For the last six weeks or so, I’ve been using an ASUS Eee PC 1005HA netbook on loan direct from ASUS. This model is one of the top responses I hear to the question, “What’s the best netbook out there right now?” After my usage, I’m inclined to agree, although there are some other comparable models, like the Toshiba NB205 that I purchased. In fact, from a hardware perspective, there’s very little that’s different under the hood between the two devices. In situations like that, it generally comes down to personal preferences and little value-adds such as custom software. Let’s take a closer look at the 1005HA, so you understand what I mean.

The 1005HA comes from the ASUS Seashell design, so it’s meant to be thin. Unlike the 1008 model — another Seashell inspired netbook — this model has a removable battery. To me, that’s a must, but I realize that some folks don’t mind carrying an AC adapter. Here’s how the 1005HA stacks in terms of measurements, look and feel.

Design

The 1005HA has a noticeable wedge design from front to back. The thinnest point is closest to you, near the trackpad side of the device and is 26mm. The backside of the device is thicker, but still thin at just over 36mm. The battery sits flush in the bottom and back of the netbook, so there’s no bump-out you like you might find on other netbooks. This design does make the 1005HA a little “back heavy,” as I found it tip back with even the slightest pressure on the display. One other thing I’ve noticed that I’m not fond of — the front of the “wedge” is relatively sharp. The top of the screen which comprises part of the front of the unit when closed, for example, has a noticeable sharpness to it. Not as sharp as the under the keyboard of my Palm Pre, but still noticeable. I didn’t try to cut a cake with it — hey’s, it a loaner! — but I’m betting I could.

Aside from that minor quibble, I like the rest of the design. Under the two hinges are two useful buttons: one is the power switch and the other turns the trackpad on and off.

As far as the trackpad itself, it’s about average in size for a netbook, meaning it’s a little smaller than I’d like. It’s also flush with the wrist rest, so if it weren’t for the tactile little dots on it, you wouldn’t even know it’s there. The two mouse buttons are really one bar, but can easily be clicked on either site. The bar is also flush with the device base. I think it’s fine, but this could be one of those personal preferences I mentioned earlier.

The trackpad supports two-fingered multitouch, so you can pinch in or out to expand or contract pics and web pages. Dragging your finger on the right side or the bottom of the touchpad offers smooth scrolling as well, so overall, I do like the functionality of trackpad.

The keyboard is much nicer than earlier ASUS models and offers generous square keys for a netbook. I was never thrilled with the small, misplaced right-Shift key on my original Eee PC, but that problem is resolved with the 1005HA. All in all, the edge-to-edge keyboard is solid for a small device.

Ports and interfaces

The standard array of ports and interfaces are in the 1005HA. On the left side is the power port, which uses a very small tip. It reminded me of the tips used for Nokia phones, in fact. Next to it is a VGA port and a USB port. The placement of these could use some minor tweaking. I found that if I used a VGA adapter, I could only use a small USB drive or cable in the USB slot. That’s a problem for some of my USB devices like headsets and slightly oversized thumb drives — you can see in the picture that there isn’t much room to spare here. Of course, there are two additional USB ports on the right side, along with jacks for Ethernet, headphones and a microphone. Due to the wedge design, these all tend to be closer to the rear of the device because the front is too thin. It’s not too thin for a card reader though, and that’s where you’ll find one. Above the display is the web-cam.

Since I hit the power port, I should mention that the AC adapter for the 1005HA is one of the smallest and lightest I’ve seen. It measures in around one inch wide and four inches long and slightly under an inch high. I normally don’t like to carry an AC adapter, but this one is light and small. OK, enough about the physical aspects since beauty is only skin deep. Does the 1005HA have any inner beauty?

Under the hood, performance and battery life

As I mentioned, the specs of the 1005HA are drop-dead similar to those of my NB205:

• 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU
• 1GB of RAM (a door with one screw covers the memory slot)
• Integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics
• 10.1-inch, glossy LED backlit display offering 1024 x 600 resolution
• 160GB hard drive (plus 10GB of online storage)
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Stereo speakers
• Dual array microphone
• 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR

When compared to my NB205, the 1005HA does come out ahead in a few hardware aspects. The dual array microphone trumps the single mic on the Toshiba. And my Tosh only has a single speaker, which explains why the ASUS model sounds a bit better. I also wish my NB205 supported 802.11n for faster speeds and a wider range too. All in all, these are otherwise comparable.

