I know the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA is already available, but ASUS just sent me a promotional email on the device. The subject line is definitely eye-catching: “10.5 hours of unplugged freedom.” For over a year, debates have raged over why netbooks are so popular. Some say price, some say portability, but as I said yesterday, there’s a third “P”: power efficiency. Put these all together and you get a fourth “P”, as in “package.” To me, the success is really about the whole package a netbook provides:

• Low pricing for usable computing, which means a good value.
• Light in weight, making for portability and use in more places than larger devices
• The ability to compute for at least eight hours or more, which I define as “all day” computing

ASUS appears to have positioned the Eee 1005HA just right, but 10.5 hours might be a bit boastful on the company’s part. Then again, it might not be: Liliputing already has a review up and has already seen at least eight hours with Wi-Fi on and screen brightness at 50 percent. With that kind of battery life, a weight of 2.8 pounds and online pricing as low as $389, another “P” is crying out to my temptations: purchase!

First spotted as a non-working prototype at CES in January, the ASUS Eee PC T91 might be shipping this week. Earlier this month, the convertible touchscreen Tablet PC/netbook appeared in the FCC database, which is generally indicative of product availability. Today, The Netbook Market caught wind of an EeeUser forum post that states shipments are starting today. ASUS has also added the T91 to their ever-growing Eee PC Comparison List as well.

The official listing shows the T91 with Microsoft Windows XP, but I’d expect Windows 7 to appear as an option due to the 8.9″ resistive display. The device only comes with a 16GB SSD option, but includes a 16GB “disk expander” SD card and 20GB of online storage from ASUS as well. ASUS figures the device should run for around five hours on the 28.5Wh battery paired with an Intel Atom Z520. It’s worth noting that the tablet includes 802.11n support like most of the newer Eee PC models and weighs only 2.12 pounds. That’s one light Tablet PC, perhaps the lightest convertible tablet yet!

I am working in the local coffee shop trying desperately to avoid doing any work get an important article finished and sitting next to me is a college kid with the original EEE PC, the 7-inch model. How does she like it?  ”It’s the best laptop EVER!”

What she liked best about the little netbook she showed me when she was leaving. She tossed it in the outside pocket of her purse, which is very convenient.

I’ve been waiting for a real differentiator in the “me-too” netbook space for a while. In December, I pulled out my crystal ball (OK, it’s really a toy Magic 8 Ball) and saw a Qualcomm netbook running Android. Today, DigiTimes says that ASUS is considering a netbook built on a Qualcomm platform. The devices would likely be branded under the Eee PC line, although the ARM CPU wouldn’t support Microsoft Windows. I’d expect it be similar to the concept device that Qualcomm has already shown but with the traditional Eee PC styling. Maybe even a small clamshell design, akin to the Sony VAIO P, but smaller.

There’s two schools of thought here. One is comprised of folks that see netbooks as small notebooks that should run the same OS and apps as their larger counterparts. The other thought is that a netbook is a portable web and communications device. That’s where a device such as the one I’m envisioning comes to mind: notebook look-and-feel, but integrated voice and data communications components, light operating system and long-battery life. I agree with those that say Google’s Android isn’t optimized for a device larger than a handset. I don’t expect Google to limit Android to a 3- or 4-inch display over the long haul, however. If we see that develop and ASUS does whip one of these up a Qualcomm-based netbook, I’ll be the first in line to try it.

Last month, I was asked by one of our readers to recommend a netbook. We all debated on what the best netbook is for the price. I ended up concluding that the ASUS Eee PC 1000HA was mighty compelling for under $400. The ever-changing market has me reconsidering what I’d recommend if asked the same question today. I’m pretty sure I’d change my tune ever so slightly to the key of E, as in 1000HE.

Amazon recently had the netbook in a pre-order status for $374, but Liliputing says the product page now shows a 2-3 week ship date. At this price, I think the 1000HE is hard to beat if you’re looking for a 10-inch display. Harry McCracken is looking for netbook recommendations and folks seem to agree, although the 10-inch Acer Aspire One competes well on a spec-for-spec basis. The biggest difference I see between the two is the ASUS model using a slightly newer and faster Intel Atom CPU. That and the 9.5 hours of run-time ASUS claims with the battery and their Super Hybrid Engine. I’m expecting we’ll see 7-8 hours, and that’s fine by me.

I try not to get too excited about every new ASUS Eee PC model, but I’m making an exception for the new 1000HE with 10-inch LED backlit display. It’s available for online pre-order now at $399 and it addresses many compromises that netbooks typically offer. Although I haven’t tested it, I’d expect that it performs a tad better than most current netbooks due to the CPU & GN40 chipset. The 1000HE runs on a newer Intel Atom: the N280, which is a 1.66GHz CPU. That’s only a minor tweak over the current N270s running at 1.6GHz, but the Front Side Bus (FSB) of the N280 is boosted to 533MHz to 667MHz. I’m not expecting a stellar performance jump, but it should be there.

