Earlier this year Asus shared a few photos of a concept notebook that would have dual screens. In laptop mode, one screen would act as a keyboard while the other would be a display. But you would also be able to use both screens to display pictures, text, graphics, or anything else you’d want to put on a screen. Of course, in March, it was just a concept. But now it looks like Asus may have figured out a practical application for this dual-screen approach: an eBook reader.

The dedicated eBook reader space is heating up. Amazon has the Kindle, Sony has a series of eReaders, and a number of other companies are entering the space. And while there’s still some question about just how much money people are willing to spend on a device that essentially lets you do something you can already do (read a book), this could be a growth area for consumer electronics. So Asus and other companies are trying to figure out how to get in on whatever action there may be while offering something a bit different.

Last month we saw reports that Asus was planning on entering the eBook reader space. Now the Times Online reports that Asus will launch a line of eBook readers before the end of the year. The goal is to offer something that’s cheaper and more versatile than existing eBook readers. According to the report, the top of the line version would have dual touchscreen displays connected by a hinge, giving the reader the feel of a paper book. You could also read a book on one screen while browsing the web on another, or use one screen as a keypad. The reader would also be in full color, unlike existing readers from Amazon and Sony.

Of course, these features make the device sound more like a laptop than an eBook reader, which makes me wonder about the price and the battery life. But Asus will also reportedly have a budget eBook reader which will have a more standard feature set and run about £100 or $164 US.

via Engadget

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11 replies on “More details on the Asus eBook reader”

  1. MAN I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM DYING TO GET A QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE EBOOK READER, THANK YOU ASUS A MILLION!!!!!!!

  2. I like the Idea of 2 large screen so I can look at larger edition pdf books like school text books without having to zoom in on the fine print. I’m also an avid tabletop gamer and most of those books are large and can now be purchased in pdf form.
    It would also probably be easier to see novel sized print blown up to the screen size for people with poor eyesight.

    I would rather carry one large ebook than 3+ large text or game books.
    It also saves you paper and pencil.

    1. I agree with flag, it’s better to have a larger screen, and see the pdf’s with their original formating. Also colour would be amazing. I carry the sony ebook reader around in my bag. Size isn’t an issue. Weight would be a bigger problem I think.

  3. Except in a classroom situation, if an ebook reader is going to appeal to the mass market, it should be no bigger than a mass market paperback, for easy pocketability and portability. Even smaller would be better. Also, all of its features should be aimed at facilitating normal reading first. That is, unless it is intended as a novelty or innovative gadget aimed at a small specialty market.

    Any extra features such as touch screen, interaction with game pieces, etc, would be fine, but should be secondary to the ability to easily read, navigate, mark passages, highlight, make notes, etc, in an ebook.

    Just my 2 cennts worth 🙂

  4. Beautiful! It`s OLPC idea, but with commercial component. If they put Pixel qi screens on that, i will be the first to buy it! I`m very excited, because i have in my laptop about 50 000 books, and my local library has
    20 000! And very important, i don`t need separate reader, phone, TV, computer and mp4, i want it all together! Best of all, it will happpend very soon.

  5. This is going to heat up ebook reader market and it has got everything which can make it a kindle (which is priced at $299) killer. This is going keep Amazon on its toes. Gear up Amazon. Its tough time ahead…

Comments are closed.