ASUS planning dual screen Eee Reader: world's cheapest e-book reader
By Darren Murph 
posted September 7th 2009 3:03AM
posted September 7th 2009 3:03AM
According to president Jerry Shen, the Eee Reader will become the planet's cheapest e-book reader, though a premium model could also be launched to satisfy those craving higher-end features -- probably amenities like inbuilt 3G, a web browser and expandable storage. The dual screen form factor would enable users to read books as books were intended to be read, or they could use the secondary panel to surf the web, type on a virtual keyboard or whatever else ASUS dreams up. We're told that the firm is aiming for the £100 ($163) mark on its low-end model, and based on the affordability of its Eee PCs, we'd say it'll probably get awfully close. Hey Kindle, you skeered yet?
[Via BestTabletReview, thanks Rob]
e-ink yes/no?
Given the price, I'd say no. But the picture looks like it might have two different screen types, so e-ink one side, LCD the other perhaps? Can't see it being so cheap with e-ink. The display would cost most of the price, unless it is going to be a three inch screen or something.
Personally, I hope they do it. And offer a standard open book format. Another one for ePub perhaps.
No to e-ink. Given the info in the linked article, that the device will contain a color screen coupled with the low price point I sincerely doubt whether e-ink would be featured. Further, both the image in this article and the one in the original version seem to feature backlit displays which AFAIK is yet to be achieved in any e-ink devices.
@John: The low-end model which the 100 pound price refers to probably isn't going to have the dual screens.
@iChicken: The opaque nature of eInk means backlighting will never work.
No e-ink, which means this device will cause eyestrain and fail as a book replacement.
They're just cashing in on a trend.
Meh, without e-ink this is kind of lame. Seems like you still need to shell out over $200 to get an actual e-ink ebook reader. Won't someone think of the poor college students?!
@ Plothole
One of the Sony readers with an E-Ink screen has a back-light, so I have no idea what you are talking about.
@SiXiam: The Sony e-readers are SIDE lit, not backlit.
Or more accurately frontlit; Basically there is a diffuser in front of the display which spreads light out from LEDs surrounding the display. Unfortunately said diffuser makes the screen kinda fuzzy, which may be why none of the newest models have this feature.
Pixel Qi love maybe? Well, one can fantasize
Does it come in color?
The kindle just e-inked itself
I realize that for the joke to work the kindle would have to be part octopus.
i dont think octopus are native to amazon.
lol omg i loled at both of you so hard
Wow that price is amazing. Although didn't the EePC turn out to be $100 more than they initially promised? If they combine this with the color E-ink, that would be a great textbook replacement. Hmm, maybe this doesn't use E-ink at all... that would be a downer.
How does a cheap computer with a color screen count as an e-reader?
Hahahaha, I betcha you just ponyed up for a new overpriced crappy kindle!!!
How wouldn't it?
If it displays e-book formats as it's primary function, it's an e-reader. There is at least one dedicated e-book reader that has an LCD screen already.
I don't like reading on an LCD. It causes eye strain.
@John Bailey:
There were/are several in fact. Most of which came and went years ago. Those still on the market include the eBookwise, which is extremely antiquated (*has a SmartMedia slot*), and Jetbook. The FLEPia might also count, since the display is a form of Bistable LCD.
I have read over 40 books on my iPaq with a backlit LCD, never had any problem with eye strain, great to read in bed too in the dark.
True. The e-ink is pretty much what makes an e-reader. Without it, one would get eye strain from the LCD screen.
I guess people don't spend their days in front of a computer or on their cell phone.
Between my job and free time I am looking at an LCD screen for 10-12 hours every day. Reading an eBook on it for 30 minutes before going to bed doesn't seem like it would be awful.
Does it come pre-smudged like that?
no, but its easy to set up, basic lessons with an ipod touch/iphone will help out
Comes with a don't touch screen. Capacitive don't touch, I presume.
Obviously, a lot of people didn't pay attention to the sign in front of the device. Even with two exclamation points.
Doesn't look too bad be one of those I'd have to hold to know if I liked it though.
cool beans!
wow 3 am and engadget is still posting, of course i am still up at 3 am
Gotta love that!
DailyTech doesn't even post on the weekends. :(
Dual-screen kind of make sense: much more convenient than the recent super-sized e-readers. However, readability is a must and I seriously doubt that it could compete against a Kindle 2 or a Sony PRS-500 on that front.
world's dirtiest e-book reader
Designed with your playboy backcatalogue in mind :P
And what will the battery life be like on this thing? It's not like the Kindle went for e-ink with it's monochrome display and poor refresh rate because they liked the name - this market segment demands incredible battery life. Otherwise, why not just focus on cheap tablet PCs?
My hope would be that they at least use PixelQi screens. While these are still supposed to consume more power in reflective mode than eInk, at least it would be better than a purely transmissive display.
In my opinion this kind of gadget is more practical than the one laptop per child program where
students from poor countries have difficulty affording textbooks. Laptops are a luxury even for
developed countries, and who will pay for internet connection even if you have free laptops. Books
and good teachers that can inspire students play a more important role in child development.
it's not like you can read ebooks on a laptop or anything
But this thing, compared to a laptop, is much better suited for reading textbooks than a laptop.
It's funny you say that because one of the people behind one laptop per child is developing a new screen to be used as an eBook reader, based on some of the work developing the low power lcd screen.
Pixel Qi!
What's prevented me from buying a Kindle isn't the price of the device--it's the price of the media. Amazon's e-books are often as expensive as the physical media. They avoid printing and distribution cost--but they charge nearly the same amount? No thanks.
It's not e-ink, and for me one of the biggest advantages of e-readers is just lightly holding them between a finger and thumb.
Want Want Want, please tell me it runs Linux.
Most do.
"read books as books were intended to be read"
How utterly pointless. There's nothing natural or pure about a book's form factor. This is like the people who design a website like Amazon to be a 3D store you have to walk through and grab stuff off shelves before walking to a cash register, because replicating solutions for practical real life problems that you don't have on a website is 'more natural'.
The only reason a book has two pages next to each other is because that's the most practical way to present a lot of words printed on paper and enabling people to easily get to the part they want to read. Guess what! With electronic books, you've already solved these problems, so there's NO NEED TO USE THE SOLUTIONS THAT APPLY TO INK ON PAPER.
Not quite true. Folding design allows much more real estate that folds into a easy-to-carry package. So yes, while you have a point there, folding e-books might have their place.
But you only ever read one page at a time, so that extra space isn't doing much.
You never use dual monitors?