Though the name doesn’t say it, the 1002HA is a completely different laptop than its predecessors in the Eee Series.It’s both thinner, lighter and more expensive than the other Eee’s with an exception for the Eee S101 that also stood out from its bulkier ad more plasticky siblings. But even though the exterior is completely new, there is not much to revolutionize the mini laptop computer genre under the hood: an Intel Atom at 1.6GHz, 160GB of hard drive space and Windows XP Home – the same components as in 9 out of 10 other mini laptops.
The 1002HA Eee looks a lot more professional and snazzy than its older relatives. It has a very nice-looking chassis in brushed aluminum and looks less like a toy and more like a professional’s tool. Even the touchpad has a brushed metal feel, and it weighs a half pound less than the Eee PC 1000H 160G, which is a lot in the ultraportable laptop segment. At the same time, Asus offers up a 10″ screen of the same LED backlit variety and a very ergonomic keyboard just like the other Eee PC’s.The battery life in the 1002HA is also much better – in spite of it using a small battery it lasts nearly 4 hours on a single charge with the display brightness turned down.
The touchpad with the forward-tilting buttons has however been replaced by one with a single button that functions as both left and right mouse button. Another nice new feature is the addition of multi-touch functionality similar to that on the new MacBooks. For example, you scroll through pages using two fingers anywhere on the trackpad instead of using just the edge of the pad.
Another interesting detail with the 1002HA Eee is that the bottom of the laptop has a different design – instead of protruding, the battery is flush with the chassis, giving the mini laptop a lower profile when you place it on a table. The VGA port has been relocated to the back of the computer, but it still has three USB ports and the same multi-funtional memory card reader as the older models.
For this mini laptop computer, Asus has used a matte display instead of the glossy variety the manufacturer is better known for. A matte screen is better suited for outdoor use and in rooms with proper lighting conditions, but does not have the vivid colors that you might get from a glossy screen. Which variant you prefer is mostly a matter of personal taste and your intended uses.
All in all, the 1002HA Eee is a much better-looking, lighter, and in almost every aspect a better laptop than Asus’ previous models, but all of this also comes at a not so insignificant price premium.
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