ASUS debuts the Eee PC 1008HA "Shell" 10-inch ultraportable

ASUS has taken the wraps off its latest Eee PC, the 1008HA we heard was on the way to follow up on the S101. As far as anyone can tell -- ASUS is a little coy on specs so far -- the laptop harbors fairly traditional netbook specs and a netbook pricepoint, but the exterior is all new and rather attractive. The computer is 1-inch thick and weighs 2.4 pounds, with a curved, shiny plastic "shell" (ASUS calls it "pearlescent") to give a bit more luster than the average Eee PC. ASUS is including 802.11n, Bluetooth, 3G and WiMAX options, and packing in it Eee Sharing and Eee Arena software. We'll be looking to dig up more specs and some hands-on time with this unit this week at CeBIT.

[Via UMPCPortal]

ASUS Eee PC 1008HA press shots

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 3:19PM]

This is going to be mine.

1. Great Looking
2. Light
3. Bang up to date.
4. No OSX
5. I won't have to be taking it back to the Genius Bar every 3 months.


Gimme

[Skippy Posted Mar 3rd 2009 3:19PM]

ASUS has been make their netbooks all glossy and fancy lately. I would have the cover destroyed in a week or two.
Wish they'd go back to the matte like my 900.

[gyffes Posted Mar 3rd 2009 3:26PM]

And that, f00, is why Apple's latest changes to TimeCapsule and router are so outstanding. You don't HAVE to choose, anymore!

Of course, this isn't going to help me PAY for a new TC, but at least the option is there... at some point... when the economy comes back up... which'll probably long after I've had to eat my dog and cat...

[clos1084 Posted Mar 3rd 2009 5:31PM]

was gonna get the overpriced dell mini 10. But not if this comes out with US 3G

[jackbravo Posted Mar 3rd 2009 3:47PM]

what the heezee is up with friggn' black bezel. c'mon folks...ain't nobody got a sense of style anymore? the insides should match up!

otherwise, looks like I'm gonna have to trade in the Wind.

[matt merritt Posted Mar 3rd 2009 3:53PM]

ASUS just picked up a new customer.

I love my MacBook Pro, love it to death even, but lugging it to school (along with school books) is still fairly brutal on my back. This nice little lady on the other hand would appear to be quite petite.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 7:06PM]

At least the Macbook Pro should be lighter than a Compaq V3000. That thing weighs the same as all 4 of my engineering books i take to uni. And most of them being 1000+ pages. Lets hope this thing have better hinges than the Macbook Air, even if it doesn't at least it shouldn't cost 2 legs and 10 fingers to get it fixed. A 800 bucks price tag on an original Macbook Air hinge can probably get you a custom made Ti one.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 4:43PM]

Looks nice, and I like the 3G. Need those Atom processors to get just a little stronger though before I'd want one.

[mastassmasta Posted Mar 3rd 2009 4:58PM]

Yep the air is shivering in its large boots

[glennS Posted Mar 3rd 2009 5:11PM]

Eee PC, ultra portable. Isn't that redundant?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 5:35PM]

Looks like a bulky MacBook Air wannabe.
Seriously, doesn't seem to have ports, and is too bulky for that look.
But then again, aren't all PCs Mac wannabes?

(See, you don't need iEye, I'll pick up his slack)


Seriously though. The only thing that could save it from being a silly MBA wannabe with a small screen and slow processor would be a nice low price. If this can match other netbooks in price and specs, then fine.

[Jamus Posted Mar 3rd 2009 5:31PM]

It's like the sexy supermodel cousin to the 1st gen clamshell iBooks.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 8:24PM]

This looks a lot like the Acer Aspire One I'm using right now... if it went on a diet and thinned up. The colors and finish are damn near identical.

@Greg I think you are being fooled by the scale. This is only a 10" netbook. If you saw this thing in person it would look super small AND super thin. Asus says its no more than 1" thick at its thickest point, which puts it within 0.1" of the MBA, and much smaller overall. It also appears to have coverings on each side of the device which likely are covering a standard assortment of ports.

Roughly as thin as the MBA, smaller, lighter... and likely less than 1/3 the price. This is more than a MBA wannabe. This is a device that evolves the netbook form factor... a form factor which is helping make overpriced devices like the MBA less and less relevant. Also, keep in mind that far more netbooks have already been sold than the number of MBAs Apple will EVER sell.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 8:58PM]

I kinda agree that it looks like the acer aspire one. the same black bezel, the white casing and white keyboard. but the twist here is the hinge which kinda mimics the MSI wind to some extent (or MBA perhaps).

Asus is converging products here.. haha

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 9:42PM]

I hate the thick rim around the screen on these ASUS PC's. There is room enough for an 11 inch screen in there. Otherwise I would have bought the EEE 1002HA by now.

[Federaly Posted Mar 3rd 2009 10:27PM]

I really hope Asus isn't going to be putting in those weak ass Atom chips(1.6 dual core not possible?) I am so over those chips and 2GB min Ram would be fantastic. Then at least I would buy one and put Vista(7 when available) in it and it would be usable to a real end-user

[Haus Posted Mar 3rd 2009 10:52PM]

But can it fit in a manilla envelope?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 4th 2009 5:45AM]

A portless netbook!?
where is USB, Ethernet...
Even if these are hidden, it seems a VGA port is too large for this.

and why can't Asus make lighter laptops (

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 30th 2009 1:38PM]

Are you all women? Coz this look like a toy for women..