New Everex laptops inbound

Japanese company Everex, which does have some North American presence, is preparing two potentially interesting StepNote laptops. The high-end model is the XT500J (pictured), a 17-inch system capable of resolutions up to 1440x900. It is powered by a 1.6GHz Turion 64 X2 processor, uses up to 4GB of RAM, and has a 256MB GeForce Go 7600 card for graphics. The computer is also equipped with Vista Home Premium, a DVD burner and a four-in-one card reader, but hard drive space is limited to 120GB. The cost should be 129,800 yen ($1,086).

The VR2000J is scaled down in a few regards, such as its 15.4-inch display, with resolution likewise reduced to 1280x800. The processor is a 1.73GHz Core Duo chip, while maximum RAM is 2GB, and graphics are supplied by an integrated motherboard chipset. The one advantage to the computer is battery life, since the VR2000J can run for four hours versus the XT5000J's two-and-a-half. No cost is mentioned, and neither of the laptops have a firm release date. [via Impress Watch]