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Asus Eee PC as an e-book machine: New model offers 8.9-inch screen, higher res, starting U.S. price of $499
March 10, 2008 | 9:33 am
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By David Rothman
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.)
Technorati Tags: Ausus Eee PC,Asus
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Comments:
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.
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.
I got one for school. I had to pay $400. It loads quickly at first, but when you go on the Internet, the browser can take forever. The only thing useful is that it is small and you can bring it with you wherever you go. Please don’t buy it.
[Edited for clarity. - D.R.]