All of the major manufacturers are rolling out new lines in preparation for this week's launch of the Windows 7 OS. Gateway just sent out a press release announcing the launch of their new EC series of notebooks. These new Windows 7 machines will launch alongside the OS, and feature long battery life and a very thin body.

The EC58, 54 and 14 all feature 6-8 hours of battery life, at least according to Gateway. It's anyone's guess as to how long they can last in reality. The EC58 and 54 each weigh 5.29 lbs, and run about 1" thick. Both machines feature a 15.6" LED HD widescreen display. The EC14, on the other hand, is more of a portable model. It has an 11.6" screen, full-sized keyboard, and a weight of 3.79 lbs.

The EC14 MSRPs for $549.99. It comes with a 1.3GHz Dual Core processor, an Intel GS45 graphics chipset, a 4500 MHD graphics media accelerator, 4 GB of DDR2 RAM, upgradeable to 8, and a 320 MB hard drive. The EC54 sells for $649, and packs the same hardware. All models come with 3 USB ports, multi-gesture touchpad, HDMI out, a multi card reader, and WiFi.

All in all, we seem to be looking at some pretty solid, if not groundbreaking, offerings from Gateway. The 22nd is going to be a good day for laptop shoppers.