4 New Netbooks : Asus Eee PC 1005HA-M
2. Asus Eee PC 1005HA-M
The Screen
The Eee PC 1005HA-M has a matte panel, something that almost brings tears to our eyes, so rare a currency it is. The main negative with the 1005HA-H (its glossy panel) has been avoided. So long to all those reflections! For any device designed for portability, this is a serious advantage. In the absence of a test of this screen, we cannot make any pronouncements as to its intrinsic qualities.
The Asus Eee PC 1005HA exists in two versions. We have tested the 1005HA-H, that comes with a glossy panel. The other version, with a matte panel, is now also on the shelves. It’s the Eee PC 1005HA-M. In the absence of a test – Asus didn’t have the model in its loan department – we’re going to focus on an analysis of its technical specifications.
| Specifications | ||||
| CPU | Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz | Hard Drive | 160 GB | |
| Graphics Chipset | NC | Optical Drive | No | |
| RAM | 1 GB | Dimensions | 262 x 178 x 26.5 to 35.5 mm | |
| Screen | 10.1 inches (1024x600) | Weight | 1.27 Kg |
Although the 1005HA-M is materially identical to the 1005HA-H, it has a slightly different configuration. Its main advantage is its matte panel. This is a much better solution than the glossy panel on the 1005HA-H (see inset) which is one of its main faults. Otherwise the ‘M’ is very slightly down on the ‘H’. The Intel Atom N280 processor has been replaced with an N270. This makes for very little difference in practice. Performances are weak on both sides and 3 to 6 times down on a standard laptop with a processor such as the Intel Core 2 Duo P8600.
There are two versions of the battery (watch out when you buy!) : 2200 mAh or 4400 mAh. The ‘H’ version has a 5600 mAh battery and we can expect inferior to much inferior battery life on the ‘M’. A rough estimate (to be taken as such!) worked out on results of the 1005HA-M playing films gives a battery life of 4h20 for the 1005HA-M as against 5h31 for the 1005HA-H, each with their largest battery. A last point; it no longer has the Bluetooth module.
| Pluses | Minuses |
|---|---|
|
|
 The main advantage of the 1005HA-M over the 1005HA-H is the change from a glossy to a matte panel (much better for portability). The other thing to take into account is the battery that has a significantly shorter life on this model. | |
That Toshiba looks pretty nice . . .
If you're on the fence about buying a new netbook - wait until next year. The Intel Pine Trail will use half the power of the existing solution - no fan required, lighter, longer battery life
I can't seem to find any info on the MSI Wind U115. Is it in production yet?
@ProDigit80: I have the MSI Wind U130 and that has the 9 cell battery. Check that one out.
Lacking the BlueTooth also means increased battery performance on the ASUS 1005HA Eee Pc.
I ran some benchmarks and give more detail about what you can expect performance wise from the ASUS 1005Ha netbook in this review: http://bit.ly/44CHFm
Quieter than my other 3 laptops.
Purchased this for my daughter to bring back and forth from school. It looks great (dare I say almost Apple-like as we have the white version).
Getting 6+ hours on battery which whomps both my HP laptops.
Not sure where your noise criticism comes from. This Asus is way quieter than either of my HPs or my 1 Dell laptop.
You should re-test another one to be sure.
And the glossy screen works just fine here. No complaints at all.
Anyone who purchases one of these for gaming, blue-ray watching or high quality 7.1 surround sound experience, is in the wrong category. Seems odd to throw into the review like that.