ASUS Eee PC 1000HA 10-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB E-Storage, XP Home, 6 Cell Battery) Fine Ebony

I bought this after considering the HP Mini-Note and the Acer Aspire One. Compared to these (and you have to dig to find this out), the Asus has more: 1. L2 cache. Twice as much actually as either of the others.

2. VERY easy to install additional RAM. This is a bigger deal than many think because it is vital to being happy with one of these little guys on a long term basis. Adding RAM to the Acer means a complete disassembly.

3. The Acer has a lot of reliability issues. The fan in the darn thing seems to fail a lot and support is an issue. I own an EEE 701 (the very first netbook). I thought it had failed when actually just the charger failed. When I called support, they were absolutely excellent. They took full charge of the issue and could not have been better about resolving my problem. Fact is, I fixed it with a $12.00 replacement from E-bay.

4. The thermal characteristics of the Asus are far better than either of the other products. The other two get very warm in your lap. This is a direct indication of inefficient operation and a good indicator that something is working too hard. Beware of hot electronics...

5. Until Acer introduces a 10 inch screen, the two machines are not really comparable. 8.9 inches is just too small (in my opinion). Anything over 10.5 is not a netbook. I find the 10 inch screen optimal for this type of use.

6. The Seagate hard drive in the Asus runs at 5600 rpm. The HP runs at 4600. Why they did this is beyond me, but I bet on the Seagate and I know that it is one of the most rugged available. I don't know what he HP runs, but giving up that mechanical speed, means sacrificing boot time for the life of the machine.

7. The keyboard is excellent. Many complain about the shift key being small and they miss it. Heck I miss it when it's big, so for me it's not a problem any more than the big one is. While it is small, it's placed well so I hit it as much as I hit the big one (or more accurately, miss it as much). This criticism is quibbling I think.

The cons are few. HP is tops in fit and finish. They have always had beautiful products and the Mini-Note is no exception. Side by side the HP is a far more attractive product. In my opinion, the HP is a closer competitor to the Asus because of the screen size. The Acer should not be compared to the 1000 HA....

Bottom line, I love this product and consider it the best available today.Get more detail about ASUS Eee PC 1000HA 10-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB E-Storage, XP Home, 6 Cell Battery) Fine Ebony.