ASUS 1015E-DS03 10.1-Inch Laptop ( Black ) Ubuntu OS
Black / No Touch Screen / 10.1″ HD (1366*768) LED, non-glare / Intel Celeron 847 (1.1GHz) Sandy Bridge / 2GB on board / Intel GMA HD / 320GB 5400RPM HDD / No Optical Drive / Ubuntu / 802.11BGN / HD Camera / No Bluetooth / 56WHrs, 5200mAh,3S2P, 6-cell Li-ion Battery pack / Chiclet Style / 1YR International/30-Day Zero Bright Dot/2-way FREE shipping/24-7 tech support

Little Things Make All the Difference
Introducing the ASUS 1015E Mini-Notebook
Never underestimate the power of small. The ASUS 1015E mini-notebook strikes the perfect balance between productivity, mobility and value. With up to 7.5 hours¹ of battery life packed in a compact profile that’s less than 1″ thin and just 2.64lbs light, staying connected while on-the-go has never been easier and more convenient.
Pre-installed with Ubuntu operating system, an Intel Celeron processor and a 320GB HDD storage space, prepare to get some serious work done on the ASUS 1015E mini-notebook whether you are online or offline. What’s more, enjoy a complimentary 32GB ASUS WebStorage² that lets you store and access your files from wherever you are, whenever you need it2.
ASUS 1015E mini-notebook and You. Incredible Together
Features-At-A-Glance
- Slim and compact profile that’s less than 1″ thin and just 2.64lbs light for excellent portability
- Includes Ubuntu operating system – a robust, high performing, secure, and virus free operating system on the market
- Long battery life up to 7.5 hrs battery life1
- 32GB x 3years free ASUS cloud storage (valued at $49.99)

The Little Giant
Compact and Powerful
The 1015E notebook packs dual-core power for multitasking in a compact build that is less than 1 inch thin and just 2.64 lbs light. With its compact profile, you can easily carry it around the house or slip it into any bag of yours and bring it to classes, meetings, travels or anywhere you want to go. Also, the 1015E does not consume massive power like a typical notebook; it fact, it offers long lasting battery life similar to a tablet. Featuring up to 7.5 hours1 of battery life (roughly equivalent to the flying time from San Francisco to New York City), the 1015E offers long hours of chatting, connecting with family and friends on your favorite social media sites, watching videos, surfing the world-wide-web, or working on a presentation.

Robust Operating System
Ubuntu Operating System
This 1015E notebook features Ubuntu operating system, one of the fastest growing operating system in the world. Ubuntu OS is robust, high performing, secure, and virus free operating system on the market. You dont have to be a tech expert to use Ubuntu. It is already pre-loaded and ready to go with the 1015E. It comes with an intuitive and easy to navigate interface called Unity. It is the result of years of research to increase user’s productivity.
Ubuntu comes with thousands of applications already available by default. However, if you need other apps you can easily search for thousand more paying and free applications through the Ubuntu Software Center.

High Speed Data Transfer
USB 3.0
Compared to USB2.0, now you can transfer data up to ten times faster¹ with USB 3.0, leading to quicker backups and data access. When it takes merely 70 seconds to transfer a 25GB Blu-ray HD movie, it’s time to say goodbye to those long-wait frustrations.

Looks Amazing
HD Camera with Microphone
Now you can finally see grandpa’s face clearly. The 720p HD front-facing camera plus microphone make VoIP, video chatting, and socializing better with vivid image and clear sound quality.

Grab it from the cloud
ASUS WebStorage
The 1015E Series comes with free 32GB of ASUS WebStorage cloud space for three years (valued at $49.99). With cloud-based WebStorage, easily access and share documents, photos, music and videos from any device you are on, wherever you are2.

Relax, ASUS has got you covered
1-Year International Warranty
- 30 days Zero Bright Dot Guarantee
- Free one-way standard shipping
- 6 months battery warranty
- 24/7 Technical Support
For more information visit http://www.service.asus.com/
Additional Added Benefit with Ubuntu Operation System
Web Browsing
Firefox comes preinstalled or you can choose from other browsers like Google Chrome. With its automatic security updates, anti-phishing technology and defense against viruses and malware, Ubuntu and Firefox help keep your information private.
