Asus is the grandfather of the netbook, and as such, every time the company releases new netbooks, everybody puts it under scrutiny since it is expected to lead the way. The aluminium clad Asus Eee PC 1018p is the flagship device of Asus’ new range, and we examine whether it can shoulder the burden of being the best PC in the whole category.

Tech specs

The base configuration of the Asus Eee PC 1018p has a capable 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB 5400rpm Seagate hard drive. A simple Intel Graphics Media Accelerator does the graphics work – meaning you won’t do much gaming on it – and it retains the rapidly standardised netbook size of 10.1-inches. The WSVGA display has an aspect ratio of 16:9, with resolution of 1024×600 – it’s still a netbook, folks, so hopes of 720p HD graphics are unreasonable. The screen’s glossy, so expect finger prints galore!

Aesthetics

Without mincing words, this computer looks amazing, especially for a netbook! At first we couldn’t quite put our finger on what we found so striking about it, but after much deliberation, we realised that the Asus Eee PC 1018p is notable for ditching the plastic, almost toy-like look found in so many netbooks, instead opting for a more mature, sleek black, silver aluminum and grey look. It’s very reminiscent of the current unibody Macbook Pros, and that is a compliment of the highest order.

Input device

Chiclet keyboards! Can I get a ‘Yes, please’? Using nearly the full width of the netbook, Asus manages to sidestep the problem that dogs so many netbooks: cramped, uncomfortable keyboards. Instead you’ve got room to maneuver on a very responsive device. The keys are wonderfully sized, but here’s the kicker: the shift key is too small. Silly oversight, which means you’ll be making typos way more often than you’d like to be.

The touchpad

The touchpad is a work of the highest engineering quality, with a clean, sophisticated layout. The touch pad has a slightly darker surface than the wrist-rest area, making it super simple to notice, and use. While I’m not a fan of the dedicated scroll area, it has one to the right, which works very well. It’s multi-touch, too, as expected, so pinch, swipe and drag all you want. It’s very responsive with the right balance of resistance and smoothness for natural-feeling swiping. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the keys have fantastic feel to them, making this the best netbook touchpad available anywhere today.

Performance

It’s a netbook, so to expect it to do big things is unreasonable. Having said that, the Asus Eee PC’s Intel Atom N455, coupled with the DDR3 RAM puts in work. It runs Windows 7 starter quite comfortably, too, which is a relief, so for performance, all in all, it’s up there with the most you can expect from a netbook. Where we cried many tears with the Asus Eee PC 1018p was with the glossy screen. Reflections are shocking, bordering on unworkable at worst out in direct sunlight, and oh, how it loves collecting grime and fingerprints.

Verdict

It’s really frustrating, then, that the Asus Eee PC 1018p regressed from the R101 and 1015P’s matte screens. But beyond that, I can think of very few reasons to not recommend this netbook. Sure the shift key thing is an oversight, but you’ll acclimatise. The rest of the package, though, is that business, making the Asus Eee PC 1018p my favourite netbook. But only just. It would have been perfect if the screen weren’t grime happy.

While we still consider the Asus Eee PC 1005PE a current gen netbook stalwart, we’ve been impatiently waiting for the next batch of Eee PCs to ship since making their debut in March. Good news is they’re scheduled to ship in August in the US, with some shipping today already.

Model differences

The Asus Eee PC 1018p is said to have a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 doing the processing, a 250GB SATA hard drive, 1GB of RAM and will help usher in USB 3.0 technology on netbooks through the three USB ports on the computer.

The Asus Eee PC 1016p is a slight step up with the same 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor and the three USB 3.0 ports setup, but with a bump up in both RAM and hard drive capacity. The Asus Eee PC 1016p has 2GB RAM and a more spacious 320GB SATA hard drive.

The Asus Eee PC 1015p was initially scheduled to arrive later than the 1016P and 1018p but is already shipping from Best Buy’s site for US customers (along with the 1018p). According to Best Buy’s site (Asus has no official info up itself yet) it has an Intel Atom N450 processor (as opposed to the Intel Atom N455 processor in the other two), 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB SATA hard drive, too. And, unlike its beefier siblings, it sports USB 2.0 as opposed to USB 3.0 slots (which seems odd, so take that with a pinch of salt).

The push back

Considering all the talk about tablet computers threatening netbooks, if there is any company that is capable of re-establishing the netbooks place in personal computing’s product verticals, one would trust Asus, the grandfather of this sub-genre of laptops, to do this.

UK release dates are as yet unconfirmed, but expect them to follow soon. Do you think Asus can repeat the unrivalled success it had with its original netbook with this new range? Sound off in the comments.

This netbook is quite small in size and is equipped with an 8.9 inch display that offers breathtaking clarity. The clock speed of the Asus Eee PC MK90H Disney netbook is around 1600 MHz. The 1024 MB installed in this netbook further enhances the overall performance of the device. It supports networking through LAN 10/100 and Wireless-LAN. This device is also installed with a Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system which is pretty easy to use for children. You kid can even connect a memory card with the netbook as it is installed with a 3 in1 card reader.

The inbuilt webcam of this Asus device enables your kid to video chat without connecting external device. It weighs around 1.1 kg which is quite low for a netbook. The 2 Cell battery offers a long battery back up.

