Behold: The new Apple iPad. Let the lust begin.

Last month, Apple unveiled the iPad that acts almost like a giant iPhone in many ways with the inclusion of a book store.  It’s with no doubt that Apple thinks that it can challenge all the existing competitors in the eBook market and from what we saw with the original iPod, it’s with good reason.  It’s interesting to hear, however, that there has already been some jabs being thrown by Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs even before an actual release date has been set.

As originally reported by the AppleInsider:

“As for the device’s uptime when reading e-books, Jobs said he believes the 10 hours provided will be more than enough for most users. He discredited Mossberg’s suggestion that a backlit LCD display, versus the e-ink on the Amazon Kindle, produces a ‘battery cost.’

‘You know, there isn’t,’ Jobs said. ‘Because you just end up plugging it in. You end up docking it or whatever you’re going to do with it. It’s not a big deal. Ten hours is a long time. Because you’re not going to read for 10 hours.’”

We can only see how this feud is going to play out in the future but can we really expect avid readers to fork over an additional $250.00 for an iPad to serve as a reading device when there are alternatives available that are way more affordable? But then again, it is Apple.

ASUS DR-570 e-Reader

It appears that ASUS is seriously entering the hot e-Reader market with a different approach then Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony. The ASUS DR-570 e-Reader uses a full color OLED display which will allow content providers to deliver rich, interactive, magazines in addition to standard e-Books. The DR-570 is also packed full of technology with WiFi and Cellular 3G, and ASUS claims a 122hr battery life on a single charge.

I’ll have to see this in person before I decide if I’m going to buy one. I think I prefer an e-Ink, black and white reader for books and I can always use my Dell Laptop for all the other online magazines and interactive media.

Check out SlashGear’s original report on the ASUS e-Reader here and their update today here.

Microsoft Courier (Image from GIZMODO.com)

I noticed a section on Karisha Prescott’s blog post titled “Ideal Writing Gear: Science Fiction Office“ that struck some interest. Being a gadget freak myself, I couldn’t resist Google-ing the Microsoft Courier. Will it become the ultimate writer’s journal?

It appears that Microsoft has joined the race for e-reader supremacy with Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Sony’s Readers but Microsoft is definitely trying to raise the ante. Maybe it’s not fair to compare the Courier to e-readers but more appropriate to compare it to the latest tablet-PCs and netbooks. Or maybe, we should really compare it to personal organizers and notebooks (which don’t have a shot against the features that Microsoft is touting). Karisha described it as a “virtual journal” that is reminiscent of the familiar Moleskine journals. I’m not a writer myself but carry around a Moleskine everyday for recording notes during my regular business meetings. It would be amazing to have a digital, customizable journal that also serves as an e-reader!

Check out the video clips and more pictures at GIZMODO.