Office Applications
Create professional documents, presentations and spreadsheets with LibreOffice. It’s easy to use and is completely free. Ubuntu is compatible with Microsoft Office which means you can open, edit and even create Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.
Built-in Apps
Ubuntu is packed with apps that enable you to stay in touch with family and friends, and also provides instant access to thousands of great games and applications. App categories include education, games, sound & video, graphics, and office. Installation require no CDs or hassle.
Music and Mobile
Ubuntu works with all common portable music players, as well as Android phones and the iPhone. The Ubuntu One Music Store provides all the tunes you’ll ever need. Share playlists with your friends and stream videos from YouTube and other sites. Play your music on your phone or MP3 player, anytime and anywhere.
Photos and Videos
Enjoy, manage, edit and share your photos and videos with free apps. Use Shotwell to keep your photos organized. It also enables easy uploads to your favorite social networking sites including Flickr and Facebook.
Read, write and send emails with Thunderbird. It’s fast and easy.
Specifications
- Operating System: Ubuntu Operating System
- Display: 10.1″ HD (1366×768) LED backlit display
- Processor: Intel Celeron Processor 847 (1.1GHz)
- Graphics: Intel GMA HD
- Memory: 2GB DDR3
- Storage: 320GB (5400 RPM ) + 32GB ASUS WebStorage2
- Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n
- Camera: HD Camera
- Card Reader: SD/MMC
- Battery: Up to 7.5 hours1
- Dimensions: 10.3″ x 7.1″ x 0.9~1.4″ (W x D x H)
- Weight: 2.64 lbs
- Color: Black
- Input/ Output:
- 1 x Audio Jack Combo
- 1 x VGA port
- 1 x HDMI port
- 1 x USB 3.0 port
- 1 x RJ45
- 2 x USB 2.0 port
What’s in the Box
- ASUS 1015E Notebook
- AC Adapter
- User Manual
Model Comparison
Model | ASUS 1015E-DS03 | ASUS X201E-DS02 | ASUS 1015E-DS01 | ASUS X202E-DH31T |
---|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | Ubuntu | Windows 8 (64-bit) | Windows 8 (64-bit) | Windows 8 (64-bit) |
Processor | Intel Celeron 847 (1.1GHz) | Intel Celeron 847 (1.1GHz) | Intel Celeron 847 (1.1GHz) | Intel Core i3-3217U (1.8 GHz) |
Display | 10.1″ HD (1366×768) LED backlit display | 11.6″ HD (1366*768) LED backlit display | 10.1″ HD (1366*768) LED backlit display | 11.6″ HD (1366*768) LED backlit capacitive display |
Graphics | Intel GMA HD | Intel GMA HD | Intel GMA HD | Intel GMA HD |
Memory | 2GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 2GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 |
Storage | 320GB (5400 RPM)HDD + 32GB ASUS WebStorage2 | 320GB (5400 RPM)HDD + 32GB ASUS WebStorage2 | 320GB (5400 RPM)HDD + 32GB ASUS WebStorage2 | 500GB (5400 RPM)HDD + 32GB ASUS WebStorage2 |
Warranty Coverage | 1 Yr International Warranty | 1 Yr International Warranty & 1 Yr Accidental Damage Protection3 | 1 Yr International Warranty | 1 Yr International Warranty & 1 Yr Accidental Damage Protection3 |
ASUS- Top 3 Global Consumer Notebook Brand
As the world’s top three consumer notebook brand and maker of the world’s best-selling motherboards, ASUS prides itself by making products that always “START with PEOPLE.” With a persistent approach to innovation, ASUS goes beyond satisfying current consumer needs to surpass expectations and spark the imaginations of people everywhere. ASUS designs and manufactures a diverse range of products as part of our relentless search for incredible, including motherboards, graphics cards, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, networking devices, servers, smartphones and tablets. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,168 awards in 2012 and recently received the recognition for the 2013 PC Magazine Reader’s Choice Award.
