Sometimes you just want to tinker and get your hands dirty and perhaps even more so when you have a gadget that is just begging to be pulled apart so you have can have a look see. Not many netbooks might offer as much temptation as the Eee Seashell range does, and that is exactly what EeeUser Forum member wacou has done.

wacou has written some instructions which are really handy for those wanting to remove the netbook’s casing and have a look at the system internals. The basic guidelines include; pop out the battery, undo some screws, open a few clips, remove the keyboard and some more screws. Then you will have access to all the internals of the machine.

However, this is not for the faint of heart and could void your warranty if you are not careful. But for the adventurous and the curious and those who just want to see what the insides of the 1005HA look like, it’s all yours. Remember to check out the forum thread for more information and further feedback.

The Eee Box EB1012 is soon to be released, with an official Asus product page now existing and the full specifications already known. The Eee Box EB1012 will measure 8.7 inch x 7 inch x 1.1 inch and weight only 2.4 pounds. However, it does support a bit more grunt that the other Eee Box’s due to the dual core Intel Atom 330 processor and NVIDIA ION graphics.

It also offers 250GB hard drive, 2GB of memory (but it can support up to 4GB), full Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n support, an ethernet port, 6 USB ports, an eSATA port and built-in 5.1 channel audio as well as boasting D-Sub and HDMI outputs.

However, that’s not all. We have some information regarding a few other intended releases gracing us from Asus. Three other products are rumored to be upcoming, all supposedly going to be released in fourth quarter, or essentially around the time Windows 7 will be released.

The first is the Asus Eee PC 1201N. This one claims to offer a 12 inch display, 1.6Ghz Intel Atom N270 processor with NVIDIA ION graphics, 250GB of hard drive storage, 2GB of system memory, a 6 cell battery, full 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It should come with Windows 7 Home Premium and cost approximately $499.

The second is an updated Asus Eee PC 1005HA-P, which will replace the current 1005HA-P models. It would be very similar to the existing Eee PC 1005HA-P except it will come with a higher capacity hard disk drive and come default with Windows 7 Starter Edition. It is expected to go for $399.

The third is an updated 1005HA-M, and would overlap the 1005HA-V. Like the above, it will support similar specs to the 1005HA-V but come with a 250GB hard drive and come default with Windows 7 Starter Edition. It should go for a price of $349.

More information, pictures and other commentary can be found on the EeeUser forums here and here.

Asus and Intel have joined forces to create a new initiative which seeks to make a netbook designed by the community. Prizes for involvement in the community will include giving away 40+ netbooks, notebooks and gaming notebooks.

Asus and Intel will be hand picking winners in the contest based upon the quality of feedback received and how much influence and impact they have in the community.

They are looking for anything and everything that are the dream features that users believe are missing and are also looking for things that Asus and Intel might never have thought of. They want to know what YOU want to see from the next Eee PC.

So check it out and who knows, maybe after rallying up some support, your dream feature might be in the very next Eee PC. What do YOU want to see in your next Eee PC?

A member on the Eee User forums has decided to make a project that, more accurately than ever before, emphasizes the word BOOK in the term netbook. Member randyrsx has decided to demonstrate what can be done when you want to use a book to house your netbook and turn it into a protective case.

Several pictures show just how snug an Eee PC 901 can be stored away inside the protective shell of a hollowed out book, and could inspire those to use the idea as an anti-theft device, considering how much, when the book is closed, it would be difficult to guess that it wasn’t actually a book at all!

This brings to mind the idea that if one wanted to push the concept further, there are various software configurations available for viewing ebooks and flipping the display on the Eee PCs to mimic a book standing vertically, so you could be reading an ebook on your Eee PC while it is housed and resting in your actual hollowed out book.

So check out the project and let us know of any other similar modifications other Eee Users have come up with.

For those who regularly use the online storage facility offered by Asus to Eee users called Eee Storage, the facilities will be down on Tuesday from 4PM and estimated to be brought back up at midnight GMT, or 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time.

While maintenance is being performed, all members and users will not be able to perform backups or send files to and from the EeeStorage facilities. So if you were wanting to do any of the above, it’s probably better to backup now or retrieve as soon as you can any important file you think may be needed during that time.

Meanwhile, many Eee Users are giving updated reports on how they are finding the Eee PC T91, which was arguably the most anxiously awaited release from Asus for this this year. The T91 is seen by many as the last of the “smaller” netbooks to be released by Asus, and therefore inherits the ultra portable factor from its 7 and 9 inch predecessors.

Other favorable factors include claims that battery life actually nearly lives up to the promises made in the various announcements for it. The last good note, but certainly not the least, is that yes, the tablet mode which received most of the attention and hype regarding the T91 is living up to expectations, though there have been reported problems with the netbook acting a little sluggish with the default video drivers, but an update from Intel has been reported to fix that right up.

