ASUS is expected to further expand its range of Eee-branded netbook lineup with the addition of a new Atom-powered Eee PC system, which the company showcased at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new model, dubbed Eee PC 1000HE, will expand the manufacturer’s 10-inch netbook family, providing users with yet another choice for an Atom-powered netbook. According to available details, the innovation of the new ultraportable system is that it provides a different keyboard style and some more battery juice, which could potentially deliver an extra hour of battery life.

 

According to a recent news-article on liliputing, the new Eee PC from ASUS will come with a couple of rather unique specifications, in comparison to some of the company’s other 10-inch netbooks. The system will be based on the same Intel Atom N270 processor and run on Microsoft’s Windows XP home operating system, but it will bring forth a different keyboard design and a tweaked 6-cell battery option.

 

The keyboard on the new 1000HE is rather similar to that of an Apple or a Sony portable system, with the right “Shift” key placed on the left side of the up arrow. Apparently, the keys also provide a bit more surface area, due to the reduction of the bezels. Aside from the keyboard design features, the 1000HE is said to provide a better 6-cell battery, which could offer an extra hour of battery life. According to liliputing, the “E” in the netbook’s name, stands for extended, a reference to the upgraded cells of the battery, which have been upped from 2.6 amps to 2.9 amps.

 

On the specifications side, the small Eee PC 1000HE is packed with the aforementioned Atom N270 processor, 1 GB of DDR2 memory, a 160GB HDD, 10/100 Ethernet and wireless 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth connectivity. There's a VGA and 3 USB ports, in addition to a 1.3MP webcam.

 

Besides the Eee PC 1000HE and the 1004DN models, ASUS is expected to launch the 10-inch Eee PC 1000HAE, which is said to boast a similar keyboard style.