In terms of performance, I’d be hard pressed to say that I experienced a difference when working with the 1005HA instead of my NB205. That’s not surprising, considering the similar components. In fact, I ran the CrystalMark benchmarks on the 1005HA and they were right in line with the ones I ran on the NB205. The 1005HA scored 31,087 marks as compared to the 29,309 marks from the NB205. Note that I had the 1005HA in “High Performance Mode” solely because the NB205 was in “Full Power” mode. When re-running the test in “Auto Mode”, the 1005HA scored just a wee bit less: 30,005 marks.

I took a look at the results from the 1005HA’s higher score and compared them to those of the NB205. The biggest differences were in the computational and graphics tests, where the 1005HA was higher. Memory and hard drive reads / writes were almost identical. I suspect that the ASUS Super Hybrid Engine has something to do with that, since it can adjust the clock speed of the CPU, and even slightly overclock it.

Of course, overclocking can hit the battery life, so that same Super Hybrid Engine can slow things down to conserve power as well. The 1005HA-PU1x that I have on loan uses a 63Whr power pack and it rivals the run-time I see on my NB205. With it, I can get between eight and nine hours of use with Wi-Fi on and the backlight around 40%. I’m specifically mentioning the PU1X model because there’s also a VU1X and an EU1X version of the 1005HA. There are some minor differences, but the main one is in the included battery. The V1UX comes with a 48Whr battery while the EU1X offers a 23Whr unit. Needless to say, the model with the highest battery capacity is one of the longest running netbooks on the market today.

Custom software

ASUS offers a custom dock feature at the top of the display. Some of the items here are just shortcuts, such as the Eee Downloads for drivers and updates. But there are some useful bits here as well — Data Sync can shoot data to or from other devices on the network. Eee Splendid helps customize your display attributes — contrast, color and such. And Eee Tools offers Parental Controls, a simple font resizer and other settings. All in all, these are nice, but ASUS is a hardware company so don’t expect too much in terms of software.

Likes and dislikes

For around $350 to $380 on the street, there’s a bunch to like in the Eee PC 1005HA:

• Lightweight (1.27 kilograms) and thin
• Outstanding battery life
• Solid boot time — around 50 seconds from off to browsing the web
• Redesigned keyboard from older models is much more enjoyable to use
• Custom power setting & CPU clock control increases power efficiency
• Multitouch trackpad support
• Small AC adapter
• Excellent performance for a device in this class

But a few things that I personally find lacking:

• Trackpad could be bigger and mouse bar could be separate buttons
• Port layout might frustrate some
• Front edge is sharp
• Device is a little back-heavy

Again, these are more “personal preference” dislikes, so you may disagree. I’ve seen the ASUS 1005HA in my local Best Buy, so I highly recommend you spend some quality time with one if you’re interested. You could find my few dislikes to be non-issues, and in that case, you’re going to end up with a solid, excellent little netbook. For my web use, minimal multitasking, occasional use of Microsoft Word and basic media playback, it’s works very well.

That doesn’t mean the ASUS roadmap is boring by any means, however. If all goes to plan — and some of the devices are specifically tagged as in the “planning” stage — we’ll see several tiers of netbooks from ASUS: Good, Better, Best and Elite. Each internal tier is priced higher as you move up from the bottom, mainly because the netbooks increase in terms of size or  performance. The Eee PC 1101HA with its 11″ screen won’t be the big daddy after October. ASUS is planning the $499 1201N with the NVIDIA ION platform to power the 12″ display. Some other roadmap highlights from Netbooked:

• The 1005HA-P (10.5 Hour Battery) model will get a higher capacity 250GB HDD along with Windows 7 Starter, when Windows 7 goes on sale in late October.
• The 1005HA-M, as seen in Europe, will be launched with Windows 7 Starter. It has an Atom N270 processor. It has a matte display unlike the rest of the 1005HA models.
• New 1008HA models: The 1008HA-P (Atom N280 processor, 320GB HDD, 2GB RAM, BT, 802.11n Wi-FI) priced at $480 and the 1008HA-M (Atom N280 processor, 250GB HDD, 1GB RAM, BT, 802.11n Wi-Fi) priced at $430.
• Tablet netbooks: T91 has no change, but a T91MT (multitouch) will be released with 32GB RAM SSD with a price of $549. No release date set yet. T101P is mentioned, but nothing new we haven’t heard before: Next year with an Atom N450 processor, Pine Trail and Windows 7.

