I decided that I was tired of being handcuffed to my office in order to do any sort of basic computer activities, so I decided to purchase a more portable solution.
I was not looking for a replacement for my desktop, but rather a supplemental computer that could handle the more basic tasks of what I use a computer for (Internet surfing, online media, writing, etc.), so a more expensive laptop seemed like a unnecessary extravagance (and one that did not fit my budget). For what I needed, a netbook such as this seemed to fit both my budget and criteria.
The design seems study and solid, and very light. The screen can been a dust and lint magnet, so a small shammy is a handy thing to keep in your case (Not included). The chiclet-style keyboard will take some getting used to if you've worked with a full sized keyboard your whole life, and the placement of the touchpad next to the space bar can cause occasional issues with typing, but it is something that can be overcome with time and practice.
I should point out that my general experience with this computer includes the caveat that as part of my purchase, I also purchased upgrades to be installed. I purchased a 2 gig RAM upgrade from Crucial and I upgraded the OS from Win 7 Starter to Win 7 Home Premium. After reading a lot of reviews of netbooks in general, it seemed like a wise investment. Upgrading the RAM is a pretty simple process, but opening the RAM access panel on the bottom is a scary prospect because you will swear the thing will snap in half during your attempts to open it.
After the upgrades, I have little difficulty using MS Office 2010, or programs such as Photoshop 7 or Firefox 5.
In terms of media playback, the sound quality seems fine and my MP3's sound pretty clear through the external speaker, though they can be drowned out if you using the netbook in close proximity to a fan or air conditioner, so you might find headphones to be a worthwhile accessory, especially for sound during video playback.
And speaking of video playback, all in and all this is a satisfactory machine. I have no trouble (again, please note this is after the RAM and OS upgrade) high quality HD .avi's and .mp4 video files and the HDMI support functions as promised, though the HD internet capabilities seem to be greatly exaggerated. Streaming videos in 720p and 1080p are jerky and choppy, even with a direct ethernet connection and allowing for the videos to spool. Honestly, 480p is clear enough even on the big screen through the HDMI output for most purposes(youtube, hulu, etc), but if you had your heart set on 720p or greater while streaming, you'll probably need to do much more extensive (and expensive) upgrades and at the point, you might want to start considering a more powerful laptop option.
Finally, as with most new computers, you will definitely want to deactivate or uninstall some of the more intrusive bloatware that comes packed with this machine. They are a drain on the resources and taking that step early will improve the performance greatly, even right out of the box with no upgrades. The internet is full of useful guides on this subject and it is well worth it.
All in all, I'm happy with my little machine and it seems to do what I've asked of it, and I'm still learning how far I can really push it and what I can do with it. The best advise I can offer is do your research on what your computer needs are and then decide if a netbook such as the 1015B will meet them. For me, it has, abet after a little extra work.
| Standing screen display size | 10.1 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1024 x 600 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1024 x 600 Pixels |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz amd_c_series |
| RAM | 1 GB DDR3 |
| Memory Speed | 1333 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 250 GB HDD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | AMD Radeon HD 6250 |
| Chipset Brand | AMD |
| Card Description | Radeon HD 6250 |
| Wireless Type | 802.11bgn, 802.11b, 802.11b/g |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 3 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 8.5 Hours |
