The Deep Blue H1 mini notebook had an early mover advantage in the UMPC market but it seems it wasn’t able to hold its ground against the newcomers. Let’s check out and see if this unit would have made a good competitor to the Asus Eee PC 701 series.
Blue Digital Systems went with a Via processor with the H1 — a 1.0GHz Via C7-M. It also has 1GB of RAM pre-installed and a 40GB HDD. In my 7-inch UMPC Rounds-Up last April, the Blue H1 came out on top as the cheapest and feature-packed among the four. (See unboxing pics here.)
Many claimed though that the Via C7-M processor was no match for the Celeron 900MHz. Of course, I had to test this myself. Using SuperPi, it took 48 secs. on the Celeron 900MHz and 7 mins. 26 secs. on the Via C7-M to run 1M digits. Either Via CPUs are too slow or they’re not built for floating point calculations (my guess is the latter).
The Blue H1 has a compact built though the battery pack is protruding from its back side. Like many other 7-inch laptops, the screen real estate is barely enough and with a body that’s 9.5″ wide, the screen’s 6″ horizontal width seems a bit small which made you think the space was under-utilized. It’s a little heavier than my Asus Eee PC but that’s because of the extra weight from the HDD (1.2kg).
The trackpad looks a bit small but after measuring, it’s actually the same size as that of the Asus Eee PC (1.75″ x 1.25″). The distinctive left and right click buttons helps for easier navigation. And while the keyboard size and orientation is the same, the Blue H1 has more space for palm rest which makes it easier to touch type.
The 0.3 MP webcam sits on top of the screen but it’s a little distracting to see the text that states “Digital Camera” beside it, in bold all-caps print.
The Blue H1 is cooler (less hot) too, maybe because of the low-power Via and the good ventilation at the bottom (there were 4 grill slots in there).
The default OS is Window XP and is quite responsive despite the low SuperPi results. It’s complete in connectivity too — 2 USB ports, 1 LAN, 1 modem, a 4-in-1 card reader and WiFi 802.11 b/g.
Over-all, this is a good 1st generation UMPC and could have easily surpassed the Eee PC 701 had it been marketed properly. It’s also 15% cheaper than most UMPCsd when it first came out. If Blue Systems can drop the current price down to Php9,995 today (compared to the 701’s Php13k curent price tag), I’m sure people will find it a good great bargain.
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I believe this one runs on Linpus Linux and Microsoft Windows XP Home is optional?
Ang Balasubas
Pinoy Life Hacker
http://pinoylifehacker.com
Yup, some units have been upgraded to Windows XP although the retail ones are running Linux.
Blue should re-release this model with an 8.9″ 1024*600 LCD, a VIA VX800 chipset (instead of the the ULV chipset – VX800u), and a VIA Nano 1.2/1.3 Ghz processor (which should be as powerful, if not more powerful, than Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz)
Oh, and check this out guys -> http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1540/intel_atom_vs_via_nano_platform_comparo/index.html
It’s another comparison between Intel Atom and Via Nano. And yes, I just love under dogs.
hi! I’m scouting for small, cheap, and very workable laptops…I might get myself one for my birthday December), and my only requirements are that they can work with the basic Office Suite, Play Multimedia files, etc. I teach/do seminars, and a portable laptop for basic grade computing, editing, and presentations would be nice. My bigger one can be the stay-at home and file storage. What would be your suggestion if my budget is 15K or lower? Where can I get one?
Thanks much!
Just curious Yuga, did you buy all this stuff just to test it?
Phaw
http://www.phawville.com/blog
@shing, this unit might fit you well for that budget.
@phaw, some of them I buy on my own if I can’t source it. Otherwise, companies regularly send me test units to review.
That’s cool. So after testing them, is it yours already? If yes, are you selling them for a discounted price?
No, I return them back. The review units are passed on to other journalists and bloggers. If someone is interested to buy them, maybe I can get them a discount from the manufacturer.
Hi yuga,
I have a blue h1 which I bought at PC Express, and to date, I’m loving it (I installed XP Home). Yes, it is slow at floating point calculations (as expected of a via), but nevertheless, if you don’t use applications for it extensively, you’ll get along pretty fine.
I sometimes use it as a secondary work laptop – when I don’t like to tug along my 12″ laptop. In fact, I installed Dreamweaver CS3 on it for my work and it works pretty fine (especially when I’m on the go and need to do emergency work). I use the generic via v800 graphics driver from via arena to get 800×600 (and even 1024×768) on the small LCD screen. As a side
@shing – you can play xvid/divx/mpeg/mpeg2 videos quite fine. H264 videos can play, but not really well (it stutters from time to time), which is expected as H264 videos require lots of CPU juice.
