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| Introduction and Specifications | ||||
  The 1005HA is undoubtedly a member of the expanding Eee PC lineup, and while it's numbered lower than the aforesaid 1008HA, there are actually a few aspects that we prefer on this model versus its predecessor. Actually, maybe predecessor isn't the proper term; it's not like the 1005HA is taking the place of the 1008HA. In fact, we envision them both hanging around on store shelves for some time to come. 
In many of the same ways that Asus' Eee PC 1000HE was a slightly revamped version of the 1000H, the 1005HA is just a mildly tweaked version of the 1008HA. The 1008HA was a sort of coming out party for Asus; it was the first in the "Seashell" line, and it broke new ground in terms of design for netbooks. The 1005HA continues that legacy, though it reverts back to some of the more expected design cues in order to increase utility while still providing a heightened sense of style. If you compare the specifications list of our review unit above with the list on the Eee PC 1008HA, you'll be hard-pressed to find any significant differences. Indeed, most of the alterations here are in the design department, and they are absolutely subtle. If the first "Seashell" machine didn't quite pique your interest, maybe the second time is a charm. |
| Design and Build Quality |
;) ;) Click Any To Enlarge At a glance, you might think that the 1005HA is simply a 1008HA with its ports unveiled. But if you dig deep, you'll realize that these are actually two different machines entirely. First off, the 1005HA weighs in a bit heavier at 2.8 pounds , while the 1008HA tips the scales at 2.42 pounds. With more weight comes more plastic, and there's definitely a difference in thickness. The 1008HA managed to slip in at just 1" thick, while the 1005HA measures in at 1.4" thick. Sure, 1.4" thick is still pretty thin in the grand scheme of things, but it's a sizable increase (percentage wise, anyway) from that other "Seashell." ;) ;) Click Any To Enlarge Thankfully, the increase in thickness doesn't go to waste. One of our gripes with the 1008HA was the proprietary VGA dongle; in order to access the VGA output, you had to pop out a dongle underneath and connect it that way. With the 1005HA, the VGA port is standard and ready for your plug right there on the side. For those who'll be connecting their netbook to TVs, external monitors or projectors for presentations, the 1005HA makes your life a lot easier. ;) ;) Click To Enlarge Elsewhere around the edges, the 1005HA maintains most of the same trimmings as the 1008HA, albeit in uncovered fashion. You'll find an extra USB 2.0 port (this one has 3 compared to just 2 on the 1008HA), the same 1.3MP webcam, a single Ethernet jack, a built in multi-format card reader, an AC input and audio input/output (3.5mm) jacks. ;) ;) Click Any To Enlarge The overall build quality is as expected for a "Seashell" Eee PC. The whole machine felt suitably sturdy, if not a bit hefty compared to the ultra thin 1008HA. As with most netbooks, we also found the top lid to be just a wee bit flimsy (mashing down in the center produced some slight flex, but nothing too terrible), while the sides and bottom were adequately solid. ;) Click To Enlarge As for ports that we wish were here, we'd love to see yet another USB socket (though having 3 is nice), and an HDMI and ExpressCard slot wouldn't hurt either. Not that we'd necessarily expect these on such a thin and light netbook, but they would've definitely been nice additions. Even by netbook standards, however, the Eee PC 1005HA isn't overflowing with connectivity options. If you need a 56k modem, ExpressCard, HDMI/DVI socket, 4+ USB ports or a PCMCIA socket, you'll need to look elsewhere. ;) ;) Click Any To Enlarge The keyboard within is the same as on the 1008HA, so 92% full-size. It's definitely roomy for a netbook, but we wouldn't want to type up this full review on it without taking a number of breaks. The 10.1" LED backlit display (1024x600 pixels) is also the same, which we found to be plenty bright and crisp for the price. The trackpad is the same dimpled one found on the 1008HA, and while it supports a few finger gestures, it's not a full-on multi-touch pad. In other words, you can't do a two-finger Webpage scroll, but you can slide up and down pages by sliding your index finger over the pad's right side. |
| Software and Accessories |
;) Click To Enlarge Our test unit shipped with Windows XP, though a Linux option is available. Due to Microsoft's current WinXP restrictions related to netbooks, the 1005HA is also limited in terms of specifications. You'll likely notice that the specs here are nearly the same as most every other netbook (particularly the Eee PC 1008HA), and that's because Microsoft has mandated that netbooks running WinXP only be outfitted with a certain level of hardware. Many blame this tactic on Microsoft's desire to sell Windows Vista or the upcoming Windows 7 on these mini machines rather than the less profitable Windows XP, but whatever the reasoning, WinXP and its list of certified hardware is what you'll find here. ;) ;) Click Any To Enlarge Extra software was scant, with just an application to access Eee Storage (10GB is available free of charge for a year and for a fee afterwards), Adobe Reader 8, a 30 day Microsoft Office trial, Skype, Microsoft Works and a Norton Security trial included. ;) Click To Enlarge Asus also includes its Super Hybrid Engine, which is an application that sits in the System Tray and enables users to easily switch from one power profile to another based on current usage scenarios. |
