Asus is no stranger to the kid-friendly netbook space. Last year the company introduced the 8.9 inch Disney Netpal Eee PC MK90H. Now the company’s back with a new model that doesn’t look like it was barfed on by a fairy princess.

The Asus Eee PC 1001PQ is basically a slightly more colorful version of the Eee PC 1001P which is already available for purchase for $299. It features the same chassis design and the same 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB hard drive. It has a 6 cell, 48Whr battery and 802.11b/g WiFi.

There are two things that make it kid-friendly. It’s available in bright yellow (or solid black), and it features a suite of kid (and parent) friendly software including parental access controls for the web browser. You also get a handful of applications and games for children.

No word on the price, but I don’t imagine the netbook will cost too much more than the Eee PC 1001P, considering the only real difference is in the software.

The current-generation Asus Disney Netpal netbook is also available from Amazon for under $300.

via NewGadgets.de

Last week I noticed drivers for a new netbook show up on the Asus support site. After doing a little digging, I realized the Eee PC MK90H is just another name for the Disney Netpal branded netbook from Asus.

The fact that drivers are available is a pretty good sign that this 8.9 inch nebtook should begin shipping soon. And Netbooked uncovered another bit of evidence: Toys R Us, which has been taking pre-orders for this laptop for the past month or so, is now showing an estimated ship date of 8/14.

The Netpal features a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, Windows XP, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a 5 hour battery. It also weighs about 2.2 pounds and features a suite of Disney software.

The netbook is also available for pre-order from Amazon for $349.99 in “Magic Blue” and “Princess Pink.”

Toys R Us has started taking pre-orders for the previously announced Disney-branded netbook from Asus. The netbook features an 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 16GB solid state disk and will sell for $349.99.

Like most Asus netbooks, it also includes 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 3 USB ports, and an integrated webcam. Since this netbook is designed for children, the small keyboard shouldn’t be much of a problem. The laptop measures 9.76″ x 6.81″ x 1.13″ and weighs 2.2 pounds.

The netbook is also expected to include a suite of kid-friendly Disney-themed software applications including a Disney browser, a Radio Disney widget, and parental control software.

via SlashGear