Also, if you’re into linux stuff, you may want to check this out. It even shows how to use the hardware encryption capabilities of the via processor – quite good info on the h1 capabilities.
http://www.a110wiki.de/wiki/Main_Page
I am very interested in a small device like this as a backup and side kick at work. Can anyone tell me how I can purchase one from here in the United States?
I would greatly appreciate your advice.
Love this Blue H1, very compact and lightweight. the performance is satisfying considering its size. The battery life is as truthful as published (4 – 4.5 hours). always watch movies on it. and i seldom turn it off. all in all its a UMPC that gives you value for your money.
wow this worth it planning on getting a new umpc would this be worth it?
I recently bought this cute UMPC with windows XP. However I can’t get my projector to work on it’s VGA out, tried pressing fn f3, but it won’t switch from H1 LCD to my projector, however if i restart it, while booting it’s view is on my projector, but before it logs on to windows, it’s view returns on my H1 LCD. I also tried using an ordinary VGA Monitor and I got same results. Can somebody help me?
@MPS, you might want to check your windows display setting first. Normally, if the display setting is not compatible with the software installed in the projector, it will not normally work. This also happen for laptops as well.
@yuga, in you opinion, which among H1 and Astone is better in terms of features given that both are priced the same at P9995.
Thanks.
Hi Yuga,
I’m planning to buy a UMPC.
Can u help me decide on choosing the right device for me. In terms of specs, affordability and reliability.
Where can i find the best deals and when is the right time to get one. Are there ones coming out w/ better specs i hope i can read it on your reviews before I purchase one.
Here are some devices from your reviews that im planning to chose from:
1.BLUE H1 vs
2.ASUS EEEPC 4G
3.NEO X1
4.ASTONE
Prices at 10k bracket.
Thanks! and More Power!
Regards with the blue H1… Since the unit is running 1GB of RAM on it, how come in the system properties shows 960MB of RAM. Could someone explain it to me? It should said there 1GB instead 960MB
@ Zack
The true capacity of the memory of the blue h1 is 1024MB the thing is it has a shared memory with the video so if you are using 64MB of video the RAM that will be displayed is 960MB instead of the full 1024MB so technically it still has 1.024GB of RAM
hope this helps.
I just bought one as my christmas gift to mysel last December 19.
just want to ask how to reformat this Deep Blue H1? i got linpus linux…just want to change the OS to windows XP…
@ clowee
you need to have a external disk drive so you can reformat it via windows xp or windows FLP which is more recommended. its just like reformatting your desktop.
Hi guys! i’m choosing between the h1 or the astone. I like astone coz of its 60G HDD and VIA C7-M 1.2GHz plus touchscreen
but i like the fact that h1 has better ventilation and longer batt life( i think its 1hr better than astone). And I’m worrying about astone getting too hot after an 1hr or so.
What i really need is umpc that can support XP or Vista, Photoshop, Surfing, Office and a snappy performance. I know both can support my basic needs but weight, batt life, durability would be a plus. Both are now in the same price range so i really don’t know what to get.
I’m leaning more towards the astone model hoping that it would be be faster in performance than the h1 but i might be wrong. So i’d like to hear the comments from other users of both models first before i buy one.
hi yuga.i just want to know if this is the cheapest laptop you know that a student like me can afford to buy.
tnx in advanz
i bought one last feb 14….i was impressed of its capability, esp the batt life….i think this is more ok than that of Eee PC mini notebook, besides it is less expensive than the latter…..
can anybody give suggestions on other possible applications to be installed (useful)for Blue H1 without affecting much to its capability…..thanks..and more power to yuga!
by the way…truth to tell the one i bought was already 60g HDD (on same price huh!) instead of original 40g….it’s the one i’m using whenever i visited Samal Island (beach hopping….lol)… bought it at PC-EXPRESS, Market market, Global City..
which one is better po ba this one or astone? im from butuan city and im looking for sellers online that will sell these products with windows xp na. if you guys have info please share:) thanks a lot
hi yuga… can you pls help me on what is the best umpc… im choosing from astone, blue h1 and packard bell… from which all umpc price are all the same… and im planning to buy one asap… tnx n advance….
Hi dave! Go with the Blue H1. Proven and tested among the 3 you mentioned.
ei yuga!
im caught in the middle! looking for the best UPMC for school,work and gaming/videos,top choices are Astone and Deep Blue H1,but i cant decide what to get,do they both play DVD’s?
pls help…cyd rodriguez
ei yuga,
Astone and H1,can they play DVD’s?
tnx
tnx yuga… just got blue h1 and its working fine.
