Asus Eee PC 1008HA

With minilaptop competition heating up, even Asus--the company that practically invented the Netbook--has to step up its game. While the internal components will be familiar, the new Eee PC 1008HA (also known called the Seashell) represents a radical design change from the boxy Eee PCs we've seen before, with a slim, tapered design that makes it one of the best-looking Netbooks we've come across.

To get down to about 1 inch thick, some engineering slight-of-hand was required. The VGA output uses a dongle, the Ethernet jack is angled to fit into the thin body, there's a custom-molded (nonremovable) battery, and an LED display shaves a few millimeters off the lid.

One inescapable current Netbook trend is falling prices. With a perfectly serviceable $299 10-inch system coming from Dell and subsidized Netbooks from mobile phone companies, the current standard of $399 for a nicely equipped minilaptop is starting to look like the maximum the market will bear. At $429, the 1008HA slips just over the line, although the difference is more psychological than practical.

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