The 1015PD touchpad is also not as great as we would like. First of all, it's big. For a netbook, of course. Its area is more than enough to handle the low-resolution 10.1-inch screen. Underneath are two narrow, firm-pressed buttons. They are hidden under a solid plastic plate disguised as metal. There is a partition in the center, and pressing occurs with the application of a certain effort and with a characteristic click.

As for the shortcomings, there is only one - coverage. It would seem that the embossed texture (the same as on the case around) will allow you to control the touchpad quite accurately, but this is not so. The mouse pointer does not move as well if the surface was matte, rough. At least for the subjective opinion of the author, the latter is more convenient, although it does not look so "glamorous".

Additional buttons are not common on mobiles today, but the Eee PC 1015PD does. In the amount of two pieces on the right above the keyboard. The one to the left leads to the launch of the proprietary ASUS ExpressGate Cloud shell, which is a very lightweight version of Linux. It starts almost instantly, in 2-3 seconds, and then offers for use some applications like a browser (a special version of Firefox), a photo cataloger, Skype, a player. The second button turns the wireless controllers on and off.

On the right above the keyboard there is a button to turn on the computer. It has a rough embossed finish, and to the left of it is a bright blue LED that signals the laptop is working.

On the front end, on the right side, there are four more LEDs right at the corner. One informs about the operating mode (sleep, standby or normal operation), the second about the battery charge level, the third about the hard disk and the fourth about active wireless controllers.

The bottom of the Eee PC 1015PD looks a little odd due to the embossed finish. More often, manufacturers do not pay any attention to this, and an ordinary slightly rough black plastic is used from below. There are almost no ventilation holes on the bottom - only a couple of slots under the memory module, in the front, and the rest on the sides. It should be noted that heating was felt under load and after long work. It wasn't very strong, but the surface was definitely warm.

The upgrade options for the netbook are fairly modest. The manufacturer allowed replacing only the memory module, which is installed in a single copy. However, the platform itself does not support more than 2 GB of RAM.

Connectors, screen, sound and camera

On the sidewalls of netbooks there is not so much "room" to accommodate a large number of connectors. But ASUS Eee PC 1015PD found something to excel.

On the left are the power connector, D-SUB and USB, and a small block of air vents. Note that the power connector is thin and the PSU plug can be bent if pulled hard.

On the right are all the other connectors: RJ-45, two USB, audio-out and microphone-in, Kensington Lock and a card reader with a dummy. Let's start with the RJ-45 - it's normal, but closed with a small latch to match the design. It folds down when the network cable is inserted. This is a purely designer's idea, and not a means to make the connector more compact, similar to how it is implemented in the Sony VAIO X. Further USB - they seem to be "ordinary", but the blue color is a little embarrassing and alarming. That's right - this is used to refer to ports that support the USB 3.0 interface. This is exactly what they are - all two pieces. It is very pleasant that this functionality is not the most expensive netbook equipped with, but note that Windows 7 (and, of course, earlier ones) refuse to work with them without a special driver.

The front and back are empty. Is that behind the battery there was a SIM-card slot, which was covered with foam rubber. It means that no contacts are displayed there, but there is a variant of a netbook with a 3G module.

Besides USB 3.0, ASUS Eee PC 1015PD is no longer equipped with any special connectors. However, even a couple of these ports cannot be called unique - they are all the same USB, but with support for a newer version of the standard. In terms of the variety of connectors, our laptop is quite ordinary.

A pair of stereo speakers were found at the front of the computer. They are located on the sheer part of the case and constantly "look down", that is, it turns out that the sound is reflected from the surface on which the netbook stands. As a result, it is a little muted and distorted. However, its quality is already not the highest, as in most mobile computers. We would recommend using headphones.

The Eee PC 1015PD features a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display. We liked its quality - the brightness margin turned out to be quite good, you can comfortably work at half of the maximum. We were pleased with the viewing angles - usually the observed problems with vertical angles are not peculiar to the display of this netbook. Of course, with a strong deviation, the image is noticeably distorted, but, in our opinion, the situation is better than that of many other models of mobile computers.

As for the resolution, it is standard - 1024x600 pixels. For the 10.1 "diagonal this is a common occurrence. The characters are not very small, but there is still little space on the desktop. However, this is a problem for all such netbooks.

The 0.3 MP webcam has a very interesting feature - above it there is a lever marked “On” and “Off”. It is exclusively mechanical - moving it to the right and left, the camera eye will be closed or opened with a special latch. In our opinion, this is a very useful addition if you do not want to be accidentally seen by your interlocutor. True, at first you have to get used to - you do not always immediately realize that the reason for the absence of an image is a closed valve.

As for the examples of pictures, here they are:

Nothing outstanding, as always.

