ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA available for pre-order, shipping July 1st

Looks like those of you interested in ASUS' newest little netbook, the Eee PC Seashell 1005HA, won't have to wait very long to have your dreams fulfilled. In fact, it's popping up for pre-order right now. The 1005HA (which we just played with extensively) is nearly identical to the already available 1008HA, but with a longer-lived, swappable six-cell battery, and without those little port doors we found to be somewhat troublesome in our review of the unit. It runs $389 and is expected to ship on July 1st. Hit the read link to check out the pre-order good times.

[Thanks, Nate]

[massive_98 @ Jun 24th 2009 8:18PM]

When is the P30A from Asus coming out. I love the ultraportable feel behind netbooks, but I need a DVD drive.

This one does look might tempting though.

[OneLove @ Jun 25th 2009 12:40AM]

she sells seashells by the seashore.

[Johann @ Jun 25th 2009 1:36AM]

I feel the same way, an optical drive would be great.

However I'm hoping they would include a svelte docking base with an optical drive & extra batteries for the really long hauls, and the CPU section can detach for average, daily use. That way you get the best of both worlds.

The docking base would have HDMI/ S-Video outputs as well as extra USB ports.

Alone, the CPU section should last ~8hrs.

[GBeatzRecrds @ Jun 24th 2009 8:40PM]

ION and 4GB ram plz?

[dagamer43 @ Jun 24th 2009 8:52PM]

Not under Microsoft's watch. If you want more power, you're gonna need to pay FULL PRICE!

[Brian @ Jun 24th 2009 9:23PM]

What are you doing on a netbook that requires 4GB RAM????? Invest in a tower or "portable computer", not a netbook. It's perfect for travel computing, not things that demand processing.

[Alex @ Jun 24th 2009 9:52PM]

That'll be $900, plz

[yokel @ Jun 24th 2009 11:03PM]

I'll start caring about 4 gigs of ram once the Dual Core Atoms come out. 2 gigs is way more than enough on current gen Atoms.

[GBeatzRecrds @ Jun 24th 2009 11:17PM]

Hey, it's always nice to have a lotta RAM.
Especially considering how freakishly cheap it is these days.

[Mike @ Jun 24th 2009 9:02PM]

pre-ordered mine last night!

[kornchild2002 @ Jun 24th 2009 10:40PM]

This was on my radar until I saw the new Gateway with the AMD processor and better GPU. Granted, it won't last anywhere near 8 hours but it packs much better hardware. Now I have the decision to either purchase this or the Gateway netbook. I guess I will have to wait for the reviews of both netbooks.

[Alex @ Jun 24th 2009 10:41PM]

I'm pretty darn sure I played with this at Best Buy today. Didn't notice a model number or a price, but it had open ports like the 1005 and not the 1008. Really nice screen.

[abitdodgy @ Jun 24th 2009 11:05PM]

What you played with today was Eee 1005HAB-001X which has no bluetooth and an Atom 270... its also $300

[abitdodgy @ Jun 24th 2009 11:14PM]

Bestbuy has a $300 version dubbed 1005HAB-001X with an N270, lacking Bluetooth and a 6-cell 4.5 hour battery... wondering if to buy that for 300 or wait for this!

[Brandon @ Jun 25th 2009 2:27AM]

I was going to pre order today, but I want black! not blue!

[kornchild2002 @ Jun 25th 2009 6:53PM]

Newegg will let you pre-order it in black as well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220551

Engadget just decided to link the blue version for some odd reason.

[Marko @ Jun 25th 2009 3:48AM]

I love the fact that Engadget has given up on listing the specs for netbooks :). It became pointless months ago!

[Zane @ Jun 25th 2009 4:58AM]

Damn.. there are so many nice netbooks available on the market right now! 1005HA, 1000HE, Sammy N110/N120, Toshiba NB205.. decisions decisions!

[MaxFragg @ Jun 25th 2009 6:35AM]

already available in germany, got my hands on it yesterday 299 Euros with small battery, 100 Euros extra for the big one, but the netbook its sell looked quite nice

[mnemo @ Jun 29th 2009 10:13AM]

You must be mistaken, the 1005HA-H with Bluetooth and N280 goes for 50 Euro more than the 1005HA-M (N270) in Germany. Got one on June 24th.

[Josh @ Jun 25th 2009 8:01AM]

You really found the port covers "troublesome"? Really? Wow. Take them off? It seems that your only problem with them is that you can't fit your big honkin' circa 1995 USB stick into it. You can get a microSDHC USB drive smaller than your thumbnail and probably bigger than your capacity for about ten dollars these days. Hell mine cost $13 and the card fits *inside* the USB connector (UCARD008500).

My 1008HA is great. The only real advantage with the 1005 is the battery, which also makes it a little larger, so it's a wash. I get 4 to 5 hours of use from mine. Whenever the battery dies to 30 minutes of use, I'm sure there will be something better for another $400 out there. With a solar battery/charger like the ULIFE022400 you can alleviate that anyway, if you really need extended mobile power.

[Jay @ Jun 26th 2009 11:48AM]

Local Best Buy has the 1005HA's in stock since yesterday (just released them).. Of course, it's a N270 version. I almost picked it up but decided to grab the new Gateway 11.6" netbook (which also sucks despite it's 720p screen and amazing keyboard). Back to Best Buy for a 15% restocking fee ftl.