Asus Netbooks Reviewed

Asus, the company that invented the netbook, tries this time to answer to the overly-asked question “Are Asus laptops good?”, and capture our attention with a model that makes no compromise when it comes to the design chapter. It is hard to say something about 1008HA without questioning yourself a bit. With a design that reminds me more of the MacBook Air, the new Eee PC will definitely win the hearts of many visitors. In the case of both the exterior and the interior we are dealing with very simple and elegant lines, uninterrupted by too many forms. The exterior is extremely fluid because all ports are “hidden” by a series of elegant covers. Unlike Apple, Asus has managed to cram a full range of connectors.




Thus we are dealing with two USB ports, an Ethernet port, microphone and headphone jack, a card reader, and even a mini-VGA output. Asus goes a little further and includes a Mini-VGA to VGA adapter. The adapter is hidden in the bottom of the netbook and can be removed if necessary.



If the design is really great and sets new standards in the world of netbooks, in terms of hardware Asus nothing new compared to other brands. Seahell is equipped with an Intel Atom, ubiquitous in the world this type of device, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD and a 10.1-inch display. At the connectivity chapter we are greeted by a pack of good equipment (Ethernet, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth), but, unfortunately it is missing the 3G modem.

A key issue for anyone who wants to buy a netbook is the battery life. In the case of Seashell this becomes even more important than usual. If the above Asus netbook is more alike the MacBook Air in terms of design, , the comparison may continue on other plans, this time negative. Asus has decided that the battery 1008HA will be a detachable one, which means we can not carry a spare battery for us for when we need to win some time. As everyone knows a battery capacity decreases over time, so a year or two we might wake up with a netbook very “in love” with plugs.

In the tests that were ran, the battery life has reached a value of about four and a half hours for a typical usage scenario, which involves surfing the Internet via Wi-Fi, dropping to less than three hours for continuously viewing of a movie.

Asus Eee PC 1008HA appears to be a part a new generation of netbooks. We have to forget about the awkward keyboards and banal design that characterized so well the first series of netbooks, and to enjoy a great ease of use and accessibility. Of course, Seashell has its flaws, like the price, but overall it is a solid product that successfully copes with the challenges of its customers and rightly proves that Asus laptops are still good and reliable.