| User Experience and Comparison to 1008HA |
 As for notable differences, the 1005HA lacks the covered ports seen on the 1008HA. All of the side sockets are completely uncovered on the 1005HA, and the VGA port is a standard socket that doesn't require a dongle to use. As mentioned, the 1005HA is a bit thicker than the 1008HA, with depths measuring 1.4" and 1", respectively. Also, the 1008HA ships with a sealed, non-removable (at least by the end user) battery, while the 1005HA has a battery that can be removed--a big deal for those who need to carry extra batteries for long-haul trips. Finally, there is one extra USB 2.0 port on the 1005HA, bringing its total to 3.  The battery in the 1005HA is rated to last far longer than the "6 hour" battery in the 1008HA. As with the Eee PC 1000HE, which offered greatly improved battery life over the Eee PC 1000H, the 1005HA is definitely the "Seashell" to get if longevity is paramount, particularly because you can extend things by carrying extra batteries. Asus rates the removable battery in the 1005HA at 10.5 hours under ideal circumstances, and we'll be taking a look at the accuracy of said claim a little later on. ;) Click To Enlarge As for the overall user experience, we found ourselves thinking that we were back on the 1008HA once more. Performance wise, everything felt similarly snappy, and for good reason. Every major hardware component in the 1008HA is also in the 1005HA, including the CPU, RAM and hard drive (right down to matching 5400RPM spindle speeds). We won't rehash everything we already mentioned about the user experience in our Eee PC 1008HA evaluation, but we will speak about the subtle changes that make the usability slightly different here. First and foremost, the 1005HA feels a bit less sexy after using it and the 1008HA. For those who have yet to be spoiled by the thinness of the 1008HA, you may not feel that 1.4" (at its thickest point) is too thick. For us, the added depth and weight did make this feel more like a portable work machine and less like a fashion accessory. And yes, that's a good thing if you're hoping to get work done. Asus uncovered the ports in order to make port swapping easier for on-the-go professionals, and it boosted battery life to keep you working longer without needing a recharge. Obviously, the changes here were in the interest of the business traveler and those who are looking for a netbook with a nice blend of style and performance.  Indeed, we much preferred the uncovered ports. It was much easier to insert and swap USB flash drives, plug in our headphones and connect an external monitor on the 1005HA compared to the 1008HA. Put simply, the ports on the 1005HA are designed to be used often; the ports on the 1008HA are designed to be accessed infrequently. Keep that distinction in mind when deciding which of the two "Seashell" netbooks are most suited for you. ;) ;) Click To Enlarge Our typing and mousing experience was the same here as on the 1008HA. The trackpad was above average for a netbook (though full-fledged multi-touch capabilities were sorely missing), and the keyboard is about as good as it gets for a machine this small. We wouldn't want to type for long periods of time here, but it's certainly large enough that you won't be constantly correcting mistakes due to the keys being exceptionally tiny or placed oddly. As we mentioned in the 1008HA review, this setup is plenty powerful to cruise through basic, everyday tasks. Office duties, emailing, Web browsing and PowerPoint making are all very do-able here, as they should be. The only time we found the machine really strained was when we fired up a 720p / 1080p media clip, and based on that, we concluded that 3D gaming would absolutely not be possible on the underpowered GMA 950 graphics set. For basic computing chores, however, WinXP was adequately responsive and fan noise never became a serious issue. Sadly, it seems that very fact enabled the machine to get quite hot after a few hours of normal use. Sensitive legs, be warned! ;) Click To Enlarge The super-glossy display looked the same here as on the 1008HA. In other words, we wish it was matte, but it looks fantastic when not used in direct or partial sunlight. If you plan on using this more outside than inside, you may want to consider OCZ Technology's Neutrino, which ships with a rare matte panel over the more popular glossy LCD. ;) Click To Enlarge We'll also mirror our feelings here on the integrated GMA 950 graphics set. This sluggish set is no match for 1080i/p material, and even some 720p content is too much for it to handle. Sadly, this GPU forces users to forget about using the 1005HA for even light-duty gaming and mildly intensive multimedia chores. Even a weak discrete CPU or a hybrid GPU system would've greatly improved things here. |
