The Asus EEE has competition. FIC/Everex has confirmed plans to ship a UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) with a 7-inch screen in January. The “Cloudbook” will ship with the Google Apps-oriented “gOS” Linux distribution, in standard and “Developer” editions. According to our anonymous source, the initial Cloudbook model will be powered by a Via C7 ULV processor clocked at 1.2GHz, and come with a 30GB hard drive. It will ship in mid-January in two models, one of which will have a 1.2MP webcam. In general, the hardware appears to closely resemble Via’s Nanobook design.

Preceding the Cloudbook’s mid-January launch, Everex plans to ship a “Developer” version equipped with a touchscreen, our source revealed. That version will come with gOS source code and toolchains, similar to the gOS development board. gOS is an Everex-sponsored Linux distribution optimized for use with Google Apps.

Everex itself officially confirmed the Cloudbook’s existence Tuesday, when a press release on another topic alluded to a “Cloudbook” UMPC with a 7-inch screen. Our source suggested that Everex would likely launch the Cloudbook at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the week of Jan. 7, with consumer availability as soon as Jan. 15.

The Developer edition will launch earlier — possibly on January first. It was originally scheduled for earlier release, but was reportedly delayed by short supplies in the market for 7-inch touchscreens.

read more | digg story