Today, we’re looking at the very first Eee PC netbook that looks nothing at all like its predecessors. Asus isn’t content with just labelling this an Eee PC.  The Eee PC 1008HA is the first member of the burgeoning “Seashell” line, a family that already includes this machine and the 1005HA.

Let’s take a look at the specifications:

• Intel Atom N280 @ 1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB
• 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 (2GB max)
• 10.1 inch LCD (1024×600 resolution); LED backlight
• Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics
• 160 GB Seagate Momentus 5400.5 – 2.5 inch SATA, 8MB cache
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 1.3 megapixel webcam + Digital Array Microphone
• VGA Output (via dongle)
• USB 2.0 x 2
• RJ-45 (Ethernet 10/100)
• Headphone / Mic Input Jacks
• MMC/SD card reader
• Twin speakers
• Gesture-enabled trackpad (multi-touch)
• 92% full-size keyboard
• 2.42 Pounds (with battery installed)
• 1-inch thick
• 262mm (W) x 178mm (D) x 18-25.7mm (H)

Quite a modest beast, but more than capable of running Windows 7 – The Atom N20 supports Hyperthreading, giving a 30-40% boost in performance. On the reverse of the machine, there is no flap to access the HDD or RAM Module. Also, although this model is of a higher model than the eee 1005 (in the same family) it has a non-removable battery that is rated for 6 hours. During our tests, we averaged 4.5 hours with wi-fi and bluetooth on and the LCD at lowest brightness setting. That battery by the way, is the same in the 1005 which *has* a removable battery. In a future Article, we will document a possible replacement of the non-removable 1008HA battery with an external one from the 1005 model.

Windows 7 Performance

Running Windows 7 Professional, the 1008HA perfoms admirably for a machine with only 1GB RAM. The internal HDD is 5400RPM with a SATA interface, although again it’s not user-accessible as there is no access flap on the reverse side. The GMA 950 supports Aero glass, and here’s the WEI:

Screen resolution is 1024×600, the 10.1-inch screen is glossy and has excellent brightness and contrast even at the lowest brightness setting. Turning it all the way up almost induces retinal-bleeding – watching movies  is a wonderful experience even on a small screen.

Boot-time with Windows 7 is between 15 and 20 seconds, which again is more than reasonable. Dual-booting Ubuntu is also an option, which surprisingly doesn’t  reduce boot-time that much, which only goes to show that that sata interface is being used to its full limits.

No access door on the bottom?!

Keyboard

The 1008HA keyboard, according to ASUS, is only six percent smaller than a full-sized desktop keyboard. Whilst typing is comfortable, the up and down cursor keys have been squashed into the space of a single key between the regular-sized (and freakishly big by comparison) left and right cursor keys.

The keyboard is not of the chiclet kind, but there are generous spaces between the keys to help avoid mashing words together when typing. However when the inevitable hand-cramp ensues (which it will) it sure feels like there’s more than a six percent difference. All in all, Asus strikes a successful balance between comfort and the rediculously good portability that the 1008HA offers.

Keyboard close-up

Wireless

The wireless features on the 1008HA are quite honestly amazing. With an RRP of only around £200, this is very much a budget product. Unusually for such a product, Bluetooth and Wireless N are thrown in. We tried copying mixed files over a wireless N network and got 6-7MB/sec which is very very good indeed. Onboard Bluetooth uses the Microsoft software stack and not some crudely integrated 3rd party solution. It is rated to 2.1 standard and turning it off only gains around 1% per hour, so we left it on all the time (though not discoverable – that would be a mistake!)

Horsepower

this setup is plenty powerful to plow through basic, everyday tasks. Office duties, emailing, Web browsing and PowerPoint making are all very do-able here, as they should be. The Intel GMA chipset gets a lot of bad press, but performs admirably with not-so-old games, here are just some examples:

Plants vs. Zombies

NEXT PAGE