Verdict
With the Eee PC 1000HE, ASUS offers one of the best values in netbooks around. This system features a vastly improved keyboard, and its trackpad and touch buttons are better than most systems in its class. Although the processor doesn’t add much in the way of performance, we’ll take it. More important, the 1000HE lasts more than 7 hours on a charge.
In the field of 10-inch netbooks, the $399 Eee PC 1000HE offers the best combination of value, performance, and endurance on the market today. For those with a bit more cash to spend, we prefer the lighter designs and better keyboards of the more expensive Samsung NC10 and HP Mini 2140. Those who care more about price than battery life may be attracted to the $349, 10-inch Acer Aspire One, which also weighs less than the 1000HE, but lasts nearly 3 hours less than the Asus. The bottom line is that consumers who want the most bang for the buck will find the 1000HE an ideal choice.
Editor's Note 2/24/09: We have upgraded our rating of the Asus Eee PC 1000HE to include an Editor's Choice recommendation, based on our updated test results of this netbook’s nearest competitor, the 10-inch Acer Aspire One. That $349 system’s production-level 4400-mAh battery lasted just 4 hours and 24 minutes. The $399 Eee PC 1000HE, with its 7:08 of endurance, clearly stands out as the best netbook value under $400.
