After Amazon’s kindle, Apple announced the launch of the iPad. Though it was a tablet computer, the iPad did have the capability to store e-books and to enable the reader to view them at will. Even though it was not a full fledged device like the kindle, the iPad did have its own e-book facility. Now Asus, looking at the potential of a relatively young e-book device market, has decided to take the plunge after weeks of speculation. This particular Asus product was in fact spotted in the fag end of January this year and since then, speculation has been rife that Asus is entering the e-book Market. Putting an end to weeks of speculation amongst technology experts, Asus, one of the leading manufacturers of laptops and notebooks, has brought out what can be considered to be its first attempt in manufacturing an e-book reader like Amazon’s kindle.
The ASUS DR-900 e-reader was launched earlier this week at the CeBIT 2010 convention held in Hanover, Germany. Looking very similar to the Kindle DX in size, the product has a black exterior. Measuring 222 x 161 x 9mm, the product has a 9 inch SiPix electronic paper display, completely monochrome, supporting 16-grey scale shades providing a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 resolution at 150 parts per inch. The display is touch- sensitive, with capacitative buttons that enable the user to navigate through the GUI using touch. The best part about this particular product is its lightweight feel. It is not as bulky as the Amazon Kindle DX and is easier to hold/handle. The device wears a tad over 300 grams at 370 grams. Compare this with the Kindle DX, which weighs around 540 grams and you will definitely say that it is not that bulky to lug around with.
The device also supports handwriting recognition. You can alternate between the screens with the help of the up/down navigation buttons that trigger the scrollbar. These buttons have been incorporated into the device. The device is equipped with a 4GB internal disk capable of storing audiobooks, text files etc and has a provision to extend memory capacity through SD cards (slots have been provided for the same). The device is 3G enabled, has WiFi support and USB connectivity is also enabled. With built-in stereo speakers, the device supports Audible formats (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)) and MP3. The device also supports text, pdf, html and unprotected ePub formats. It can also store images (JPG, GIF, PNG and BMP). The suite comprises of the reader, a power cable, USB adapter (charge via a computer), battery and a book cover. The device takes about 3.5 hours to charge completely and can run upto two weeks without a recharge (sans WiFi).
After nearly 15 years of using an eReader, someone finally gets it right! I’ve owned an EB-1150, a Sony PRS-505 and am currently using PRS-700 which is slowly dying. This new eReader from ASUS has nearly everything I want in an eReader, with the exception of colour. Size, weight, features, it’s all there. Can’t wait for them to start accepting pre-orders!!!