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More information about the rumored Asus Eee entry in the rapidly expanding Ebook Reader sweepstakes….and it is SO typical of Asus it just hurts. Not only are they jumping into the pool, they are doing so with both feet while holding an anvil and reading a book called “How to Swim”. According to the London Times, Asus is planning on bringing two Readers to market, one “budget”, one insanely lux

Several months ago I remember hearing about the “dual screen” Asus prototype, but it wasn’t clear what they would do with it, if anything. Well, it appears they have decided to position it as, of all things, an Ebook Reader.

The Times says as follows…

Asus claims its ebook reader will be cleverer and more versatile than the current crop available from companies such as Sony and Amazon. It aims to unveil the device before the end of the year, according to Jerry Shen, the company’s president — and it may not be just one device, either.

The company is looking at a budget and a premium version, according to a spokesman for Asus in the UK. Details are scarce but the more expensive device is expected to follow closely a prototype dreamt up by the firm’s research and development team earlier this year.

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.

OK, color is a stretch but a cool stretch, dual touchscreens are also sort of a WOW kind of feature and the virtual keyboard aspect sort of makes sense, as both the Kindle and the iRiver Story have QWERTY keyboards for taking notes. However, all of it at once, and a cam and mic and speakers and apparently WiFi, maybe 3G for the Skypeing….this is a pimped out super-netbook, not a reader. What’s more, it is going to be a very very pricey pimped out super-netbook. Why not just add a coffee maker and a TV antenna? If I were Asus I would shelve the premium version as a cool prototype to show off at trade shows.

Their idea for the budget version sounds a little more sensible, but sadly still feels like FAIL. No words on the specs for the budget model, but The Times says they are shooting for 100 pounds retail price, that is around 160 Dollars which is still too expensive for the market. More and more it is clear the first Reader that gets below 100 Dollars wins. When Sony is selling their Pocket Reader at $199 there is no reason to buy an Eee version for 160, there simply isn’t. Now if the Eee Reader were 99 bucks or $79.95, half the price or less than the nearest competitor….that would make all the difference.

Come on Asus, YOU CAN DO THIS! Make an Ebook Reader like the Eee 701…bare bones, minimum price, laser-focused on the task at hand. If anyone can do this, you can.