With the rapid popularity growth of e-book readers, it was no surprise to find out that ASUS was also planning on entering this market. Reports concerning the multiple such products that the company is planning for 2010 have
existed since January and, most recently, rumors started circulating that ASUS would be unveiling its very first model at CeBIT. Sure enough, a few hours later, the DR-900 has finally come out of hiding to pose for a few pictures.
ASUS seems to have taken care not to go too far from the current view of e-readers, likely in order for its device to be competitive both performance- and price-wise. As such, the company stuck to a gray-scale display solution, but didn't mind making it larger. Specifically, the DR-900 measures no less than 222mm x 161mm x 9.7mm and comes with a 9-inch Sipix electronic paper display, with 16-bit gray scale and a resolution of 1024 x 768 at 150 ppi.
The large screen is intended for unobstructed viewing of digital content, a convenience enhanced by a long battery life of over 10,000 page turns. The type of battery is still unspecified, but it is known that it takes about 3.5 hours for it to fully charge. Power can be received either through a power adapter or by connecting the device to a PC or Mac via the micro-USB 2.0 connector. As for storage capabilities, the device has a 2/4GB internal hard disk.
Of course, in order to have a permanent direct web connection for instant online book shopping, the ASUS e-reader comes with 802.11g Wi-Fi, 3G connectivity and even optional WiMAX. This will enable end-users to surf the web easily and acquire their favorite books, which can be in PDF, TXT or unprotected ePub formats, among others. ASUS did not restrict itself to merely basic functionality, however, and also implemented stereo speakers and a 3.5mm audio jack, so that even audible books and MP3 files might be enjoyed. Also, as an added bonus, the e-reader supports BMP, GIF, PNG and JPEG image files.
The device should be formally launched soon, so stay tuned for a hands-on experience.
Live report by Traian Teglet from CeBIT 2010 in Hanover, Germany.
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