Asus Eee PC 1008HA netbook is now available worldwide. Dubbed as “SeaShell“, this 10-inch mini laptop offer an Intel Atom N280 (1.66Ghz) processor, a 1GB of main memory, a 160GB of hard drive, Bluetooth, and a WSVGA LED backlight display. SeaShell was first introduced during CeBit 2009 event and it sports a beautiful design with a nice color combination that reminds us to the beach. Weighs at just 1.1kg, the netbook also features an ergonomically designed keyboard, intelligent energy management system and an intuitive multi-touch touch-pad. No words on pricing.

Starting from May 16th, you can expect to see the latest Eee PC from Asus in Japan computer store, the Eee PC 1003HAG netbook. For 550 EUR (around $731), you’d get a mini laptop with the following features: an Intel Atom N280 (1.66Ghz) processor, a 1GB of main memory, a 160GB of hard drive, WiFI connectivity, and integrated webcam module. Furthermore, 1003HAG also comes with NTT DoCoMo’s 3G WAN module so you can access and enjoy high-speed internet data transfer rate from NTT DoCoMo Data Network.

One more pic after the jump.

Asus unleashed the new Eee PC series netbook named Eee PC E1004DN. Powered by an Intel Atom N280 processor, the 10-inch mini laptop features an Intel GMA4500 graphics engine, a 120GB of 4,200rpm HDD, Bluetooth, WiFI, an Express Card slot, an ergonomic keyboard, and DVD Super-Multi drive (the first one on the series). Weighs at just 1.45kg (incl. battery), this ultra-portable mobile internet device also sports Asus Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) technology that extend the E1004DN battery life.

From my personal experiences, a small, compact netbook like the Eee PC series is only worthed playing game or writing document on short period. If you usually using the laptop in a long time (more than 2 hours), get the ‘real’ notebook with at least 13.3-inch screen…

Onkyo presented its newest Sotec series laptop, the Sotec C103 netbook. Available in two colors (black and silver), this mini notebook sports an Intel Atom N270 processor, a 1GB of main memory, an Intel 945GSE Express chipset, a 10.1-inch WSVGA LCD display, a 160GB of hard drive, and a 802.11b/g/n WiFI connectivity. It is equipped with a 4.4.Ah battery that lasts for up to 5 hours per full charge. Well, nothing special here. In a matter of fact, the C103 is the same as Onkyo’s Sotec C101 model, except that it comes with a different flavours.

Anyway, I’ve read some computer magazine last week, and it said that the days of less-than-10-inch netbook are already over. Even Asus, the manufacturer of the first and the most famous Eee PC netbook, has mentioned that they will only offer 10-inch netbook from now on. I really agree with this, since I own two netbooks, one with 7-inch display and other with 10-inch screen, and I prefer to use the latter.

What about you?

Here goes another choice for you who want to buy a netbook, the IdeaPad S9e from China-based company Lenovo. Like most others mini laptop, this compact 8.9-inch notebook is powered by Intel Atom N270 processor and Intel 945GSE chipset. It also features a 1GB of main memory, a 160GB of hard disk, a LED backlight LCD with WSVGA resolution, and a battery that lasts for up to 6.5 hours of usage. The price is set at €320 or about $406 USD.

I have an 8.9-inch Asus EEE PC netbook myself and I think any laptop below 10-inch is not comfortable to use. If you can afford more bucks, I suggest you buy 10-inch netbook instead.

And here goes another Atom-powered compact PC for today, the new Eee Top 1602 from Asus. Inspired by its highly popular Eee PC netbook, this small computer features a 1.60Ghz Intel Atom N270 processor, a 1GB of main memory, an Intel 945GSE Express chipset, an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera module, a built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFI connectivity, and a 160GB of hard drive. Unlike Mouse Computer’s LM-M110S, Asus is kindly enough to include a 15.6-inch TOUCHSCREEN LCD screen (1366×768 resolution) on Eee Top 1602 package. And if you check the screenshot below, you can see that the monitor comes with at least three USB ports and one LAN network port (CMIIW). Bravo!

Asus Eee Top 1602 compact desktop PC is retailed for around €545 or about $691.

I bought MSI Wind U100 couple days ago, to replace my 7-inch Asus Eee PC laptop. Using that compact Eee PC for almost a year made me realize that the 7-inch display is too small for me That’s why I decided to switch into U100 which comes with a larger 10-inch (1024×600) screen. In term of perfomance, U100 obviously beat Eee PC since an Intel Atom N270 CPU is far more superior than Celeron M processor. I’ve also upgraded the memory onto 2GB DDR2 RAM. Moreover, U100 already comes pre-loaded with Windows XP Home operating system, so I don’t have to purchase separate Windows license for this mini laptop.

So far, I really love Wind U100. I used it mostly for mobile (FYI, I wrote this article on the airport by using U100) and its lightweight, easy to carry-around body is totally adorable. It also has built-in Bluetooth connectivity and memory card reader, so I can easily transfer photos taken from my cell phone or digital camera to U100. My one and only disappointment is that its WiFi / wireless LAN connectivity is rather weak (it only supports b/g wireless interface). Sometime it won’t detect nearby hotspot and if it did, I have to wait for at least 15 minutes before its connection become stable. Anyone else encounter the same problem?

Anyway, like many reviews for Wind U100 around the world, I highly recommend this mini laptop. Others maybe cheaper, but add a few bucks, and you’ll get a much better compact machine. Don’t forget to get the optional 6-cell battery as well, as it will give at least 4 hours of usage per full charge (the original configuration comes with a 3-cell battery that lasts for 2.5 hours). When I bought U100, I paid an extra $30, and I received another 1GB memory, doubled the hard disk space (160GB), and that 6-cell battery. Definitely worth the money.

NEC is joining the mini laptop’s euphoria with the new 8.9-inch LaVie Light Netbook. Powered by a 1.60Ghz Intel Atom N270 processor, which is the most popular CPU for compact notebook, LaVie Light boasts a 160GB of hard drive, a 1GB of main memory, an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam module, an SD media card slot, three USB ports, and WiFI connectivity. It measures 250 x 176.5 x 36.5mm and weighs 1.17kg.

Can it beat Asus EEE PC or MSI’s Wind in the battle? It’s up to you to decide…

Asus is going to broaden the market of its popular EEE PC series mini laptop with the upcoming Gold EEE PC 900A. Of course, that doesn’t mean the company would re-create the whole laptop using gold material (only the cover will be painted in gold layer), but those high-mobility professionals who care about exclusivity would probably love it. Regarding its specs, the netbook boasts the same sets as EEE PC 900 model.