Netbooks Laptop

I have the Asus 1000he myself and love it. The Asus 1000he was sold out at our local store for the father's day sale and so we got the Asus 1000ha instead.

The screen, camera, touchpad mouse, ports and overall size are exactly the same.

The differences are:
Finish: 1000ha Matte, 1000he Glossy
Processor: 1000ha n270, 1000he n280
Bluetooth: 1000ha No, 1000he Yes
Wireless:1000ha b/g, 1000he n
Battery Life: 1000ha 7-hrs, 1000he 9.5-hrs
Keyboard: key-style and scroll-key layout slightly different.

The most immediate difference is that the matte finish of the ha is not as much of a fingerprint magnet as the he's glossy finish and the layout of the Page UP/DOWN scroll keys on the lower right hand corner. I prefer the traditional upside down "T" shape of the he's rather than the modified version of the ha's. I found that I had to relearn where the scroll buttons were on the ha while the he was pretty much the same as a regular keyboard. The he also has a chiclet style keyboard that I preferred but my dad didn't. So that part is personal. The spacing of the keys is otherwise the same. The processor speed of the n280 over the n270 isn't noticeable even when watching hulu or youtube.

For casual Starbucks-type use, the wireless band doesnt make a difference, although the n is backwards compatible with b/g so why not? My he's 9.5 is currently only pushing 7hrs (I get 8 to 8.5hrs back home, internet radio and BT on) because it constantly has to reconnect as the signal keeps dropping at my dad's house (seems dad needs a new router too). The ha also doesn't have BT and cost-wise a BT would make up for the $40 price difference in the ha and the he.

The conclusion? The he is better value for money, although the ha is a solid investment for something light and portable for someone who doesn't need the extra 2-hrs battery life, the BT or the wireless n. The price difference is so minimal that it mainly boils down to how much you like or dislike the position of the scroll buttons on ha. The size of the screen means you will be using these button a lot.

UPDATE Sept 27,2009:
I just saw the Canadian keyboard layout (for Amazon.ca shoppers that read the reviews on the US site) of the Asus1000ha and it has some slightly different keys mainly an Alt-char function key to switch into French, and most importantly the arrow keys are the same layout (upside-down T) as the 1000he. The Alt-char functions are printed on each key in green and while clearly visible and very useful, seem to make the keyboard look rather busy.

The body of the ha seems to be the same shiny finish as the he. Perhaps this is the latest shipment of the ha model? Or maybe it's just the Canadian version of the ha that has the shiny exterior.

I have no problems what so ever as far as performance and stability.

The only biggest concern is that when i type i can see the whole body of the keyboard shaky. I bought the chiclet keyboard when i saw apple have the same, but the quality of workmanship at asus is way pathetic vs apple. I think they need to re-design this for sure, users won't like it.

I have typically : Yahoo and MSN messangers and Skype and 3-4 tabs of Firefox running all at the same time with no issues, although the CPU is running at about 80% when i use skype with video. So for performance its great for my use.

Also this netbook starts to have choppy video when i try any HD video. I expect that, afterall when do you expect out of a 1.6Ghz single core CPU, however regualar youtube videos runs fine.

Overall i am happy but disappointed from Asus for the chiclet keyboard.

I ordered my 1000HA with chiclet keyboard about a week and a half ago, and I couldn't be happier so far. Though I was surprised to see just how small 10 inches actually is (I can't even imagine having a 7-inch screen!), the screen size is comfortable for me and I'm able to cut down on my scrolling using the zoom-out feature on the touchpad--though I can see this being a problem if you're farsighted. I also haven't noticed the keyboard as being "flimsy," as some other reviewers mentioned, and even with the smaller keyboard I'm still able to type with what seems like the same accuracy. I tested out the built-in microphone and webcam with two friends in other countries, and both said they were able to see and hear me better than with my previous USB model. The speakers are average but crisp--I wouldn't recommend trying to use this thing to fill a room with sound, but if it's just you sitting with it on your lap you should be fine.

As for the drawbacks, they're pretty limited but still worth mentioning. The click buttons, like previous reviewers have noted, are a little difficult to use at times. When you approach them from the front they move easily, but I still find myself trying to click from the top (like my last computer) and I have to stop and think about what I'm doing wrong. Additionally, programs seem a little slower to load if you're used to a high-powered desktop replacement, and don't even bother trying HQ video because it will be too choppy--though "regular" video is fine, and I can run Hulu, network program sites, Youtube, and my Slingbox on this model. Again, keep in mind that these things will probably slow down if you try to run something else that's heavy-duty in the middle, though.

In conclusion, I love my new eeePC. I did a lot of research before buying this model, and I'm happy that I found this sleek little netbook to replace my dying (and huge) laptop. I plan to upgrade the RAM to 2GB soon, but it has been running well even without it so far. At this price, how can you go wrong!