E-readers like Amazon's Kindle or Sony's PRS-505/SC are becoming an interesting alternative, or at least addition, to books and magazines. Spiking sales of these gadgets further seem to support this trend as according to iSuppli, "electronic reading device shipments are estimated to reach 3.6 million units in 2009, 7.2 million units in 2010, and 12 million units in 2011."

Hence, it doesn't come too much as a surprise that a new player, in the form of Asus, is about to enter the market, too. Since the showcasing of a prototype at the CeBIT in March, "additional details have trickled out:

An Asus representative confirmed to Wired.com the company will probably show the device at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Asus' e-reader will likely have color touchscreens, a speaker, a webcam and a microphone, along with the capability to make inexpensive Skype calls. Despite all those features, Britain's Sunday Times reports, somewhat unbelievably, that it may be priced lower than its competitors from Sony and Kindle.

With dual screens, the new Eee e-reader could give readers a user experience similar to paper books. The device could also offer readers the option of using the second screen to browse a web page. The best part about the device, though, would be the price tag, says the Times report. The cheapest version of the Asus Eee reader could lost about