The Asus Eee PC 1008HA-RED004X Ruby Red is fitted with a very powerful Intel Atom N280 processor that provides a clock speed of 1024 MB. The hard disk memory is around 160 GB which is more than enough to store all your files. The Asus Eee PC 1008HA-RED004X Ruby Red netbook’s 10 inch display offers crystal clear pictures that will take your breath away. You can also connect all other Bluetooth enabled devices as this laptop is equipped with Bluetooth. The entire device weighs around 1.1 kg which is quite low and you can easily carry. The laptop has a very stylish SeaShell Red design which gives it a very sophisticated look. Furthermore it is also fixed with a mini-VGA video output and 2 X USB 2.0 ports.

This device is equipped with a rechargeable battery that offers a long battery back up. The graphics memory is shared which enhances the graphical representation of the device. The Asus Eee PC 1008HA-RED004X Ruby Red is available at a very low price as well.

Netbooks are clearly all the rage nowadays and for good reason. Net books entertain you when you are travelling, store all your important notes when attending a lecture class, assist you in projecting presentations in a meeting, connect you to your loved ones instantly through web messengers and voice chats and much more. Cheap netbooks are the norm as these mini-laptops succeed in both driving down costs and size. Some of the main companies that manufacture net books are Samsung, Acer, Asus, and Sony. Samsung’s NC10 (NP-NC10-KA02UK) comes with an Intel Atom N270 processor that has a clock speed of 1600 MHz. The RAM capacity is 1024 MB while the hard disk memory is 160 GB. The display screen size is 10.2 inches.

Acer Aspire One A110-AW (LU.S020A.089) comes with an Intel Atom N270 process with RAM capacity of 512 MB. The hard disk memory is about 8 GB. It also comes with a built-in webcam. The display screen is around 8.9 inches in size.

Asus Eee PC 1008HA-RED004X Ruby Red is a red coloured Net Book that comes with an Intel Atom N280 processor. RAM capacity of 1,024 MB. Sony Vaio VGN-P11Z/Q is also a Net Book manufactured by Sony. It comes with an Intel Atom Z250 processor that has a clock speed of 1,333 MHz.

The laptop is fitted with an Intel Atom N270 that provides optimum performance. It is fitted with 1 GB of RAM that makes a very fast processing laptop. The hard disk memory of the laptop is 160 GB that is quite enough for storing music, movies and other data. The Asus Eee PC 1005HA-BLK068X Black netbook has a 10 inch display that provides crystal clear images superb quality colours. The resolution of the display is WSVGA (1024 x 600). The laptop supports wireless LAN and is installed with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. The laptop has all the latest features and thus provides the best results. It also has an inbuilt camera so that you can video chat easily. The laptop also has Bluetooth so that connect it to various other devices.

The laptop is merely 1 inch thick and weighs around 1.27 kg hence it is very easy to carry and transport. Additionally it is available with a one month warranty which makes it even more reliable. Using this laptop you can also avail to 10 GB of free online storage.

160GB of space in the hard disk drive would be sufficient to store all the relevant data in the world. There is an in built 0.3 Mega Pixel webcam in the Asus netbook through which video conferencing would be simplified. Data transfer is made very effortless with the presence of a triumvirate of USB 2.0 ports. There is an external memory card reader which makes reading of data unproblematic. The battery used in the Asus Eee PC 1005HA-BLK083X Black is the 6 Cell 48Wh Lithium-ion battery through which adds tremendous longevity to the notebook PC. The best part about the notebook is that it is very reasonably priced which says a lot about its affordability quotient. Get the laptop and revel in its benefits.

It runs on sealed Lithium polymer battery, which runs for a maximum of 5 hours. Its optional features include a TV Tuner, 3G and GPS. Moreover, the Asus EEE PC T91 comes with a suite of touch-optimised software known as the TouchSuite. This includes applications like FotoFun (flicking through and editing photos), Memos (notes that can be ’stuck’ onto the desktop), Touch Gate (allows switching between modes) as well as an IE Toolbar. Extremely advanced and innovative, the net book has an impressive set of features.

Embellished with stylish Swarovski crystals, the brown-coloured laptop has a long battery life thanks to its exclusive Super Hybrid Engine. A stunning design sets this laptop apart from other net books. Exclusive and intuitive, it has a multi-touch pad, which is simple and can navigation and scrolling easily. It is easy to use especially when browsing the Internet or editing a document. Absence of moving parts enhances battery life of the machine as its uses less power and also provides greater protection against shock to data. More robust and solid as compared to conventional hard disk drives, the Asus Eee PC S101-BRN004X Brown notebook has a solid hard drive. Covered by ASUS 2-Year UK Collect and Return warranty, the net book is equipped with WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth Connection. The wireless connectivity allows for fast surfing of Internet via a wireless router at home or public hotspots while Bluetooth allows for easy data transfer between devices.

Loaded with ASUS Super Hybrid Engine, the laptop maintains a perfect balance between performance and power consumption modes for easy adjustments according to various needs. Also, the Super Hybrid Engine has a long battery of 5.4 hours. The Asus netbook comes with a protective sleeve, which keeps its helps to safe against general wear and tear. It has a large ergonomic touchpad that improves productivity effectively while its digital array microphone improves sound quality and reduces background noise.

Weighing a mere 1.45kg, it is truly a portable notebook with an Intel Atom N270 processor that runs at a speed of 1.6 GHz. The Asus Eee PC 1000H-WHI066X Pearl White netbook has high speed connectivity with Wi-Fi 802.11n and built-in Bluetooth that allows easy data transfers between devices. It comes loaded with a full range of applications that enhance communication and computing experiences. Its built-in devices include stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial and Bluetooth aerial. It has a card reader and a 160GB hard drive, which can store all your data, files, music and other media. Equipped with a 1GB RAM, it also has a Sound card and an integrated 1.3 mega pixel camera. With Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition as its operating system, it comes with a 2 year warranty.