Asus working on a low-cost Eee smartphone?

Asus is no stranger to smartphones; check out its Asus P527.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

Asus has tried its hand at smartphones before. Take for instance, the Asus P527, a feature-rich Windows Mobile device that simply didn't deliver in the performance department and certainly wasn't worth the expensive price tag. However, it appears the Taiwanese company might give smartphones another shot, but this time with a completely new game plan.

According to a New York Times interview with Asustek's chairman Jonney Shih, Asus is working on a low-cost smartphone called the Eee Phone. Based on the company's Eee line of affordable Netbooks, Shih envisions the Eee Phone as the "interactive control" for the digital home.

Shih didn't reveal any more details about the smartphone, such as what type of operating system it would run, features, or design. Asus faces an uphill climb, facing a full market of well-established players. However, as we've seen with the popular Eee Netbook series, if the price is right and the feature set decent, the Eee Phone could be a force to be reckoned with.

(Source: Wired)

[chadwsmith]

I would love to have an Eee Phone.

[Notoapplefanbois]

What's up with all the _Phone's, we've got the OPhone, the IPhone, the GPhone (not official name but it's good enough) and now we've got the EEEPhone, not that it's a bad thing. I hope it runs on Android or Linux though otherwise it'll be an utter failure in my eyes.

[abundantsnotbob]

I thought the Ophone was a parody. Is there a real one too?

[TechnoMan475392]

@abundantsomethingsomethingsomething
It's a lenovo phone running android only sold in China, and boy is it awesome.

[Mikeybabes]

I'm waiting for the Phone-Phone(TM). It's cheap has a black and white display and you can make you calls from it.

[emoslayer6224]

Yes please.