The Asus Eee 1008HA Seashell is a stylish netbook that will appeal to anyone looking for an ultra portable unit.

It’s clear that Asus has designed the Eee 1008HA Seashell with style in mind. As the name so obviously suggests, the design is inspired by the seashell, and it comes in either glossy white or black. It’s the small details that really make this such an appealing netbook, including the bevelled keys and tapered edges of the chassis as well as the 10-inch glossy screen (1024×600 resolution).

Portability is another key factor. Netbooks are by definition meant to be more portable than full-sized notebooks, but some models recently have been getting bigger. Not so the Asus Eee 1008HA Seashell. It weighs in at just over 1kg and is around 2.5cm across at its thickest.

Stylish looks and portability aside, the technology behind this netbook isn’t anything groundbreaking. Asus has equipped the Eee 1008HA Seashell with an Atom N280 processor and Windows XP as well as 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-FI (802.11n) and an SDHC port. All this is sufficient for basic web browsing and email. Life of the integrated lithium polymer battery is claimed at six hours, but this figure will be significantly less if you’re performing more intensive tasks, such as watching movies.

Buy a cheap netbook on sale

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re looking for a portable and inexpensive notebook to be used primarily for accessing the Internet, then you need a netbook, such as the HP Mini 2140.

A netbook is ideal for light online activities like email and web browsing and the HP 2140 Mini doesn’t disappoint. Based on the popular HP Mini 1000 netbook, the Mini 2140 features a 25cm screen and an extremely intuitive keyboard, especially for anyone with bigger fingers - you’ll love the generous key size, despite the 2140’s compact form factor.

The HP Mini 2140 also boasts some features you’d expect to see on a fully fledged notebook rather than a netbook, especially when it comes to connectivity. HP has included an ExpressCard slot as well as two USB 2.0 ports as well as a VGA video connection, not to mention Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The Mini 2140 comes with a 160GB hard drive, which is protected froom bumps and shocks by the 3D accelerometer.

The HP Mini 2140 netbook’s Australian pricing is $799.

Buy a cheap HP Mini netbook

By Caroline Warnes