In today’s article we talk about the Asus Eee PC 1015PEM-PU17, a netbook that came out last year which upon launch carried a retail price of $369. Just like many of the Eee PC netbooks, this one features a sleek, teardrop-shaped side profile, making it thicker at the back and thinner in the front. This netbook line from Asus is available in red, blue, black and white. The back lid of this model is quite thick and the entire system seems to be very solid.

It is powered by a dual core Intel Atom N550 processor running at 1.50 GHz and packs 1GB of DDR2 memory clocked at 667 MHz. For storage it has a 250 GB SATA hard drive spinning at 5,400 rpm while the chipset is an Intel NM10. In the graphics department we find an integrated Intel GMA 3150 while the operating system is the Starter version of Windows 7. The netbook measures 10.3 x 7.0 x 0.8 – 1.4 inches and it tips the scales at 2.7 pounds (3.2 pounds if we take into consideration the AC adapter).

Asus fitted this netbook with an edge-to-edge raised island-style keyboard that comes with very responsive keys and it doesn’t show any signs of flex. The downside is that the keyboard is not full size and feels a little bit cramped. The tiny wrist rests are also quite small, but the good thing is that the touchpad is quite wide and features a smooth material. Below the touchpad resides a thin plastic button bar which could have been bigger, but we like that it has a solid click.

The Asus Eee PC 1015PEM-PU17 has a 10.1-inch LED matte display that has a native resolution of 1,152 x 864, which we should mention that it provides a rather squished look. You can always turn the resolution down to 1,024 x 600 which is the standard among cheap netbooks. Videos and photos will look good on this display, while the viewing angles are quite good for such an affordable mini laptop. However, given the limited resolution, the web pages feel quite cramped.

Regarding ports and connectivity, it comes with VGA out, stereo speakers, headphone and microphone jacks, along with two USB 2.0 ports and an SD card reader. For networking you get Bluetooth, Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Those stereo speakers are located on the bottom front edge and manage to offer louder-than-average audio, making them suitable for video viewing.

The 6-cell lithium-ion battery of the Asus Eee PC 1015PEM-PU17 will last for approximately five and a half hours during a video playback test, which is quite good for a netbook that has a dual core processor but we have seen better.