After trying to figure out whether or not to buy a netbook over a laptop, I decided on the netbook.  Specifically, I bought a ASUS 1000HE as it came as one of the most highly rated netbooks on the market.  But like with any computer purchase, you don’t know how it will work in “real life” until you get it home and try it out.  So, after a month using it, I thought that I would report back and let you know the good and the bad about the netbook.

One of my biggest concerns when I bought the computer was that I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to type effectively on the keyboard.  With it being only 92% of normal size, I was worried that my man hands would have some issues.  But after just a couple of days, it turns out that typing on the keyboard was almost second nature, and I have had few problems since.  My only gripe would be the right shift key – though it is in the right place, it can be hard to hit since it is smaller than normal.

My only other gripe with the keyboard area would be the quick keys in the top left hand corner.  They allow you to change the resolution, shut off the backlight, engage the super-hybrid engine and launch Skype.  My “man hands” have some issues pushing them – I guess if I had pointier hands it might be easier.

Moving on to the display, it works very well, and I find myself usually in the 1024x768 compress mode because some of the software that I routinely use needs the extra height to fit on the screen properly.  It also works very well hooked up to my 24” LCD monitor – you can use up to 1920x1200 with no problems.  I only have one complaint with the screen – if you use an application like Microsoft Excel, you can’t see the lines on every second cell.

Otherwise, my experience with the computer has been wonderful.  The touchpad works well (though I had to shut off the zooming function), the sound from the speakers is louder than I would have expected, and the webcam works okay (unless there is a ton of movement).  If someone would ask me if I’d recommend it, I certainly would – it has been one of the best laptops that I have ever purchased.

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