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Asus shows off the Eee PC 1008HA

by on04 March 2009

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Updated: Code name Sea Shell

Although it seems like we might have to wait a little while before this new Eee PC model turns up for sale, the 1008HA or the Sea Shell as it's also known as, looks like it's set to change everything we've got used to when it comes to netbook design from Asus.

The S101 was a shift in design strategy, but judging by the early pictures, the 1008HA should have some serious mass market appeal, as long as it doesn't get stupidly expensive. Although the exact hardware configuration hasn't been released as yet, it looks like the 1008HA should offer some pretty decent additions such as 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, optional HSDPA modem and even WiMAX.

At about 1.1kg and 2.6cm thick it's not too bulky either and its meant to have a multi-touch touch pad and SRS enhanced sound. The early pictures doesn't reveal any ports, as they're all hidden by small hatches and we've yet to find out what CPU, chipset and storage device it will be coming with.

Update

Engadget has posted more pictures of the 1008HA alongside some more detailed spec's. The CPU will be an Atom N280, but still no word on the chipset. As with all netbooks it will only have 1GB of DDR2 RAM. Asus has gone for a 160GB hard drive rather than an SSD solution, most likely to keep costs down, but that doesn't meant that there won't be an SSD version in the future. It also has a mini VGA connector, whatever that is, two USB 2.0 ports, a 1.3Megapixel webcam and up to 5h battery life.

We're not sure if this is a planned S101 replacement, but from what we were told by the Asus Eee PC product manager a while back, there was going to be a new line of products that were to be based in part on the S101 design. Looking at the spec's this doesn't seem to be a direct replacement, so the early €550-600 price point we're hearing might not be accurate.

You can find some pictures here and a short video of it here and the Engadget pictures here
Last modified on 04 March 2009
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