The company unveiled the new Eee Reader DR900 which features a 9” display that provides readers with more than twice the reading area compared to existing 6” ebook readers. Also revealed was the Eee Note digital notepad, a stylus-driven 8” glass touch-screen device with a remarkable resolution of 2450 dots per inch.

 

First let's take a look at the Eee Reader DR900. This 440g, 10 mm thick device makes for a handy travelling companion and can display anything from War and Peace to the latest issue of Batman without a problem. The device feature 2 GB of internal storage via SD card and can store up to 5000 ebooks. ASUS also claims the reader has an amazing two week battery life, which they say is long enough to read 20 novels back-to-back without a recharge.

 

This insane battery life is possible thanks to the SiPix electrophoretic display which only uses power to change the image, not to maintain it. The screen also stays clear, even in broad daylight, and turns pages in an instant with its monochrome images looking as crisp as ink on paper. The reader also has built-in Wi-Fi and supports optional 3G.

 

On the flip side is the Eee Note digital notepad EA-800, a hand-held tablet device aiming to take over the role of pen and paper notepads forever. The device features an 8” glass touch-screen display with an ultra-sensitive digitizer which captures every stroke of the stylus perfectly thanks to 2450 DPI support. Images are displayed in 768 x 1024 resolution and ASUS claims it has the same daylight readability as the DR900.

 

While the notepad is perfect for writing and making sketches, it's also a capable ebook reader with up to 10 000 ebooks storable on its 4 GB internal memory, further expandable with microSD cards. The device even sports a built-in 2 MP digital camera and voice recorder which allows for a ton of extra business applications to be carried out.

 

The Eee Note can even play music, supporting MP3 audio files and audio books alongside a built-in dictionary, calculator and sticky note application. Internal Wi-Fi also allows users to connect to online resources in a flash while PC connectivity is a breeze thanks to a micro USB port. ASUS claims the Eee Note also has an incredibly long battery life rated at 13.5 hours between charges. 

 

No local pricing details have been revealed yet, but both products are on their way to SA, visit www.ASUS.co.za for more information.