Asus Shakes-Up the eBook Reader Market

Asus throws down against Amazon and Sony with new tech.

We just love the digital playing field. No matter who seems the smartest one day, someone else comes out and tries to one-up them. Especially in the gadget world where if you snooze you lose.

Asus has fought back against Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s eBook reader with their own state-of-the-art eBook reader and just from reading these specs it seems like a winner and a giant Nintendo DS:

Unlike current ebook readers, which take the form of a single flat screen, the Asus device has a hinged spine, like a printed book. This, in theory, enables its owner to read an ebook much like a normal book, using the touchscreen to “turn” the pages from one screen to the next. It also gives the user the option of seeing the text on one screen while browsing a web page on the other. One of the screens could also act as a virtual keypad for the device to be used like a laptop. Whereas current ebook readers have monochrome screens, the Asus would be full colour. The maker says it may also feature “speakers, a webcam and a mic for Skype”, allowing cheap phone calls over the internet.

We’ll be chasing down more information from Asus Hong Kong on release dates and prices but the rumor is that Asus is aiming at a price of HK$1,300 for the low cost one and maybe double for a premium version. A world where books are served up like MP3′s looks like a serious possibility in the next few years.