Asus Eee PC S101 Review

Monday, December 1, 2008, 5:08
Laptops
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It’s becoming harder and harder for new Asus Netbook model to stand out of the crowd as evident by various models launched by Dell, HP and Lenovo. The Asus arguably created the Netbook market with its Eee PC line. The latest model in the Eee line, the Eee PC S101, features the same components that are found other Netbooks.

The S101 priced at high end of Netbook price range with $699 but it is quite cheaper than most laptops which have brushed aluminium wrist rests. If you are looking for a Netbook with something more than plastic body, the S101 is a very good option for you. But there is one flaw with S101, its right Shift key is reduced to the half size which results in pressing the up arrow key again and again. The keyboard is designed with balanced key size to maximize the typing comfort but the right Shift key creates problem while typing.

The Eee PC S101 share its looks to previous plastic models of Eee PC series and it has lot in common with ultrathin portables like Toshiba Portege R500 or the Lenovo IdeaPad U110. The key pad is sturdy but it is not as comfortable as that of HP mini 1000. The keyboard is on par with recent models of Dell and Lenovo.

The 10.2-inch LCD screen offers a standard resolution of 1024x600. The text is readable but most documents and webpages require scrolling. The S101 offers basic set of ports like, VGA-out, headphone/microphone jacks with stereo speakers, 3 USB 2.0, SD card reader, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.

The Intel single-core 1.6GHz Atom CPU is okay for basic computing as long as you don’t expect too much. The performance is on par with similar Netbooks as most of them sports the same processor. The S101 shines in its battery life and stands out among the crowd. The S101’s battery gives more than 5 hours video playback on single charge of battery.

The S101 has one year parts-and-labor warranty and offers online Web-based help and toll-free phone number. The support website includes driver downloads but lacks user forums and live chat with a technician.

Configuration: Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 945 GSE; 32GB Solid State Drive.