Asus Eee PC 1008HA Review Roundup

Update: Asus Eee PC 1008HA is now available on Amazon.com for $419.99

Asus Eee PC 1008HA, also known as the Seashell netbook, is one of the thinnest netbook around. It boast a very slim and classy design, without sacrificing the functionality.






Here's the rundown of the Seashell netbook's specs:

• 10.1" LED Backlight WSVGA Screen (1024x600)
• Intel Atom N270/ N280 CPU
• 1GB DDR2 SO-DIMM
• 160GB HDD and 10GB complimentary online Eee Storage
• 3-Cell (up to 4 hrs) or 6-cell (up to 10.5hrs) battery
  

While the Eee PC 1008HA is not yet officially released in the US, there are already quite a number of reviews been done on this netbook, and most of them are favorable. Overall, they are impressed with the slim and stylish design, the ergonomic keyboard and touchpad, and the above average performance of this netbook.

The biggest drawback of the Eee PC 1008HA however is the non-user-replaceable battery, which means you cannot switch to a backup battery when the original one run flat. This is a big disadvantage for those who need to travel long distance. Asus however manage to offset this by delivering a decent battery life. A 3-cell battery will give you around 4.5 to 5 hours of typical usage, according to TrustedReview. So you can expect a much longer battery life when the netbook run under 6-cell.

In short, the Asus Eee PC 1008HA, an extremely shiny netbook with most features and functionalities found to be on par or above, is a perfect netbook for average users, especially for the fashion forward individuals. Only if you are a hardcore netbook user who want to take control of every part of the machine, you may find the Eee PC1008HA not to your taste due to the inaccessible battery. The Asus Eee PC 1008HA is currently available for pre-ordeer on Amazon.com for $409.99.

The verdict from some of the expert reviews:

Trusted review:

"Hardcore netbook users, who want the very best battery life possible for the least amount of cost, won't find the Eee PC 1008HA to their taste - not least due to the inaccessible battery. Yet, 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." full review

CNet UK:

"The Eee PC 1008HA Seashell is a stunning netbook. It's very comfortable to use, extremely light and portable, and is a good all-round performer. For us, the Eee PC 1000HE's superior battery life makes it the better machine, but the Seashell holds its own in what is an increasingly competitive netbook market." full review

RegHardware:

Get over hang-ups about built-in batteries and you'll see the 1008HA as not just a very, very sexy, slimline netbook but as an eminently portable and a powerful one too. The only aspect we don't like is the very limited upgrade path. We'd like the price to be keener, but you do get an impressive feature set for your money, certainly more than much cheaper netbooks provide. If you're willing to make a few trade-offs, this is one gorgeous netbook. full review

PC Pro:

"Stunning design goes hand in hand with fine usability, but the non-replaceable battery and high price count against it." full review