Asus was starting to look good when they unveiled their new Eee Pads and Slates during CES, until now. It seems there was a “mistake” regarding some of the information they released regarding ship dates and Android version support. According to a recent interview with the Inquirer, company marketing specialist John Swatton, the announcements were a mistake. Specifically, the parts that said the new tablets would be out in the spring, and that they’d run on Android 3.0.
Asus CEO Jerry Shen confirmed in an interview that they’re readying an Android-based version of the Eee Pad for a March 2011 release. It’s a long ways from getting to market, but the price is just about right at “less than $399.” That’s a cool $100 less than the iPad—never mind that we could be hearing about a new iPad by that time, but unless Apple comes out with a sub-$400 slate, it’s all good for Asus.
Asus updated their launch plans for the 8-inch Eee Tablet, announcing an October launch and a price that’s sounds a little bit too crazy for an ebook reader. Previously estimated to cost around $199 to $299 back in May, the new announcement now pegs the price at “below $599.”
After unveiling the Eee Pads at Computex, Asus brought out another touch-based slate device called the Eee Tablet. It’s a different kind of animal compared to the Eee Pads though: this is more of a complimentary mobile accessory that’ll let you read text, scribble notes, and draw rather precise sketches on its 8-inch (1024 x 768) grayscale display. To sum it up, the Eee Pads are basically slim Tablet PCs, while the Eee Tablet is more like a digital sketch pad.
