The econo-laptops from Asus will get competition from Acer, which is aiming for US$350-$400 for a machine with an 8.9-inch display. The latest incarnation of the Asus EEE PC machines will reportedly cost $500.
In addition, HP is working on its own low-cost laptop, shown here. So, as Engadget has said, might these laptops actually be the new UMPCs, with keyboards?
Now, what about an e-book-helpful wrinkle that I love in my OLPC XO-1 machine: the ability to go into a tablet mode? May Asus, Acer and HP address that omission!
For details on the forthcoming Acers, see DigiTimes and Brighthand, as well as an earlier Engadget report about HP’d plans, plus Brighthand’s take on HP.
And speaking of hardware: Here’s a reminder that Cybook Gen3’s are sold out, and that if you order now, you won’t get yours until May (via MobileRead).
Looking at these econo-laptops makes me wonder why I would want to pay the same amount for a dedicated book reader. Especially as most of the book readers like to lock us into their own format. The tablet mode is the obvious improvement, but no doubt as the units become more “mainstream” we will see a few different configurations (like cars – the sports model, family sedan, hatchback etc). Much the same on the inside but designed to do different jobs.
Engadget is reporting that Intel will release its Netbook as the 2go PC within 60 days at a $400 price point. Here’s the url (with pictures): http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/24/intels-netbook-revealed-as-the-2go-pc/