Asus Eee PC as an e-book machine: New model offers 8.9-inch screen, higher res, starting U.S. price of $499
The new Aus Eee PC 900 mini-laptop, due in April or May, will feature not just an 8.9-inch screen but also resolution of 1024 x 600, in addition to other wrinkles such as the XP operating system, 8G of built-in solid state storage, and possibly a hard-drive option.
For the Xandros OS, another option, the solid state storage could be a whopping 12G or 20G. I myself bought a 8G card for my OLPC XO-1, capable of storing 8,000+ books. Might the day soon come when bundles of thousands of public domain and Creative Commons works are routine in low-end laptops?
Closer and closer to e-book nirvana
Meanwhile Asus is getting a little closer to e-book gizmo nirvana. Even at 1024 x 600, the screen might not be as viewable as the OLPC XO-1’s 7.5-incher using new tech, but the XP at least will allow use of DRM-capable readers such as Mobipockete (yes, my feelings are mixed about the XP and not so mixed about the need to use DRM-hobbled software to read most bestsellers).
Because the Asus laptops are smaller than the usual ones, I’d find them more comfortable for e-book reading. Less space exists between the keyboard and the screen. Still, I’d love to see the Asus do a laptop with a tablet mode, like the XO-1’s.
$499 start price in the States
Price? “In the beginning and in April around the release date it will initially be higher and be around $499 in the United States,” Jerry Shenn, CEO of ASUS, told Laptop Mobile Solutions‘ Joann Stern. Elsewhere the scuttlebutt is that the release might happen in May instead.
Related: Info on the $399 Everex Cloudbook, from the blog for Laptop Mobile Solutons). Also see a pretty brief video showing the Asus next to an XO.
(Via Google round-up, Register Hardware and Laptop Mobile Solutions.)
March 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am
If they can hit $499, I’d buy one. One of my co-workers got the current version and, frankly, the screen is way too small. Tablet mode would be awesome. If they could just make the screen flip with a few “back/forward” buttons, even that would be amazingly useful.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I’m currently using an EEE PC 701. In theory, the small size and eminently reasonable price should mean that it has a lot to recommend it as an e-book reader.
There are a few bugbears though - the oversized speakers to the left and right of the screen mean that the usable display space feels quite cramped, and more serious is the rather constrained battery life - two and a half hours per charge is typical, so it’s in no danger of competing with the Iliad or the PRS-505 in the endurance stakes.
However, there’s enough that’s right with the concept to make me think that a future generation of the EEE could be a serious contender.