With virtually every netbook on the market sporting the same internal specs, manufacturers are finding new ways to distinguish their machines on shelves through innovative designs. ASUS’ newest netbook, the $429 Eee PC 1008HA, does just that, featuring an all-new chassis inspired by the natural curves of a seashell. While it has the same Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP, and 160GB hard drive as ASUS’ current $399 Eee PC 1000HE, that extra $30 buys you a thinner, more attractive build. But you’ll have to be willing to sacrifice the convenience of a few ports and 1.5 hours of battery life.
Inspired Design
ASUS has created some nice-looking netbooks, including its Swarovski-studded Eee PC S101, but the Eee PC 1008HA takes a more subtle approach. The system has an overall sharp, clean design, largely a result of the curved panels that extend over its edges and hide the 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 resistant, so you’ll want to keep a cloth handy.
Where the 1008HA really stands out from the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE and other netbooks on the market is in its svelte profile and light weight. Measuring 10.3 x 7 x 1.0 inches, the 1008HA is thinner than most netbooks, including the Samsung N110 and ASUS Eee PC 1000HE. It is, however, similar in size to the HP Mini 1000. At 2.2 pounds, it is also incredibly light. 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).
Ports
All of the ports on the 1008HA are covered with plastic tabs, giving this netbook its uniform look. As with the MacBook Air, this thinner profile requires some compromises. On the left side are USB and mini-VGA ports. Cleverly (almost too much so), the VGA adapter is on the underside of the system; a small latch on the edge reveals a VGA dongle for connecting the notebook to a larger display. On the right side are a 4-in-1 card reader, an additional USB port (bringing the USB total to two; most netbooks have three), and headphone and microphone jacks. The Ethernet port (also on the right side) has been shrunk: the bottom lip of the port pulls down to make room for the plug.
Spacious Keyboard and Touchpad
Despite its diminutive dimensions, the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell includes a comfortable, spacious keyboard. Unlike the island keyboard of the 1000HE, there are no spaces between the raised black matte keys, which we found flat (we prefer them raised, as they are on the Samsung N110), but they did provide 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. A Wi-Fi and touchpad on/off buttons sits above the keyboard.
The trackpad 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, Audio, and Webcam
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. A streaming clip of Saturday Night Live from Hulu.com looked smooth, and colors were bright. Tilting the glossy screen back 45 degrees resulted in slight glare; horizontal viewing angles were better. From afar, the inch-thick glossy black bezel looked as if the screen was flush with the frame, however, up close you could clearly make out the raised frame.
Above the display, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam provided extremely clear images in a Skype video chat. A friend saw little motion blur when we waved quickly and made out details on our face. The speakers located at the bottom front edge of the system allowed us to hear his voice 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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