Mini Laptop Reviews Blog

Good netbook with FULL keyboard, February 8, 2011

Great little netbook at an affordable price. Specs are pretty standard for a 2010/2011 netbook: 1G RAM, 250Gb HD, 3 USB ports, basic video camera, separate Mic & headphone jacks, sd card slot, vga output and a very useful 8h battery life.

There are a lot of netbooks like this on the market, but what really stands out for me on this one is the keyboard, FULL size main keys with ALL the cursor movement keys: DEDICATED up, down, right,left, PGUP, PGDN, HOME and END. I work a lot with excel spreadsheets and it is really uncomfortable to move pressing fn+end/up orf+end/down or ctrl+fn+home, ctrl+fn+end, etc. to move around. Also scrolling with pgup/pgdown while reading a long web page is a pain when you have to press also the fn key! With most netbooks you have to live with the fn key, not in this case, the NB505 keyboard is really practical and comfortable, almost like a full laptop or pc keyboard, even do the position of the keys is not standard, they let you do the work easier and faster.

I also really like the case feeling: like some very soft rubbery cover, it looks nice and grips nice!

Windows 7 Starter is really basic, but you can find programs, utilities and tips on the Internet to take care of the basic “missing features” like changing the background image, colors, sounds, re-size pictures, etc. I got rid of most of the Toshiba utilities and also Norton, and installed MS Security and my preferred freeware home edition utilities.

I would have liked to have stereo speakers, but the netbook only includes a mono speaker under the unit.

I have older Toshiba laptops with excellent experience, in fact they are still working (WIN98, 450Mb HD,64Mb RAM)! so I decided to take the risk and bought the netbook from Amazon. It arrived fast, and working OK! (no DOA).

Its been a month since I got the netbook and I am still happy, but I think I will upgrade the memory to 2Gb, to make it snappier, I find Win7 heavier than Win XP for 1 gb of RAM (but that is just my feeling…).

All in all, I WOULD recommend it to my friends!

*** UPDATE **** July 2011 ****
I did upgrade the memory to 2Gb on February’11 and it works faster, but, if you plan to do it, just be aware of THIS: (info from the Toshiba support web site)

“NOTE: Two types of DDR memory are used in the Toshiba NB500 and NB505 netbook series. In order to upgrade, you WILL NEED to determine the current memory speed of your Netbook before you buy and replace it:
1) Locate the gray part number label on bottom of machine.
2) If there is a “D3″ in the UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER of the label, then DDR3 memory is installed, upgrade using the following: “PA3856U-1M2G Toshiba DDR3-1066MHz, 2GB Memory” or compatible.
3) All other units, assembled with DDR2 memory, upgrade using the following module: “PA3669U-1M2G, Toshiba DDR2-800MHz, 2GB memory Module” or compatible (cheaper).
Alternate Identification Method (Serial Number):
1) PLL50U-01900C(5B294965K or greater, or a serial number starting with 6B ,7B , 8B) use DDR3.
2) PLL50U-01900C(5B294964K or less, or a serial number starting with 4B,3B , 2B ,1B, ZA, YA, or XA)- use DDR2.”

Mine used DDR2…

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Solid Netbook – Excellent Second Computer, February 7, 2011

I bought this computer a few weeks ago and so far my experience has been very positive. This netbook is solidly constructed and is ready to use out of the box. The keyboard isn’t difficult to use and the trackpad is OK – a little oversensitive for my taste. Unlike many other systems it doesn’t come with a lot of bloatware – trial versions of programs you don’t want anyway. There is some, but almost all for arguably useful programs. The included Toshiba software seems well-designed even though I personally have no use for it.

As for speed, the computer is powerful enough for a netbook, and will run net-based and home office applications smoothly. Of course, it falls short for more intense use like video editing, image processing or games – but then again, that’s not what this computer is for. However, the Atom processor in this unit is on its way out, and for about $100 more you can get a netbook that is considerably faster. Nevertheless, or a solid, cheap, ultraportable computer, this is a good pick.

Pros:
* good keyboard
* good battery life
* nice, slim design
* little bloatware, useful software included
* solid build quality, looks like it will last

Cons:
* underwhelming sound (single speaker on the bottom)
* slow CPU

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little netbook,,are yu cute or what?!!, February 3, 2011

I read a lot of the reviews before i bought this little netbook, glad i ignored most of them. This is a great little gizmo, It’s not for gamers. It’s not for techies. But it’s perfect for surfin the web, email, facebook and day to day stuff or travel to keep in touch. It’s small (the keyboard takes a little practise) and light weight. it’s more than fast enough. People who expect this to run and do all the things a desktop or full size/function laptop do are being silly. It’s not what this is for. I like it a lot.

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Fantastic!, October 4, 2010

By 

Matthew A. Keas – See all my reviews

  

I just got my 1015PEM on Friday. I created a USB install of Ubuntu and installed a 2GB DDR3 stick of RAM I had.

I’m running the latest Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick 64 bit beta, and it’s fantastic! Everything works buttery smooth and is working right off (for those of you also using Ubuntu/Linux, the wireless drivers use the Broadcom STA drivers, just install via ethernet connection at first)

The keys and palmrests of smooth, not shiny, and extra comfortable to type on. I transitioned from a full-sized Mac keyboard to this little guy and had no problems adjusting.

The speakers are LOUD at full volume, for such a little thing. Far outshine my Acer 3810t with ‘Dolby Experience’.

The power supply is superbly small.

I’ve been able to watch hulu, etc, just fine.

