Asus Eee PC 1000HE (black)

Pros: Good keyboard layout
Stylish and sturdy
Smart Pad mouse
Long battery life
Speakers sound well for small size
Relatively inexpensive ($375 pre-order Amazon.com)

Cons: A bit heavy for a netbook (excluding battery)
I bit thicker than expected
Very prone to fingerprints (but comes with wipe cloth)
Mouse buttons very stiff
Screen could be brighter

Summary: My first impression with the Asus 1000HE with only an hour of use is quite positive.
I haven't yet tested the actual battery life (still charging) or done any performance testing (seems to run fairly smooth)
A few things to note:
The screen size will need getting used to (1024x600) if you're used to a higher resolution.
The keyboard is well laid out, however if you have big hands (mine are medium sized) then it will get cramped.
The mouse pad will need getting used to since for some reason the buttons are pretty stiff. However, the multifunction pad (like in the new MacBooks) is pretty cool (zoom, rotate, open my computer, etc...).

That is it for now, I will update later as I play with it some more.

Updated on Feb 25, 2009

2/25/09 - Update
Battery life:
The battery life of the Asus 1000HE is excellent. The 9.5 hours is easily achievable under certain conditions. In fact I was able to achieve 9.75 hours on Power Saving mode (cpu speed decreases to 1.2MHz), turning off the camera and bluetooth, and screen brightness at ~40%.

Also to reiterate on the screen brightness, if you are used to say the MacBooks (with LED backlit) then you will be a bit disappointed with the brightness of the Asus 1000HE. It's not to say the screen is not bright, but definitely not as bright as the MacBooks.

Updated on Mar 2, 2009

*Final Update 3/2/09*
So my final verdict is 4/4.5 out of 5 stars.
I really love the battery life and well laid out / easy to type keyboard and the multi-function mouse pad.
I would have given 5 stars if the following were improved/better:
1. weight: even without the battery it's on the heavier side of netbooks
2. thickness: the thickest point is at the back reaching 1.65" (measured from flat desk using a caliper)
3. screen brightness: the screen is not as bright as a lot other notebooks

on a side note, the 10" size screen is nice, but I would not recommend using it all day...it may just be me, but I'm used to larger screens and so my eyes feel strained at times

Overall highly recommended! Try getting it less than $400, but even at $400 it's still worth it!