Hello. Ask ko lang po if you have any problem turning a blue h1 laptop. I bought 1 last november and so far wala namang problema but when i sold it just yesterday, the buyer keep on complaining it won’t turn on not until nakaplug ang adapter. So far naman, with my experience, wala namang problema about turning on. So after daw fully charging, it won’t turn on not until isasaksak ulit ang adpater to the power source. May I ask what’s really the problem here? Or may may mali lang sa process ng pagturn on or pag gamit?
Please help.
Thank you so much.
please let me know if you are selling your Blue H1 laptop, i’m interested to buy.thanks
Hello po. I sold it already. Yun nga the buyer keep on complaining na it won’t start if it is fully charged not unless the adapter is still plugged. I haven’t really experience this before. By the way, its Os is XP professional. Anyone having trouble turning on your blue laptop after charging, please share your thoughts about this. Thanks!
Hi. My husband installed XP professional over linux. Meron din Corel Draw, encarta 2008, torrent, office 2003. Very nice laptop but too small screen plus i cant play Pet society there due to super low flash player.
Hi people, I’m selling Blue H1 units. It’s selling like pancakes!!! Much lesser price compared to other stores. for more info, call or text 0917.822.3696 / 0923.2700.186
hey lexis_tech! how much lower with XP os? plan to buy one for my wife…best buy with budget! thanks
hello guys…
my blue h1 is perfect for my research work…
from linpus i changed to xp then… currently am using vista…
with vista os…. it is as fast as when i was using linpus…. vista makes my blue faster operationally than when it was xp pa….
and am using ms office 2007 na…. much faster na sya ksa sa 2003 ko dati….
so i kept my on vista…
ang galing pa nga dahil sa S3 video controller i use my old computer monitor as an extension display…
parang i have two different computers in one…
further more with my virtual machine… parang i have 5 computers operating in one… can even have 5 yahoo messenger online at the same time….
super galing…
i have a lide 100 canon scanner… i just scan the journals i need from the library… no need to photocopy… with the dual monitor capability i can read, cut and paste while typing the main manuscript….
during presentations… by changing the primary monitor settings i can easily read the manuscript from my laptop while presenting using multimedia projector…. and a handy presenter…
super galing and all for a price of Php 9995
hi… lexis how much for the H1…OS–>>windows XP, plus ms office
Sir yuga Interested po ako bumili ng Blue H1. please help me naman to buy para maka discount. Thanks po. Please email me po.
this thing is really really slow..
My personal experience with it.
Sobrang bagal; is it just me or as in ang tagal mag respond nito even slower than my cousin’s very old sempron 900mhz with 700mb+ ram desktop.
Ginamit ko sa MS-Powerpoint for a group project.
Pag press ko ng play slideshow, ang tagal magrespond; then while playing, slow motion or rather very laggy.
I only used it for a few hours coz sa classmate ko ito so hindi ko na i-test any further and I wasn’t able to tweak the system but my first impression of it is very slow. Btw, I tested this more 5 months ago. Also, since di akin yung notebook, chances are maaring mas mabilis pa pla to if tweaked.
However, yung 4-4.5 battery life is tempting. Kung aus naman ang playback ng 200-300mb HD mkv, then ayos na rin siguro to. Otherwise, yung Asus with N280 kaso more than 2x yung price nun.
where can i buy this now (june 2009)?
thanks.
oh, may i know where i can buy this? i need one asap.
buy first gen eeepc. lots of support at eeeuser.com.
iv tried h1, its fast if only linpus.
hi guys no complains with my blue h1 been with me na for almost a year. still functioning as it should. running on windows flp. office 2007. happy with it so far and very useful for my school work. microsoft one note is very useful tool too!
good afternoon, in terms of durability and performance combined, alin ang mas okay? kasi im willing to buy an external hard disk to compensate for the small memory of the eee pc as long as it performs better all around…what can you say guys? maraming salamat sa mga magrerespond. God bless.
where can you buu the notebook at the price of Php9995?
Anybody here where I can buy blue h1 keyboard? I’ll appreciate any info regarding this. thanks!
I recently installed XP professional SP2 and im having problems configuring the video card, ive already installed the latest adobe flash player. java and direct x but when i browse the internet the pictures wont appear, plus if what Mr. Client said that he was able to adjust the resolution to 1024×768 can somebody help me do that, i’ve been to different websites (s3graphics, via, etc.) but i still cant the correct driver for me to adjust the resolution, I cant even run dinner dash which is a low resolution game..! can someone pls. help… tnx!
