Netbook Scoop

Joanna Stern at LaptopMag.com reviewed the Asus Eee PC 1008HA and made the following observations:

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

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 streaming clip of Saturday Night Live from Hulu.com looked smooth, and colors were bright.

On the LAPTOP Battery Test, which assesses endurance by surfing the Web until the battery dies, this netbook lasted 5 hours and 40 minutes, just four minutes shy of the netbook average for 6-cell batteries.

The Eee PC 1008HA Seashell is one of the slimmest and most attractive netbooks on the market, and with the latest Intel Atom processor and more than five hours of battery life, it has the brains and brawn to match its beauty.

Andy Vandervell at Trusted Reviews provides a very in-depth review of the Asus Eee PC 1008HA. Some of his more interesting observations:

Then there are the ports, which are all neatly hidden behind flaps. Though a slight inconvenience this definitely helps keep the machine looking neat and tidy...

Having chided netbooks in general for the lack of diversity, it's fair to say that Asus delivers more features than most. Okay, so the 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280, 1GB RAM and 160GB hard drive won't set hearts aflutter, but at least Asus does deliver Draft-N Wi-Fi - hardly a given even now - as well Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR. There's also a 1.3 megapixel webcam that boasts stereo array microphones, rather than just the single mic granted most netbooks.

Instead of an isolation keyboard Asus has used a tile-style one, where the keys are completely flat save for a slight recess between each key. This allows for large and clearly defined keys, but most importantly the depth and positivity that was lacking in the 1000HE.

... one thing that will put off many, particularly the hardcore netbooks users, will be the non-replaceable battery. This means that not only can you not enhance battery life with spare batteries, you also can't replace the battery should its performance significantly degrade. This might not be an issue until three or four years down the line, but an issue it remains.

Yes, it is significantly more expensive than the mainstream crop of netbooks, but Asus has successfully created a slim and light netbook that offers excellent battery life while still remaining as cool and quiet as any netbook we've encountered. This is no mean feat.

Asus has delivered a very refined and classy netbook without sacrificing functionality and this should be applauded. And, while it is expensive for a netbook, it delivers enough that it isn't extortionate. Thus, if you're after a little more refinement than regular netbooks can deliver, this is your best bet.

Nick Mokey at Digital Trends provides a nice, in-depth review of the Eee PC 1008HA. Some of his key points:

It may not pull anything unusual under the hood, but super-slim dimensions and a sleek shell make it one of the most lust-worthy netbooks we’ve laid eyes on.

Keeping with the Seashell’s smooth theme, the track pad has been made totally flush with the wrist rest – only a braille-like dot pattern lets you know your fingers know they’re on it. We liked the subtlety, but missed having hard edges to the pad to run fingers along when scrolling.

... the Eee 1008HA does not include a removable battery, so when it’s dead, it’s dead. For nonstop on-the-go users who genuinely can’t afford to plop down next to an outlet for an hour every once in a while, this might be a deal killer...

We did, however, manage to get a full five hours out of it with a fairly intense Wi-Fi surfing test (loading three pages a minute with the screen at a dim-but-readable 40 percent brightness).

Those who find themselves smitten with its dainty good looks won’t mind paying $429 for the super-slim design, especially compared to much spendier alternatives like a MacBook Air, or Sony’s atrociously overpriced Vaio P.

Brad Linder published a review of the Asus Eee PC 1008HA at Liliputing. He makes these points:

The Asus Eee PC 1008HA is the thinnest and lightest netbook with a 10 inch display that Asus has released to date.

The first thing you’ll notice about this netbook is just how small it is. That’s also the second and third thing you’ll notice.

But Asus did make some compromises with this machine. While it boasts a 5 to 6 hour battery, that battery is not removable. If it dies and needs to be replaced, you’ll have to send the whole computer back to Asus for repair.

Asus also chose to cover up most of the ports on the sides of the computer with plastic covers. From a distance, this makes the netbook look like it has almost no ports at all, but the flimsy bits of plastic connecting the covers to the case feel like they’re bound to break within a year or so of regular use.

...you’re not going to want to use this netbook outdoors in a bright and sunny setting. You can crank the backlight all the way up to make the screen somewhat readable, but you’re probably going to doom yourself to looking at your own face while you type or surf the web.

I was regularly able to get between 5 and 6 hours of run time with the WiFi, on, Bluetooth, off, and backlight near the medium setting.

If you’re looking for thin and light, the 1008HA might be the way to go. If you’re looking for a computer that you can more easily modify or repair, you might want to hold out for the 1005HA.