ASUS announces Eee PC E1004DN with optical drive, 1008HA gets a release date

In a bombshell of moderate proportions, the gang at DigiTimes have reported that ASUS will be following Mouse Computer's lead (when was the last time you heard that?), and have announced the first Eee PC equipped with an optical drive, the E1004DN. This bad boy sports an Intel Atom N280 CPU, a 120GB HDD, and will be in the ballpark of NT $18,000 - 20,000 (roughly $531 - $590). It should see the light of day sometime in mid-April. The same source reports that the Eee PC 1008HA will be getting its release in May.