Seashell Eee PC to wash up on European shores

by Stevie Smith - May 5 2009, 16:45

Seemingly not satisfied with teasing computer buyers with its upcoming line of skinny U Series notebooks, Taiwan-based manufacturer ASUSTeK (ASUS) is also keen to tickle the taste buds of prospective Netbook owners looking to secure a slice of ultra mobile hardware that’s as impressively thin as it is small.

Arriving in Europe on just the right side of the Netbook/notebook divide where inches are concerned (anything over 10 and things get debateable), the new Eee PC ‘Seashell’ 1008HA boasts a ‘thickness’ of just one inch and weighs in at a paltry 1.1kg (approximately 2.4lbs).

Beyond the obvious appeal of its sleek aesthetic, the latest Eee PC from the bulging ASUS stable includes a solid 10-inch LCD display (1024 x 600), an Intel Atom N280 processor, a full 1GB of RAM, and a generous 170GBs of hybrid data storage – 160GBs are hard drive based while the remaining 10GBs are made available as a free online extension.

Other elements adding to the Seashell’s list of specifications (no, it doesn’t smell of fish or sound like the wind if you hold it to your ear) include, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11n) connectivity, a modest 1.3 mega pixel camera, and Microsoft’s recently reprieved Windows XP operating system.

The Seashell 1008HA is expected to hit retail outlets in the United Kingdom in the coming weeks attached to a recommended price of around 350 GBP (approximately $515 USD), which is pushing the envelope for acceptable Netbook pricing on the U.S. side of the pond.

However, the Seashell is rather dishy – as the Brits would say – and it does offer the slightly more muscular Atom along with healthy data storage and fairly convincing RAM. Of course, it ain’t no MacBook Air, but the Acer Aspire One should perhaps be a little worried.

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