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Epson's move into the netbook arena is likely to raise a few eyebrows, especially as its effort doesn't appear to be bringing anything new to the party.

Dubbed the Endeavour Na01, the netbook features the almost ubiquitous Atom N270 1.6Ghz processor, 10in screen, 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard disk. Unlike the majority of its rivals, however, there's no Linux option, leaving customers with Windows XP.

There's also the usual connection options including Wi-Fi and Ethernet, three USB

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slots and a multicard reader, all held in a 1.28kg chassis.

The netbook is currently only available in Japan, and the company has confirmed to PC Pro that it definitely will not be launching in the UK.

A report by analysts IDC claims 41 million netbooks will be sold in 2012, a heady figure which has sparked a gold rush among manufacturers. Led by Asus and Acer which dominate around 80% of the Europe, Middle East and African market, the majority of the larger manufacturers have been quick to release a netbook, with the notable exception of Sony.

Even Apricot has been resurrected as a netbook manufacturer, releasing its PicoBook earlier in the month.

Keep an eye out for next month's issue of PC Pro for our group test of every major netbook on the market.