The Asus R105D is an Eee Pc entry from Asustek, but has a different name than other Eee PC computers, mainly because it’s aimed at the European market, especially Germany and Austria.
This doesn’t mean it’s not be found in other countries, but you might have a better chance of finding it in stock if you’re living in one of these countries.
In terms of specs, it’s identical to other entry level Eee PC 10 inch netbooks, so if you’re one of our US readers, rest assured that the R105D is available in the States as well, just named differently. Back to the netbook, you should know this is a 10 inch entry level netbook with a very affordable price.
It’s designed for basic computing tasks and has a strong battery, being a very good option for a student or professional that only needs to keep in touch with colleagues or edit some documents.
As Asus as a plastic keyboard and a plain black bezel can ever be
The R105D will not blow you away in terms of design. It has a simple, single color plastic finish, so you don’t even get a chrome looking brush on top of the plastic. In the middle of the lid you get the Asus logo, while the rest is semi glossy plastic, so there might be some problems with fingerprints and smudges over time. The keyboard is 92% chiclet, with big and rather crowded keys. The display of the R105D has a standard resolution of 1024 x 600, being lower than the HD screens we’ve seen on some netbooks, such as the Samsung NF310. Still, the screen is good enough for displaying web pages correctly, watching SD videos and working with documents without getting head aches.
The R105D is powered by an Intel Atom N455 single core processor, which is the second entry in Intel’s line of low power chips, after the N450. It’s indeed a rather slow processor, but it requires less power to run than traditional CPUs and fits the low power netbook credo. There’s also 1 GB of DDR2 RAM memory, while the maximum amount supported is 2 GB. The netbook comes with a 250 GB hard disk drive with a 5400 rpm spin speed. The hardware line up is rather modest, but can deal with a lightweight OS like Windows 7 Starter.
The lid doesn’t have a patterned finish, just the iconic Asus logo
The system can deal with word processing, browsing and some light media playback, but for your own sake, you shouldn’t have them all on at the same time. The netbook has all the necessary ports, including a couple of USB ports, card reader, audio and mic jack, as well as a web cam positioned above the screen. The battery of the R105D is one of the features that sets it apart from the flood of single core netbooks out there. The juice maker can sustain approximately 8 and a half hours of function on a single charge, which is much more than the 6-6.5 hours life span that other cheap netbooks can offer.
As for pricing, the 10 inch netbook goes for about 250 euros in Europe. It’s the usual price for an entry level netbook, but in the case of the R105D you get a solidly built machine and a good battery, which are essential features for any ultra portable computer out there. The Atom hardware is kind of standard, but for that amount of money it’s still difficult to offer a dual core machine with 2 GB of RAM and integrated graphics.
The 1024 x 600 screen comes with a matte coating
So if you’re on a tight budget and looking for a netbook with great autonomy, the R105D is a very good choice, as long as you keep in mind that gaming, HD playback and smooth multitasking are kind of out of the question.
