New Eee PC able to do Kindle-style wireless act in the future?
Among e-book readers, the Kindle stands out because you can download e-books to it directly wherever you are, even outside WiFi range. But sooner or later, I suspect, the Sony Reader or successors will gain that capability. And what about full wireless bundles for general-purpose machines—both tablets and laptops?
In what just might be a future trend, a Taiwanese notebook maker named Elitegroup Computer Systems has signed up with wireless providers in Europe to distribute the G10IL mini-netbook, which includes 3G.
On the way for Asus minis
And now PC World is reporting that "The Eee PCs and other mini-notebooks with 3G built-in will likely be bundled with 3G contracts from a service provider, which could lower their initial hardware cost. Mobile service providers often subsidize a portion of the cost of handsets and other devices and make the money back over the life of the 3G contract."
So might we eventually see Eee PCs doing Kindle-like things with seamless infrastructure at both the wireless and e-book ends?
July 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Huh! I could have used one of those on my vacation last week.
July 4th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I think there’s a big difference between devices with a monthly service charge and devices (like the Kindle) that include wireless as a part of the purchase price. I may be weird, but I hate signing up for monthly fees.
With an increasing abundance of free WiFi hotspots, I’d like to see a cost-effective device with WiFi. I know Amazon considered this option for the Kindle and decided WiFi wasn’t universal enough. Maybe not universal, but certainly not rare, either.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
July 4th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Rob, a good point–but who’s to say that Asus and others can’t forge alliances with retailers and come up with similar biz models? Or how about the wireless providers? Retail purchases could help subsidize the wireless.
Happy Fourth to you and others!
David