Well it looks like the 8-inch version of the Eee PC is real, not that we had any doubts after yesterday's keynote presentation at CES. A Chinese blogger has posted some photos of an Eee PC with an 8-inch display side by side with a 7-inch model.

As you can see from the photos, the units are pretty much identical in most ways. They're the same size and presumably the same weight. But the speakers take up a little less space and the screen is slightly larger. Unfortunately, it seems to display the same 800 x 480 pixel resolution you can find on the current generation of Eee PCs. Presumably we'll have to wait for the elusive Eee PC with an 8.9 inch display to emerge before we get to see a 1024 x 600 screen on an Eee.

[via jkkmobile]

As expected, Asus had a few things to say about the future of the Eee PC platform during the company's presentation at CES today. And as expected, WiMax is the word. Wait, is that actually a word? Anyway, Asus is playing up WiMax integration with the Eee PC and other mobile devices.

But if you ask me, the most exciting news is that Asus will launch two new models of the Eee PC during the second quarter of 2008. One will have an 8.9 inch screen, which goes along with what we'd been expecting. And there will also be a model with an 8 inch screen, which comes as a complete surprise. Each model will be WiMax ready and some or all will sport higher resolution screens with 1024 x 600 pixel displays. You know, just enough to make the early adopters really really jealous.

I kind of hope the new models cost $500+ because otherwise I'm going to be sorely tempted to pick one up.

[via jkOnTheRun, whose Kevin Toefel played a key role in today's press conference]