ASUSTeK Computer has introduced the Asus EEE PC 1008HA netbook, also known as Seashell, in the United Kingdom and it’s headed for the U.S. market. The $420 Asus Seashell has a 10-inch screen, weighs 1.1 kg, and is one inch deep. The Asus netbook has an Intel Atom processor and Asus said it delivers six hours of battery life.

he booming species of computer called the netbook is getting a new member — the Asus Eee PC 1008HA, also known by the easier-to-remember name of Seashell. The $420 machine, being compared in some quarters to Apple’s MacBook laptop, was recently released in the United Kingdom and is now heading for the U.S. market.

The Seashell features an Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth v2.1, 802.11n, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit WSVGA 1024×600 screen, a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera, and a digital-array microphone composed of two mikes to reduce background noises and echoes. Maker ASUSTeK Computer also offers 10GB of online storage that is complimentary for the first 18 months of ownership.

‘Heating Up’

This petite model weighs only 1.1 kg (2.4 pounds) and is “ultra-slim” at a depth of one inch. There’s a “92 percent” keyboard, a touch keypad, an Ethernet and two USB ports, a SD card reader, and a hidden, pop-out VGA adapter dongle that’s available when needed for using a larger screen. Asus said the model’s Super Hybrid Engine’s increased power efficiency delivers six hours of battery life.

The Seashell is getting high marks for its pricing, petite size and style, but netbooks are a fast-moving category. For instance, Dell recently released a $299 Mini 10v, also based on an Atom CPU — the N270–and also with 1GB Ram, plus a 120GB hard drive. And the pricing center of gravity for netbooks is rapidly moving downward, with visions of netbooks under $200 with phone-company contracts.

Richard Shim, an analyst with industry research firm IDC, agreed that the netbook market is “heating up.” He pointed out, however, that the actual number of units sold is “limited,” while the growth rate is high.

Evolving Netbook Market

The netbook market is rapidly evolving, Shim noted. “We’re seeing more and more 10-inchers coming out,” he said, adding that “many folks are willing to try out the category.”

Despite this growth, Shim said he still thinks netbooks will remain as secondary devices. “There are still some challenges in performance ,” he said, and they’re fine for e-mail, net surfing, or light office work, but they’re not ideal for long-term use.

Shim said he crunches spreadsheets all day long, and the limitations of the netbook, such as screen size, limit use as a primary device. He could attach a larger display, Shim noted, but “if I’m going to use a larger display, I’d rather have a bigger system.”

If this were natural evolution, the shrinking netbooks and the increasingly more powerful smartphones would seem to be heading for a species merger. One factor that could cross the remaining gap could be the use the open-source mobile operating system Android on netbooks, as some manufacturers are exploring.

Shim said we will see Android on netbooks, although he “wasn’t sure how big a deal” they may be. “At the end of the day,” he said, the success of Android on netbooks will “depend on how the carriers respond” to promote the category.

Via Sci-Tech Today