Details of Asus’s desktop version of its Eee PC are beginning to emerge, and appears to be Apple TV sized small.

Asus has dubbed the Eee PC’s desktop sibling, the Eee Box, and will come with Linux or Microsoft Windows XP. Initial samples being passed around feature an Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor, Intel 945G chipset, 1 GB of DDR2-667, 2.5” 160 GB 5,400-rpm hard drive, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n wireless, and Bluetooth. No optical drive is built-in due to the size of the form-factor. However, a multimedia card reader will be built-in, and will allow Multimedia Cards, Secure Digital, and Memory Sticks. At launch Asus will make available a wide range of configurations to suit the users needs.

The entry-level unit is reported to run a Linux operating system and will house an 80 GB hard drive. The estimated cost should be in the neighborhood of $328 USD. However, details regarding the configuration of the entry-level unit were not revealed.

Initial impressions have been relatively positive. While the unit will not boast any speed records, it will definitely deal with the daily chores of surfing the web, checking email, and office applications. Success of the product will ultimately depend on how well Asus can priced the machine. The Eee Box is expected to launch very soon at this year’s Computex.

Asus took the sub notebook market by storm last year with the company’s Eee PC due to its price relatively low price. Currently the Eee PC can be picked up at Best Buy at $399, and features a Celeron M processor, 512 MB of memory, 4 GB NAND memory, and a 7” widescreen, all running under Windows XP or Linux.

Source : Tom's Hardware