Netbook Scoop

Asus Eee PC 1005HA

Summary

In the USA, Asus is currently shipping two different version of the Eee PC 1005HA, which they have named 1005HA-V and 1005HA-P.  The table below shows the differences.

In this overview, we will cover both models.

What’s Special

• The Eee PC 1005HA is the second in Asus’ sleek Seashell design series.  The differences between the 1005HA and the recently-introduced Eee PC 1008HA are that the 1005HA:
  • has a removable battery
  • has a built-in VGA out port
  • has an access panel for upgrading RAM
  • is thicker (1.4″ vs. 1.0″)
  • is heavier (2.8 lbs. vs. 2.2 lbs.)
  • does not have plastic covers over the side ports
• Comfortable chicklet-style keyboard with two full-size shift keys located where they should be
• Clearly, the best Eee PC model to date (don’t be fooled by the numbering convention, the 1005HA is newer than the 1008HA)

What’s Not So Special

• At 1.4″ thick, it is significantly fatter than many competitive netbooks.  Some comparisons: Samsung N310 (1.1″), Aspire One D250 (1.0″), Dell Mini 12 (0.92″)
• The touch pad has small dots, designed to provide tactile feedback that some find uncomfortable to use
• Keys on keyboard are flat and have very little space between them, which some find difficult to use

Recommendation

The most important features to netbook buyers are: (1) battery life, (2) dimensions and weight,  (3) keyboard and (4) appearance.  The Asus Eee PC 1005HA scores well in each of these categories but is not best-in-class in any.

If battery life is most important to you, then you will probably want to look at the Toshiba NB205.  If you want a really slim, lightweight netbook, then check out the Asus Eee PC 1008HA.  Best keyboard?  The Samsung N310 or the Toshiba NB205.

But when you consider the entire package, the eee PC 1005HA is an excellent netbook, with no major shortcomings.

Rating:  

Asus Eee PC 1005HA Keyboard

Outside

Appearance and Build Quality

The 1005HA inherits the seashell design that Asus introduced first with the 1008HA. It is hard to discuss the 1005HA without comparing it to the 1008HA.

From a distance, the two look remarkably alike.  But, up close, the 1005HA is easily distinguished from it’s sister netbook.

First off, it is fatter (1.4″ vs. 1.0″).

In addition, one of the reasons that the 1008HA looks so sexy is that all of the external ports have little plastics covers.  In contrast the 1005HA’s external are all naked.  While the 1008HA’s covers are aesthetically pleasing, they are a pain in the butt when you want to use a port.  We prefer our ports naked.

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA’s dimension are 10.2″ x 6.9″ x 1.4″ and it weighs 2.8 lbs.  The Acer Aspire One D250 is a little taller  (10.2″ x 7.2″) about the same weight (2.8 lbs. – 6-cell) but a lot thinner (1.0).  The Samsung N120 is even taller and wider (10.7″ x 7.4″) but also thinner (1.2″), but the same weight (2.8 lbs.).

The 1005HA is available in four colors: Black, White, Blue and Pink.

Display and Keyboard

The Eee PC 1005HA has an extremely glossy 10.1″ display.  The glossiness makes it difficult to use outdoors and can even be a challenge in a brightly lit room.

The display’s maximum resolution is 1024 x 600 pixels, which offers an extra 24 rows of pixels over the 1024 x 576 widescreen format used in many other netbooks like the Dell Mini 10v and the HP Mini 110.

The 1005HA has a chicklet-style keyboard where the keys have flat surfaces and are positioned with the key tops  levels with the case.  The keyboard contains two full size shift keys which are located in the correct position.  It also has a full set of function keys, two ALT and two CTRL keys.  The only annoying thing about this keyboard is the half-sized up and down arrows which also serve as PageUp and PageDown when used in conjunction with the Fn key.

The touchpad is adequately-sized and has little bumps designed to provide tactile feedback that lets you know that your fingers are on the trackpad.

Asus Eee PC 1005HA Side View

Webcam, Audio and External Ports

The 1.3 megapixel web camera is significantly better than the 0.3 megapixel camera configured in some netbooks.

The Eee PC 1005HA’s  speakers are located on the front bottom of the netbook.  The speakers have good volume but the sound quality is typical for a netbook, with a bit of a tinny sound .

The 1005HA is configurerd with a typical array of external ports:

• three USB ports
• 3-in-1 card reader
• VGA-out
• Audio in/out
• Ethernet

Inside

Processor, Graphics and Storage

The Eee PC 1005HA-V model  is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor which is standard for most of today’s netbooks.  The Eee PC 1005HA-P model has a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 process, which offers a boost in speed that is almost imperceivable.

It is configured with 1GB of RAM. The graphics accelerator is an Intel GMA 950. The hard drive is a 160 GB model spinning at 5400 RPM. These features are typical for a netbook.

Communications

The 802.11b/g/n wireless adapter provides faster speeds, a wider range and is more reliable connections than the 802.11b/g support provided by most other netbooks.

The 1005HA-P contains an internal Bluetooth adapter.  The 1005HA-V does not.

Battery

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA offers the choice of two different six-cell batteries.  The 1005HA-V model is configured with a 4800 mAh battery which provides about 8.5 hours of real-world use.  The 1005HA-P model is configured with a 6300 mAh battery that should provide 10.5 hours of real-world use.

Operating System

The Eee PC 1005HA models are all configured with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

Wrap Up

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA is an excellent netbook with a full set of top-notch netbook features at a very reasonable price.