ASUS Eee PC 1005p Seashell Review

The Eee PC Seashell range, so called because of its wedge-like shape and opalescent glossy casing, encapsulates everything that ASUS has been trying to achieve with its Eee PC range. The consensus amongst laptop reviewers and technology journalists is that they represent some of the very best netbooks available on today’s market.

The ASUS Eee PC 1005p is powered by Intel’s highly energy efficient Atom 450 processor, 1 Gb RAM and 160 Gb of hard drive storage, which is all very standard for the Eee PC range of netbooks. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that this is anything other than a prince amongst entry level netbooks.

What we like

There is a lot to like about the 1005p. For a start ASUS has included a dual operating system, so you can boot up your Eee PC in seconds when you want to go online, as it doesn’t have to load Windows. This is a very useful feature which really takes the inconvenience out of getting online quickly, a problem we’ve all experienced.

From a design perspective the Eee PC really punches above its price range. It’s cool wedge-like shape and stylish lines add a real touch of class that you just don’t expect to see in an entry level netbook.

The touchpad offers superb sensitivity and multi-touch functionality, which is remarkable for such a cheap machine, while the battery is truly exceptional. You can expect to get around 8 full hours of active usage out of it, which is enough to spend a whole day on the go with confidence.

The 1005p also comes with a fairly decent set of inbuilt speakers. Don’t expect too much – bass is a bit tinny – but compared to a other more expensive netbooks it stands out from the crowd.

What we don’t like

The jury is out on the keyboard, which as you might expect from a 10 inch netbook is quite tightly packed in. However, while I wouldn’t venture to write a novel using the 1005p I certainly wouldn’t have a problem doing some light – medium heavy work on it.

The screen isn’t high definition – although it does have an antiglare feature for easier working outside and in bright lights. At 1024 x 600 pixel resolutions it is fairly standard stuff for this price range.