The Asus Eee PC 1101HA is the latest entrant to the Eee PC family of netbooks. With its relatively larger screen the 1101HA is essentially an enlarged version of the Asus Eee PC 1005HA.
Specifications of the laptop under review
Operating system: Genuine Windows XP
Processor: Intel Atom Z520 Processor 1.33GHz (can be overclocked to 1.74GHz)
Memory: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM (667MHz)
Storage: 160GB 5400 rpm SATA HDD plus 10GB Eee Online Storage
Display: 11.6-inch diagonal WSVGA (1366x768)
Graphics: Intel GMA 500
Price as configured: $429.99
Build and Design
The Asus Eee PC line of netbooks are known for their simple styling, solid build quality and budget prices. The Eee PC 1101HA is no different. Build quality is excellent. The bottom of the netbook provides an easy access panel for the memory.
Screen and Speakers
The 11-inch LED backlit display features 1366x768 pixels. The glossy screen offers good color and contrast. On the flip side the glossy surface can make glare and reflections a problem while working in a bright setting. Horizontal viewing angles are good, but vertical viewing angles could have been better.
Speaker performance is a lack-lustre. Headphones are a must if you want to listen to music on this device.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The 1101HA has a nearly full-size keyboard. But the keys are still slightly smaller than the keys you would find on an average notebook. Also, there isn’t much spacing between the keys, so you may accidentally hit the wrong key. Still the keyboard on this netbook is perfectly usable.
The touchpad is a Synaptics model. It allows multi-touch controls such as pinching or pulling. The touchpad surface is covered in dots which clearly marks the edges of the touchpad. There is no separation between the left and right buttons so you may accidentally hit the middle of the touchpad button. Another drawback is that the buttons provide extremely shallow feedback so may have difficulty figuring out whether you actually pressed the button or not.
Input and Output Ports
Port layout is similar to the one found on 1005HA. There are 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet port, VGA out port, a 4-in-1 card reader, headphone and microphone jacks. Other features include Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR and 1.3 megapixel webcam.
Asus has included the Eee Docking software on this PC which provides easy access to utilities, software and digital content.
Performance
The 1101HA might look bigger and better than the 1005HA, but in fact it is equipped with a slightly slower Intel Atom Z520 processor running at 1.33GHz. Most netbooks feature N280 or N270 Atom processor running at 1.6GHz or faster. So is 1101HA slower than other Eee PC netbooks? Well, yes and no. The Z520 atom processor takes longer to open applications in Windows, but it is still capable of running every software other netbooks can run.
Asus has included a proprietary overclocking application on 1101HA. This application allows you to maximize battery life by underclocking the processor and improve performance by overclocking it by roughly 30%. The integrated Intel graphics can handle Power Point presentations and DVD quality movies. But 720p and 1080p video playback is way beyond its capacity.
Heat and Noise
Heat and noise levels are normal. The 1101HA is very lap friendly.
Battery
Asus claims that the 1101HA will provide up to 11 hours of battery life. While that is a bit of exaggeration, you should be able to get around 9 hours if you run the machine at the standard clock speed of 1.33GHz. Note that overclocking will reduce the battery life.
Pros:
Solid build quality
Good screen
Can be easily overclocked
Cons:
Weak graphics
Slower processor that needs to be overclocked
