A new competitor is coming to the low-cost laptop market, with ASRock said to be introducing three new entry-level notebooks in the near future. Mostly known for their low-cost PC motherboards, ASRock recently announced plans of expansion offering high-end motherboard solutions for Intel's Core i7 processors and now may be joining the leagues of its parent company Asus who has put strong emphasis on its mobile PCs over the last couple of years.

ASRock will be basing their low-cost laptops around Intel processors, either Celeron or Core 2 Duo, that combined with 12 or 15-inch screens are expected to sell in the $500 range. They are also planning on offering an Atom-based netbook for under $300. The hardware is scheduled for launch sometime next month. This corresponds to an Asia-based release with no confirmation at this time whether these new notebooks will be distributed in North America or Europe, although ASRock motherboards are widely distributed in these markets.