That last tidbit with the Atom N450 is interesting as that chip supports 64-bit computing, something I didn’t know about Pine Trail until now. I’m at a bit of loss for why a netbook chip would offer that because it’s highly unlikely it would benefit much in the near future. There might be a speed gain with a 64-bit operating system or apps, but support for RAM amounts greater than 4GB would likely be squandered. That is, assuming next year’s netbooks will still be limited by how much RAM they can physically support.

I’ll be giving this netbook a solid once over in the next few weeks, but for now, enjoy the peep show!

$429 is the going rate for this device running on the Intel Atom Z520 CPU. That 1.33GHz processor is little underpowered as compared to the N-series Atoms, but it should help in the battery life department. ASUS claims up to 11 hours of runtime with the Super Hybrid Engine and 63Whr battery.

Aside from the larger screen with 1366×768 resolution and Z-series Atom, most of the typical netbook guts are under the hood:

• 1GB of RAM
• 160GB hard drive
• 1.3 megapixel web-cam
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 3 x USB, 1 x RJ45, 1 x VGA, SD card reader with SDHC support

To me, the big selling point is the big screen in what’s still a relatively light package at 1.38 kilograms with the battery. Gaining size on the screen also allows for a larger keyboard as well. I chatted with an ASUS representative yesterday and have a loaner 1005HA on the way. Maybe I should see if they have any 1101HA units instead?

The SaberTooth S is more for those on a budget who don’t mind sacrificing a little speed. There are two flavors in the S line: 16 and 32GB. Both use a SATA-II interface and offer maximum reads and writes of 90 and 55 MBps, respectively. The SaberTooth SS option adds a 64GB option to the prior two choices. It also brings faster throughput of 155 and 100MBps for reads and writes. Of course, those faster speeds will cost you about 30 percent more. Here’s the MSRP rundown for the SaberTooth line:

• 16GB S: $62.95
• 32GB S: $96.95
• 16GB SS: $82.95
• 32GB SS: $124.95
• 64GB SS: $219.95

Note that all throughput claims are for sequential data. When you get into random reads and writes, things are sure to slow down. All of these SSDs are tested and guaranteed to work with the Eee PC S101, 900, 900A and 901 models from ASUS. They should pop right in the mini-PCIe slot.

Given the many SSD options for netbooks, I’m curious how many ASUS netbook owners have made the leap from traditional magnetic hard drives to solid-state disk drives. Have you taken the plunge and was it worth it to you?

The ZipZoomFly deal got even sweeter with a 2GB RAM module for an additional $10. That’s a great deal, but in the end, common sense prevailed. I had some nudging from folks, nearly a dozen folks on Twitter as well — it was about 50-50 to buy or not to buy.

I wanted to get a feel for a netbook with approximately double the run time of my Wind. I also wanted to see how the new Intel Atom N280 performed, but we’re only talking about a 0.06MHz clock cycle jump. The faster front-side bus might eke out a little more performance, though. In any case, I passed for now. The device is just too similar to what’s been out there for so long. Sure it’s in a nice thin and stylish case, but the minor differences didn’t justify the cost, since I have a capable device.

I did chat with ASUS today and inquired about the 1101HA, so I’m hoping to get a review unit. Had that netbook been available this morning, I probably would have pulled the trigger. I’m intrigued by the middle ground of the 1101HA. It offers an 11.6-inch display with the higher resolution of 1366×768 and runs on the Intel Atom Z-series. After using a 7-inch device and now a 10-inch one, I think that this size might be worth a look.

