Left: Asus Eee PC 1000H / Right: MSI Wind U100

As the netbook market has matured, a number of companies have put out cheap ultraportable computers with remarkably similar specifications. And that’s left a lot of folks scratching their heads trying to figure out which netbook is the best bargain. The answer? There is no one-size fits all answer. Odds are if you’re in the market for a $400 – $500 notebook with a 9 or 10 inch screen and an Intel Atom CPU you’ll be happy with whatever you pick up. But for the nitpickers out there, Kevin Tofel of jkOnTheRun and I bring you this semi-comprehensive nitpicker’s guide to the MSI Wind and the Eee PC 1000H.

Kevin and I have been meaning to get together to compare netbooks since last month. But a series of events kept that from happening until yesterday. And since we’re both obsessive tweakers, that means we can’t present you a completely apples to apples comparison. Kevin upgraded his MSI WInd to it has 2GB of RAM instead of 1, while my Eee PC 1000H triple boots Windows XP, Mandriva 2009, and Ubuntu Eee 8.04.1.

That said, these two netbooks are remarkably similar. Each has the following specs which make them look virtually identical on paper:

• Display: 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
• CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom
• RAM: 1GB (upgradable to 2GB)
• Storage: 5400rpm hard drives (Kevin’s Wind has 120GB, my Eee PC 1000H has 80GB, but both companies are releasing even higher capacity models)
• Battery: 6 cell
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth
• Expansion: 3 USB ports, SD card slot, VGA output, mic-input, headphone out

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So far Asus has released two distinct systems in the Eee PC 1000 line. There’s the Eee PC 1000 with its 40GB solid state disk and there’s the Eee PC 1000H with its 80GB hard drive. Asus has also announced a 1000HD model which has an 80GB hard drive, but that model comes with a 900MHz Celeron processor, not the 1.6GHz Intel Atom chip that is included with the other models.

But it looks like there could be a third (or fourth) Eee PC 1000 model on the horizon. Dynamism is taking pre-orders for what it calls an Eee PC 1000 with a 160GB hard drive. My guess is that this model will actually bear the 1000H name, but Dynamism seems to group all of the 1000 series computers together under one heading.

The site is taking pre-orders for $499, which is about $50 more than the current price for an 80GB unit. The new 160GB models should be available by September 24th.

thanks jkkmobile!

It figures. A few weeks after I pulled the trigger and ordered an Eee PC 1000H for $550, Asus decides to drop the price a second time. The 1000H was originally listed at $650 before Asus marked the price down to compete with the MSI Wind and other cheap laptops. Now it looks like you can pick up a 1000H for $505 at Amazon or as low as $449 at Mwave. In fact, if you’re willing to take an open box unit, MWave has one going for $359 at thee moment.

Apparently Asus is dropping prices across the board. Earlier today I noted that you can pick up an Eee PC 901 for under $500. And it looks like the Eee PC 1000 with its 40GB SSD is going for $599 now, which is about $100 cheaper than it was selling for a few days ago.

Update: Amazon also has the Eee PC 1000H for $449. For some reason this didn’t come up in my initial search.

Update 2: Newegg has also cut its price for the 1000H to $449: ASUS Eee PC 1000H 80G – Fine Ebony Intel Atom 10.0″ WSVGA Integrated Graphics

via Liliputing Forums

Eee PC 900 running OS X

While the Asus Eee PC line only officially supports Linux and Windows, people have been finding ways to load OS X onto the diminutive laptops for ages. But if you care about little things like performance, here’s a tip: You might want to pick up an Eee PC 1000H instead of an Eee PC 901 if you want to run OS X.

MacEee reports that the 901 is just too slow to run the Mac operating system. The problem isn’t with the CPU. The two computers actually have identical processors. Rather, the Eee PC 901’s solid state disk just isn’t fast enough to keep up with the demands OS X places on it. The Eee PC 901 actually has two solid state disks, a 4GB disk for the operating system and a second, larger disk for programs and files. The 4GB disk is pretty zippy, but the secondary disk not so much. And according to MacEee that second drive makes OS X kind of sluggish. OK, that’s an understatement. It reportedly takes 7 minutes to boot OS X on the Eee PC 901.

The solution? Pick up an Eee PC 1000H. It comes with an 80GB hard drive, and happens to be about $50 cheaper than the 901 anyway.

While I would never actually condone installing OS X on unsupported hardware (which is a violation of Apple’s licensing agreement), you can find a ton of information on how to do it at the Eee PC OS X Project wiki.

Apparently Asus has decided to give its Eee PC computer lineup the collector’s card treatment. The company offers Eee PC models coated in white, black, pink, green, and blue plastic around the world. But now for a limited time only, Korean customers can pick up a pinkish red or green Eee PC with some sort of pattern that looks a bit like spilled paint on the cover. Be the first kid on your block to own one!

The special edition designs will show up on Eee PC 901 and Eee PC 1000H models and should be available on August 22nd in Korea only. And possibly eBay.

[via Engadget]

It looks like Asus may be knocking $100 off the price of the Eee PC 1000H. While Amazon is still taking preorders for $650, Newegg is charging just $550. Newegg is also offering 3 day shipping and says the computer is in stock.

Amazon has started to accept preorders for the Asus Eee PC 901, 1000, and 1000H. Asus has said the computers will begin shipping in the US on July 8th.

Amazon is charging $699 for the Eee PC 1000 with an 40GB SSD, 10.2 inch display, and Linux. You can pick up an Eee PC 1000H for $649 with an 80GB hard drive, 10.2 inch display and Windows XP. Or for $599 you can grab an Eee PC 901 with an 8.9 inch display and Windows XP or Linux. The XP version sports a 12GB SSD, while you can get a 20GB Linux model for the same price.

The new computers come in black and white, and you can place an order or search Amazon using the box below. (Disclosure: If you place an order through the search box, I’ll get a small finder’s fee).

[via Eee PC.net]

Sure, you can already pick up an Eee PC 901, 1000 or 1000H in Taiwan. And the company’s been projecting a July 1st launch date for the UK for a while now. But up until this evening I hadn’t heard any word on a US release.

But a reader contacted me today and let me know that he had called the Asus pre-sales department on a whim today and asked when the Eee PC 901 would be hitting the US. And without hesitating, the rep told him July 8th. I repeated the experiement and made sure to ask about the Eee PC 1000 and I was told that both models would be available in the US on July 8th.

Now, Asus has been known to miss ship dates before, but it’s seriously looking like the company might be able to beat MSI in getting a 10-inch laptop with a 1024 x 600 resolution screen to market in the US.

On the other hand, Asus will be charging $599 or more for these computers, while the MSI Wind laptop will carry a $479 price tag. The Wind also has a larger keyboard and according to Laptop Magazine gets bettery battery life, which means it might be worth the wait. And who knows? Maybe we’ll be surprised and MSI will actually launch the notebook tomorrow.

thanks Cass!

Update: It looks like the MSI Wind release date has been pushed back to July 7th.

Looking for more netbook reviews? Make sure to check out our review section for in-depth looks at netbooks from Asus, HP, CTL, and others.