1. Subject to product model, normal usage conditions and configuration.
2. Complimentary 32GB ASUS WebStorage space for 3 year. Internet connection required
3. Program applies to select notebooks purchased within the USA and Canada only. Customers must register online within 60-days from purchase date to be eligible. One claim per notebook only. Exclusion apply. For details, please visit, notebookcare.asus.com.
©2013 ASUS Computer International. All Rights Reserved. ASUS is a registered trademark of ASUSTeK Computer. All specifications and terms are subject to change without notice. Please check with your supplier for exact offers on selected models. Products may not be available in all markets. Product may not be exactly as shown in photos. Actual colors may differ from their appearance due to variation of monitor restrictions and color processing. All trademarks are registered to their respective companies. ASUS shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
Product Features
- Intel Celeron 847 1.1 GHz
- 2 GB DDR3
- 320 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
- 10.1-Inch Screen
- Ubuntu
Small, fast, lightweight. Ubuntu inside. Amazing notebook for under $250, fast shipping from Amazon. I’ve had it for a week and it has performed flawlessly for what my wife and I use it for. We wanted asmall notebook that can be easily carried around the house, as well as taking on trips. It’s great for web browsing, watching youtube videos(search ubuntu-restricted-extras), typing documents using libreoffice, etc. Battery lasts 4.5-6 hours or so, depending on usage.It comes with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64-bit, which is supported through April 2017. The initial configuration takes approximately 10 minutes before booting into the OS,which then required 430 MB of updates. The notebook uses efi boot with gpt partitioning. Here’s the partitioning: 1. 100 MB fat32 boot-efi 2. 4 GB fat32 PQServices restore 3. 179 GB ext4 Ubuntu OS 4. 7.5 GB swap 5. 108 GB ntfs dataYou can boot from usb flash by pressing the “Esc” key at the Asus screen during boot. According to a reviewer of the Asus X201E-DH01, the recovery partition can beaccessed by pressing “shift” at boot. It comes with bios ver. 3.2, the latest is 3.4, which can be downloaded from Asus support. I wouldn’t recommend updating thebios unless you know what you’re doing.I’m an experienced Ubuntu user, so didn’t have any problems setting everything up. For someone with little or no experience, there’s tons of online help, especiallyubuntuforums.org. The unity launcher takes a little getting used to, and I recommend going into System Settings—>Appearance—>Behaviour and setting the launcherto auto-hide and moving the sensitivity to high. This will free up much needed screen space. I’ve installed cairo dock, which really isn’t needed, but some mightprefer it over unity’s launcher.Ubuntu isn’t for everyone, but the good thing is it can be tested by downloading the Ubuntu 12.04.2 iso, burning it as an image to cd or dvd. The live cd(which ismuch slower than an install) will give you the Ubuntu experience, without actually installing it on your present computer.Once Ubuntu is set up & personalized on the notebook, there should be little or no configuring required. I would highly recommend the ASUS 1015E-DS03 to anyone who is familiar with Ubuntu or is willing to put in a little effort to learn a new OS(Windows was new at one time).I’m an old timer(65 year old “cooter”) so anyone can learn to use Ubuntu, it’s been a rewarding experience for me(and my wife).Just wanted to add that everything worked out-of-the-box; however I haven’t tried ethernet, but wireless is fast & reliable. The notebook quickly suspends whenthe lid is closed and immediately resumes when opened. I did have one time that it didn’t suspend(you’ll know this if the wireless light remains on), only thepower light blinks if it suspends properly. The battery discharged completely when it didn’t suspend, so I later went into System Settings—>Power—>Turn offpower when battery is critically low, to prevent this.I don’t want this to be an Ubuntu help review, but here’s a few other tweaks that I did. In Firefox, to enable click to select all in the address bar: Type “about:config”(without quotes) into the address bar, type “browser.urlbar.ClickSelectsAll”, toggle from false to true.To adjust fonts & various other tweaks, search for “ubuntu-tweak” online, the directions will require using the command line or terminal(press the “Windows” key,type”terminal” in the search box, copy & paste one line at a time, press “enter” after each line. In ubuntu-tweak, you might also want to change to a more traditionalscrollbar by disabling overlay scrollbar. Don’t let using the terminal(it’s easy) deter you from using Ubuntu, this should be the last time you’ll use it.Note, pressing the “Windows” key opens the Dash menu, where you can find all the programs installed on the computer. This paragraph isn’t an actual review of thenotebook, but maybe it’ll help get anyone started who is unfamiliar with Ubuntu Linux.