Battery life is addressed with an 8700mAh power pack that’s flush with the chassis. Sweet! Between the battery and the exclusive Super Hybrid Engine, ASUS expects up to 9.5 hours of run-time. If that translates to eight hours in the real-world, the “all-day computing” claim is met in my book. Even with the large battery, the device weighs 3.2-pounds, which is about the top-end of what I like to carry on a regular basis.

ASUS redesigned the keyboard, which we expected. It’s 92% of standard size and the keys are chiclets. Look at that: they put the Right-Shift key where it belongs too! That alone has me pulling out my credit card. I like my MSI Wind, but the new ASUS is worth of upgrade consideration now.

Storage for the 1000HE is provided by a 160GB hard drive and ASUS is also including 10GB of online storage. I’m looking for more information on the 10GB; I’m curious if it looks like a mounted drive when you have connectivity or it’s less integrated than that. The netbook keeps support for multi-touch capability on the wide trackpad with two buttons; it also includes 802.11n and Bluetooth. ASUS is offering more information directly through their Facebook group.

Earlier this month, I offered a video look at Phoenix HyperSpace, a fast-booting partition that enables quick access to the web on a netbook or notebook. While I found value in the product, I thought that the subscription-based model that Phoenix offered was going to be tough for consumers to swallow. Many of you agreed. Back then I felt that a deal with OEMs would provide a better value to end-users and today, the first such deal was announced.

Phoenix just shook hands with ASUS, so you can expect to see HyperSpace in “next generation notebooks”. Now the question becomes: will you have to pay more for the HyperSpace feature in an ASUS notebook or will it be hidden (or subsidized, even) in the notebook cost? Frankly, I see far more chance of success with these types of OEM deals than directly through consumer sales. We asked the folks at Phoenix Technologies and ASUS for some clarification on the details and will update if and when we hear back. I’m also curious if the agreement applies to ASUS netbooks as well as notebooks. Remember, there are two versions of HyperSpace: Dual is for Intel Atom and Celeron devices, while the more functional Hybrid product is geared for traditional notebooks with Intel Core Duo CPUs and up.

If you’d rather not wait for HyperSpace-enabled ASUS device, you can always try the product for 21-days at no cost. You’ll need a supported device like those mentioned on the HyperSpace Product Specifications page.

Updated – I heard back from Phoenix Technologies PR firm on my questions:

• HyperSpace will ship on a variety of ASUS models, such as the recently announced Omega Series notebooks and the well known ASUS EeePC netbook.
• HyperSpace will be pre-installed. The Hybrid product will appear on the higher performance devices, while netbooks will see the Dual product. That’s the product I saw on the Lenovo S10.
• Here’s the kicker: ASUS will ship HyperSpace with a standard annual subscription. That’s $39.95 for the Dual on a netbook, $59.95 for the Hybrid on a notebook. Again, I see this model as a very tough sell and was hoping that the OEM would absorb some of the cost. No dice.

Asus S121

There’s an interesting phenomenon going on right now and I’m still trying to get my head around it. Netbooks originally offered a new product choice: full laptop features with a 7-inch display. That screen proved to be a bit small for some and also didn’t provide enough room for an efficient keyboard. So netbooks moved up to 8.9-inch displays and higher resolution.  Ten-inch displays quickly followed, which brings you closer to the 12- and 13-inch small notebook segment. But things didn’t stop there, did they?

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I had a chance to run through the Asus booth and it’s amazing how much focus is on the Eee PC line. Asus has a decent amount of floor space and I’d guestimate that at least half of it is devoted to netbooks. I was joking last night that I’m waiting to see Asus “create” a new model that was exactly the same as an older one. How they keep all these straight with the minor feature differences is beyond me.

I did get my hands finger on the Asus Eee PC T91 to tap the resistive touch-display. Since the unit was looping a vid, all I could do was move the cursor around: nothing earth-shattering in the experience as it’s the same as any other decent resistive touch panel. I was happy to see N10J with the improved keyboard. Have a walk around with me….

Huzzah! It’s true! Asus is indeed modifying the keyboards in their Eee PC line! Before CES, we heard reports of Asus revamping their Eee PC keyboards so that the Right-Shift key was in a more traditional spot. While I was literally Eee-shooting Eee-pictures from alongside him, Brad Linder was chatting with the Asus folks. He’s reporting that the new keyboard layout will be on most every new Asus Eee PC going forward. One exception is the T91 convertible touch-eee, feel-eee netebook, but considering that’s still a semi-concept device, we can always hope it gets the change as well.

In honesty, not everyone cares about the Right-Shift key as much as I do. It’s a challenge I jumped on right away when I noticed on a netbook and I haven’t stopped barking about it ever since. But as I said earlier this week: netbooks are already using a compromised keyboard in terms of size, why further compromise with non-standard key placement? In any case, I suspect most Eee PC layouts will look what Brad saw recently in a manual for the 1002HA & S101H.

Asus Eee PC keyboard design

Call me crazy, but the Eee PCs will definitely make the cut on some people’s “netbooks to consider” list after this. I feel more productive just thinking about this. R-eee-ally!