Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This netbook has the footprint of an iPad, but it is about an inch thick at the thickest point. I thought the tapered design would be a hindrance, but it actually makes the netbook easier to pack away in my backpack. You will want a case for it because it looks like it will easily pick up scratches and dents if left to tumble around in a crowded bag.
As a result of the high performance features of this netbook, the battery life suffers a bit. I can easily get 6 hours when only browsing the internet and doing office work, but if I watch videos I get about 2.5 hours. A word of warning: don't let flash apps sit idle in the background, they will drain the battery.
The ten inch screen is bright and clear. It has a matte finish which is superior to the glossy screens so commonly used because they look good on the sales floor. The screen could stand to be more evenly backlit. The unevenness is more pronounced in dark applications (and movies) and won't be noticeable in bright rooms or with most desktop applications. The resolution is adequate for most web sites and office 2007 can be displayed with no issue (over-sized ribbon and all). If you are an older individual, you may need reading glasses to read the screen since the fonts do look a little small.
The keyboard and touchpad are among the standout features of this netbook. The keyboard has a visually appealing chicklet design and is adequately sized for comfortable typing with my average sized hands. I came to this netbook from a desktop replacement laptop with a very large keyboard and the learning curve has been short. The touchpad is also much more spacious than that of competing netbooks and is about 3.5 inches diagonally (about the size of an iPhone screen). It also supports multi-touch gestures making acts like scrolling and zooming easier.
Performance is another place where this model really shines. The dual core processor makes it feel almost as zippy as my core 2 duo laptop. I can run MS Office and Google Chrome without problems. I am considering a ram upgrade but the default 1 gig has served me well so far. The Nvidia Ion graphics allows me to watch Hulu and Netflix without any apparent lag even when in full screen.
A quick word on Windows 7 starter; the only feature you will really miss compared to home premium is the ability to change the background (the default is innocuous but quite boring). A free program called "Oceanis Change Background" solved my problems and saved me from a $70 upgrade.
EDIT:
As stated by another reviewer, replacing the ram is scary. Use two flat-head screwdrivers and work along the edge of the ram bay toward the center on the side facing the two USB ports. When you get there, twist gently to pop open the ram compartment. DO NOT try to open the ram bay from the other side (facing the HDMI port), it WILL break if you go the wrong way.
Also, for those who are partial to Linux, this laptop is a bad choice. The hard drive comes formatted with all 4 primary partitions in use. Also, Linux has poor support for the dual graphics setup. There are workarounds, but they are cumbersome. I would recommend the 1015PEM if you want to use Linux.
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