The world of electronic books is heating up as Sony and Amazon go head to head with their rival services and e-reader devices. The Sony Reader has so far dominated the market along with the Amazon Kindle device. They are both slim, tactile devices which offer a range of functionality and wireless access to download books. They have both already come down in price since release and current versions retail for between $200 and $400.

In the last few days there have been rumours flying that ASUS are set to enter the fray with their very own E-Reader. Speculation suggests that Sony and Amazon should be nervous because the ASUS device is expected to cost around $165. They are expected to offer a budget device and a premium device which will include various additional features. A dual screen, color e-book reader at such a low price is sure to be a hit with consumers in the run up to Christmas.

ASUS have been developing the dual touch screen device which emulates the page turning feeling of a book for quite some time. They showed a prototype back in March and other features touted include a built in webcam, microphone and speaker along with the capability to make calls on Skype. It seems unlikely that those features will make it onto the budget device but even for a no frills reader a price tag of $165 would make the ASUS E-Reader a very attractive prospect.

ASUS already took the laptop and netbook market by storm offering cheap but high quality products. This new assault on the e-book reader market could be another success. However Amazon has managed to take an early lead in the market largely thanks to their huge available library. It remains to be seen how ASUS will tackle that issue.