ASUS chases MacBook Air style with Eee PC 1008HA
updated 02:10 pm EST, Tue March 3, 2009
ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Shell
ASUS' centerpiece at the CeBIT expo today is a new addition to the Eee PC family. Nicknamed the Seashell for its blue-and-white colors, the design is much rounder and has a thinner, tapered design very similar to that of the MacBook Air, including for its side ports and sealed-in battery. The trade-off produces a 10-inch netbook which is an inch thick only at one point and is comparatively light at 2.4 pounds.
Most specifications are still being kept secret, though an edge-to-edge design lets ASUS outfit the 1008HA with a keyboard 92 percent of full-size in addition to the multi-touch trackpad now common on most Eee PCs. Networking is the strongest focus with 802.11n Wi-Fi as standard as well as both 3G (over HSPA) and WiMAX as options. A 1.3-megapixel webcam is stock.
ASUS is also using the portable to introduce Eee Sharing, a new feature that syncs the computer with most PCs and lets fellow Eee PCs share documents and messages, as well as Eee Arena, a portal for media and games. The company is expected to launch the 1008HA in the spring and to ship it for 600 euros ($754) in Europe, though US pricing is likely to be less. [via Notebook Italia]
