The Eee PC 1002HA is one good looking netbook from Asus. It is lighter than its forerunner the Eee PC 1000H, although on the inside it has essentially the same stuff such as the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, 1024 x 600 pixels with 10.2 inches display.

Design – The main difference from the earlier version is the design. While the 1000H’s case is of plastic, this one has a brushed-metal finish. Measuring 10.4? x 7.1? x 1.1? & weighing 42 ounces, it is lighter by about 11 ounces.

Display – The display is of matte type with 10.2 inches & 1024 x 600 pixels. A free Eee PC Tray utility is provided to allow resolution control by the click of a button.

Keyboard – The keyboard is just the same as in Eee PC 1000H. While the keys are quite large, consistently spaced and dipped, some keys have been reduced to an unreasonable extent in size.

Touchpad – The two separate touchpad buttons on the earlier version has been replaced with a single button with a rocker. This makes it smoother but some may miss the two distinct buttons.

Battery – To reduce weight, a 4200mAh battery that fits flush to the base of the netbook has been used. So it will not run as long for a single charge as the other Asus Eee PCs. However, the life is reasonably good with the 31W/hr battery.

Software – The netbook comes with Super Hybrid Engine software for controlling CPU speed and an Eee PC Tray utility for fine-tuning resolution and for the Bluetooth, webcam & WiFi. Other software include: InterVideo WinDVD, StarOffice 8 & Microsoft Works.

Conclusion – At $499, the 1002HA is comparatively compact but expensive than the earlier 1000H version. The design is great but the battery capacity is not impressive. If you are mainly looking for battery life, you can better go for some other netbook. However the 1002HA may appeal to you if you don’t mind the low 3.5 hours battery life and the extra cost for getting a lighter version of the 1000H.