Join in the discussion on the forum and find out all about what the T91 has to offer.

A new version of the Tiny Core Linux distro has been released recently, which provides many great improvements and system enhances over the last version. Tiny Core Linux, the Linux distribution that was almost custom made for the Eee PC, works great on the Asus netbooks, and flies on the Asus Eee PC 701. Tiny Core Linux v2.2 is available for download immediately.

Tiny Core Linux boots entirely into RAM, which is very quick and easy considering it is only 10MB in size, and presents a basic interface to users, from which they can access anything they need to. At such a small size, it really is a Do-It-Yourself system, providing just the basics and allowing the user to build upon the foundations in any way that they want.

After just a few simple changes (basically installing a few software modules) taking mere minutes to complete, you can be running with full wireless support and be running Firefox at great speed. Of course, there are many other software configurations available and a wide selection of software is available in the software repository.

Tiny Core Linux is entirely free and open source, and is derived from the basic concepts of the Damn Small Linux base. Whether it is simply to set up a browser-only operating system, or a fully configured desktop, the tools are right here. Many Eee Users are finding that it works very well on the Eee PC netbooks. Maybe you will be too.

The Asus Eee PC T91, the touch screen netbook with swivel ability and tablet mode, which arrived just this past week, will soon be available in the U.K. It was listed on Amazon UK but is now designated as “Temporarily out of stock”. It is/will be available for £449.00.

Meanwhile, feedback threads on the T91 have opened up on the forums, revealing many opinions and first impressions.

Australians will be able to enjoy the Asus Seashell range of netbooks soon according to Asus. For those kept waiting, the Seashell range, including the 1008HA, the 1005HA and the 1101HA will be within reach to purchase. Expect to be able to find them in major retailers and from computer resellers from end of July onwards. The 1008HA, 1005GA and the 1101HA are expected to fetch a local price of $899, $599 and $999 respectively.

For those feeling adventurous and out of or not afraid to void your warranty, have you ever considered a trackball mouse for your Eee PC?

Thanks to one very keen modder, a tutorial is now available to show you just how implement an Apple Mighty Mouse trackball into the palm rest of your Eee PC, notably the Asus Eee PC 901.

You will have to have a bit of patience and skill to go through with this procedure, however, as it involves de-soldering wires from one place, re-soldering some more on your Eee PC 901 motherboard, cutting holes in the Eee PC case and various other bits and pieces.

However, for those who prefer not to use the built-in mouse on your Eee PC netbook, this is one more alternative you have other than using a bluetooth or USB mouse. If you have the skills, patience and knowledge, it certainly seems like a wonderful little project.

See discussion on the forum for more information about this interesting project.

Personalising the Eee PC has now taken another step forward. Thanks to forum member Cms, templates are now available for making your own keyboard skins so now you add character to your Eee PC 1000HE by customising the chiclet-style keyboard with your own designs and patterns. The patterns are printed onto paper, then placed onto the keyboard base itself. Photoshop skills optional, but recommended.

Meanwhile, the Asus Eee 1005HA Seashell PC is now shipping in the U.S. and is available via the Amazon online store. There are two different units being sold, so keep that in mind as you order. One has a glossy screen and goes for US$389.99, the other has a matte display and goes for US$349.99. The glossy has is powered by the 1.66Ghz N280 Intel Atom processor, comes with Bluetooth 2.1, a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 6 cell battery running at 5600 mAh which comes with a between charge time of 10.5 hours and comes with a sleeve accessory.

The matte screen version is powered by the Atom N270 processor at 1.6Ghz and comes with a 6 cell 4400 mAh battery which should run at 8.5 hours. A U.K. release is expected towards the end of the month.

On the heels of a post two days ago, and in the interest of giving new life and attraction at the old greats in the Asus Eee PC line-up, here is something which is sure to make some Eee PC 70x users very happy.

Many users were happy with many aspects of the Eee PC 701, and unhappy with other aspects, we know the perfect netbook may not exist, but there are some that are very, very close. Some fans of the 70x series replaced the keyboard with what they thought were more useful or appropriate keyboards, and some users found a way to do something else as well; replace the screen.

Probably just as many purchasers of the 70x series loved the small screen as much as there were those who hated it or found it a tad too small. Then the 90x came out with the larger screen that many argued belonged on the 70x, but a 70x with a larger screen never made it to the market. Until now.

Eeeuser forum member RandyLude92 has a long forum thread detailing how he managed to retrieve the larger screen from the 90x and maneuver it into the 70x. This involves carefully lifting the screen from the 90x, placing it into the 70x and even updating the BIOS to support the larger screen (to remove the screen size limitation, otherwise the whole screen would not be properly utilised).

So if you are feeling adventurous, give it a go, it appears to be a wonderful modification project. Warning, not recommended for the faint of heart, those still under warranty, if you have no backup plans in case anything goes wrong or those without a sense of adventure.