What are the benefits of having a netbook with aluminum skin? Nothing, except that aluminum is chameleon-like, that is, they can take on the color of their surroundings, from the trees and the birds and the bees. And when the aluminum skin is colored deep red, dark blue and metal gray, the colors become more astounding.

For netbook fans who think these laptop mini-me's could go a lot further in terms of style, you'll be glad to know that Asus is set to launch (at the time of this writing) the Asus Eee PC 1002HAE, a 10- inch netbook that is refreshingly more elegant looking than its predecessors. This netbook model is dressed up in different aluminum colors: deep red, dark blue and metal gray.

Apart from the stylish chassis, Asus also enhances the power by using a 1.66GHx N280 Atom CPU instead of the 1.6GHz N270 in the N270 Atom CPU. Everything else about this netbook is the same as other models in the Asus Eee PC line. The 1002HAE netbook has a 10-inch (1024 x 600) LED-backlit display, 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard-disk drive, which is not bad.

It is also built with wireless Draft-N support, a card reader, and a 1.3MP webcam. This mini laptop weighs in at 1.2kg and measures 264 x 181 x 27.6mm. Thus far, Asus has only talked about releasing the model in Japan. However, the company is expected to release it in the United States and Europe thereafter. The Asus Eee PC 1002HAE sells for 49,800 Yen, or $ 502.