I've been a big fan of the Asus people ever since I purchased one of their little Eee PC netbooks. That little netbook has become my traveling companion even when I am only taking a short day trip because it is so small that I hardly notice I have it with me. It does everything for me that I require from a road PC - and I got it for just over $200.Now I'm pulling for Asus to offer some real competition to the giants, Sony and Amazon, when it comes to e-book readers. And it looks like it might just happen:
Asus’ e-reader will likely have color touchscreens, a speaker, a webcam and a microphone, along with the capability to make inexpensive Skype calls. Despite all those features, Britain’s Sunday Times reports, somewhat unbelievably, that it may be priced lower than its competitors from Sony and Kindle.[...]
...all e-readers, available and planned, are black and white. Asus’ product will likely be the first to offer a color screen. The move, coupled with unexpected features such as speakers and mic, is the only way the company can stand out in a crowded market.Go, Asus. Competition is the only thing that's ever going to drive the price of e-readers low enough for them to really crack the consumer market. Right now they are way too expensive for the experience they deliver - I much prefer the real thing.
With dual screens, the new Eee e-reader could give readers a user experience similar to paper books. The device could also offer readers the option of using the second screen to browse a web page. The best part about the device, though, would be the price tag, says the Times report. The cheapest version of the Asus Eee reader could cost about $165.
Wow, that would be great! I've always wanted one of the Asus eee computers; now I want one of these e-readers! And that's the first time I've said that about an e-reader. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that Asus is really on to something with that design, Melanie. It solves a lot of the problems people complain about concerning the Kindle and Sony readers.
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