The Netbook Returns Asus began the netbook era with a very small computer running Linux. The screen was 7″ (800×480), the machine had 512 meg of RAM, plus 4 G of not so fast SSD space. It ran a Celeron CPU. The electronics bled power, the screen was tiny, but it was cheap, under $500 (US), and it ran a customized version of a somewhat out of date distribution called Xandros Linux.Eventually, manufacturers stopped making netbooks, and by that time Microsoft had crippled the form factor (now with better electronics and a 10″ screen) with its own crippled version of Windows, and insisting that they all come with 1 G of RAM. Intel finished the job by making netbooks Linux hostile with their latest 2600 Atom based systems.Now Asus has returned with a Sandy Bridge based Celeron computer with a 10″ screen, running Ubuntu Linux (12.04). Behold the new netbook. It has little that you can upgrade. Still, it comes with 2 G of RAM, and a decent sized hard drive (320 G). The screen, while 10″, bumps the resolution to 1366×768, an improvement over the 1024×600 displays of previous netbooks.The keyboard is usable, if a bit squishy in its feel. One positive is that Asus put a second function key next to the arrow keys. The biggest complaint typists will have is that the spacing from hand rest to screen is cramped. You may miss when changing rows. The touchpad is one of those with the buttons integrated. The bottom of the touchpad clicks. Click feel is lousy. The pad surface is cramped. I never tested the touch aspect with the supplied Ubuntu, but I can say that with Debian, it is quite good, responding well to swipes, and one through three fingered taps.Netbooks have always featured strong connectivity. These included 3 USB ports, one Ethernet, SD card, VGA out, and audio. This machine changes one of the USB ports to USB3, and adds a full sized HDMI port to the mix.The CPU is more powerful than its Atom cousins. It also features hardware support for virtual machines. The difference in speed running any virtual machine on this machine, compared to a traditional netbook is dramatic. Unfortunately, the 2 G of RAM that comes with the 1015E cannot be upgraded, somewhat limiting the machine’s usefulness for running virtual machines.The machine will run warm in spots, mostly on the left side by the exhaust vent (your left leg will feel it). If you cover the bottom intake vents, the machine will get hot. The fan, however, never gets noisy.The better netbooks came with bulgy, external batteries, for better battery life. So does this one. Some people will complain that this is one, fat, ugly netbook, and they would be right. Such people should get . It’s slim, slightly larger, runs cooler, and features no unsightly bulges. It also comes with the same Ubuntu Linux, along with twice the RAM, plus a keyboard with better touch and spacing. Battery life for that machine is 4-5 hours. This one reaches 6. Sometimes, I like bulges. Even better, this battery can be replaced easily.A couple of comments for you Linux aficionados who like to experiment with other distros. Go right ahead. I typically try to run Debian. Here are my observations:The wireless uses a Broadcom chipset. Veteran Linux users know what I mean. Broadcom support has gotten better over time, though. For Debian you download the package “broadcom-sta-dkms,” and the Linux headers associated with your kernel. Debian will then pull in a bunch of other programs for compiling software. It’s all automated, and what you end up with is a compiled kernel module called “wl.” It works fine, and will update automatically, should a kernel update call for it, but good luck installing Debian, and expecting the installer to use your wireless connection. That may hold true for other distributions, too, but not all. It’s good this machine has Ethernet, as I used the Debian Netinstall disk.The machine comes with the not-so-capable Intel Graphics 2000 video (it’s what comes with Sandy Bridge computers). Linux support is decent, though with Debian, you may want to disable, or remove Xscreensaver.All told, a decent machine with basic hardware that gives very good battery life. If you travel, want a very portable, cheap machine that can still get work done without plugging in, this is the one for you.
