» Price: $798 » Available: From leading electronics stores
ASUS wants payback.
While the Taiwanese PC maker practically invented the netbook with the original Eee PC 701 two years ago, it has lost some of its chutzpah as its rivals began unleashing sexy models such as the HP Mini 1000 and the Samsung NC10.
With the Eee PC Seashell 1008HA, Asus has what it takes to rise above the pack, thanks to some clever engineering and sleek design work.
Despite its name, the Eee PC Seashell does not look like a seashell, though there are some seashell-inspired design touches such as tapered edges and reflective specks on the lid.
The Seashell's glossy black and white surfaces are bound to attract fingerprints, but Asus has included a cleaning cloth in the package to help you cope with that.
To add to the Seashell's glossy black and white glam, Asus has made its latest Eee PC anorexic as well.
Just 2.5cm thin, this baby tips the scales at just over 1kg.
Trimming the fat off laptops requires some thoughtful engineering.
Asus has done what Apple did for the Macbook Air - built the battery inside the laptop itself, taking up less space.
In addition, the use of LED backlight for the 10-inch display sheds excess inches off the netbook lid.
The slim look is further enhanced with an Ethernet port that is slightly angled to fit into the right edge of the netbook.
The VGA output port is also tucked at the base of the machine and attached by a dongle, again a space saver.
Every connector on the Seashell is hidden with cover lids that snap into the chassis, adding to the streamlined aesthetics of the netbook.
Typing was a pleasant experience, thanks to the large keys that gave the right tactile feel.
The keyboard, which is 92 per cent of the size of a regular PC keyboard, makes document editing a breeze.
The netbook's Intel Atom N280 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory and 160GB hard drive power enough computing juice and storage for everyday computing tasks.
Asus has also included its Eee Storage service that gives you 10GB of online storage for you to back up your files or share content with friends.
I brought the Seashell around town, connected to the Wireless@SG network at a cafe, browsed through some of my favourite websites, streamed a couple of YouTube videos and worked on this review.
For all that work, the battery lasted over five hours, a little short of the six hours that Asus promised on its product website.
Final say
A dependable mobile workhorse that will also turn heads.
This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.
