Those looking to buy an affordable netbook this holiday season, with a larger than average display, might be interested to know Asus just launched the 12.1-inch Eee PC 1201HA in the U.S. The system includes a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor with integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics and 1GB of RAM (expandable to 2GB).


The screen resolution is quite decent for a netbook, at 1366x768, which along the estimated 6+ hours of battery life and low price tag seem to be the netbook's key selling points. Otherwise, there is a 160GB hard disk drive, built-in Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a 1.3-megapixel camera, three USB ports, a multi-card reader and either XP or Windows 7. The Asus 1201HA is currently selling at Best Buy for $330 with free shipping.

If you are willing to wait some more and shell out a few extra bucks, a variation known as the 1201N will be the first Eee PC with Nvidia Ion graphics when it arrives in December, including 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and HDMI out for about $500. The Taiwanese manufacturer is also said to be planning a version with AMD's 1.6GHz Congo MV40 processor and ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics.