The netbook chip N280 is now shipping according to Intel. The release is six months early. It was anticipated for a mid-2009 release.

It is clocked at 1.66GHz compared to the N270 which is 1.6GHz. It is more of a derivative of the N270 rather than a ‘next-gen’ leap told Intel to The Register.

Pre-orders are now available for the Asus EeePC 1000HE which is the first netbook model which is equipped with the N280 processor.

DigiTimes said the cost of the CPU and chipset bundle is between $60-65.

Source: The Register