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Netbooks are becoming all the rage these days, with slimmer designs and higher resolution screens. The latest of the slim bunch is the Asus Eee PC 1008HA Seashell. Does slimmer always mean better? Find out after the break.

Like most netbooks, you'll find a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, a 10.1-inch 1024x600 resolution LED-backlit display, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 160GB hard drive, and a 6 hour li-polymer battery. All this in a package weighing 2.43 pounds and just 1.01 inches thin.

The Seashell name comes from the tapered design similar to Apple's MacBook Air ultra-portable notebook computer. The smooth outer design continues to the sides of the unit, with ports covered by a flip-down rubber hinge. The design is certainly one of the best we've seen when it comes to netbooks, unlike the chunkier Asus models from years past. One unique thing about the design is a miniature VGA connection that connects to a larger removable dongle on the bottom of the netbook. This design decision was obviously to keep the design even slimmer.

Another unique feature of the 1008HA Seashell netbook is the multi-touch trackpad. The surface has a perforated design instead of smooth "indented" design seen on standard notebook computers. The trackpad buttons were not stiff and clicked with ease.

A potential downside to the slim design is the non-removable battery, which means you aren't able to pop in a spare for extended battery life. In our tests, we received an average of four hours of battery life using the standard performance setting. There are also "high" and "super high" performance settings that are installed with the Asus Super Hybrid Engine feature to tweak power consumption for that last bit of battery life.

Performance was generally good and the Atom processor is enough to handle basic web tasks like email, reading news websites, streaming video, and listening to internet radio. The 92 percent keyboard is relatively comfortable to type on and keys have a nice tactile feel to them.

The Asus Eee PC 1008HA doesn't have the new Intel Pinetrail platform with enhanced graphics and processor speed, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good buy. You'll be able to find the 1008HA Seashell at Amazon.com for around $400. We expect the price to drop as newer models are released.

Pros

• Slim design.
• Hidden ports and connections.
• Bright LED-backlit display.

Cons

• Non-removable battery.
• Mini VGA to VGA dongle can be lost easily.

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