Asus DR-900 Preview

Artash Arakelyan — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:58:41 +0000

With the growing e-readers’ production these handheld reading devices are making a huge impression on their expanding category in the electronic gadget world. As everyone notices the iPad launch getting ever closer, other manufacturers are starting to show their part in the digital readers market.

The Asus electronic manufacturer has its big piece of the pie in the electronic gadget world too. Recently, one of the talked about e-book reader at the CES is the DR-900 produced by Asus. This device is perfect to maximize the reading experience, expand the reach of the reader, and attract them with its features and specs. As the company announced, the DR-900 is the first 9-inch e-book reader by Asus. The Asus DR 900 is a stylish and affordable e-book reader based on the Linux operating system.

The Asus DR 900 is quite light in the hand, it weighs just 370 grams and has dimensions of 222mm x 161mm x 9mm. Text is clear and very natural looked on SiPix 9-inch e-paper touchscreen display. Featuring 1024 x 768 resolution this e-ink display takes about a second or two to refresh the read document. Asus DR-900 is expected to support various file formats including MP3, ePUB, PDF, HTML, JPEG, GIF, PNG and TXT formats. There is also auto-rotate function that allows you to choose exactly how you’d like to orient your device.

Speaking about the apps, the Asus DR-900 comes with pre-loaded range of applications including a web browser, handwriting recognition, onscreen keyboard as well as music player application, study tool along with the eBook application. There’s also talk of text-to-speech and RSS apps on the board. The Asus Digital Reader is equipped with 4GB internal memory, which is perfect for holding books. User is able also to add more memory thanks to the SD card slot.

For connectivity the Asus 900 e-reader includes optional wireless 802.11g connectivity and 3G. The 900’s browser is well developed that will allow users to enjoy high speed performance and RSS feature. When producing the DR-900, the company was also serious about the battery life. It is very attractive, and can deliver 2 weeks without Wi-Fi and 4 days with Wi-Fi. This electronic gadget is thought to be launched this spring, but the pricing of the device isn’t available yet.

Asus Eee Reader?

Jennifer Wang — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:00:47 +0000

The cheapest portable ebook reader yet is set to arrive soon.

The Asus Eee Reader has finally been confirmed for a ~~2009~~ March 2010 release. Many sources are speculating that this not-yet-released eReader will dominate the market, and that Amazon better watch their back. There’s also rumors that there’ll be two versions of the “Eee”: a budget unit priced at $164 and a higher-end device ($200).

Here’s a glimpse at the higher end Asus Eee Reader:

The Eee Reader reportedly will have features not typically found in traditional eReaders:

A webcam and microphone…for using Skype (a book that makes phone calls? Wow)
A hinged spine, as shown in the picture above
Two color screens, one of which could act as a keyboard! This second screen could also be used to surf the Internet while reading a book on the first screen.

Because the Eee Reader will have full-color screens, it’s safe to assume that eInk technology will not be used. That being said, hopefully Asus has come up with a way to reduce problems like glare and readability that other companies like Sony faced when not using eInk.

It’s hard to predict how successful these new devices will be, but I for one think it’s exciting to see companies thinking “outside the box” and trying new things. On the other hand, critics have complained that the Eee Reader has too many features that are distracting from the primary purpose of an electronic reading device…READING

Portable Ebook Reader » asus

Asus DR-900 Preview

Asus Eee Reader?