| Benchmarks | ||||
SiSoftware Sandra (the System Analyzer, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information & diagnostic utility. It should provide most of the information (including undocumented) you need to know about your hardware, software and other devices. ;) Click To Enlarge The Intel Atom N280 (1.66GHz) fared fine in Sandra's CPU-specific test. As we've mentioned, it exhibited plenty of power for basic tasks and light-duty multimedia playback, but it's certainly not potent enough to push any serious pixels in 3D gaming. Overall, results here were as expected, just barely beating the 1.6GHz Atom N270 that has found its way into most netbooks these days. ;) Click To Enlarge In the CPU multimedia testing, the N280 held its own when compared to the marginally slower N270, but it still looks weak when compared to chips found in full-size notebooks. These tests make us long for a seriously revamped Atom or at least the dual core version that seems to be a rare find these days. ;) Click To Enlarge As expected, the Eee PC 1005HE didn't exhibit the strongest scores in the memory bandwidth department. But really, would you expect anything different from a single-channel configuration with only one 1GB stick of DDR2 RAM? ;) Click To Enlarge Our 160GB Hitachi Travelstar 5K320 (5400RPM) drive stacked up well against similar models in the benchmarks, but we did feel a bit of lag when booting up applications for the first time, particularly coming from an SSD-equipped Neutrino netbook. To test multimedia capabilities, we attempt to play back a 720p WMVHD clip, a 720p H.264 clip and a 1080p clip. ;) Click To Enlarge; 720 H.264 ;) Click To Enlarge; 720p WMVHD ;) Click To Enlarge; 1080p On the Eee PC 1005HA, the 720p WMVHD clip was the only one that played back "smoothly." The 720p H.264 and 1080p files froze in place occasionally, dropped frames, and refused to play back in what we would consider a "smooth" fashion. Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics core doesn't offer full video decode offload from the host processor. Part of the issue here could be CODEC optimization and the multimedia player being used but in reality, the out-of-the-box experience in this area was simply lacking, as expected frankly. If you'll recall, we experience the exact same results on the 1008HA. |
| Power Consumption and Battery Life | ||||
 Our Classic Test here does a great job of putting the netbook through a "real-world" work environment to see just how long your battery will last under pressure. The Eee PC 1005HA lasted just over 6 hours (371 minutes), which is far less than Asus' claims of 10.5 hours, but again--if you turned off Wi-Fi, dimmed the LCD and didn't place the machine under a heavy workload, we could easily imagine this machine lasting for longer than 6 hours. As you can see, the 1005HA falls just minutes short of the mark set by the Eee PC 1000HE (380 minutes on the 1000HE; 371 minutes on the 1005HA). The 1000HE remains the Eee PC to beat in this realm. ;) Click To Enlarge Overall, we're pleased with 6.2 hours of life under real-world testing, but it's still unfortunate that Asus is proclaiming that users will see 10.5 hours from a single charge. Only under the most gentle conditions (which aren't indicative of reality, mind you) could we imagine 10.5 hours of life. Let us be clear: 6.2 hours from a laptop is great, particularly from a battery that doesn't really protrude from the machine. But claiming 10.5 hours and delivering 6.2 under real-world conditions is just wrong, and we'd say the suits over at AMD would drink to that notion. |
| Summary and Conclusion | ||||
 Asus' Eee PC 1005HA is a great addition to the "Seashell" family. While the general consumer may not be able to readily tell the difference between the two, we maintain that the 1005HA is built more for work and less for pure fashion. The uncovered ports make accessing sockets easier, and the standard VGA port is great for those who rely heavily on an external monitor of some sort. Plus, the ability to swap in a new battery is a real boon for anyone who travels often or spends long days away from the AC outlet.  For us, choosing between the Eee PC 1008HA and the Eee PC 1005HA is easy. Do you need to access ports frequently? Do you appreciate longer battery life and the ability to swap batteries? Is a bit more weight (0.38 pounds more) and a bit more depth (0.4" more) acceptable to you? If you've answered "yes" to all of these questions, the 1005HA is your machine. You'll get the same internal specifications along with more utility in exchange for a few style points, but for many that's a fair compromise. After all, it's not as if the 1005HA is plain or unsightly; in fact, it's probably the most striking netbook in terms of design next to only the 1008HA that we've mentioned so often throughout this review. ;) Click To Enlarge
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