The Asus Eee PC 1005PE is the first netbook from Asus to have a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail processor. It will be available for purchase sometime in January, but the folks at Asus were kind enough to send me one to review in advance.

On the outside, the netbook looks almost identical to the Eee PC 1005HA which has been available for the past few months. The only cosmetic change is that the new model has a chiclet-style keyboard. It has the same glossy lid and display and the same “seashell” styling as the earlier model.

On the inside, the Eee PC 1005PE has a new Pine Trail processor with GMA 3150 graphics. It uses less power than the Atom N280 chip used in the 1005HA, and that should lead to better battery life. I’ve read a number of reviews stating that the Eee PC 1005PE can run for up to 10 hours with a 6 cell, 63Whr battery. Of course, I’ll be testing the battery and overall performance myself over the next few days as well.

You can check out my unboxing video after the break.

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