Everex prepping 'Eee PC-killer' ultra-mobile?

Budget PC maker Everex hopes to do with ultra-mobile PCs what it did with the gPC desktop, says a leak from the company. To be called the Cloudbook, it will target the recently launched ASUS Eee PC with a similar 7-inch screen and the use of its in-house gOS Linux software in place of a costlier and more demanding copy of Windows; a 1.3-megapixel webcam is also expected to be part of the design.

Nonetheless, the system will use a few techniques to reduce the price, less expensive 30GB hard drive will replace the flash storage from the ASUS system. It will also switch from a 900MHz Intel Celeron to an ultra-low voltage 1.2GHz Via C7. A DVI output will also separate the Cloudbook from the Eee in supporting flat-panel displays, the tip notes.

If true, the new Everex mini-notebook would ship by mid-January and will most likely be announced at or shortly before the Consumer Electronics Show on January 7th in a standard $399 version. A unique developer edition will include both a touchscreen and an add-on interface for extra hardware similar to the Packard Bell EasyNote XS, such as a Skype phone or an alarm clock. Its release date and price are uncertain but may be set a week before the home user's model.