Twitter: Sanctuarian06
replied on Aug 14th, 2009 at 9:32 pm (52)
I Have this notebook and selling it for 9,500 only, for only slight usage, with installed OS and programs, and with complete on the box accessories if you are interested. we make our deals asap…… for complete information please email me at sanctuary_piz_06@yahoo.com for questions or you can text me at 09154459109.
thanks!
hello po, i have also deep blue.kya lngsan po kya makakabili nung s charger kc ang hirap mag charge. parang may poblema n un, kailangan galawin p maige.ung pinakawire n kinokonek s laptop.para magcharge.
ung pinakawire s adaptor. un ung may problem… so wer can i buy kya. its hard to charge, gagalawin ko p maige hahanapan ng magandang pwesto. pero ok nmn ung deep blue ko i love it..
Hi! I bought my BLue H1 last December 18, 2008 and as of August 2009 I have problems with it’s LCD screen. It’s total blackout. It has power on its LED, it’s charging because it has still lights. But i can’t use it anymore. Time to drop by the megamall branch where i bought this piece of shit.
BLue H1 is not a good product. if you’ll buy a netbook don’t choose this one.
you’ll regret your 10K for this.
+ i was chatting on facebook when all of a sudden the monitor turn blackout.
Pinaservice ko yung BLue H1 ko sa PC CORNER MEGAMALL last September 3. Kapag LCD Screen ang Problem aabutin ng more than 1 month ang service. Ang panget sa PC CORNER wala masagot sayo ng exact date kung kelan maayos yung netbook mo. til december na lang ang warranty.
And i bought a piece of s-h-i-t!
I had the same problem last year. I bought my H1 in September or October, and after just about a month, the monitor won’t turn on, yet the LCD shows that there is power. If I remember correctly, I also bought mine from PC Corner, SM Megamall.
Anyway, when I had that problem, I brought the unit to Servimax, the Blue Service center, which is at Gilmore. I didn’t waste my time coming back to the store. When I bought the unit naman, the people at the store told me that if there are problems, Servimax na ang kontakin.
When the unit was being checked, the woman at the counter just removed the bat, put it back it, and restarted the unit while pressing Fn F1, F2 (I forgot) – and the unit worked.
My fault is that I did not note what the woman did to correct the problem. I am having the same problem now, and I don’t know which keys to press. Does anyone know?
Good for you. I dnt have time to bring it pa sa Gilmore kaya dun ko na lang dinala sa bulok na PC CORNER MEGAMALL. tutal warranty period pa. sabe nila bibilin pa daw parts para sa nasirang LCD. it’s been 3weeks na asa PC CORNER pero palpak service.
Kaya do not buy products sa PC CORNER kung wala kayong tiis mag antay tulad ko sa matagal na service. Sayang lang pera and time nyo.
Sino may number ng Servimax sa GIlmore?
here’s the contact number for servimax
Servimax Technologies, Inc.
Unit G, Gillmore Commercial Plaza
#10 Gilmore Avenue, New Manila
Quezon City, Philippines
Phone : (+632) 721-9102 and 722-2992
Fax : (+632) 721-6819
E-mail : info@servimaxtech.com
anyways, i bought mine last year, december, so far ok naman sya, ang main problem ko ngayon is yung adapter nya kasi parang nadidisconnect sya. nagtanong ako sa pc corner, 2K daw isa yung charger.
I just bought a Blue H1 notebook from a friend and it had XP installed. It had issues with its graphics when goin to full screen. So I reformatted and installed Windows 7 Ultimate OEM. Whats great about Win7 is that it finds the latest and best drivers for this laptop. So far so good and no more problems going to full screen.
My only complains are it lags in most applications. Does anyone know if the memory on this notebook or HDD be upgraded? If yes, could you please give me some sites or contact numbers to where I can get this upgraded? Thanks.
may mabibilhan p b ng brand new nito?
wala n s pccorner, pcx, pcgilmore. san p kya?
pls help…
i had no problems with my Blue h1, however maybe with abuse my HDD i think is broken, i tried bringing it to a computer shop to replace HDD however it is not the conventional 2.5″ HDD but rather the “Ipod Video-Like” 1.8″ HDD from Toshiba. Im planning to order from hongkong a 1.8″ HDD from toshiba also LIF/ZIF connector. However i am not sure if the connectors are the same.
If someone/somebody has more knowledge about this, pls contact me 09185498812. Ive been searching all around and i even tried the posted PICS to compare the connectors however im still not sure. my HDD is MKGAL2009 i think, its 40GB. and there are others versions oute there like 30GB MKGAL3006 and 3008, there are even 120GB versions. Are these compatible?
sorry from my post above my HDD is not 22009 but MKGAL4009
im planning to get an astone umpc tonight. got a good deal from tipidpc.com. 8k.
