ASUS EEE 1008HA – Display and Hinge

ASUS EEE 1008HA is the first EEE PC with a glossy display. Until now, all the EEE PCs have come with matte display. I have always loved matte screens as it allows me work inside my office as-well-as on the road too. Glossy displays, although look very pretty are a nightmare to work with in the direct sunlight or bulb.

If you have ever seen HP Mini 1000 or any of the mininotes from HP in person, then you will name ASUS as the copycat as it copied the recessed hinge design of the HP Minis netbooks and implemented it in the EEE 1008HA. But who cares? We are happy with the design as it has considerably helped in reducing the height of the design.

Thoughts:

If you have been happy with your notebook with glossy display and you are fine with them even while working outdoors, you should then have no problem with the EEE 1008HA. Personally, I would still prefer matte displays.

Lenovo S10 with built-in 3G

With so many companies rolling out 11-inch screen netbooks, Lenovo does not seems that interested in joining their bandwagon. Instead, Lenovo is going to update their S10 netbook with a built-in 3G modem, which will be known as S10-2. Here are some of the differences between S10 and S10-2:

• Redesign – Rounded edges, different hinge.
• 8-32GB SSD options
• 3G Support / SIM card behind battery
• Wireless Switch
• ExpressCard/34 slot removed
• Extra USB port (total of 3)
• Shrunken, pushed down arrows keys like on AAO.
• Larger sized trackpad
• Ports/buttons/LED re-arrangements
• Battery shape has changed
• Double access bays to access HDD, RAM and now Wi-Fi.

Click here to read the Gadgetmix’s review of the Lenovo S10

Not all Dell Mini 9s are same

It looks like that not all the Dell Mini 9s are same or shall I say “Dell has made an improvement”. The hinge of the old Dell Mini 9 (shown on the right) would not allow the screen to go back as the one shown on the left. The ability to go back more can provide better viewing angles in certain positions, say when you are standing.

My trusty ASUS EEE 1000H can go back a great deal, almost 160-deg or so. It is pity that the older Dell Mini 9′s hinge did not allow the users to let their screens go back as compared to the new Dell Mini 9′s hinge.

[related post on DellMini forums]