Asus has finally taken off the wraps on what looks like the iPad’s most serious competitor (to date) during Computex in Taiwan. Technically, the Eee Pad is more similar to a light, modern, touch-only tablet PC with the Intel-and-Windows platform than Apple’s more basic consumer-friendly device, but the design definitely makes it ripe to go head-to-head with the iPad. It shouldn’t be a secret that this thing is gunning for the iPad’s market.
Two Eee Pads have been unveiled: the 12-inch Eee Pad EP121 and the 10-inch EP101TC. The EP121 is set up to give you a more complete touchscreen-PC-slash-notebook experience with a CULV Core 2 Duo processor and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. The spec alone should make it capable of handling tasks considerably better than your average Intel Atom-based netbook for productivity, entertainment, and a bit of mobile gaming. It’s also fitted with a battery life that’s touted to last for up to 10 hours on a charge, making it comparable to the iPad’s excellent battery life.
For controls, the 12-inch multitouch screen should allow you to tap and click on what you need, with a virtual keyboard that pops out for character input. Two docks for the EP121 will also be made available if you need something solid and mechanical to hammer on: one that’ll give you a desktop feel, and a folding dock that basically turns the tablet into a laptop (both will be sold separately).
The 10-inch Eee Pad EP101TC is a lighter, more basic device that’s closer in comparison to the iPad. It’ll run on Microsoft’s Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating system and Nvidia’s Tegra chips, with a more carry-friendly body that measures only 12.2mm (a little less than half-an inch)
Thick, and weighs 675 grams to make it easy to carry around the house or to wherever you plan on taking it. The EP101TC’s interface has been tweaked to be touch-friendly, and the battery’s also listed to last for 10 hours on a charge.
The proposed price range for both devices is pretty good considering the spec—and especially more appealing if you’re looking for an iPad-like device but with full Windows PC functionality (or at least some basic Windows functionality in the EP101TC’s case): the 10-incher will sell for $399, while the more powerful EP121 is set to cost $499. Don’t hold your breath though, since they’re going to take a while to ship. According to Asus, the Eee Pads won’t be available until early 2011. The timing seems to be a bit off: that’s considerably enough time for Apple to release a new iPhone, (and maybe a slightly updated iPad) and for everyone to get their hands on Apple’s tablet by Christmas. Certainly a downer, especially after the rumors that they could release it by July.
Tags: Asus, Computex, Eee Pad, Tablets, Tablets