• Low pricing for usable computing, which means a good value.
• Light in weight, making for portability and use in more places than larger devices
• The ability to compute for at least eight hours or more, which I define as “all day” computing

ASUS appears to have positioned the Eee 1005HA just right, but 10.5 hours might be a bit boastful on the company’s part. Then again, it might not be: Liliputing already has a review up and has already seen at least eight hours with Wi-Fi on and screen brightness at 50 percent. With that kind of battery life, a weight of 2.8 pounds and online pricing as low as $389, another “P” is crying out to my temptations: purchase!

The official listing shows the T91 with Microsoft Windows XP, but I’d expect Windows 7 to appear as an option due to the 8.9″ resistive display. The device only comes with a 16GB SSD option, but includes a 16GB “disk expander” SD card and 20GB of online storage from ASUS as well. ASUS figures the device should run for around five hours on the 28.5Wh battery paired with an Intel Atom Z520. It’s worth noting that the tablet includes 802.11n support like most of the newer Eee PC models and weighs only 2.12 pounds. That’s one light Tablet PC, perhaps the lightest convertible tablet yet!

What she liked best about the little netbook she showed me when she was leaving. She tossed it in the outside pocket of her purse, which is very convenient.

There’s two schools of thought here. One is comprised of folks that see netbooks as small notebooks that should run the same OS and apps as their larger counterparts. The other thought is that a netbook is a portable web and communications device. That’s where a device such as the one I’m envisioning comes to mind: notebook look-and-feel, but integrated voice and data communications components, light operating system and long-battery life. I agree with those that say Google’s Android isn’t optimized for a device larger than a handset. I don’t expect Google to limit Android to a 3- or 4-inch display over the long haul, however. If we see that develop and ASUS does whip one of these up a Qualcomm-based netbook, I’ll be the first in line to try it.

Amazon recently had the netbook in a pre-order status for $374, but Liliputing says the product page now shows a 2-3 week ship date. At this price, I think the 1000HE is hard to beat if you’re looking for a 10-inch display. Harry McCracken is looking for netbook recommendations and folks seem to agree, although the 10-inch Acer Aspire One competes well on a spec-for-spec basis. The biggest difference I see between the two is the ASUS model using a slightly newer and faster Intel Atom CPU. That and the 9.5 hours of run-time ASUS claims with the battery and their Super Hybrid Engine. I’m expecting we’ll see 7-8 hours, and that’s fine by me.

Battery life is addressed with an 8700mAh power pack that’s flush with the chassis. Sweet! Between the battery and the exclusive Super Hybrid Engine, ASUS expects up to 9.5 hours of run-time. If that translates to eight hours in the real-world, the “all-day computing” claim is met in my book. Even with the large battery, the device weighs 3.2-pounds, which is about the top-end of what I like to carry on a regular basis.

ASUS redesigned the keyboard, which we expected. It’s 92% of standard size and the keys are chiclets. Look at that: they put the Right-Shift key where it belongs too! That alone has me pulling out my credit card. I like my MSI Wind, but the new ASUS is worth of upgrade consideration now.

Storage for the 1000HE is provided by a 160GB hard drive and ASUS is also including 10GB of online storage. I’m looking for more information on the 10GB; I’m curious if it looks like a mounted drive when you have connectivity or it’s less integrated than that. The netbook keeps support for multi-touch capability on the wide trackpad with two buttons; it also includes 802.11n and Bluetooth. ASUS is offering more information directly through their Facebook group.

Phoenix just shook hands with ASUS, so you can expect to see HyperSpace in “next generation notebooks”. Now the question becomes: will you have to pay more for the HyperSpace feature in an ASUS notebook or will it be hidden (or subsidized, even) in the notebook cost? Frankly, I see far more chance of success with these types of OEM deals than directly through consumer sales. We asked the folks at Phoenix Technologies and ASUS for some clarification on the details and will update if and when we hear back. I’m also curious if the agreement applies to ASUS netbooks as well as notebooks. Remember, there are two versions of HyperSpace: Dual is for Intel Atom and Celeron devices, while the more functional Hybrid product is geared for traditional notebooks with Intel Core Duo CPUs and up.

If you’d rather not wait for HyperSpace-enabled ASUS device, you can always try the product for 21-days at no cost. You’ll need a supported device like those mentioned on the HyperSpace Product Specifications page.

