Cool Stuffs Review

Stunning Looks with Seashell Design

Arguably the finest 10" netbook with a few caveats, July 5, 2009
By J. Welch (San Angelo, TX)

The Asus 1005HA series is comprised of 3 models. Best Buy offers the 1005HA-B for $299 (plus tax). It features the N270 (1.6GHz 533FSB) cpu, glossy display, 3-Cell 23Wh Li-ion Battery (4 hrs), and a 1.3MP webcam. Excluded are the Bluetooth module, 10GB online Eee storage, and netbook sleeve. This is obviously the "Basic" model. I was able to demo this unit at Best Buy on June 27th, and IMO you are giving up quite a bit for the ~$65 savings over the 'P' model. Not to mention as of now Asus will not sell you a spare 3 or 6-cell Li-Ion battery.

Amazon and other e-tailers offer the 1005HA-V for $339-$349, and the most notable change is the matte LCD. Those that frequently work outdoors or despise reflections will appreciate the matte display. It also features a N270 cpu, 6-cell 48Wh Li-ion Battery (8.5 hrs), 0.3MP webcam (according to Amazon specs, but it may in fact be 1.3MP), no Bluetooth, and absent again is the netbook sleeve.

So in a nutshell (or would that be seashell?) the 1005HA-P offers the faster N280 cpu, glossy display, 1.3MP webcam, 6-Cell 63Wh Li-ion Battery with a whopping 10.5 hrs run time, Bluetooth v2.1, and the netbook sleeve.

All three units come with the Digital Array Mic which consists of two powerful microphones. Ambient background noises are eliminated, as well as reduced echoes for clearer voice recording. What's more, with only direct sound (within 60?) recorded, better voice capture is ensured. I've tested it with Skype, and it's loud and clear once you fine tune the mic with the Realtek HD Audio manager. All models also include a WiFi 802.11 b/g/n adapter and 160GB 5400RPM hard drive. My 1005HA-P contains a Hitachi HTS543216L9SA00 hard drive and Atheros AR9285 wifi card. Atheros chipsets are known for excellent range and are typically less prone to connection drops.

Unfortunately all three units only ship with 1GB of DDR2 memory. The good news is that you can remove the memory door on the bottom of the chassis and swap it out for a 2GB DDR2 200-pin SODIMM in under 2 minutes. Amazon offers the Crucial 667 & 800MHz modules for under $27. I installed the 800MHz module (CT25664AC800) since it offers more headroom and will step down to a lower FSB if needed. The 667MHz module should clock past its rated speed, but if your module doesn't then it could lead to instability. I'd recommend running a Prime95 "Blend" torture test for 12-24 hrs to make sure your system is stable.

Now that I've provided my $.02 on memory I'll briefly touch bases on the Eee Super Hybrid Engine utility. It lets users overclock or underclock their Eee PC's to boost performance or provide better battery life depending on their immediate requirements. In Super Performance mode CPU-Z shows the bus speed to increase up to 169.9MHz which translates into roughly 1.7GHz. Woot! One way to quickly change modes is to press Fn + spacebar.

The glossy LED display offers excellent color and contrast when used indoors. I was also pleasantly surprised with the excellent horizontal viewing angles. Keep in mind that once you get in a room full of light or step outdoors screen reflections could become annoying. I've used mine outside on a sunny day, and the screen is still very much legible. In fact it was much more detailed than the matte screen on my Dell D600.

Apparently the 1005HA-P Black was "under review" for several days, but the Blue is in stock and ready to ship direct from Amazon. According to some Amazon reps it ranges from the hot ac adapter, people not pushing the micro-sized right angle end of the ac adapter until it snaps in place, and quite possibly the Asus rebate. While the ac adapter does run hot, which Asus clearly mentions in the user manual, I've felt other ac adapters get even hotter so one should not be alarmed over the heat output.

Overall I am extremely satisfied with the 1005HA-P, and it is arguably the best 10" netbook on the market. Be sure to check out the Amazon community forum for this product located towards the bottom of this page if you require additional enlightenment. You'll find a lot of tips & tricks as well as a lot of general FAQ's.

Couldn't be happier, July 2, 2009
By Pogo Gamer

Bought this netbook for our upcoming trip to Europe, immediately tried to install Windows 7 RC on it, worked PERFECTLY. I highly recommend buying the 2GB RAM upgrade (I went with the Amazon recommended 2GB 667mhz crucial module), best $20 you'll ever spend. All drivers installed fine on Win7, Aero is enabled, everything is very snappy. Can't wait to take this thing on the road.