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

This is my second Asus. I also own the 1000HE. If I had to pick the better of the two I'd have to go with the 1000HE, but there is nevertheless a lot to like about the 1008HA.

While the two machines appear to be identical in many respects, I have found some of the "apples to apples" comparisons a little misleading. The 1000HE has a 'chicklet" style keyboard that, surprisingly, I prefer. That said, the keyboard on the 1008HA will feel right at home to anyone who's used to the laptop, and the not-quite-fullsize profile is easy to get used to.

More annoying is the multi-touch touchpad. I assumed it was identical on the two models, and I was wrong. The gesturing (iPhone-like) setup is much easier on the 1000HE, and the tactile surface of the touchpad on the 1008HA (sort of braille-like ridges) really bothers me. I actually find the surface irritates my finger tips. This is obviously subjective and I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I wish they stuck with the same version they used on the 1000HE.

The two other issues to be aware of, as many others have mentioned, is the difficulty of upgrading the RAM and install issues with Windows 7. I am running Win7 on the 1000HE with 2GB of RAM, and it's fantastic - no hardware issues and faster than XP. While driver and BIOS issues on this machine will soon be solved, the RAM upgrade is more problematic.

With all that said, I'm still giving the 1008 4-stars because if you can live with the limitations, it's a fantastic looking computer that is extremely portable (the 1000HE is a brick) and a terrific value for the money. Get more detail about ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell 10.1-Inch Pearl Black Netbook - 6 Hour Battery Life.