Configuration

There is no need to present the ASUS Eee PC series, but what is available within its framework ... Let's just say, the choice is large. There are many models, but there are not very many differences between them. So we counted eight Eee PC 1015. One does not have USB 3.0, the other has a dual-core Atom N550 chip, the third (in particular the 1015T) is generally built on the AMD platform. And that's not to mention other "numerical" designations. But the configuration of our 1015PD may not change within very wide limits - inside it may be a stronger processor and more memory.

Before us is almost the most ordinary netbook based on the latest generation Intel Atom platform. The processor is the Atom N455, an updated version of the chip introduced in the summer. It differs from the N450 only in support of DDR3 memory instead of DDR2. This will not give any performance gain - the potential of a faster type of RAM will not be revealed on such a slow processor. But the manufacturers of RAM modules were able to gradually curtail the release of DDR2 strips. Optionally, the Eee PC 1015PD can be supplied with the faster N475 operating at 1.83 GHz.

RAM installed 1 GB. Recall that its volume can be doubled independently. And we would recommend doing this if you plan to work in Windows 7 - even in its minimal edition, it consumes a lot of RAM.

The video card used is the usual one - integrated into the Intel GMA3150 processor. In terms of hard drive, there are no surprises either - the capacity of 250 GB is average for a netbook.

But the communication capabilities seem to be standard, but, firstly, the Ethernet network card provides speeds up to 1 Gb / s, the Wi-Fi controller supports the 802.11n standard, and the Bluetooth adapter is compatible with version 3.0, which is already quite common in modern devices, but is still not widely used.

There is support for one more standard version 3.0 - this is the USB 3.0 interface already mentioned here more than once. Probably, netbook owners will not be able to fully appreciate its advantages, but in any case, even for such a weak computer, it will not be superfluous. There are more and more hard drives and flash drives supporting this bus, and when copying large amounts of information, the difference in speed compared to USB 2.0 will be noticeable.

Otherwise, the ASUS Eee PC 1015PD is a fairly compact netbook with low weight (especially if you install a 3-cell battery). The only thing is that he came to us without an operating system. However, this allowed to reduce its cost to $ 420. With OS it will cost about $ 450-460.

Testing

Measuring the performance of netbooks, as a rule, does not give much effect - most of them are built on the same processor, equipped with the same amount of memory, so the results from model to model often fit into the measurement error. We compared our ASUS Eee PC 1015PD with the MSI U135DX and Toshiba Mini NB305.

All three netbooks are almost identical in terms of configuration. The Toshiba Mini NB305 is equipped with an Atom N450 chip, which differs from the N455 in supporting only one type of memory - DDR2, while the second can also work with DDR3. However, this did not prevent the MSI U135DX from installing the DDR2-667 module. More importantly, the NB305 is equipped with double the amount of RAM, although this did not have a major impact in our tests.

We see nothing unexpected in office applications and rendering tasks - the speed of all three netbooks is equally low, no one has any particular advantage. Perhaps the ASUS Eee PC 1015PD hard drive turned out to be somewhat more efficient.

The graphics subsystem of netbooks is traditionally weak. They barely show a more or less "digestible" result in the ancient 3DMark 2001 test, not to mention those released later. And again, all the differences fit into the measurement error.

The same goes for games. Our test games are not new in any way, but even in them all three mobile computers show far from comfortable FPS levels.

The Eee PC 1015PD power supply has a very low power - 40 W (19 V, 2.1 A). However, the netbook doesn't need it anymore.

As for the battery, we got a version of the computer with a 6-cell battery (47.52 Wh; 4400 mAh; 10.8 V). By netbook standards, that's pretty good. Both other laptops, whose results are included in the test, have more modest 3 cell batteries.

As expected, the ASUS netbook showed the best result. In reading mode, he worked for almost 7 hours, and video playback was good for him - even a 720p file, when the processor was loaded at maximum and the image slowed down, he was able to "spin" it for more than four and a half hours. The rest showed more modest results, although the Toshiba computer surprised me, which, having almost the same battery capacity as the MSI U135DX, worked significantly longer.

Output

ASUS Eee PC 1015PD turned out to be an unusual netbook. Having considered all its features, the characteristic "budget hi-end netbook" revolves in the language. Budgetary because it doesn't cost a lot. Yes, there are cheaper models, but not essential. And "hi-end" came from functionality, good design and good workmanship.

The exterior of the Eee PC 1015PD is truly outstanding. And, although you won't surprise anyone with a shell-style design, a special embossed coating of the case extends to its entire surface, which also does not often happen.

The "special" functionality is, of course, support for USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0. The latter standard, however, is no longer such a rarity and is found in a good half of modern mobile devices. On the other hand, USB 3.0 is still not widespread and we strongly welcome its appearance in a netbook, although, of course, an additional controller slightly increased its cost.

As for ergonomics, the keyboard layout of the Eee PC 1015PD, although it has some flaws, is still quite comfortable to use. We didn't like the touchpad very much - it is large, but it was still not worth using a smooth surface (albeit embossed). Perhaps these are all disadvantages. Apart from them, this netbook is an excellent representative of its class.

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