Updated – I heard back from Phoenix Technologies PR firm on my questions:

• HyperSpace will ship on a variety of ASUS models, such as the recently announced Omega Series notebooks and the well known ASUS EeePC netbook.
• HyperSpace will be pre-installed. The Hybrid product will appear on the higher performance devices, while netbooks will see the Dual product. That’s the product I saw on the Lenovo S10.
• Here’s the kicker: ASUS will ship HyperSpace with a standard annual subscription. That’s $39.95 for the Dual on a netbook, $59.95 for the Hybrid on a notebook. Again, I see this model as a very tough sell and was hoping that the OEM would absorb some of the cost. No dice.

Asus S121

There’s an interesting phenomenon going on right now and I’m still trying to get my head around it. Netbooks originally offered a new product choice: full laptop features with a 7-inch display. That screen proved to be a bit small for some and also didn’t provide enough room for an efficient keyboard. So netbooks moved up to 8.9-inch displays and higher resolution.  Ten-inch displays quickly followed, which brings you closer to the 12- and 13-inch small notebook segment. But things didn’t stop there, did they?

Late last year, Dell introduced their Dell Inspiron Mini 12 netbook, which offers a 12-inch display and larger keyboard to boot. Asus is the next one on the 12-inch bandwagon, officially announcing their S121. And at CES we saw a “tweener” from HP with the AMD-powered dv2. More to follow on that one because it’s definitely more than netbook and we’ve got a review unit in the works.

While it’s not up to me to define this market, it makes me wonder: how big is too big in terms of a netbook? Manufacturers clearly feel there’s some room in between the standard netbook market and the smallish notebook market, or they wouldn’t be offering 12-inch devices. I have to believe that’s going to be the max, but with Asus churning out new Eee PC models all the time, you never know. You’d think this doesn’t matter, but it does and in more ways than one.

The bigger the screen, the more a large netbook will be compared to small notebook. There are also OS implications as well, since Microsoft doesn’t want XP on devices with screens larger than 10-inches or so. It’s possible that some OEMs have worked out special Windows deals as both the S121 and Mini 12 can be had with XP. The other scenario is that Microsoft is giving up on the whole ULCPC standards which originally limited the specs for a low-cost Windows XP device.

The point is this: I believe that notebook makers are recognizing the shift. That shift is the realization that for a secondary (if not primary, in some cases), a less expensive netbook can handle the vast majority of tasks you need when not chained to a desk. Oh, there’s still a huge market for very capable notebooks. I’m not arguing that point at all. But the days of cramming features and robust CPUs into a notebook are stepping aside for a new type of device. One that is inexpensive and easier to tote around.

We’ve often heard that the netbook market is a subset of the notebook market. I’m beginning to think that it is truly its own market. It’s redefining the traditional notebook market and in some sense, becoming a competitor to it. I’ll be very interested to see what percentage of netbooks make up the entire notebook market at the end of this year. My gut says near 25%. What do you think?

I had a chance to run through the Asus booth and it’s amazing how much focus is on the Eee PC line. Asus has a decent amount of floor space and I’d guestimate that at least half of it is devoted to netbooks. I was joking last night that I’m waiting to see Asus “create” a new model that was exactly the same as an older one. How they keep all these straight with the minor feature differences is beyond me.

I did get my hands finger on the Asus Eee PC T91 to tap the resistive touch-display. Since the unit was looping a vid, all I could do was move the cursor around: nothing earth-shattering in the experience as it’s the same as any other decent resistive touch panel. I was happy to see N10J with the improved keyboard. Have a walk around with me….

In honesty, not everyone cares about the Right-Shift key as much as I do. It’s a challenge I jumped on right away when I noticed on a netbook and I haven’t stopped barking about it ever since. But as I said earlier this week: netbooks are already using a compromised keyboard in terms of size, why further compromise with non-standard key placement? In any case, I suspect most Eee PC layouts will look what Brad saw recently in a manual for the 1002HA & S101H.

Asus Eee PC keyboard design

Call me crazy, but the Eee PCs will definitely make the cut on some people’s “netbooks to consider” list after this. I feel more productive just thinking about this. R-eee-ally!