ASUS EeePC 1015PEM-BLK

ASUS EeePC 1015PEM-BLK Netbook.

The 1015PEM is a 10" form factor netbook from ASUS. There are a few varying models(SKUs) available but the one I have has a matte screen, matte lid, and a 4400mAh 6-cell battery rated for 10hrs. It was purchased for AU$249 from Harvey Norman in June 2011.

Specs: Google them. The ASUS website has the full specs for this netbook.

First Impressions:
This is the 4th netbook I've ever used extensively and would have to be the one of the top 2. There is a lot to like about this unit, and only a few small downsides. Compared to the other units I've used, the interface elements (screen, trackpad, keyboard) are much better than those appearing on other brands, and also some of the older ASUS devices.

The good (things that are better than average):

- Price. At <$250(discounted from $428), this was a steal. The last netbook I owned cost $250(-$37 rebate) but felt like a $250 device. This one feels like a more expensive piece of equipment. If you have to pay over $375 for a mobile device though, you may want to consider spending a little more and getting a full fledged laptop which would be a much better buy in terms of value for money.

- Screen. The 1024x600 resolution matte screen is quite cramped but not unusable. It's on par with most of the other units in this class, but the fact that it's not glossy will come in handy if you happen to be outdoors or have a bright light source behind you. The screen is able to go quite bright if you turn it all the way up so using it in a park in the afternoon shouldn't be a problem.

- Trackpad. The trackpad is a standard layout and is large with a definite defined edge. This is good. You will find it very difficult to mislocate any mouse actions with this trackpad.

- Keyboard. I'm typing this blog on the 1015PEM right now and I have to admit it is a very nice experience coming from the previous netbooks. It's a chicklet/island style Windows keyboard with the cursor keys sitting below the return/enter key so the right side shift key is a lot shorter than a standard keyboard. There is a Fn (function) button on the left between the Ctrl and Windows key and another one to the right of the Up cursor key. F1-F12 function keys sit above the numeric keys and are slightly smaller than the rest of the keys. The F- keys also have most of the advanced functions accessible by use of the Fn key combo.
The feel and response of the keys are superb. Not much force is needed but there is surety when you have pressed a button. There is also a large amount of space between keys so mistyping is not as evident as with other key styles.

- Battery. The 6-cell battery I have doesn't protrude beyond the rubber feet on the base of the netbook when installed. This keeps the unit slim while also allowing for longer running times off mains power. This convenience is something that shouldn't be overlooked. The 3-cell netbooks don't come out much slimmer or lighter and their running times are less than half.

- Features. The 1015PEM has a lot of features that my previous netbooks either didn't have or were limited in some way. Here are a few:- BluetoothV3, dedicated button for lightweight alternate OS, dual-core processor, 3x USB2.0 ports across both sides, teeny-tiny power supply/brick, separate WiFi/Bluetooth enabling, sliding cover over the webcam.

The bad(niggling little things that I didn't like about it):

- Bezel. The case finish around the screen and between the keys is glossy. While this make the unit attractive, it kind of negates some of the benefit of a matte screen and makes the unit as a whole look slightly cheap. It wouldn't cost ASUS any more to make a matte surface and I think they have done this on later models.

- Trackpad. The trackpad buttons are integrated into a single rocker style bar. Some people prefer this. I don't. The trackpad also doesn't support gestures like pinch-to-zoom and two-finger rotate that can be found on most touch-enabled devices.

- Hard drive power management. The Western Digital hard drive installed supports Advanced Power Management to spin down the disk when idle, and to park the drive heads to prevent accidental damage due to sudden movement (such as dropping it on the ground). The algorithm used to park the heads is way too aggressive and I notice an audible 'click' each time it parks and unparks. This gets annoying very quickly as it happens every few seconds. It can be disabled but you need separate downloadable software and in my opinion is a pain to set.

- Webcam. The webcam is fixed in position and only 1.3megapixel. This is fine for Skype and video conferencing but useless for any creative content. The exception might be low quality video blogging.

- Bloatware. This netbook comes with tons and tons of bloatware. It's easy enough to remove, but takes a while. This isn't something that is specific to ASUS or even computers in general and I wish manufacturers would give the option at first-boot during the setup to select the options to be installed.

- Intel Integrated 3150 graphics. The 3150 based graphics system is slow. There isn't really any way around this. The 1015PEM is not a gaming laptop, but should have been paired with something with a little more grunt. Unfortunately nothing was available that could have take it's place without blowing out the production costs.

- Screen tilt. The screen opens up to about 135degrees which is just that little bit below ideal. When typing on a low surface (such as my lap), I found myself having to crane my neck down at times, or trying to open the lid just a little bit more but being unable to.

- No easy access to the hard drive bay. I like to tinker with my computers. My previous netbook allowed access to the hard drive bay so it would be possible to install an SSD once they come down in price. This would be an ideal upgrade for the 1015PEM as it would get rid of the biggest speed bottleneck and also eliminate once of my biggest gripes about this unit, being the noise from the hard drive parking which I mentioned above. It's doable, but ASUS haven't made it easy when it would have been no effort for them to do so.

Conclusion:
- As far as netbooks go, this is one of my favourites. I would go so far as to say it is the best one I have ever interacted with. The interface components are great and this makes using it on a daily basis less painful than with other netbooks. You could seriously spend a long time working on this device without much bother and that speaks volumes about the effort that has gone into designing it. With other netbooks, I have found that there is a certain threshold of inconvenience versus utility, below which the device effectively deterred me from using it.
With the 1015PEM, there are so few inconveniences or they are so small that I find myself actually wanting to use it.

Most of the newer ASUS netbooks going forward have adopted the same Seashell chassis design used on the 1015PEM and they are packing more powerful processors and graphics sub-systems. If you can pick up any of these for cheap, and if your needs fit into the netbook usage model, then you won't be disappointed.

Score: 8/10