ASUS Eee PC 1008P Seashell Karim Rashid Edition

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Review

Intel announced its new Pine View platform for netbooks just before Xmas and CES 2010 was awash with 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 Eee PC 1008P has been designed in part by industrial designer called Karim Rashid — and no, we’ve never heard of him either. He presumably handled the outside, while ASUS took care of the inside, but he certainly seems to know what he’s doing.

The netbook It comes in two colours — ‘hot pink’ and ‘coffee brown’, and both have the same dramatically textured case that combines a deeply grooved grid pattern with a rippled finish. This covers every inch of the Eee PC 1008P’s outside, top and bottom, and we’ve never seen anything like it — but we do like it.

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 and both models are certainly trendy enough to tout around under one arm.

Unusual looks aside, both models are slim and light, with a sleek profile that hides the ports behind flaps at either side of the case. There’s the usual selection, with the exception of a Mini-DisplayPort rather than VGA, but ASUS has cleverly hidden a compact Mini-DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter behind a magnetic flap on the netbook’s underside. Surprisingly, the slim chassis also houses a slender 2900mAh removable battery that slips into a slot on the underside — again hidden behind a removable panel.

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