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Asus is taking pre-orders for a netbook based on Intel’s second-generation netbook platform, the secret-shrouded N280/GN40 chipset. Early product specs confirm that the second wave of netbooks are likely to offer faster graphics and lower power use, along with room for much, much larger batteries.

Asus is the company that arguably touched off the netbook craze with its original Eee PC, originally launched in July 2007. The little Eee PCs started out with Intel Celeron processors, and switched last June to Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom N270.

Now, according to Asus’s website and a promotional Facebook group, the company is set to ship a netbook based on Intel’s next-generation Atom N280, reportedly codenamed “Pineview.” Thus far, Intel has made next-to-no information on this CPU public, beyond referencing a GN40 companion chip and a miniscule 0.06GHz increase in clock speed compared to the N270. However, it’s widely believed that Pineview will integrate northbridge functionality, with an IGP (integrated graphics processor) that will clock at 200MHz and may be capable of HD video playback. For more details, see later in this story.

Asus touts the N280 in its new Eee PC 1000HE netbook as providing “better performance at only 2.5 Watts of power.” Taking no chances, the company has equipped the device with a massive 8700mAh battery, which is claimed to allow “up to 9.5 hours of run time.”

Despite its power, the battery “sits flush with the chassis,” claims Asus. Indeed, photos of the device (above) reveal a tidy footprint, and with a cited weight of 3.2 pounds, the PC 1000HE isn’t significantly heftier than the netbook norm, either.

Without revealing what operating system the PC 1000HE will include, Asus says the netbook will provide “fast bootup and shutdown times.” The device will also sport a new “chiclet” keyboard design, as pictured, plus a “multitouch keypad [that] allows two-fingered zooming and scrolling,” according to the company.

Asus says the PC 1000HE includes a 160GB hard disk drive and a 10-inch display with LED backlighting. The device also offers 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth, according to the company.

Source: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS9895185354.html