Asus' tiny sub-notebook PC has been in the center of attention in the last quarter of 2007. It is already one of the best-sellers in the notebook sector, but there are dark clouds at the horizon for the most wanted Christmas present.

Asustek's real success has made other competitors come out with similar products. One of them is the monitor manufacturer Belinea, that has geared up for launching a 7-inch notebook, to come with Eee's double the memory, 20 times the storage capacity as well as a 1.2 GHz CPU. Of course, these "revised" specifications will ask for some extra money, and sources say that Belinea's sub-notebook will sell for around $700 - almost double the price Asustek is selling its Eee sub-notebook.

However, the price covers 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, a larger keyboard, Bluetooth, Windows XP Pro pre-installed, a touchscreen, an integrated VoIP handset and a two-year warranty commitment. The Wi-Fi capabilities come as an USB add-on, but the network only works on 802.11a/g specifications.

A closer look in the new notebook's internals reveals Via's Nanobook reference design, with the energy-aware C7-M chip, that resembles Packard Bell's EasyNote XS20 machine. One of the greatest limitations in the sub-notebook sector is the 800 x 480 display, less than the vast majority of today's websites require for an optimal browsing experience.

Belinea's sub-notebook is 23 x 17 x 29cm and weighs about 970 grams with the battery included. It is not as compact as Asustek's Eee PC, but, at the same time, it looks closer to a "real notebook", which is a great achievement, especially in the keyboard design.

Belinea has not officially unveiled its new sub-notebook line, but the laptops are on sale through eBuyer.