Asus UL20A thin and light laptop available for pre-order

Amazon is taking pre-orders for the Asus UL20A-A1 laptop for $589.99. The laptop will be available to the public on Thursday, October 22nd. This will be the first 12 inch laptop from Asus featuring an Intel CULV processor. It’s similar to the Asus UL30A in many respects, but it has a smaller screen, less RAM, and a smaller hard drive. It also gets slightly less stellar battery life.

Here’s a rundown of the specs:

CPU: 1.3GHz dual core Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300
Display: 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pxiels
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
RAM: 2GB (4GB max)
Storage: 250G (5400rpm)
Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n WiFi
Webcam: 0.3MP
Battery: 7.5 hours

The price is close to $200 higher than Acer Aspire 1410, another thin and light Intel CULV-powered laptop. But the Asus UL20A has a dual core processor and a longer-lasting battery.

In related news, Amazon is now taking pre-orders for several different versions of the Asus UL30A, which is the company’s 13.3 inch model. All of the new configurations will ship with Window s7. The good news is that while there are still models that will sell for closed to $800 (with Windows 7 Professional or with 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive and a 16 hour battery!), Asus is also offering a lower priced option for $680 with Windows 7 Home Premium, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a 12.5 hour battery, and a Core 2 Duo processor.