Asus sidesteps tablets, debuts e-reader-cum-jotter

Asus has outed its Linux-based wireless-enabled e-book reader and digital notepad. Actually, there's rather a lot of media tablet about the Eee Note EA800, only the lack of a colour LCD limiting its ability to show video. It doesn't do Adobe Flash, either. Asus Eee Note EA800 What it does do is present a range of e-book, …

[dogged]

geting there

First tablet-format device I've though "mm, yeah, I want one" about since the Courier got canned.

[FARfetched]

Looks nice

A "range" of formats? About time e-reader firmware started giving us more than The One True Format. (Yeah, the iPad already does, but it's more general-purpose than an e-reader, OK?)

If this sucker gets any traction in the market, it will probably kill off most of the also-rans, maybe the Nook too, and give the Kindle some serious heartburn. Amazon really needs to cave in and start supporting ePub and HTML on their little slabbie.

[Number6]

That Last Photo

I like that last photo, reminiscent of something else, isn't it.

[Christian Berger]

Hand it to Alan Kay please!

Now once someone finds a way to "draw programs" effectively, this could start a new computer revolution. Unfortunately it's very unlikely they have a smart enough person working there.

So please hand that device to Alan Kay and let him find out ways to turn it into something useful.

[Vladimir Tax]

camera makes sense

the camera is present most likely not because "Asus can put one in" but for tasks such as making a copy of a document

[Anonymous Coward]

Battery Life

The screen may well manage more shades of grey than eInk, but that's not much good with a pathetic battery life like that. 13.5 hours may sound a lot to laptop users, but people with eInk displays will be sniggering up their sleeves at the thought.

It's a monochrome tablet not an ebook reader.

[Jack 12]

Might just be me....

But this is pretty much the same as the Sony touchscreen readers, no? I've had one for about a year now and they were available for quite a while before that. Slightly bigger screen seems to be the only thing different here.

[John Robson]

Does it have...

A web browser / mail client?

If so then I do want one - although I'd have been happy with e-ink and a greater runtime.

[Anonymous Coward]

e reader cum jotter?

I hope it's got a wipe clean screen?

[John Smith 19]

I've got a shed load of PDF's I'd like to make notes on.

I'm interested.

Not sure I'd go as far as *buying* one.

Maybe.

[Francis Boyle]

If you going to go LCD

why restrict yourself to grayscale? I've been waiting for Asus to do a decent portable tablet device but without colour this ain't it.