Very good for the money, not quite 5 stars EDIT: I discovered that with gestures off, the mousepad is not too bad if you move around with one finger, then hold that finger in place while you use a different finger to click. The biggerest problem, as reported by many, happens when you move the cursor with one finger, then lift that same finger to click.IMPORTANT: This same physical computer is available with either Windows or Linux (Ubuntu) operating system. They are listed as different products in Amazon. You are reading reviews for Ubuntu. The device is the same, but how it works (the software) is very different. The Ubuntu version costs less. I see that many questions are from persons who have come here because this version (with Ubuntu) is cheaper. If you do not understand the difference between Windows and Ubuntu, then pay more and get the Windows version, not this one. If you do understand the difference, this device works well with Linux. If you intend to dual-boot Windows and Linux, be aware that some (not all) users have reported UEFI secure boot installation problems. Read web site for info before doing anything drastic.I am experienced with both Windows and Linux. I chose the Linux version by intent, since I have only one business program that must run on Windows (and I have another computer). Why pay more?Keep in mind that this class of device does not have a CD or DVD slot. If you need that capability, then you will need to use an external CD/DVD reader, or (if possible) transfer a readable file. You probably cannot run iTunes on Linux, even with an emulator, but you can play mp3 files transferred via another computer. That’s how I do it. Other reviewers report that the product is too slow for gaming, but plenty fast for Netflix. Note that Linux (Ubuntu) does play Flash, so you can see YouTube. You can also run QuickTime and Adobe Reader. You probably won’t need Adobe Reader because the ability to read (and create) PDF is built into the Ubuntu system.The 1015E native resolution is 1366×768. That is, it has a high-resolution monitor, even though the monitor area is small. This is good and bad. If your application is watching videos (via external device or online) or viewing photos, you have a lot of pixels. But for ordinary web browsing and office work, the physical size of objects is shrunken. For example, you may find it hard to grab the scrollbars on the browser, or read small text. One of the first things you should do is to adjust the size of things (such as minimum text size) via the operating system settings. This can be done in both Windows and Linux. You can also change the display resolution, but I don’t recommend doing it that way.I wanted the under-sized keyboard. I am an adult male with small hands (for a guy) and I can type rapidly with this device. Your results may differ. The keys are about standard size, but they are closer together than standard. This is typical for products of this size.The mousepad is atrocious. I knocked off a star for that. Other reviewers also detest the mousepad. Get a mouse, and toggle the mouspad on or off via FN+F9.The product does not come with Bluetooth, but a USB Bluetooth adapter works fine (Windows or Linux).The device becomes warm on its left side. This can be felt on the bottom (it will warm your leg, if you have it there) and on your left palm. The Windows version has extra ASUS software to minimize power and prolong battery life. On Linux (Ubuntu) you will have to use Linux methods, meaning that you might not get the advertised 7.5 hours battery life. Be sure that your system power settings are for power savings rather than for fastest CPU; that might not be the default. If you are an experienced Linux user who wishes to experiment, the PowerTOP program can help you to optimize your power. Not for noobs.My other computer dual-boots Windows 7 and openSuse Linux. So on this 1015E, I removed Ubuntu and installed OpenSuse 12.3 64-bit K desktop. If you do something like that, you must use the GRUB2-EFI bootloader, not any other. This is an obscure setting during installation. It also requires a FAT partition at the front of the disk, which the installer will demand. If you intend to dual-boot Windows 8 and Linux, you may need to fool around with the BIOS settings or play tricks. Surf the Internet for advice. It seems that the BIOS on this product demands EFI boot, not MBR boot. My device (purchased with Ubuntu) did not have secure boot enabled, but some who bought the Windows 8 version report that it has secure boot and they can’t disable it. Keep in mind that changing the OS may void your warranty!If you are not already comfortable with Linux, then you probably should spend the extra money and get a device with Windows pre-installed. Certainly, Ubuntu is easy to use and powerful; but if you’re the only one you know who has it, then your friends can’t help you. This…