Editor's Note:Portions of this review were taken from our earlier review of the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell.
When the ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell first launched, it impressed us with its thin design and above-average performance. Now updated with Windows 7 Home Premium, a larger 320GB hard drive, twice the RAM, and a suite of ASUS-branded extras, the 1008HA is still a svelte and stylish netbook. However, a dip in endurance—plus an increase in price to $479—may have consumers either opting to pick up the Windows XP version (while they can still find it) or paying just a bit more for a more powerful Intel ULV ultraportable.
Design
With the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell, ASUS created a streamlined netbook. Overall, the system has a sharp, clean design, largely due to the curved panels that extend over its edges to hide its ports. The glossy black lid (also available in white; blue and pink will come later this year) is covered in a new Infusion finish that allows the 1008HA to be scratch resistant; but it’s far from fingerprint-proof, so you’ll want to keep a cloth handy.
Where the 1008HA really stands out from other netbooks on the market is in its svelte profile and light weight. Measuring 10.3 x 7.0 x 1.0 inches, the 1008HA is a little thinner than netbooks like the Toshiba mini NB205, but newer models, such as the HP Mini 5101 (and the impossibly thin Sony VAIO X) are thinner still. At 2.4 pounds, the 1008HA is also light, even for a netbook. We easily held the netbook in one hand, and it felt almost nonexistent in our shoulder bag, even with the charger (which brings the entire package up to a mere 2.8 pounds).
Keyboard and Touchpad
Despite its diminutive dimensions, the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell includes a comfortable, spacious keyboard. Unlike the island-style keyboard of the mini NB205, there are no spaces between the raised black matte keys, but they provided nice tactile feedback. ASUS keeps the correctly placed keys it mended with the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE; the right Shift key is full size and directly below the Enter key. Wi-Fi and touchpad on/off buttons sit above the keyboard.
The touchpad on this netbook is unique. Blending in with system’s deck, the 2.5 x 1.5-inch pad is covered with small, braille-like dots. Unlike most netbooks, the pad had very little friction, and navigating the desktop didn’t require much backtracking. As with other Eee PCs, the touchpad also supports multitouch gestures; using two fingers to pinch the pad and zoom in on a picture was easy, and the image quickly rendered in its new size. The single mouse button was comfortable for making selections, although we prefer the 1000HE’s dedicated right and left buttons.
Display and Audio
The 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel resolution backlit LED display on the 1008HA allows Web pages and windows to fit to size on the screen. Colors on the glossy display looked a bit washed out when viewed at close to a 90-degree angle. We had to push the screen back 40 to 45 degrees before we saw the deep colors we expected. Horizontal viewing angles are decent; three people can watch a video in a dimly lit room, but under normal lighting the screen tends to throw back glare at more acute angles.
A streaming clip of Saturday Night Live from Hulu looked smooth, and colors were bright. From afar, the inch-thick glossy black bezel looked as if the screen was flush with the frame. Up close, however, you can clearly make out the raised frame.
The speakers located at the bottom front edge of the system allowed us to hear videos loud and clear from across the room. Similarly, when we listened to Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb,” it was loud but provided the usual netbook tinniness.
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