Asus Eee PC 1008HA Netbook

It's thin, sleek, and light, and at least one Macworld editor is eyeballing it with interest. Nevertheless, the Asus Eee PC 1008HA netbook is no MacBook. Asus seems to be spitting out new additions to its netbook line faster than I can count. (Who can forget the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, the Asus Eee PC 1000H 80G XP, and the Asus Eee PC T91? It ain't easy, since all three came out in the past six months or so.)

Nevertheless, the company's designers continue to find ways to refine their machines. The proof is in this new $420 (as of May 26, 2009) netbook.
Under its frosty exterior, the system sports up-to-the-minute netbook innards: an Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth, 802.11n, and a three-cell battery (we're still awaiting battery life test results from the PC World Test Center).

The keyboard is 92 percent of full size, with a good layout, and it feels big and comfortable. The buttons were firm and large enough to type on easily. Even the metallic mouse-button bar was reasonably secure--and I especially like Asus's treatment of the touchpad. Instead of using dainty trim or a different material to indicate that you're within the strike zone, this model incorporates tiny bumps. As aresult, the netbook looks as though it has a mild rash. But more to the point, it feels really good. Navigating Web sites was a piece of cake.

Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world

• Email
• Print
• Share
  • Slashdot
  • Digg
  • Stumble
  • Reddit
  • Newsvine