We couldn't help but be curious when ASUS teased that its new Eee PC Sirocco netbooks would 'make waves'. Would we see AMD's Ontario making its debut in an Eee? We didn't know, but we were sure that it would be something impressive, given the teaser campaign and a press launch event in Taiwan.
As it happens, it was nothing half as exciting. All ASUS had to show off was the new Sirocco version of the Eee 1015 netbook with a 'wavey' finish. Otherwise, it seems to be exactly the same as the 1015PEM that launched last October.
The 10-incher is powered by Intel's dual-core Atom N550 that should keep Windows 7 Starter running for up to 10 hours. Unfortunately, the rest of the specs on the 1.25Kg notebook are decidedly netbook-ish, and really offer nothing to shout about. Even USB 3.0 is absent, despite making an appearance on some of the other Eee models.
The only thing worth noting is the new design, which admittedly gives the netbook quite an attractive finish with a soft rubber coating that should make it nice and gripable. It also has the added benefit of making the casing almost totally resistant to fingerprints.
The Sirocco is the latest in ASUS' line of 'fashion netbooks' aimed to get people excited about the mini-notebooks, even as the market starts to lose momentum. It should be available in the UK immediately in purple, gold and light pink starting at around €350, which is about £300.
