Word is that HP will debut the new Mini-Note micro-notebook PC next week, with the $500 base model shipping with a SuSe Linux OS. With an 8.9 inch display and a spill-resistant keyboard which somehow only manages to be around 8% smaller than a standard notebook device, the aluminium encased Mini-Note looks like being quite the talking point.

Not least, and despite the low price tag for the base model, because HP is pitching this as a more upscale device than the other mini-notebook Linux powered budget units that have been hitting the streets and the headlines of late. Indeed, they will be faster than the Eee with a minimum spec of a 1GHz Via C7-M and the display is a better resolution as 1280x768. Opt for a faster, and more expensive model, and you can switch from SuSe Linux to a Windows OS if you want, even Vista on the top of the range models.

I reckon that it is the base level Linux powered Mini-Note that will be the real star though, with that low price tag coupled to 512MB of RAM, 4GB of solid state storage and the SuSe OS. At $500 it really could prove to be too good to resist.