If you’re in the United States and have been waiting for an Eee PC to come with Windows XP preinstalled, you better get your wallet ready because they’re coming to Best Buy starting on the 9th. Though it doesn’t come right out and say it, it apparently looks like they mean in brick and mortar Best Buy stores, and not just BestBuy.com.

Laptop Magazine has a full hands on with the Eee PC 4G-X running Windows XP, which appears to be exactly the same as the 4G that runs Linux.

The recent fire at an LG battery factory is creating quite a shortage for ASUS’s laptops, including the Eee PC. According to an article on Yahoo, 40% of Asustek shipments could be affected by the shortage created. This Digitimes article also says that ASUS hopes to resolve the problems by the second quarter of this year.

We’ll have to wait and see if the battery shortages play a large role with inventory of current Eee PC 70x’s– or if it causes a delay in the Eee PC 900 series.

If you were disappointed about ASUS stopping plans for a touchscreen on the next generation Eee PC, you can smile now. According to touch screen manufacturers in this Digitimes article, ASUS will indeed be including touch panels in the next generation Eee PC.

A new article also on Digitimes, posted today, further explains that the 8.9″ Eee PC:

“will include touchscreen panels and possible GPS support, with shipments expected to begin in May or June, according to Kevin Lin, vice president of Asustek’s sales department. Pricing is projected to reach NT$15,000 (US$500)”

So, it looks like it might be the Eee PC 900 afterall that gets more than just a touchscreen!

Laptop Magazine has an interview with Jerry Shen, where he talks about future plans for the Eee PC line. They include the already announced 8.9″ Eee PC 900 and Eee PC with Windows XP preinstalled. Other plans include the possibility of larger non-ssd hard drives, Intel Diamondville processors, and “more stylish looks.”

Shen also indicates that the Eee PC 900’s price may be $499 for US users. Not bad!

There’s a wealth more of information if you read the full interview here.

ASUS has announced that they will begin selling an Eee PC that comes preinstalled with Windows XP instead of the default Xandros based Linux distribution. A Windows XP based Eee PC currently sells in Japan, but not in the United States.

According to this Reuters article, the Windows based Eee PC will cost (or start at?) approximately $400. ASUS expects that the Windows based devices will make up about 60% of sales as well.

Sorry for the lack of updates recently- I was in Asia without a stable Internet connection. I’m back now, and will be catching up with all news, emails, forum, etc after a good night’s sleep.

Do you wish your Eee PC had a larger screen? Higher resolution? More RAM? More storage space?

ASUS has your solution with the next generation Eee PC 900 series. It will feature a 8.9″ screen, running at 1024 x 600 resolution. You’ll be able to store 12GB of data, and will have 1GB of ram to access in a package a bit larger than the Eee PC 701. The cost? $600. Look for it in select countries later this summer.

PC World has created a great overview of the various accessories currently available for the Eee PC along with upcoming ones as well.

The article covers batteries, chargers, travel adapters, mounts, and cases.

Next week at CeBit, there’s some speculation that either Windows or WiMAX could be announced in connection to the Eee PC.

PC Pro is reporting that Microsoft will be participating in ASUS’ press conference during the event. Windows XP may be appearing on the US based Eee PC 8G. Perhaps this explains the recent slight price hike on 8G Eee PC preorders on Amazon.

T-Mobile will also be in attendance at the press conference. We can only hope this means that integrated WiMAX (along with a wide service coverage!) will be coming to the Eee PC shortly.

We have new information for Eee PC users in Korea, Israel, and Belgium:

The Eee PC was recently released in South Korea. It is the Windows XP only model, and sells for 499,000 Won.

Bezeq, an Israeli telecommunications provider, will begin selling Windows XP based Eee PCs in Israel. After April, other retailers will be added.

Finally, if you’re in Belgium, look forward to getting your hands on the Eee PC in Late April.