If you had any thoughts on buying a new netbook for traveling usage, but stopped yourself from getting one just because there was no optical drive inside, Asus might have the right solution, as the company has  rolled out the Eee PC 1004DN, which is considered to be the first netbook device, coming with an integrated Super-Multi DVD burner, to handle your CD/DVD tasks without the need for any external accessories.  Other than that, the new machine packs a 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor, together with a 10-inch 1024X768 LED backlight display, 1/2GB of DDRII RAM, 1.3 Megapixel Camera, up to 120GB of storage, 802.11n WiFi/Bluetooth connections, a 6-cell battery and high-end chiclet keyboard aboard. But optical drive aside, the 1004DN is expected to house the long awaited Intel GN40 chipset, which includes GMA 4500M graphics core for better video handling. Regretfully, there’s no word on price or availability yet, but you know it’s just a matter of time, so stay around.

Update: Looks like the Eee PC 1004DN has finally landed in Taiwan, and is now available there for NT$19,988 (about $610 USD).

[Asus]