Asus Working on the Eee Phone

Asus has made big splash with its Eee PC line of inexpensive subnotebooks and desktops, and now is developing a smartphone for this series.

Jonney Shih, chairman of Asus, gave his long-term vision for this device in a recent interview with the New York Times. He says that it will someday act as a sort of remote for the digital home, controlling the computer screens that will be on every wall of the house. "That Eee phone may become an interactive control. The whole digital network is the key."

Shih had much less to say about the near-term plans for the Eee phone, such as its specifications or when it will be released.

Still, earlier unconfirmed reports say this company is set to release its first smartphone running Google Android OS in the first half of this year. This could easily be the first Eee phone.

But it could also run Windows Mobile, as Asus has made devices running Microsoft's mobile operating system for years.

via New York Times