The problem with the various Linux issues I encountered when installing Ubuntu is that they are hardware specific. The most serious seems to be the failure of the hibernating to work properly, so that the battery goes flat overnight if left hibernating. Hardware issues are basically driver issues. One has to chase around, consulting expert forums, until one finds the right drivers to install. The reason I say that is a problem, is that I am sending the machine back at the end of the week, so I have little incentive to acquire detailed and ephemeral expertise which will be of essentially zero benefit to me.
It might be different if I was so enthusiastic about 1000HE that I intended to rush out and buy one. But I am not. There are some things I like about it, notably the weight and the battery life. But until the touchpad drivers are fixed it will much too irritating to use on a permanent basis. After that, it is still limited by the screen height, which is not fixable. It is fine for certain apps, like the Mobipocket Reader, but I do not find it good enough for general web access, and certainly not for times when I am flipping backwards and forwards between different windows. One of my major uses would be for writing blogs. My main blog TrustyServant.com typically has entries which involve a fair amount of research. I often have half a dozen windows open whilst writing it. That is totally impractical on the 1000HE.
One of the main reasons the battery life is so good (about 9 hours) is that 1000HE uses a single Intel Atom processor for both main CPU and video. I have read several reviews on the web bemoaning the resulting jerky quality of the video, claiming that it is unusable unless you overclock the processor, and completely unusable for any kind of high definition video.
Overclocking the processor is easy. Asus have built in the ability to run the Atom slow, normal or fast, or auto (slow on battery, fast on mains), and to switch easily between modes. The snag, of course, is that it consumes more power when running on fast. I have it permanently set to slow since I rarely watch video.
As I mentioned in an earlier article, attempts to watch youtube under Ubuntu failed because of some obscure Adobe flash driver problem which I was not willing to take the time to fix. But I have since tried it under XP. It works fine. No glitching at all. I am always amused by the Downing Street videos which typically take weeks to get above 100 views (and presumably even those are mainly by loyal ministers). I guess the young are not much interested in that style of politics.
Full screen mode is also fine. Full screen, high quality mode is also fine, although I am not sure I notice much difference. For something more demanding I went across to hulu.com, since one review specifically mentioned that as glitching on the 1000HE. But it turns out that hulu.com is currently restricted to the USA.
So I tried Norman Finkelstein’s video on the coming breakup of American Zionism on video.google in full-screen mode. A rather long talk, which I do not particularly recommend – he writes much better than he talks. There was still no glitching.
For something more demanding, I thought I would try Second Life. I joined a year or two back, bemused as to why an IBM VP I was dealing with at the time should spend hours a week building virtual sandcastles. I concluded that it was not for me. But I do remember that it was a little clunky, and presumably fairly processor intensive. Eventually the client is downloaded and I am logged in. The first thing I see is “Your clothing is still downloading, you can use Second Life normally and other users will see you correctly. [Tick if you don't want to see this again]“! Somewhat ambiguous.
I opt for fast-streaming media. But nothing about Second Life is fast. Except maybe other people’s movements. I am a glamorous young girl. Sure enough, unglamorous young men are soon hitting on me … but become tongue-tied when I answer back in ways they did not expect. But the video speed does not seem any worse than I remember it on the desktop.
So I conclude that video on the 1000HE is fine for occasional use, but not so good if you are a video nut. But then no video nut is likely to want the 1000HE!
