Asus is taking their EeeBox is another direction with their dual core EB1501. Asus is trying to change the norm that netbox needs to be slow. Dual core will allow netbooks to handle even more hd video, gaming, and other activities that are usually too intensive for the abilities of a netbook. Keep in mind however that netbooks are designed to last longer, up to even 11 hours, one reason why a more powerful processor might not be a good thing.
The Asus EB1501 is also paired with the ion graphics processor so it will be able to play full hd videos.
Since the Asus EB1501 is an eeebox, battery life won’t be much of an issue. However, future netbooks using a dual core processor will need either a larger battery or options to limit the processing power of the dual processors.