Asus 1101HA EeePC
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that there were rumors of a 11.6 inch EeePC in the works. More info has just been released, courtesy of Engadget. The advantage of this EeePC over other netbooks is fairly obvious, in that you get a larger screen (with HD resolution, 1366X768) and I would assume a larger keyboard. This netbook will sport the same "Seashell" design as the Asus 1008HA, which will probably allow for a slimmer, lighter machine compared to other comparably sized models. In addition, initial reports indicate the 1101HA will get 11hrs of battery life. Information is still sparse on this machine, so hopefully more information will be released soon.
The seashells- Asus' new 10 inch EeePC lineup
Asus 1008HA Review courtesy of CNET
Asus 1008HA Seashell Review courtesty of Engadget
Asus 1005HA-M and Asus 1005HA-H courtesy of Engadget
Exciting news coming from Asus, includes the release of the new Asus 1008HA "Seashell" netbook (priced at $429.99 at Newegg currently). This is a new line of Asus EeePc's, that will be followed shortly with the release of additional "Seashells" with the Asus 1005HA-M and 1005HA-H. The new product line, in my opinion, is a great step forward for Asus and netbooks in general, as it moves the market towards slimmer, sleeker and better looking netbooks. The toy-like design synonymous with many previous netbooks is gone in this line, as these puppies are extremely pleasing to the eye. These seashells allow for a pretty good mix of price (only ~$20-$40 more than the chunkier Asus 1000he), performance, size, and looks. The internal hardware is similar to most every other netbook on the market, but the size and beauty of this netbook is what sets it apart from the rest of the field.
The 1005HA-H and 1005HA-M (not available in the US yet) are just variants of the the already released 1008HA. This is where is gets a bit confusing, with all of these very similar yet different Asus netbooks. The 1005HA-HA will be a "deluxe" version of the 1008HA (with more port options, bigger battery, but more weight), and the 1005HA-M will be a "1008HA light" version (no bluetooth, better battery, bigger).
A few notes to mention with regard to the already released 1008HA: The battery is not removable (boo!) and it uses a mini-VGA port (not a big deal but somewhat annoying). The 1005 models do not have these issues so you may want to wait for them (although they are bigger in size because of this). Overall this is not a dealbreaker, and the new Asus Seashell line is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise cookie-cutter world of netbooks.