ASUS Eee PC 1005HA Seashell netbook review

Has ASUS clammed up?

As we have become so acutely aware, netbooks are big business. Almost every single computer maker on the planet (bar Apple) is throwing around low-cost, pint-sized lappies like confetti, but none more so than ASUS, which has been flooding the market with more Eee PCs.

ASUS started the netbook party and by god it isn’t going to let itself be gate-crashed out of its own shindig. But while this has probably helped make certain that when someone’s looking for a netbook they’re definitely going to find one made by ASUS, it makes it tough to pick the winners from the shelf-fillers.

Case and point: the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA and its cousin, the 1008HA. Both helpfully nicknamed the Seashell, thanks to their seashell inspired design. They don’t look quite the same though, and they have very different specs (for netbooks, anyway). Depending on which versions you look at, they can cost about the same, or come with an £80 price difference.

Confused yet? Don’t worry. We’ve recently checked out the 1008HA and now we’ve got our mitts on the 1005HA, and if you’re planning on splashing around £350 on a new lappie, we reckon you should be giving these a close eye.

The ASUS Eee PC 1005HA is pretty close to the average spec for the new breed of netbooks. It has the upgraded Intel Atom N280 (N270 options are available, but we don’t recommend them unless you’re really skint) and it carries 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD and a copy of Windows XP (Linux is also available, but the above still applies).

Our review model also packs a 6-cell Li-Ion battery which grants it a really impressive 8.5 hours of power. Compared to 3-cell options that make up the bulk of the netbook market, the 6-cell option makes an enormous difference. Being able to leave the house without even bothering to carry a power cable is surprisingly liberating, as is never having to think about turning down the screen brightness down to near darkness to conserve just enough energy to get that last bit of work done.

The screen is a gorgeous LED-backlit, 1024 x 600 pixel display, which has pretty outstanding brightness considering how long it says powered. We wouldn’t say you’ll be comfortable using it in full sunlight, but it’s not an awfully long way off.

Other niceties include a set of 3 USB ports and ultra-modern 802.11n WiFi.

So far so impressive, but should you digging deep for a few extra quid and splashing on the upgraded 1008HA instead? Well, here’s what the 1008HA brings to the table: it’s thinner, for a start (18mm compared to 26mm) and lighter to boot. It’s also a bit more of a looker, with a smoother, rounded design and all its ports neatly concealed, while the 1005HA’s linger in full view.

That’s not to say the 1005HA isn’t a gorgeous bit of tech – our unit has a striking, glossy black finish, flecked with metallic blue traces that only pick up in certain lights.

The 1008HA also packs a more modern Li-Polymer battery, which grants it a very impressive 6 hours of life, without the same impact on weight. It even boasts a slightly more sophisticated screen.

Both, however, share a decent 92% full sized keyboard with wide flat keys that are good, but perhaps not the best in class for typing. The multitouch trackpad stands out nicely – you can use it to zoom in on text and rotate images using gesture controls, but you probably won’t spend too much time playing with these features. Fortunately it also benefits from a fast, precise action that’s perfect for web browsing.

If we were forced to chose between the two, we’d pick the 1005HA. Although the Li-Polymer battery in the 1008HA provides a perfect weight-to-battery-life ratio, the fact is that even at 1.27kg, the lower-end model isn’t going to be an uncomfortable burden. The extra USB port makes a big difference if you like to plug in, say, a mouse, a USB storage device and a 3G dongle all at the same time. The extra couple of hours of battery may seem like overkill if you’ve been struggling on with only a couple of hours of battery from an early netbook generation, but to be able to rely on your battery for a full day is a real game changer.

Link: ASUS

Posted by Al Warmington on 2009-08-14