NEC on Thursday announced its entry into the netbook market with the introduction of its 8.9-inch LaVie Light, which like many is powered by Intel's Atom processor running at 1.6GHz. NEC's first netbook will also include a hard disk drive with a class-leading 160GB capacity, while its 1GB of memory is on par with competitors. The screen's 1024x600 resolution is governed by a graphics processor that's part of the Intel 945GSE Express mainboard.

Additional features comprise of a b/g Wi-Fi module, an SD memory card reader and 1.3-megapixel camera. Expandability is ensured via three USB ports. Remaining connections include a VGA output, Ethernet port and basic audio input and output. The LaVie Light ships preloaded with Windows XP Home Edition. Battery life for the sub-2.6lb netbook is rated at 2.6 hours.

When the NEC LaVie Light netbook is released in the Japanese market in early November, it will be priced close to the equivalent of $650. No North American launch plans have been announced. [via Impress]