) but then i saw a blueh1 at the same price.. what you think is better?
please help.
please help.. i have a blue h1 sinwap saken kpalit ng psp ko ska p990i. wla akng gnong alm s computer kya nkipg swap ako kc gusto ko sna mtuto. at first ok wlng problem, nung nag browse ako s net nag update microsoft ng genuine, hndi sha mavalidate meaning peke pla os n nkainstol gnawa ko pina reformat ko nangyri nwla wifi ska sound. nagrent ako ng pc nag hnap ako ng wifi ska audio driver, nka kuha ako s official website ng blue. yng wifi ok n, pero yng audio wla p dko alm kng pno ko iinstol ska kng ano dpat kng gwin. kelngan ko pba sha ipareformat ulit? ano b dpat n os ng blue h1? s annong site mkakpg download? mhal kc mgpareformat eh. help me please.. tnx. akhris00@yahoo.com 09235668016 or 09227491932
@gelai: is it the new astone with 60 gig of hdd? then its much better than the blue h1 umpc cuz it has a faster processor and bigger hdd. But, if it is the older Astone, then I would choose Blue h1 because its cute hehehe but comparable specs with the older Astone. For me, Astone is a like a vtech toys. (no offense to astone users)
My Blue h1 umpc still works brilliant for 1 year, and all those bugs that I encountered were addressed by simply cleaning all the mess after using it then doing some maintenance every month by defragmenting and clearing all junk files, and always run the update with microsoft. I sometimes use it as my DVR for my video surveillance with the help of portable HD.
My GF and I bought a Blue H1 last October 2008. She takes very good care of it, and always warns me to put it down softly even when I was going to place it on her bed! Anyway, this brand has a lot of harware problems, particularly the keyboard. For the past year, she encountered malfunctions (or no function whatsoever) of the keys. This has occurred multiple times. Then just as the warranty expires, the keyboards fail again! So be warned. Another friend of her’s also junked her Blue H1 less than a year from buying it. Your better of buying the more expensive brands than this piece of sh*t.
hey andrei, u r really rite.. dis unit is a big b*ll Sh*t…. my keyboard now is not working anymore….i dont know wat happend all of sudden its not working…to all of readers here, pls dont buy dis kind of laptop.
so far so good pa naman blue h1 ko. been using it for more than a year na. running on windows flp. formatted it. for those having problems with the drivers of the unit you can download all the drivers in the blue website http://www.ilikeblue.net/support_drivers.htm, i got all my drivers there so far no problems after the reformat i just hope it wont bog down on me.
me too.. been using my blue h1 mini laptop for 6 months, gamit ko lang pag out of town pang farmville lang and ym (have to harvest para makahabol sa level! haha)
so far okay naman siya.. kaso hindi ko na nagagamit coz my husband bought me a pc set..
so yun lang, sayang kasi masstock lang siya, if anyone of you wants to buy my blue mini laptop please do text me 09176655500 lady owned po and 100% working condition..
8.5k polast price thanks!
san po kaya ako makaka hanap ng site to download the driver ng blue H1 pls help nman po kasi i change my OS to XP. dati po kasi linux thanks po
i bought my blue h1 last february and its still working well. don’t plug it in unless the battery is completely drained or it turned off on its own. you can save the battery lifespan by doing that.
if you need a driver disk, i can possuibly burn one for you. i still have the original with me.
after 9 months of slightly using my deep blue H1, the keyboard failed, bought an external usb keyboard para lang magamit ang computer. Please help saan pwedeng dalhin ito for repairs.
at last my keyboard failed me. Just bought a usb keyboard sa CD-R king for 200 pesos. not much complains though. asked servimax on how much to get the keyboard replaced… rather not talk about it na lang so just bought the external. hahaha far more cheaper.
Hello, I’m trying to find drivers for XP for my Blue H1 but at the moment
http://ilikeblue.net/support_drivers.htm is DOWN.
Does anyone have a link to a mirror for XP drivers?
Would be someone so willing to be kind enough to upload if the drivers are not too large?
Found a mirror for the XP drivers @
http://www.asianic.com.ph/product/blue-h1-umpc
my blue H1 is down… the DDR2 memory has failed… it is impossible to replace it because its fixed to the motherboard… need the motherboard replaced… does anyone know where i can get a replacement motherboard?
@ carlo contact me if you need a motherboard replacement 0923-960-5594. i’m looking for an lcd replacement, and somebody offered me a blueh1 unit with defective keyboard.
@ paul, if you need hdd replacement for your blue h1 contact me in this number also 0923-960-5594.