Personally, I’ve never thought of Epson as a computer maker. Rather, their brand name comes to mind when I start to consider a new inkjet printer to accompany a new computer. Imagine my reaction when I came across the Endeavor NA701, a mobile laptop featuring a 14.1-inch SXGA+ display and available with a variety of processors.

On the cheapest end of things is the Celeron M410 (1.46GHz), but it’s the Core Duo selection that will get you thinking: T2300E (1.66GHz), T2500 (2GHz), or T2600 (2.16GHz). Presumably there are some Core Solo options as well.

Other features include a 128MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 for graphics, 512 megs worth of RAM, and an Intel 945PM Express chipset. There doesn’t seem to be a DVD-burner on board, opting for a simple ROM drive instead. You’ll find Bluetooth 2.0+EDR here, though, as well as a memory card reader, WLAN, and a fingerprint reader.

Weighing in at about 1.8 kilograms, the Epson Endeavor should be available soon with prices starting around $1040. Too bad it seems like a Japan-only release (correct me if I’m wrong).