ASUS 1005HA and 1101HA Seashell Eee PCs launch

Posted by David Walker on Thu 9 Jul 2009

Lightweight mini notebook keeps you surfing even longer, writes David Walker

The original Seashell picked up a favourable review from this site, so offering much of the same with a few positive tweaks is just fine by us. That's pretty much exactly what you get with the newly-launched ASUS 1005HA and 1101HA Seashell Eee PCs.

Don't worry, both models are still lightweight and both have those clamshell-like looks, so both are still ideal for dragging around in your bag for some mobile browsing. Indeed, the 10.1-inch 1005HA is pretty much the same size as the original, with the 1101HA offering something a little bigger as an 11.6-inch model. So what's new? Well, a bigger battery life and a few useful little tools.

The removable battery is the one significant difference. The new models each have a replacable Li-Ion battery, offering up to 10.5 hours of use from a single charge. Not long enough for you? Well, buy another. If a spare battery is charged, you can pretty much keep going for a full 24-hour period. Not that we would ever recommend you do such a thing - health, eyes, you know what we're saying.

ASUS is also throwing in its Eee Docking Software, described as 'a non invasive dock’ on the top of the screen, with quick access to Eee@Vibe media (music, video, net radio), Eee Sharing to easily sync messages and data with other PCs, Eee Xperience, described as 'a suite of applications enhancing the visual and audio performance of the Eee PC' and Eee Tools, which includes various useful bits and pieces, including parental control.

In terms of specification, aside from size, both the 1005HA and 1101HA are pretty consistent, with 160GB HDD Storage, 10GB Eee Storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1. 1.3-megapixel webcam, 3x USB, Windows XP and a choice of black or white for the finish. Pricing is still being confirmed, but we can't see either being too far upwards of the original's £379 price point.

Link: ASUS