Eee PC 1005HA now has a Business variant

Comes pre-loaded with Windows XP Pro

 Asus Eee PC 1005HA is of Asus’ Seashell brand. Biggest disappointment with the new Asus 1005HA is the terribly slow processor even by netbook standards. It is powered by the 1.33GHz Z520 Atom processor, as opposed to the widely used N270 and N280, or even the 1.66GHz Z530.

Asus now comes up with a Business version of the netbook, and guess what is the difference – XP Pro comes instead of XP Home preloaded – that’s it. Otherwise both the machines are almost identical. All Asus could do apart from giving the XP Pro is giving the new model a silver and black chassis instead of a solid black one, and 2GB of RAM. It has the same 10.1” display panel with resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, 160GB hard drive, and up to 10 hour battery life as claimed by the company. The Eee PC 1005HA Business edition is launching today in Japan for about $715.

Asus is launching updated versions the Eee PC 1005HA, 1008HA, and 1101HA with Windows 7 in other parts of the world, so it remains a mystery as to why the Business version is not launched with Win 7, maybe after a wait of two more days – as Win 7 is releasing on Thursday.

The Seashell brand is named after the Seashell inspired designs. The Eee PC 1008HA is the first model to have its sea-shell inspired pearlescent paint job. Asus also releases the Seashell series in many vibrant colors – inflating the exclusivity and price to a Premium level.