Andy Ihnatko Reviews the ASUS 1008HA Seashell

It’s the netbook version of a MacBook Air

Technology pundit Andy Ihnatko has published his review of the ASUS 1008HA Seashell 10-inch Netbook:

When I first saw the 1008HA ($429, eeepc.asus.com), I knew that things had changed. The third generation of netbook has arrived.

If you are still not sure if the review is going well, he continues:

The Seashell is a common netbook wrapped in a wholly uncommon and wonderful design. A few years ago, this design could have been sold by Sony as an $1800 ultraportable and nobody would have batted an eye.

And lest you accuse me of being a velvet-suited, lily-sniffing aesthete, the Seashell’s slim lines are actually a feature. Portable computers want to be taken places and used. Its comfortable screen and large keyboard present no barrier to doing a full day’s work on the thing, and its size and shape provokes you to take it with you wherever you go.

I’m not suggesting that the Seashell sets a mark for netbooks that will never be surpassed. But it clearly marks the start of a third generation…a new wave of style and convenience that strikes the phrase “Yeah, I know; but what do you want for $400?” from the discussion.

You can read his entire review over at the Chicago Sun Times.