ASUS unveils the DR-900 E-Reader

ASUS UK let a few photos out on Flickr recently, showing the new DR-900 E-Reader. The leading tech blogs picked up on the story, but ASUS didn’t give much away about the DR-900’s specification — but that’s something we can easily rectify.

As you’ve no doubt read by now, the ASUS DR-900 E-Reader is an ebook reader with a 9” ePaper display from SiPix. The display is monochrome (16 grey shades) with a resolution of 1024 x 768, but it’s also touch-sensitive and can be used for text input with handwriting recognition.

Since there’s no physical keyboard, the ASUS DR-900 is very thin and light — just 9mm thick and 370g. The screen bezel is also much narrower than on other ebook readers, which means you can concentrate on what you’re reading rather than what you’re holding in your hand.

The ASUS DR-900 E-Reader supports PDF, TXT, Audible, MP3, unprotected ePub, HTML, JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP file formats, while built-in Wi-Fi means that it can also be used as a web browser and RSS feed reader. The display can also be used in portrait and landscape modes, so you always get a perfect view on your favourite sites.

Battery life is rated at up to four days if you make regular use of Wi-Fi, but the DR-900 can last up to two weeks on a single charge with Wi-Fi disabled. The recharge time is around three and a half hours, and the ASUS DR-900 can be charged from both the mains and a powered USB port. The battery is removable too, so you can easily carry a spare if you’re planning a long holiday away from civilisation…

Still photos can only show so much (but we think you’ll agree that the DR-900 looks wonderfully slim and stylish), so we’ll be bringing you a hands-on video that shows the ASUS DR-900 E-Reader in action in the next day or two.

So, watch this space and, in the meantime, here’s the ASUS DR-900 E-Reader’s full specification:

• Display: 9” SiPix® electronic paper display with 1024 x 768 resolution at 150ppi, 16-grey scale.
• Size: 222 x 161 x 9mm
• Weight: 370g
• Storage: 4GB internal with SD Card slot
• Battery life: Up to 4 days with Wi-Fi enabled; up to two weeks with Wi-Fi disabled
• Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 3.5 hours and supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.
• Connectivity: 802.11g and/or optional 3.5G HSDPA
• Connections: microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm stereo audio jack, built-in stereo speakers.
• Supported formats: PDF, TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected ePub; HTML, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
• Accessories: Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, battery, book cover