The Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008P Karim Rashid Collection netbook, we find a wrinkly Asus Eee PC 1218 AC adapter, rippling textured case top and bottom, replete in a metallic pink gloss. Perhaps not at the forefront of Mr Rashid's mind, those wibbly panels are not just bizarrely tactile for the fingers, but actually aid in the picking up and carrying of the portable, with less chance of slippage from your hand.

Basic Specifications:

10.1″ 1024 x 600 display;

1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU with Intel NM10, GMA3150;

2GB RAM;

250GB HDD + 500GB ASUS Online WebStorage;

Windows 7 Starter;

Weight: 1.13kg(without the Asus Eee PC 1008P charger);

802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, Gigabit LAN;

2 x USB, 1.3MP webcam, card reader, Mini VGA port, mic and headphone out;

3-cell battery (5.5 hour battery life).

The hot pink model has a shiny metallic finish and possibly won’t be to everyone’s taste, but the coffee brown colour is matte and a bit more restrained. The idea behind the Eee PC 1008P is to turn low-cost ultraportables into fashion accessories(including Asus Eee PC 1005HA charger) and both models are certainly trendy enough to tout around under one arm.

The glare type display can't score and is beaten by its matt colleagues by lengths. The "plate" put in front of it looks great but leaves ugly marks on the screen and annoys with reflections in adverse light conditions.

The chiclet keyboard is winning and only the shift key that turns out a bit too small dampen the picture. The noise and heat development are within an acceptable range, at least in practical use. The touchpad still has a somewhat rough surface but the multi-touch gestures have improved in the meantime.

The textured touchpad is also pretty good, providing plenty of feedback, same good is the Asus Eee PC 1201K charger. It supports multi-touch gestures in Windows 7, as well. We're not normally fans of single 'see-saw' touchpad buttons, but the 1008P's is responsive and easy to use by feel alone.

Apart from a multicard reader and audio ports, the Eee PC 1008P comes with a mini-VGA port. If you flip the Eee PC 1008P upside down, you'll notice a hidden compartment near its spine, inside which sits a mini-VGA to VGA converter--just in case you want to connect the netbook to a projector or external display. Even the battery compartment is pretty sleek and a little displaced from its traditional place near a netbook's spine hinge--you get two interchangeable 3-cell batteries with the Eee PC 1008P.

Intel announced its new Pine View platform for netbooks just before Xmas and CES 2010 was awash with Asus Eee PC 1201T adapter new models that made use of it. The first to hit the Mobile Computer office is the ASUS Eee PC 1008P Seashell Karim Rashid Edition but, as the name suggests, there’s a bit more to this netbook than a new processor. The Intel Pine View platform isn’t much to get excited about, but the Eee PC 1008P that’s wrapped around it is a really nice looking netbook that makes a refreshing change from the plain designs of other manufacturers.

It's fair to say that the 1008P's beauty is only skin-deep. Beneath the flashy surface, it's just another netbook. Inside, it uses an Intel Atom N450 CPU clocked at 1.66GHz, 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive. A further 500GB of free storage is available via Asus' WebStorage system, which lets you stash your data online.

Asus' Eee PC 1008P Seashell Karim Rashid isn't the best netbook on the market. Arguably, almost any of the other machines in the Seashell range are superior Asus Eee PC 1215 charger. But, if you don't mind its limited battery life, and you really want a netbook that stands out from the crowd, it'll probably be right up your catwalk.

Hide Comments | Add Comment