Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asustek plans to release a new miniaturized mobile solution, called the R50. The device breaks the company's line of ultra-mobile PC's such as the Eee PC, in order to follow Intel on the Mobile Interned Devices playground.

The R50 is a 5.6-inch mobile Internet device that is expected to kick in before June this year. According to Tony Chen, general manager of Asustek's notebook business, it will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology and will support both Windows Vista and an unknown distribution of Linux.

The ASUS R50 is a 5.6" Intel Atom-based mobile Internet device that is expected to come with 3G, GPS as well as an anti-glare LCD screen, to improve readability while in direct sunlight. The Atom chip will be clocked at 1.6 GHz, despite the fact that the topmost speed in the Atom family is situated around 1.8 GHz.

The storage requirements for the R50 will be handled by a built-in 32 GB solid-state drive, although there is no clue on whether it will come with Intel's Z-series SSDs or a third-party miniature unit.

The device also comes equipped with a biometric fingerprint reader, that adds an extra layer of security to the saved data, should the device get lost or stolen. However, it will lack a fully-fledged keyboard, and we expect the device to come with an on-screen software keyboard for data interchange.

This could be one of the most significant shortcomings of the device, but only early adopters will get burned, as the company plans to introduce an updated version in November, which will come with a keyboard.

Initially, the device will be priced at about $500, but Chen claimed that if Intel manages to cut down on costs, the MID market will get a significant boost. However, MIDs are expected to become popular in about three years.