ASUS Eee PC X101H Netbook Review

ASUS have traditionally released their Eee PC series of netbooks targetted at consumers who want their laptop solely for net usage, along with a slight amount of word processing features. The company have usually launched these netbooks with Windows or Linux operating systems. Now, with their latest Eee PC, ASUS have released the X101H netbook that runs on a relatively new OS - Meego. Without the need to elaborate, Meego is the main feature on this netbook. Read on to know if the Eee PC X101H can match upto other netbooks available in the market.

The netbook has a very slim profile

Design and Build Quality
The ASUS Eee PC X101H has an all white design with hints of silver. The size of this laptop is merely the size of a large exercise book. It is extremely lightweight making it easy to carry around. ASUS have traditionally kept their Eee PCs light and this one is no different weighing just over a kilo.

The chicklet-style keyboard is finished in white, as well. This makes it a good looking netbook for both genders. The laptop has a glossy finish, so one can expect a lot of finger prints all over the X101H. Connectivity options available for it lie on either sides of the laptop. There are two USB ports, an Ethernet port, a VGA port, as well as a 3.5mm audio-cum-mic jack. The trackpad blends with the region below the keyboard and the only way to make out the difference is the single button for the left and right click.

VGA and USB connectivity

The hinges of this laptop are made of plastic and do not feel very sturdy. The webcam is located on the upper region of the bezel above the display. Overall, the X101H is a stylish and fancy looking netbook, but as far as build quality is concerned, it just does not cut it. The keyboard feels a bit flimsy, as does the area where the indicators are located. This area looks like it has been separated from the lower part of the laptop, giving it a very cheap feel. The bezel surrounding the screen, however feels rather sturdy. Because of its stylish looks and flimsy feel, we have mixed reactions regarding this segment of the review.

Features
The ASUS Eee PC X101H is a netbook with a 10.1-inch display that sports a resolution of 1024 x 600. The laptop runs on an Intel Atom N455 processor and an Intel NM10 Express chipset. The laptop features a memory of 1 GB DDR3, this is rather less as most netbooks these days feature 2GB memory. This is a typical configuration found on netbooks, nowadays. The main feature of this netbook comes in the form of its operating sytem. ASUS have traditionally used Windows with their netbooks and notebooks, but this time around they have used the new OS - Meego.

The home screen

Meego is an operating system that was started between Intel and Nokia. This is an ideal OS for a netbook with its mobile-like interface. Everything can be found on the screen itself, making it easy to find different functions. The bar at the top acts as a tool for navigating through the different pages. Overall, this is a totally new OS and has yet to become a full-fledged one. As of now, it is certainly work in progress. Meego has an app store as well where one can buy apps to use on this netbook. The browser used here is Chromium, which is basically the open source version of Google’s Chrome browser. One can find a lot of similarities between the two browsers. The interface feels like you're navigating through the menus of a tablet. This can be appealing to some people with its straightforward approach.

Application menu

The features of this laptop are intermingled with the OS, though Meego is the default OS on this netbook, Windows too can be set up on it. Overall, by using Meego as their OS, ASUS have added a nice distinguishing factor to the populated netbook market.