The new Eee PC version will have an Intel Atom chip and a hard drive

Asus has just announced the upcoming 8.9-inch version of the ultraportable (UMPC) laptop the Eee PC 900 will use Intel's 45-nm Atom processor and will be adding a hard drive.

In an interview with Laptop Maz magazine, Asus CEO Jerry Shen confirmed the use of additional Windows XP for Eee 900 does not mean Asus will no longer support Linux. XP will be installed on the Eee 900 8GB version; Linux will be preinstalled on either 12GB or 20GB versions; The exterior design is the cover of the current Eee PC 701.

The Eee PC 900 is expected to hit the market in April, but according to Shen, the built-in UMPC version will only be available from the third quarter. Jerry Shen also confirmed that the new Eee PC 900 version will use Intel's 45-nm "Diamondville" chip (also known as Atom), and will be available in May.

The integrated Eee PC 900 versions of WiMax and 3G will appear in the third quarter after Asus reached an agreement with a number of 3G network providers.

The new Eee PC version will be available in April or May.