The Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell has had pride of place on our desk since it arrived this morning. We’ve already unboxed the slimline netbook for you, but what’s it really like to use? Read on to find out our first thoughts.
Specs wise, there’s little to say about the Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell. You probably know it all off by heart now: Atom N280 processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, etc etc. It runs Windows XP like all other Eee PCs – that’s good, but not new. That’s not why we’ve been eagerly awaiting the UK launch though. No, what we’re here for are the looks and the size.
The Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell is a new style Eee PC with tapered edges and tiny footprint (Just one inch high at the hinge). Think a 10-inch MacBook Air and you’re not far off: the Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell is so curvaceous you almost don’t want to open it and turn it on. All the ports are tucked away behind closed doors to keep the slim, uniform look, and while not everyone likes smudge magnet black lids, here Asus manages to pull the look off. This is even swankier than the Asus Eee PC S101.
What about using it though? The Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell keyboard does the job perfectly, and packs a proper right shift for touch typing purists. It’s much more solid than the Eee PC 1000HE‘s chiclet job, but does lack some of its style, and appears to curve upwards strangely in the middle. However, purely being able to type out a mid-length document without ultimately smashing it to pieces with a hammer means it gets a thumbs up from us.
The trackpad is definitely going to cause divisions. From a distance, it’s invisible, but look close and you’ll see it’s pitted. The feel is nice, but the default responsiveness is much too slow (That can be changed) and it can be difficult to tell where the scroll bar is, but the cursor bar is far less clacky than previous Eee PCs, so a quick rummage in settings will please most.
The nicest touch of all though? The sharp eyed amongst you may have noticed that the VGA output for using an external monitor has gone. In its place is a mini-VGA socket, but before you go out and buy an adapter, have a look underneath. Asus has popped a little compartment in, with the adapter built in, a generous and thoughtful touch.
To give you some idea of how far the Eee PC has come with this newest model, I’ve compared the Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell against the very first Eee, the Eee PC 701, as you can see to the right. The height difference is really noticeable: the 701 stays quite bulky throughout, but the Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell drops right down.
When you consider that battery life has also been extended (Asus claims 6 hours, and it’s still going strong since we turned it on this morning), formwise, it’s a remarkable improvement. The angle the 701 keyboard rises up at is distracting for typing, and despite the extra inch width on the Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell, the latter sits only slightly higher when in use, as the lid falls down behind the hinge when you open it. That lid, by the way, is surprisingly sturdy for something so thin, so you won’t have to worry about manhandling it.
Only two minor niggles have struck us so far: the doors covering the USB ports are too stiff to open easily, and the screen isn’t the brightest we’ve ever seen on a netbook. Otherwise, the Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell is shaping up to be the best Eee PC we’ve ever tested. It’s struck the balance between style, form and longevity (At only 1.1kg, it’s far lighter than the 1000HE, so we’ll take a few hours less juice) nigh on perfectly. Can all netbooks follow suit with this size and shape please?
Out 15 May | £379 | Asus (Available at Amazon and Laptops Direct)
