ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell Review

ASUS has developed an enviable reputation over the last few years with the Eee PC series of netbooks, by managing to get the fusion of design, function and cost just right.

The Eee PC Seashell range, so called because of its wedge-like shape and opalescent glossy casing, represents 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 Eee PC 1008HA (Seashell) is one of the thinnest of its range, with gorgeous lines and serious style. It weighs in at just 1.1 Kg and is just 1 inch thick.

What we like

The Eee PC 1008HA is beautifully designed and extremely portable thanks to its supermodel stats. But it’s more than just good looks, the overall dimensions of this netbook make it one of the most portable we’ve ever tested. It’s a compact and practical solution as well as being a bit of eye-candy.

It performs really well thanks to a decent Intel Atom N280 processor, 1 Gb RAM and 160 Gb storage – all standard stuff – but it is slightly faster than other netbooks and has a joyfully fast 8 second boot-up time.

The touchpad comes with little dimples to distinguish it from the rest of the chassis. It’s a nice design feature which we like a lot. Like all Eee PC netbooks the touchpad is very responsive and comes with excellent multi-touch functionality for easy scrolling and zooming. Check out the single-bar rocker mouse button, you’ll either love it or hate it.

The keyboard is another good feature on this machine. For a 10 inch netbook you expect a small keyboard but the 1008HA has a lovely – almost full size – keyboard that is comfortable and easy to work on for prolonged periods. It’s actually nicer than many full size laptops.

The screen is very good. It has a pixel resolution of 1024 x 600, which is fine, but somehow ASUS has managed to create a really nice viewing experience that stands out from its rivals. However this is achieved using colour-shine technology which makes it susceptible to glare in brightly lit places. You have been warned.

What we don’t like

There’s always a compromise somewhere. In order to keep things svelte, ASUS has reduced the number of USB ports from three to two.

This isn’t a huge deal as most people don’t need all three at the same time, but they’ve also put everything behind flaps that make getting access a bit fiddly. There’s also a mini VGA to VGA adapter that is magnetically stored under the chassis. One more thing to lose.