Last but not least, youtube 720p flash is a little jittery, but some updates in the future may fix this (this is after all, linux. Flash runs MUCH faster in Windows). Given that, there’s really no need for 720p as the screen’s resolution maxes out at 1024 by 600, so 480p looks (and works) just fine.

Finally, the battery life is outstanding

No regrets!

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4.5 stars – solid little machine, October 12, 2010

I’ve been in the market for a netbook, decided to bite the bullet when these became available with the N550 dual core processor. This is my first netbook and only experience with one, so take my review for what it’s worth. Had it a few days before I upgraded to 2gb (no questions asked, absolute must) and immediately upgraded the BIOS after setup and running.

Nice little compact size. Relatively thin and not too heavy. The black matte has a rather odd hue, it seems almost having a blueish tint, which I thought was rather peculiar. It attracts finger prints more than I thought it would, maybe not as much as a gloss finish, but they do show up.

Screen seems alright, didn’t notice any dead pixels. There is some bloatware, but not an excessive amount. I removed the majority of it including most of the asus add-ons. The key board takes a little getting used to as I’m accustom to a full size standard board and this lay out has a few different things about it. Overall it dosen’t seem difficult to use. Mine appears to have a little flex around the G and H keys. With that is a tap-tap-tap-tap-thud-tap-tap when striking the H key. I find this to be a little annoying, along with distracting, hence demotion from a perfect 5 — maybe I’m a little harsh, but I was disappointed in the fact.

Haven’t really put the battery to test as this sits on my couch and AC power is always within reach. Have had no wireless issues, holds signal well and haven’t dropped a connection from my linksys router. It does seem to get pretty warm after some use while on your lap, and the fan is a little louder than I expected it to be when spooled up. The heat and fan noise are side notes, and not enough to dock any overall points. Maybe it’s actually cool and quiet for its class, like I said, this is my first netbook.

The touch pad responds well and feels pretty intuitive. I don’t care for touch pads, but find this one is easy enough. The mouse button click could be a little softer to use but I prefer tapping the mouse pad for clicking anyway. Apparently there is suppose to be some “pinch” type zooming with the touch pad. It doesn’t appear to work, or maybe I unistalled the software that supports it, or maybe I just don’t really know how to make it work. For some reason, the thought of it actually working, doesn’t motivate me enough to figure it out.

Webcam works fine, gets the job done. Picture is clear from the other side, so I’ve been told, and the mic picks up well enough. The speakers are pretty decent for what they are. Its not gonna throw your party, but if three’s a crowd, it can provide ample background music.

Overall the more I use it the more I really like it. Super handy for internet conveniences and very portable. My only let downs are: the keyboard issue, windows 7 is pretty limited, but really it does everything these machines are intended to do. I feel at this price point it should come with 2 gb installed. +$400 after the ram upgrade and throw another +$80 bucks for real Windows 7 upgrade and you’re approaching full size laptop pricing.

Really I am satisfied with it being a netbook, and would recommend it to anybody shopping around for one. It was some adjustment going from my desktop (i7 920/6gb ram/win 7 pro 64) and then jumping into this little guy. When I remind myself that its only a netbook, I’m pretty happy with it.

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Ten things to know about the 1015PEM, February 23, 2011

By 

J. Beveridge “codenamegray” (Scottsdale, Arizona) – See all my reviews

  

This is the current “go to” machine for netbooks. I bought it to do email and browsing while on the road and it does that just fine.

There are a few things to be aware of.
1. The memory Amazon recommends is wrong. Don’t buy it. Buy the Patriot Signature 2 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz Notebook Memory PSD32G13332S that someone recommended in one of the other reviews.
2. Many users have complained that the memory upgrade still doesn’t work with the latest BIOS. The ASUS Eee LiveUpdate application that shows when you start Windows does NOT search for BIOS updates. You need to go to the Start menu / ASUS / ASUSUpdate for Eee PC / ASUSUpdate, which shows build 0801. You need to go to the ASUS support site at http://support.asus.com/download/Download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us, search for the 1015PEM, and then download (at least) version 0904. You can then use the ASUS Update utility to update the BIOS by choosing “Update from file.” In theory you are supposed to be able to update the computer by copying the file to a USB thumb drive, but I couldn’t make that work, even after trying three different thumb drives.
3. Current 1015PEM machines in the USA are shipping with Fast Ethernet, not Gigabit Ethernet. (100Mbps vs. 1000Mbps.) The new 1015PED I saw last week for $40 less contained the GigE chip, so this is really irritating.
4. The 802.11n implementation is relatively slow. My access point is 10 feet from the computer and the best I can get is 74Mbps. The access point is rated for 135 to 300Mbps, depending on the technology in the client hardware.
5. The two USB ports on the right of my machine are USB 3. Like the wired ethernet chip, this seems to change on a routine basis. Your mileage may vary.
6. The Windows Experience Index of the computer is 3.0. The hard drive is actually the fastest component in the system, with an Experience Index of 5.9.
7. I installed Windows 7 SP1 on this system with no difficulty. It took 55 minutes to install.
8. The hard drive has two partitions, Drive C and Drive D. If you run out of space on Drive C, look at Drive D.
9. Windows 7 Starter is nowhere near as bad as other posters seem to think. All of those fancy features in the upgraded editions use more CPU time and more memory. Netbooks don’t have much of either, so I say good riddance. You give up desktop visual effects, drive encryption, and some enterprise features like domains. See http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/compare?T1=tab15.
10. The 1015 series uses obnoxiously bright blue LEDs. In low light, the “power” light in particular is glaring.
11. Replacing the hard drive with an SSD is complicated and voids the warranty. You can’t just slide out the hard drive like most laptops.

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