Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), the world’s No. 5 PC brand, is set to roll out its new “Eee Note” next month, hoping the electronic scribbling pad will be able to replicate the success of its netbooks.
The Eee Note uses an 8-inch reflective LCD panel and a magnetic pen for users to write their notes, which can be transferred to a PC, said Lambert Tai (戴佩勇), Asustek’s senior director of networking and wireless devices.
The company is also working on optical character recognition software to recognize and store handwritten notes on a PC for easy reference, he said.
“Chief executive [Jerry Shen (沈振來)] has faced a common problem that most business executives have to put up with — he has to lug along a laptop and a paper notepad to meetings. Then it is hard to decipher the scribbled notes after a few months, not to mention to locate them in the notebook,” Tai said.
Expected to carry a price tag of about NT$8,000 (US$251), the Eee Note will be equipped with a Web cam, with which the user, such as a student, can snap copies of presentation slides during lectures or meetings.
Asustek is eager to replicate its earlier success in the PC industry, when it successfully created a new laptop segment with the industry’s first low-cost, sub-US$500 notebook, known as a netbook, in 2007.
The netbook success prompted other PC makers to follow suit by unveiling similar products, but Asustek has been missing out on the tablet revolution spurred by Apple Inc, which debuted its iPad in April.
The launch of the Eee Note next month is key as the company hopes it will begin an electronics notepad craze and Asustek believes there are separate niche markets for tablets, e-readers and e-notepads.
Asustek yesterday also unveiled its first e-reader customized for the million members of Taiwan’s Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟慈善事業基金會).
The nine-inch e-reader provides members with electronic versions of Buddhist scriptures and the ability to record donations, among other features, with a battery that lasts for two weeks.
The Eee Reader has been tested by Dharma Master Cheng Yen (證嚴法師), 73, who leads Taiwan’s largest charity of 120,000 volunteers and who teaches Buddhism on her television show on the Da-ai TV station.
Asustek chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) is an honorary board member of the Tzu Chi Foundation and the company donated land next to its Beitou (北投) headquarters for Tzu Chi’s Taipei office.
Asustek said sales of the Tzu Chi e-readers could hit 5,000 units by the end of the year. The 3G supported version sells for NT$12,000, while the non-3G model sells for NT$10,000.
The firm also plans to roll out another model which offers the same specifications, but comes with a different exterior design, for the mass market next month.
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