ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell 10.1-Inch Pearl Black Netbook – 6 Hour Battery Life

The New Must Have Netbook?!?!?!

This is my second Eee as I also own the Asus 1000HE. While I love the 1000HE, I was really looking forward to the 1008HA because of the slimmer design and full size right shift key. After a couple of days with the device, here are my thoughts:

Pros:

- It has a full size right shift key!!! Touch typist will appreciate this over the tiny, misplaced right shift key on the 1000HE.
- The 1008HA feels much lighter than the 1000HE. When people would pick up my 1000HE, they would be surprised by how heavy it is. The 1008HA feels great.
- Even in a slim package, the 1008HA still has all of the features you want in a Netbook: wireless N, Bluetooth, N280 processor, SDHC card slot, and decent battery life.
- I’m getting over 4 hours of battery life so far. Not bad for a 3 cell battery!!!
- It includes a slim VGA port but it includes a standard VGA adapter that is tucked away under the device.
- The 1008HA is a beautiful piece of equipment. I know this isn’t a technical benefit but it doesn’t hurt. The 1000HE is “husky” in comparison.

Cons:

- Having only 2 USB ports kinda sucks since I sometimes need to connect my phone, retractable mouse, and USB storage drive.
- As another reviewer mentioned, if you need to keep a wireless receiver plugged in for your non-bluetooh devices, the port covers will annoy you. Perhaps you can remove one of the covers?
- I prefer two separate mouse buttons instead of the rocker button. I don’t know why they switched to the rocker.
- The memory, hard drive, and battery are not user replaceable. I read that you can have these replaced at an Asus service center though. I find that 1GB of ram is fine for XP.
- Windows 7 doesn’t work yet because of video issues. I read on an Eee forum that there’s an auto login workaround if that interests you.
- It doesn’t have the legendary battery life of the 1000HE but 4 hours isn’t bad for a device this small.

Conclusion:

Whether you buy the 1008HA over the 1000HE, or the upcoming 1005HA (which is basically a 1000HE with more battery life and a full size right shift key), it comes down to this- are you willing to sacrifice battery life, a usb port, and additional cost to get a lighter, slimmer device. I like the 1008HA and highly recommend it to anyone that will appreciate this compromise. For those that prefer function over form, the 1000HE or the upcoming 1005HA should fit the bill. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the Eee 100X series netbooks. They continue to offer all of the features at the best prices. Don’t get those cheaper, crippled netbooks. You’ll kick yourself.

UPDATE (6/30):

After using the 1008HA for a few weeks, I decided that battery life is more important than size and weight. With a fully charged 1000HE, you rarely have to look at the remaining power. You simply will not use it all before running out. While I like the 1008HA, I have the give the edge to the 1000HE. I plan to pick up the 1005HA when it ships. I suspect it will be the king of them all.

This is my third eee pc. I started with the original 4G with 7″ screen. I wanted more storage and a screen that filled the form factor so I then moved up to the 9″ 900HA. At the time of the 900HA, I opted for reduced weight over increased size and chose the lighter weight 900HA over the larger but heavier 100x series. I learned my mistake, though, because the more I used the 900HA, the more annoying the typing errors due to the smaller keyboard became. You might not think a diagonal inch could make such a difference, but it does. Since getting the 900HA, I’ve gotten two 1000HAs for my sons and recommended the 1000HA to my sister and all three of them love them. Still, the increased weight kept me from taking the plunge for a 10″ netbook myself, that is, until the 1008HA came along.

As with everything, the 1008HA comes with pluses and minuses.

The biggest plus is the weight: 2lbs 5 oz. compared to 2lbs 7.5 oz for the 900HA and 3lbs 4 oz for the 1000HA (and 3 lbs 5 oz for the latest 1000HA with chicklet keyboard).

Another plus is the Atom N280 processor which, while not a barn burner, is noticeably faster than the N270 in other models.

There is also Bluetooth and 820.11n wireless, but those are of no real interest to me since I don’t have an 802.11n router (but perhaps I should start thinking of one!).

The only clear minus for me is the port covers which make it inconvenient to connect things. They would be particularly inconvenient if I wanted to keep the teeny (1/4″ extension) USB receiver from a Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks (Black) plugged in permanently. Unfortunately, Logitech does not make a Bluetooth version of the VX nano.

Then there are two things that are a positive or negative depending on your point of view.

The first is the nonremovable battery. If the battery were to die, it would have to be returned to Asus for service. I tell myself that by the time this happens I would probably be wanting to replace the machine. The reason I view it as a positive and not an outright negative is that the Li-polymer battery, which can be molded however the manufacturer wishes, helps give the 1008HA its reduced weight. Asus will shortly be introducing the 1005HA, which has a replaceable battery but is otherwise identical to the 1008HA. However, 1005HA’s weight will be back up in the 3 lb 2 oz range.

The second is the glare screen. It can take some getting used to. I don’t have any problems with my appearance, but if I wanted my face for wallpaper, I’d have taken my picture an uploaded it. However, so far I haven’t found the adjustment to be difficult. The biggest surprise was that outdoors the glare screen on the 1008HA turned out to be easier to read than the matte screen on my 900HA! The trick was to have the screen facing the sun, but at an angle so that the sun was not reflecting in my eyes. With the back of the screen toward the sun, the 1008HA’s screen is unreadable, but the 900HA’s screen was no great shakes either.

I won’t paint a pretty picture. I spent two days debating whether to keep the 1008HA or return it for what is now a considerably cheaper 1000HA, but I found myself getting used to the glare screen, felt I could easily live with the port covers, and decided to keep the 1008HA because of its reduced weight.

Do yourself a favor. Before you order one of these, get your hands on one and try it out first. You may have heard that the display is “very glossy”, but until you actual see it, you have no idea. I have never seen a screen as reflective as this one. For a machine in which the emphasis is clearly on the aesthetics, I can’t for the life of me imagine why anyone thought this was a good idea.

Some may say that you’ll get used to it, but my response is, why should you have to? It’s not as if this machine has such overwhelming advantages, that the tradeoff is acceptable. Also, machines this portable are often intended for outdoor use; if you’re one of those people with that in mind, this display is completely unusable in that kind of lighting.

So yes, it’s small, light and stylish, but with a display that ranges from annoying to difficult to impossible to use, given the light conditions, I’d have a hard time recommending this to anyone.

2.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely disappointed
I really liked this computer. I was looking for something portable, that I could carry in my bag all day and this machine seemed perfect.

4.0 out of 5 stars
Good netbook
By now, you probably have already researched other netbooks or maybe even some laptops too. The ASUS is what it is: a netbook that’s very light, very portable, and it has a good…

5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Netbook!!
I had bought one for my wife and liked it so much I ordered a 2nd for myself.
Three words for this netbook: Stilysh, compact, slim.