Although the EC1400-31K as this CULV notebook is called is nothing new in itself, it’s the first CULV notebook to launch with the new Intel dual core Celeron SU2300 processor. This is the first dual core CULV Celeron processor to date and quite an important step forward for Intel in gaining consumer interest in the CULV platform.

Celeron processors are generally not thought of very highly, but the dual core models have proven to be quite good performers considering the cost. With more and more applications being multi-threaded, having a second CPU core is always going to be an advantage.

The SU2300 processor is clocked at a mere 1.2GHz and has 1MB of L2 cache. The only downside is it’s 10W TDP which is almost twice that of single core CULV processors. This will likely result in a slightly shorter battery life and possibly also a somewhat hotter running notebook.

The EC1400-31K features an 11.6-inch display with 1,366×768 resolution, 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive and the Intel GS45 chipset. Other features include 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, an HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports and a D-sub connector.

The EC1400-31K measures 285x204x22.1?30mm (WxDxH) and weighs in at 1.4kg. It’ll most likely ship with a 3-cell battery at this weigh and it costs 60,00 Yen in Japan (€450/$646) with Windows Vista Home Premium. The price is likely to be lower in other markets.